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ESTE Project Brief: Environmental and Sustainable Technology Evaluations (ESTE): Verification of Qualitative Spot Test Kits for Lead in Paint
Citation:
ENRIQUEZ, J. AND E. HARTZELL. ESTE Project Brief: Environmental and Sustainable Technology Evaluations (ESTE): Verification of Qualitative Spot Test Kits for Lead in Paint. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, EPA/600/S-08/025, 2009.
Impact/Purpose:
To evaluate the commercially-available test kits for lead in paint.
Description:
On April 22, 2008, EPA issued the final Lead; Renovation, Repair, and Painting (RRP) Program Rule. The rule addresses lead-based paint hazards created by renovation, repair, and painting activities that disturb lead-based paint in target housing and child-occupied facilities. Under this rule, EPA must foster the development of improved test kits for lead-based paint surfaces that have false negative rates of no more than 5% and false positive rates of no more than 10%, as measured against the federal standards for lead-based paint. The rule also establishes a two phase process for evaluating and recognizing test kits that can be used to determine the presence or absence of regulated levels of lead in lead-based paint surfaces. For Phase 1, EPA Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics (OPPT) based their evaluation on data collected using the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) protocol found in the NIST report entitled “Spot Test Kits for Detecting Lead in Household Paint: A Laboratory Evaluation.”. EPA OPPT also tested commercially available kits that were not tested under this study using the NIST protocol. After initial evaluation, EPA has recognized under the first phase of the program two currently available lead test kits, with limitations. Under this rule, EPA also determined that the Environmental Technology Verification Program (ETV) is a suitable vehicle for obtaining independent laboratory validation of test kit performance needed for this program. For Phase 2, EPA’s OPPT has arranged for ETV, to verify the test kits and will provide data for the second phase of EPA’s recognition program. EPA OPPT will evaluate kit performance using data obtained by the ETV Program. Test kits must be commercially available for purchase either at the time of application for testing or at the time the verification report is final (signed). ETV plans to finalize verifications and post the ETV reports and statements as early as April 2010 on the ETV website (www.epa.gov/etv). For more information on the recognition process by EPA OPPT, go to www.epa.gov/lead. [Brief - December 2008, updated December 2009]