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ovate Right: The Price of Ignorance
by William Spain , Department of Natural Resources
William Spain works for the Lead-Based-Paint & Asbestos Program at the Georgia
Environmental Protection Division. He is a Magna Cum Laude degreed chemist with
45 years of Occupational and Environmental Health experience working for the
aerospace industry, federal government, academia, and now state government. He has
held multiple health and safety professional certifications.
What owners and contractors performing Control and Prevention (CDC) has reported
renovations, repair, and painting of pre-1978 that as many as 535,000 children at any one
homes do not know can hurt them and others, time have had elevated blood lead levels from
and trigger substantial expenses. Fortunately this and other lead exposure sources.
this is curable, and Environmental Specialists, Additionally, lead-based paint or dust on a
especially those associated with Health property may cause a hazard with significant
Departments, can help administer the cure. ongoing financial consequences, including
clean-up costs and fines resulting in reduced
Homes and other structures built before property value.
1978 often contain lead paint and coatings. The
definition of lead-based paint includes paint, In response, congress passed legislation
enamel, varnish, shellac, stains and primers. requiring regulations aimed at minimizing these
Before they were prohibited, these were used exposure risks as a result of renovation, repair
on a variety of interior and exterior residential and painting (RRP) activities in pre-1978
components where durable coatings were residences and child occupied facilities issued
desirable. The U.S. Housing and Urban and enforced by U.S. Environmental Protection
Development Administration (HUD) estimates Agency (EPA). In 2010, Georgia became an
that 38 million residential units in the United EPA approved state program enforced by the
States have lead-based paint. Georgia Environmental Protection Division
(GEPD). The Georgia Lead Rules (Lead-Based
Lead-based paint can be the cause of Paint Hazard Management, Chapter 391-3-24)
health and financial consequences. When a apply to anyone who is paid to do work that
contractor or owner does not follow lead-safe disturbs paint and coatings in or on
work practices in doing renovation, repairs or components of homes or child-occupied
painting that disturbs lead paint, lead- facilities built before 1978.
containing dust is produced. Activities like
sanding, cutting, and demolition can cause In Georgia, allowing lead dust or paint chips
hazardous lead dust and chips. Exposure to to get on a property is a violation of the Georgia
lead dust has been shown to be a significant “open dumping” rule and can cause a lead-
health risk for adults, children, and even pets. hazard with significant ongoing financial
Lead can cause health problems in adults by consequences, including clean-up costs, fines,
raising blood pressure, increasing risk of heart and reduced property value. The rules are
attack or stroke, increasing potential for intended to protect residents, renters, visitors,
miscarriage and impotence, and decreasing and neighbors, especially young and unborn
brain functions making it difficult to think, learn children, from lead poisoning. Also, since 1996,
and remember. disclosure has been required at the time of
rental, lease or sale, even if identified lead-
In children, exposure to lead can cause based paint or lead hazards have already been
permanent learning, behavior and medical abated. The Real Estate Disclosure
problems and substantive social costs in the requirements for all pre-1978 residential units
billions per year. The Centers for Disease are enforced by EPA and HUD.
1. Elise Gould, 2009. Childhood Lead poisoning: Conservative Estimates of the Social and Economic Benefits of Lead hazard
Control, Environ Health Perspectives, 117(7): 1162–1167
Georgia Environmentalist Volume 36 13
by William Spain , Department of Natural Resources
William Spain works for the Lead-Based-Paint & Asbestos Program at the Georgia
Environmental Protection Division. He is a Magna Cum Laude degreed chemist with
45 years of Occupational and Environmental Health experience working for the
aerospace industry, federal government, academia, and now state government. He has
held multiple health and safety professional certifications.
What owners and contractors performing Control and Prevention (CDC) has reported
renovations, repair, and painting of pre-1978 that as many as 535,000 children at any one
homes do not know can hurt them and others, time have had elevated blood lead levels from
and trigger substantial expenses. Fortunately this and other lead exposure sources.
this is curable, and Environmental Specialists, Additionally, lead-based paint or dust on a
especially those associated with Health property may cause a hazard with significant
Departments, can help administer the cure. ongoing financial consequences, including
clean-up costs and fines resulting in reduced
Homes and other structures built before property value.
1978 often contain lead paint and coatings. The
definition of lead-based paint includes paint, In response, congress passed legislation
enamel, varnish, shellac, stains and primers. requiring regulations aimed at minimizing these
Before they were prohibited, these were used exposure risks as a result of renovation, repair
on a variety of interior and exterior residential and painting (RRP) activities in pre-1978
components where durable coatings were residences and child occupied facilities issued
desirable. The U.S. Housing and Urban and enforced by U.S. Environmental Protection
Development Administration (HUD) estimates Agency (EPA). In 2010, Georgia became an
that 38 million residential units in the United EPA approved state program enforced by the
States have lead-based paint. Georgia Environmental Protection Division
(GEPD). The Georgia Lead Rules (Lead-Based
Lead-based paint can be the cause of Paint Hazard Management, Chapter 391-3-24)
health and financial consequences. When a apply to anyone who is paid to do work that
contractor or owner does not follow lead-safe disturbs paint and coatings in or on
work practices in doing renovation, repairs or components of homes or child-occupied
painting that disturbs lead paint, lead- facilities built before 1978.
containing dust is produced. Activities like
sanding, cutting, and demolition can cause In Georgia, allowing lead dust or paint chips
hazardous lead dust and chips. Exposure to to get on a property is a violation of the Georgia
lead dust has been shown to be a significant “open dumping” rule and can cause a lead-
health risk for adults, children, and even pets. hazard with significant ongoing financial
Lead can cause health problems in adults by consequences, including clean-up costs, fines,
raising blood pressure, increasing risk of heart and reduced property value. The rules are
attack or stroke, increasing potential for intended to protect residents, renters, visitors,
miscarriage and impotence, and decreasing and neighbors, especially young and unborn
brain functions making it difficult to think, learn children, from lead poisoning. Also, since 1996,
and remember. disclosure has been required at the time of
rental, lease or sale, even if identified lead-
In children, exposure to lead can cause based paint or lead hazards have already been
permanent learning, behavior and medical abated. The Real Estate Disclosure
problems and substantive social costs in the requirements for all pre-1978 residential units
billions per year. The Centers for Disease are enforced by EPA and HUD.
1. Elise Gould, 2009. Childhood Lead poisoning: Conservative Estimates of the Social and Economic Benefits of Lead hazard
Control, Environ Health Perspectives, 117(7): 1162–1167
Georgia Environmentalist Volume 36 13
