10/24/2024
Northeast Ohio Black Health Coalition (NEOBHC)
The White House finally OKed the new lead paint standards rule. Biden administration cracks down on lead paint, a serious threat to children’s health. If you are attending one of the CLASH events over the next couple days, you may be getting questions.
The EPA acted to revise the rule after Earthjustice and other groups sued the agency in 2019, alleging it had failed to protect children from harmful lead exposure. There are likely to be legal challenges, but because the regulation arises from a legal decision...it will be hard to challenge in court or by future administrations.
The new rule declares any amount of lead dust detected on the floors and windowsills of homes as hazardous. The rule could trigger extensive cleanup once a doctor, public health official or other expert identifies signs of lead exposure depending on state and local laws. (this standard seems to be consistent with the new standard adopted by Mayor Bibb for the Lead Safe Certificate Program.
It establishes an aggressive new standard for cleanup that would reduce lead to the lowest detectable levels that can be reliably measured in a lab, but it would not require inspections of homes that may have lead paint. The inspection requirement is based on state and local laws.
Lead exposure, even at a low level, can cause serious developmental delays and other lifelong effects on children, such as hearing and speech challenges.
