EPA Announced New, Tighter Standards for Lead to Protect Children From Lead Exposure

October 23, 2019 – WASHINGTON  – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA or the Agency) announced its federal enforcement actions completed over the last year to protect the public, especially young children, from exposure to lead in paint.  The cases involved alleged noncompliance with at least one of the Agency’s lead-based paint requirements: the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Renovation, Repair and Painting (RRP) Rule; TSCA’s Lead-based Paint Activities Rule, which applies to abatements and other activities; and the Lead Disclosure Rule (LDR) under Section 1018 of the Residential Lead-based Paint Hazard Reduction Act.  These requirements apply to most pre-1978 housing, and to child-occupied facilities such as pre-schools and child-care centers.

The Agency uses an array of mechanisms to promote compliance and, thereby, reduce the risk of lead exposure.  Lead-based paint enforcement actions generally include administrative civil settlements, complaints and orders by EPA; and civil judicial settlements, orders and criminal prosecutions by the U.S. Department of Justice.  Cases often result from referrals, tips and complaints from state/local authorities, consumers and others, including referrals related to children with elevated blood-lead levels.  Also, some settlements may include commitments by the alleged violator to perform lead-based paint abatement or other projects to reduce the risk of lead exposure.

The Civil Settlement/Order dollar categories reported below reflect the civil penalty amount; or the civil penalty plus the value of any commitment to perform projects to address lead-based paint.  Read more.