EPA has recently announced the Lead: Renovation, Repair and Painting Program rule, which affects contractors who renovate or repair housing, child-care facilities, or schools built before 1978. The rule will take effect in April 2010. Requirements under the rule include implementing lead-safe work practices and certification and training for paid contractors and maintenance professionals working in pre-1978 housing, child-care facilities, and schools. To foster adoption of the new measures, EPA will also conduct an extensive education and outreach campaign to promote awareness of these new requirements.

The rule covers all rental housing and non-rental homes where children under 6 years of age and pregnant mothers reside. The new requirements apply to renovation, repair, or painting activities where more than 6 square feet of lead-based paint is disturbed in a room or where 20 square feet of lead-based paint is disturbed on the exterior. The affected contractors include builders, painters, plumbers, and electricians. Trained contractors must post warning signs, restrict occupants from work areas, contain work areas to prevent dust and debris from spreading, conduct a thorough cleanup, and verify that cleanup was effective.

Lead is a toxic metal that was used for many years in paint and was banned for residential use in 1978. Exposure to lead can result in health concerns for both children and adults. Children under 6 years of age are most at risk because their developing nervous systems are especially vulnerable to lead's effects and because they are more likely to ingest lead due to their more frequent hand-to-mouth behavior. Almost 38 million homes in the United States contain some lead-based paint.