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COST ESTIMATES OF USING THREE LEAD-BASED PAINT ABATEMENT TECHNOLOGIES ON RESIDENTIAL HOUSING
Citation:
Daniels*, A. COST ESTIMATES OF USING THREE LEAD-BASED PAINT ABATEMENT TECHNOLOGIES ON RESIDENTIAL HOUSING. Shannon T. Kennedy (ed.), DELEADING. Weil Communications and Marketing, Inc., Rockville, MD, 7(7):14-15, (1998).
Description:
Elevated blood lead levels in children of the US due to exposure to flaking lead-based paint continues to be an important health concern. Approximately 57M housing units, which represent 75% of all privately owned and occupied housing built before 1980 in the US are contaminated with lead-based paint (LBP) on interior/exterior painted surface. These lead levels are at or above the action level threshold established by the Lead-Based Paint Poisoning Prevention Act. Several federal government agencies such as the US Dept. of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), USEPA, and National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) have research actgivities which focus on the techniques available to abate lead-based paint, as well as, the acute and chronic health effects of exposure to lead particulate, especially children. As the focus of lead-based paint abatement moves from government-funded projects involving public housing to privately funded projects and dwellings, the cost of removing lead paint has become just as important as the types of technologies available for its removal. The USEPA's National Risk Management REsearch Laboratory and the US Army Corps of Engineers conducted a research study which evaluated the effectiveness of several lead paint abatement technologies on residential housing in Buffalo, NY. The technologies were demonstrated on both interior and exterior wood surfaces of the housing units. The ambient lead particulate levels, as well as, personal exposures to the abatement operators were measured. The study design, lead particulate levels, and recommendations/conclusions of the research study can be found in the EPA report and Project Summary, Field Demonstration of Lead Paint Abatement Technologies in Residual Housing. Cost estimates were determined for three of the four technologies demonstrated in this study and are discussed in more detail in this article.