EPA starts lead inspection sweep in the greater Manchester New Hampshire area to prevent childhood lead poisoning | US EPA

Homes built before 1978 are very likely to contain lead paint

March 28, 2024

BOSTON (Mar. 28, 2024) – The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) initiative to prevent childhood lead poisoning in communities with a higher risk of lead exposure is coming to the greater Manchester, New Hampshire area. Lead is particularly harmful to children because they are more vulnerable to its effects, which include damage to the brain and nervous system.

The aim of the EPA’s lead paint initiative is to reduce childhood lead exposure through increased awareness and improved compliance with federal lead paint requirements, in particular the Renovation, Repair and Painting (RRP) and Lead Disclosure Rules.

“If you live someplace built before 1978, which is quite possible in New England, be aware and share with family and friends how toxic old lead paint chips and dust can be for yourselves and your children,” said EPA New England Regional Administrator David W. Cash. ”EPA is excited to collaborate with state and local partners who continue to tackle this preventable issue – we will use all available tools possible, including assistance, enforcement, and grant opportunities focused on communities with environmental justice concerns.”

“Infants and children are especially vulnerable to lead exposure, which can cause lifelong impacts including developmental impairment, learning disabilities, impaired hearing, reduced attention span, hyperactivity, and behavioral problems. When pregnant women are exposed to lead, it can impact their unborn children’s health as well,” said Iain Watt, Interim Director of the New Hampshire Division of Public Health Services.

“The City of Manchester is committed to ensuring that all children have the opportunity to thrive. Healthy housing is one part of that equation,” said Mayor Jay Ruais. “To that end, in 2023 the Board of Mayor and Aldermen established the Manchester Lead Exposure Prevention Commission. This Commission, which is made up of community members from various disciplines and lived experience, will be working to identify strategies to reduce lead poisoning and increase lead hazard awareness and prevention in our community.”

As part of the lead paint initiative in Manchester, inspectors will evaluate compliance with the Toxic Substances Control Act’s lead paint RRP Rule, which is applicable to renovation job sites involving housing and child-occupied facilities built before 1978.

Field staff will also be checking to confirm that landlords, including property management and real estate companies, are providing prospective tenants or buyers with proper lead disclosure about the presence of lead-based paint and/or lead-based paint hazards. Lead disclosures are required, under Section 1018 of the Residential Lead-Based Paint Hazard Reduction Act, before the lease or sale of most housing built before 1978.

These efforts will be supported by an increased focus on education, outreach, and compliance assistance in the greater Manchester area and beyond to ensure that regulated parties and the public are aware of the federal lead-based paint requirements.

Background

EPA’s Renovation, Repair and Painting Rule is designed to prevent children’s exposure to lead-based paint and/or lead-based paint hazards resulting from renovation, repair and painting projects in pre-1978 residences, schools and other buildings where children are present. If lead painted surfaces are to be disturbed at a job site, the RRP Rule requires individual renovators to complete an initial 8-hour accredited training course and the company or firm that they work for to be certified by EPA. These baseline requirements are critical to ensuring that companies take responsibility for their employees following proper lead-safe work practices by containing and managing lead dust and chips created during such projects. Further, the RRP Rule requires that specific records be created and maintained to document compliance with the law.

EPA’s Lead Disclosure Rule is designed to ensure that potential buyers and renters of housing built prior to 1978 receive certain information about lead-based paint and lead-based paint hazards in the residence prior to becoming obligated to buy or rent, and provides the opportunity for an independent lead inspection for buyers. Sellers, landlords, and agents are responsible for compliance.

More information

Lead

Protect Your Family from Sources of Lead

EPA Lead Enforcement

Report a Violation of Lead Paint Rules in New England

Environmental Justice grant opportunities:

Healthy Communities Grant Program

Community Change Grant Program