Dean CRCNA
October 13th, 2010, 06:24 PM
Back in 2000, it was the goal of the federal government to eliminate childhood lead poisoning by the year 2010. As we approach another National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week on October 24 – 30, 2010 … we have to ask ourselves … what happened?
It is amazing to me that as the National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week arrives that it is still permissible for a homeowner or Non- Lead Safe Certified Firm to grab a belt sander and start sanding lead based paint inside a home sending toxic lead dust throughout the home. More amazingly, the paint they are sanding can contain an extremely high lead content.
Even more amazing is that same homeowner can turn around a few days later … sell the house and check no “known” lead hazards on the lead disclosure. This would be true, even though they know there is an 85% to 90% chance that the paint had a high level of lead content when they sanded it.
They may rightly assume a lead hazard was created, but since they don’t “know” for a fact, it would be a disadvantage in selling their home for top dollar if they had a lead test done.
When Mr. & Mrs. Homebuyer walk in and place their young baby on the floor to crawl around … they and their baby will have to pay the price for the lack of enforcement of the lead laws. This price can be that the baby …
Will have a 55% chance of having a criminal record, because of this lead poisoning.
Will drop to a below average IQ.
Will poison her own baby 30 years from now with the lead that will be stored in her bones.
As government statistics and other lead studies show. Who’s to blame? Realtors for failing to warn their clients? The illegal contractor? The uncaring homeowner? The government that makes rules without enforcement?
Ironically, October 24, 2010 (the start of the National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week) comes on the 6-month anniversary of the enacted Renovation, Repair and Painting Rule. This rule was enacted to protect Mr. & Mrs. Homebuyer and their precious baby … yet the creators of the rule have failed to enforce any non-compliance.
In fact, drive around some neighborhoods and you will discover that 50 out of 50 homes that are having repair, remodeling or painting done … are using illegal Non-Lead Safe Certified Firms. If government statistics are right, then hundreds of thousands of children have been lead poisoned during these 6 months of non-enforcement.
It actually seems that the law was created to hurt the legal contractors, while giving a tremendous advantage to illegal contractors. This is because the illegal contractors don’t have to take precautions and can keep their prices low … winning contracts.
The way things have been handled, it makes one curious about National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week 2020.
It is amazing to me that as the National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week arrives that it is still permissible for a homeowner or Non- Lead Safe Certified Firm to grab a belt sander and start sanding lead based paint inside a home sending toxic lead dust throughout the home. More amazingly, the paint they are sanding can contain an extremely high lead content.
Even more amazing is that same homeowner can turn around a few days later … sell the house and check no “known” lead hazards on the lead disclosure. This would be true, even though they know there is an 85% to 90% chance that the paint had a high level of lead content when they sanded it.
They may rightly assume a lead hazard was created, but since they don’t “know” for a fact, it would be a disadvantage in selling their home for top dollar if they had a lead test done.
When Mr. & Mrs. Homebuyer walk in and place their young baby on the floor to crawl around … they and their baby will have to pay the price for the lack of enforcement of the lead laws. This price can be that the baby …
Will have a 55% chance of having a criminal record, because of this lead poisoning.
Will drop to a below average IQ.
Will poison her own baby 30 years from now with the lead that will be stored in her bones.
As government statistics and other lead studies show. Who’s to blame? Realtors for failing to warn their clients? The illegal contractor? The uncaring homeowner? The government that makes rules without enforcement?
Ironically, October 24, 2010 (the start of the National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week) comes on the 6-month anniversary of the enacted Renovation, Repair and Painting Rule. This rule was enacted to protect Mr. & Mrs. Homebuyer and their precious baby … yet the creators of the rule have failed to enforce any non-compliance.
In fact, drive around some neighborhoods and you will discover that 50 out of 50 homes that are having repair, remodeling or painting done … are using illegal Non-Lead Safe Certified Firms. If government statistics are right, then hundreds of thousands of children have been lead poisoned during these 6 months of non-enforcement.
It actually seems that the law was created to hurt the legal contractors, while giving a tremendous advantage to illegal contractors. This is because the illegal contractors don’t have to take precautions and can keep their prices low … winning contracts.
The way things have been handled, it makes one curious about National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week 2020.