Millions of Homes, Schools May Have to Remove Lead Dust Due to New Federal Rule.

New Proposed Rules to Protect Children from Lead Paint Exposure

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has recently announced new proposed rules aimed at preventing hundreds of thousands of children from being exposed to lead paint, a toxic substance.

According to officials, these rules are expected to significantly reduce lead exposures for 250,000 to 500,000 children under the age of 6 each year. The EPA’s proposal seeks to enhance regulations under section 402 of the Toxic Substances Control Act, specifically revising the standards for allowable levels of lead dust on floors, window sills, and other areas in older buildings.

“The Biden-Harris Administration is taking a whole-of-government approach to ensure that the most vulnerable among us—our children—are protected from exposure to lead,” said EPA Deputy Administrator Janet McCabe.

“This proposal to safely remove lead paint, along with our other efforts to deliver clean drinking water and replace lead pipes, will go a long way toward protecting the health of our next generation of leaders.”

The EPA plans to reduce the “dust-lead hazard standards” to three micrograms per square foot for floors (from 10 micrograms) and to 20 micrograms per square foot for window sills (from 100 micrograms). The goal is to recognize that there is no safe level of lead in dust for children. Additionally, the lead dust levels for window troughs would be lowered to 25 micrograms per square foot (from 400 micrograms).

Although lead-based paints were banned by the federal government in 1978, an estimated 31 million pre-1978 homes still contain them. Of these homes, 3.8 million have a child under the age of 6 living there.

Lead exposure can have severe health and safety consequences for children, including behavioral problems, lower IQ, and slowed growth. The EPA emphasizes that young children are particularly vulnerable to ingesting lead-containing dust.

A 2019 report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) estimated that around 15 million U.S. students attended school districts with buildings that still had lead-based paint.

The American Association of Pediatrics states that there is no safe level of lead exposure. It highlights that lead can interfere with critical central nervous system development, including the brain’s volumes and microstructure, with the risk often peaking at age 2.

Lead exposure can also interfere with the body’s ability to absorb iron and vitamin D, and it can harm the kidneys, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Studies have also linked lead exposure to various cardiovascular disorders.

In 2020, the Trump administration implemented more stringent lead dust rules, also aiming to protect children from harmful exposure to lead. However, some environmentalist groups criticized the administration, arguing that the rules didn’t go far enough.

These EPA limits could potentially require millions of homeowners or child care facilities to inspect for lead dust and bear the cost of cleaning, according to experts.