Lead-based Paint and Lead Inspections and Risk Assessment

Often Overlooked

LBP concerns are one of the most often overlooked areas of environmental risk management in the built environment. GAIA will always verify the potential of this risk on a project it undertakes and will discuss appropriate actions to mitigate the liability exposure of our clients.

GAIA is EPA Certified for both Lead inspections and Risk Assessment.

This means that GAIA con provide these services in-house for our clients, and have the capability to immediately respond to HUD properties and associated requirements for lead-based paint and lead inspections and risk assessments, ensuring compliance with applicable Federal and State laws.

Lead poisoning is one of the most serious environmental health hazards to children, particularly for children under the age of six. Elevated blood lead levels can impair a young child's mental and physical development. Adults exposed to high levels of lead, usually in the workplace, are also at risk.
Lead-based paint and lead dust are the major sources of lead poisoning in children. More children are poisoned by exposure to lead dust from lead-based paint in older homes than by any other source. This exposure is usually through normal hand-to-mouth contact. In some areas, soils have been contaminated by exterior lead-based paint chips and dust, and by automobile exhaust from leaded gasoline. Drinking water can also contain lead from older pipes or solder and contribute to childhood lead poisoning when the water is ingested directly or used to mix beverages. Other common sources of lead are: vinyl mini-blinds, lead-glazed pottery, home remedies (e.g., Azarcon and Greta are almost 100 percent lead), and furniture and toys painted with lead-based paint. Parents who work in lead related industries such as the lead abatement industry, home renovators, antique furniture refinishers and battery recyclers, can also bring lead home on their clothes, exposing children to the hazard.
Homes built before 1978 may contain lead-based paint. If it is in poor condition, it may pose a hazard if paint chips or lead-contaminated dust or soil is inhaled or ingested.
EPA and other state, federal, and local agencies are working to protect children from exposure to lead-based paint. EPA seeks to reduce and, ultimately, to prevent lead poisoning through outreach and education, along with compliance assistance and enforcement of Federal lead laws.

Real Estate Disclosure Requirements

Landlords and sellers must inform renters and buyers if there is known lead-based paint in the home. Buyers also have the option of a 10-day period to have the property inspected by a certified lead-hazards firm at their own expense.

Our team of Certified Professionals can provide our clients with:

  • Lead-Based Paint Inspections using XRF technology & Paint Chip Sampling
  • Lead-Based Paint Hazard Risk Assessments
  • Lead-Based Paint Clearance Testing
  • Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (AAS) analyses of Air, Soil and Pain Chips
  • Abatement Specifications & Sampling Plans
  • Operations and Maintenance Programs
  • Oversight and Monitoring of Lead Paint Abatement Projects
  • Preparation of Project Specific Work Plans
  • OSHA Compliance Monitoring
  • Project Management and Supervision
  • On-Site Training on “Lead Safe Work Practices”
  • On-Site Training on OSHA Lead Standards and Requirements
  • On-Site Training and Auditing of OSHA Standards and Work Practices