Stronger Standards to Protect From Exposure to Lead Paint Dust

Last week, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized stronger requirements for identifying and cleaning up lead paint dust in pre-1978 homes and childcare facilities. EPA estimates that this rule will reduce the lead exposures of up to nearly 1.2 million people every year, of which 178,000 to 326,000 are children under the age of six.

No safe level of lead exposure exists. Children are especially vulnerable to the impacts of lead exposure, which can cause irreversible and life-long health effects, including behavioral problems, lower IQ, slowed growth, and more. In adults, exposure can cause increased risk of cardiovascular disease and may cause cancer.

The stronger standards deliver on the Biden-Harris administration’s Lead Pipe and Paint Action Plan, released in 2021. The final rule reduces the level of lead in dust that EPA considers hazardous to any reportable level measured by an EPA-recognized laboratory. The rule also lowers the amount of lead that can remain in dust on floors, window sills, and window troughs after a lead paint abatement occurs, the lowest levels that can be reliably and quickly measured in laboratories. This action will result in significant reductions in exposures when compared to prior standards. These levels reflect standards implemented by New York City in 2021.

“We can all breathe a little easier now that the EPA has significantly lowered its dust lead standard to protect children,” said Peggy Shepard, Environmental Justice co-founder and WE ACT executive director. “For decades, the academic and advocacy communities have understood that there is no safe level of lead in a child’s blood. I am a New Yorker whose state leads the nation in cases of children with elevated blood levels. I am an environmental justice leader based in Harlem where studies show that Black children living below the poverty line are twice as likely to suffer from lead poisoning as poor white children. I applaud EPA’s action to address this deadly challenge for our children and families.”

Earlier this month, EPA issued a final rule requiring drinking water systems across the country to identify and replace lead pipes within 10 years. EPA also announced US$2.6 billion in newly available drinking water infrastructure funding, which is available to support lead pipe replacement and inventory projects.