Lead Talk

by Heidi Most

Visual evaluation - Look at interior and exterior surfaces for signs of deterioration.

Paint inspection - Surface by surface investigation of all intact and non intact painted surfaces for lead-based paint using an XRF machine.

Limited paint inspection - Testing with XRF machine of painted surfaces that will be disturbed.

Risk assessments - Shall include visual inspections, dust tests and soil tests if potential soil hazard is identified during a visual inspection. May involve sampling for five or more similar dwelling units.

Hazard reduction - Measures designed to reduce or eliminate human exposure to Iead-based paint hazards through interim controls or abatement.

Abatement - Any set of measures designed to permanently eliminate lead-based paint or lead-based paint hazards. (Permanent means having an effective life of 20 years or more.)

Interim controls - Any set of measures designed to temporarily reduce human exposure or likely exposure to lead-based paint hazards.

Clearance examination - Test conducted to determine that the ha/arc controls are complete and that levels of lead in settled dust and/or bare soil meet the standards set by HUD.

Elevated blood lead (EBL) - A one-time test of 20 micrograms of lead per deciliter of blood (2():g/dL) or a blood lead level of 15 to 19:g/dL in two consecutive tests.

Heidi Most is Assistant Director for Program Development with the. National Center for Lead-Safe Housing. This article appeared in the September 1996 issue of Cost Cuts , a technical publication of the Enterprise Foundation.