The federal government this week proposed stricter guidelines for the removal of lead-based paint from homes and businesses – effectively stating that no amount of lead should be considered safe.
The new proposal from the Environmental Protection Agency would set the dust-level hazard standard (commonly referred to as DLHS) at a level greater than zero. The EPA will gather public comments on this proposal for 60 days before moving forward.
The government banned the use of lead-based paint in 1978, stating the health risk to children. Disturbed or deteriorated lead paint can create lead dust that can increase the blood lead level in children, especially babies because of crawling and often putting their hands to their mouths.
Right now, the government estimates there are 31 million homes in the country that still have lead-based paint and 3.8 million of those homes have at least one child under the age of 6 living there.
When searching for a home, this only comes into play for properties built prior to 1978. In North Carolina, when purchasing a property built before this year, a lead-based paint addendum is required to be signed by the sellers acknowledging any information about the use of lead-based paint in the property. Since it’s highly likely those current owners haven’t lived in the property for 45 years (since 1978), sellers can say they have no knowledge or records of the use of this type of paint.
There are companies in the area that will test for lead-based paint. This is one of the types of inspections to discuss with your Exclusive Buyer Agent when considering making an offer on a property that might fall into this category.
We will keep an eye on this government proposal and study its potential effects on purchasing properties in the Cape Fear region.