amo_mea_filiis. Posted June 9, 2012 Share Posted June 9, 2012 We're listening to rip van winkle and the legend of sleepy hollow in the car at the park. Why? My landlord showed up without notice to scrape the (lead) paint off the house. I truly appreciate that he is getting the house inspection ready, but had i known, i could have made plans. Ds is only 7 with asthma and currently has a cold. I do not want him near the house while the lead dust is floating around. All windows are closed, but still want to take some precaution during the repair. I'm quite surprised that ds is sitting quietly here in the car. I have my crochet. Is there anything i should do at home to keep ds as safe as possible (dd too, of course, but she is much healthier overall than ds, so i am not as worried)? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*Michelle* Posted June 9, 2012 Share Posted June 9, 2012 Frankly, I'm surprised your landlord is doing it himself. Around here, that job would require professional removal to make sure the surrounding area wasn't contaminated with fine lead particles. What's he doing to protect the ground? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KnitWit Posted June 9, 2012 Share Posted June 9, 2012 Ugh. I hope your landlord understands what he's doing and how careful he needs to be about clean up. If he's scraping without wearing protective clothing/mask/glasses then he probably doesn't. Be aware that if he's NOT careful and you walk through the dust/mess, you can still track it into your house. Lead paint dust is very, very fine. Before I went back in, I'd probably hose down all the pathways, porches to the doors. Also, I wouldn't open my windows and risk anything blowing in. I hope you have Central AC and don't live where it's hot and humid. If you have window units, it would be BEST to seal them from the outside while he's scraping near them...and DON'T have them running. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KnitWit Posted June 9, 2012 Share Posted June 9, 2012 Frankly, I'm surprised your landlord is doing it himself. Around here, that job would require professional removal to make sure the surrounding area wasn't contaminated with fine lead particles. What's he doing to protect the ground? Yeah...be aware of kiddo playing in these areas outside. Hopefully you don't have any herbs or other edibles growing where they might get contaminated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*Michelle* Posted June 9, 2012 Share Posted June 9, 2012 Is he doing any of this? http://www.health.ny.gov/publications/2502/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amo_mea_filiis. Posted June 9, 2012 Author Share Posted June 9, 2012 I know he is wearing a mask and gloves. He does not ever go inside if im not home, so i dont worry about tracking. It is also on and off raining, so hopefully it will rinse a lot. No window units in right now, so thats covered. I will look at the link. Thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*Michelle* Posted June 9, 2012 Share Posted June 9, 2012 I just noticed that you're in NE PA. From the EPA: House Bill 1335 was signed into law (ACT 44 of 1995) by Governor Ridge on July 6, 1995. This bill requires individuals who engage in lead-based paint activities to be certified. It also requires all profit-generating lead training programs that have the responsibility of training persons engaged in lead-based paint activities to be accredited by the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry. On November 8, 1997, Lead Occupation Accreditation and Certification Regulations were proposed and the final regulations became effective November 8, 1997 And Property owners who renovate, repair, or prepare surfaces for painting in pre-1978 rental housing or space rented by child-care facilities must, before beginning work, provide tenants with a copy of EPA's lead hazard information pamphlet Renovate Right: Important Lead Hazard Information for Families, Child Care Providers, and Schools (PDF) (10 pp, 7.0MB) | en español (PDF) (11 pp, 2.1MB). Owners of these rental properties must document compliance with this requirement; EPA's sample pre-renovation disclosure form (PDF) (1 pp, 53K) may be used for this purpose. Property owners who perform these projects in pre-1978 rental housing or space rented by child-care facilities must be certified and must follow the lead-safe work practices required by EPA's Renovation, Repair and Remodeling rule. To become certified, property owners must submit an application for firm certification (PDF) (9 pp, 642K) and fee payment to EPA. The Agency has up to 90 days after receiving a complete request for certification to approve or disapprove the application. Property owners who perform renovation, repairs, and painting jobs in rental property should also: Take training to learn how to perform lead-safe work practices. Learn the lead laws that apply to you regarding certification and lead-safe work practices. Keep records to demonstrate that you and your workers have been trained in lead-safe work practices and that you follow lead-safe work practices on the job. To make recordkeeping easier, you may use the sample recordkeeping checklist (PDF) (1 pg, 141K) that EPA has developed to help contractors comply with the renovation recordkeeping requirements. Read about how to comply with EPA's rule in the EPA Small Entity Compliance Guide to Renovate Right (PDF) (32 pp, 5.5MB). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Momof3littles Posted June 9, 2012 Share Posted June 9, 2012 (edited) I would also be very concerned about how he's going about this. The lead dust can fly *everywhere* as it is sanded or scraped off. Little particles can be all over the place, tracked all over, blown all over, and even if it is outside there have been many cases of lead poisoning from people gardening or playing outside where lead paint once was. I don't know how far you want to take it, but you may be able to press the Dept of Health or some other group to test your house, levels outside of the home or soil, etc. since he didn't follow the law. I might even make some anonymous calls just to see what kind of assistance I could get in determining whether there were issues inside or outside of the home after his attempt at "remediation." I don't know if you have a good relationship with your LL, and I understand not wanting to burn bridges, but yeah, this has the potential to affect your kids. You should have their levels tested a few times in coming months, IMO. FWIW, one of my jobs in college was in the HR dept of a large battery manufacturer, and I later did some work in their health and safety dept. Lead wasn't my "thing" but I was surrounded by lots of discussion of lead safety, concerns, testing, etc. as lead exposure was obviously a big part of many employees' jobs. Edited June 9, 2012 by Momof3littles Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amo_mea_filiis. Posted June 9, 2012 Author Share Posted June 9, 2012 Thanks everyone. I am going to call the lead hotline on Monday as well as ds's ped. Ds has neurological and lung problems, so it is possible i could miss early signs of exposure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amo_mea_filiis. Posted June 9, 2012 Author Share Posted June 9, 2012 Thanks everyone. I am going to call the lead hotline on Monday as well as ds's ped. Ds has neurological and lung problems, so it is possible i could miss early signs of exposure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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