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Lead Hazard Prevention
Lead is potentially present in the environment of almost 80% of the housing in Maine . Exposure to lead in paint, dust, soil and water can cause lead poisoning in both children and adults, with children under six years of age being particularly vulnerable. Every year, hundreds of children in Maine are identified with elevated blood lead levels. Lead can cause learning disabilities and behavioral problems that last a lifetime. Most children are poisoned by lead hazards in their homes. Exposure to lead is most common in buildings built before 1950 (when paint contained up to 50% lead), and in buildings built before 1978 when repainting or remodeling is done. In 1997, Maine enacted an “Act to Ensure Safe Abatement of Lead Hazards”. This Act directed the State of Maine Department of Environmental Protection to adopt regulations establishing procedures and requirements for the certification and licensing of persons engaged in residential lead-based paint activities, work practice standards for performing such activities, the licensing of lead training providers and accreditation of lead training programs. These rules are called the Maine Lead Management Regulations (Chapter 424) ; they incorporate requirements from both State and federal lead laws. What are lead hazards? Lead hazards are any condition that may cause exposure to lead from lead-contaminated dust, lead-contaminated soil, lead-contaminated water or lead-based paint that is in poor condition. Standards have been incorporated into the regulations to further clarify what conditions or amounts of lead constitute a lead hazard. It is possible to have lead paint in a home without it being a lead hazard. By law, lead hazards may only be identified by a Maine licensed lead inspector or risk assessor in the course of a lead inspection. Lead inspections may be performed to comply with a licensing requirement, as requested prior to a real estate sale, as part of a lead poisoning investigation, or because an owner wants to learn where there is lead paint and lead hazards in a home. Currently, the Maine Lead Management Regulations apply only to work performed on residential buildings and child occupied facilities. Standards have not developed or adopted in regulation for commercial or industrial facilities, and steel structures such as bridges and water towers. Work at these facilities is regulated under the OSHA Lead Standard. What is abatement, and when do the Maine Lead Management Regulations apply? Abatement (often referred to as “deleading”, “lead paint removal”, or “lead hazard control or elimination”), is an activity in which the primary intent is to permanently eliminate lead hazards. Abatement may include any of the following: removal of lead-based paint, enclosure or encapsulation of lead-based paint, replacement of lead-painted surfaces or fixtures, and the removal or covering of lead-contaminated soil. A renovation or remodeling project in which the primary intent is to repair, restore, or remodel is not abatement, even if the project incidentally results in the reduction of lead hazards. Such renovation projects are not regulated under the Lead Management Regulations . The Lead Management Regulations apply to those projects conducted in residential buildings and child-occupied facilities where the primary intent is abatement. Frequently, projects may include both abatement and renovation. In these situations, owner's expectations and or contract specifications must be clear as to what is abatement. A regulated activity, and what activities are not. Common abatement projects include: abatement mandated by the Department of Health and Human Services in response to a case of childhood lead poisoning, abatement work funded by HUD lead hazard control grants, abatement performed to meet the lead-safe license requirement for a stand alone day care facility, and abatement as requested by a property owner to ensure the highest standard of lead-safe work. All of these projects require a Maine licensed lead abatement contractor employing only certified workers. ContactsFor more information contact the Lead Hazard Prevention staff at (207) 287-7751. Title 22, Chapter 252: Lead Poisoning Control Act §1314 - §1327 (Off Site) - Federal Renovation, Repair and Painting Rule - New federal rule requires contractors to do lead-safe renovations in homes and day cares built before 1978. Additional InformationNew! Lead Sampling Technicians (Excel format) (pdf format) Information for Landlords and Property Managers Wisconsin DHHS Product Alerts – provides information, including pictures, on consumer products that contain lead.” (Off Site) Asbestos and Lead Training Providers Disposal of lead contaminated debris Laboratory testing for soil, paint, dust and water - (Off-Site) Protect Your Family from Lead in Your Home - printable version of EPA's booklet required for real estate and renovation disclosures in pre-1978 housing. (Off-Site) Code Enforcement Officers Information Packet Enforcement
Related Programs (Off Site)Maine Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program Maine Housing - Lead Hazard Control Program Alliance to End Childhood Lead Poisioning - The Alliance for Healthy Homes works to protect children from lead and other home environmental health hazards. A national, nonprofit public interest organization, the Alliance advocates for policy solutions and builds the capacity of communities to prevent in-home hazards from harming the health of children their families, and all residents. Centers For Disease Control and Prevention Coalition for Environmentally Safe Communities - Operates the Maine Lead Safe Kids Fund, seeking and providing funds for lead hazard reduction. Community Environmental Health Resource Center Consumer Product Safety Commission - recalls of products because of lead content (EPA Programs) - EPA information on Environmental Health in Spanish - El medio ambiente y su salud Lead Programs HUD Office of Healthy Homes and Lead Hazard Control Maine State Planning Office Waste Management and Recycling Program National Lead Information Center 
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