In order to renovate a building that has been constructed before 1978, contractors will need to have lead removal certification. This is to help prevent lead from contaminating the public areas while it is being removed. Lead exposure can be extremely hazardous to humans, children are especially prone to the dangers of lead and if exposed they may suffer a number of symptoms and in some cases it may even lead to death. For this reason the Federal EPA has laid out a new set of lead removal certification requirements for contractors to follow while working on these types of buildings.
Lead based paint was popularly used prior to 1978 until it was found to be harmful to humans. In 1978 it was banned but many structures that were built before then still have lead paint on them. Initially it is not harmful if the paint remains on the walls, but if the paint is disturbed it will release toxic lead into the air. Small spores of lead can be carried by the wind and inhaled by people passing by which will result in lead exposure.
A new epa lead renovation rule is that the entire area of removal will need to be completely sealed off to prevent harmful spores from flying through the air and infecting people. Another requirement states that the area will need to be tested after the job has been done to check for any lead based materials. Local residents and owners also have the right to ask for the test samples to be sent to a lab department to prove that the area is lead-safe. General contractors will also need to follow the same rules that a lead removing contractor does when working on a pre-1978 building. To clean the area a contractor may use a HEPA filter with a vacuum and a final mop after the debris has been removed.