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Lead Paint Testing

Printed From: MiddletownUSA.com
Category: Middletown City Government
Forum Name: Community Revitalization
Forum Description: Middletown Community Revitalization News
URL: http://www.middletownusa.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=3111
Printed Date: Nov 22 2024 at 10:17pm


Topic: Lead Paint Testing
Posted By: Vivian Moon
Subject: Lead Paint Testing
Date Posted: Jul 07 2010 at 10:39am
Mr. Adkin
    At the next Housing meeting would you please have Mr. Tom Huiett describe in detail the NEW LEAD PAINT TESTING requirements for Section 8 housing and also the Lead Paint Spectrum Analyzer equipment used for this new testing.
    If in fact this has been the law for several years, why weren’t letters sent out to all Section 8 landlords to make them aware of this law before they invest their money in this program?
    When we signed the new contract with The Inspection Group why wasn’t this part of their up to date inspection program? Do they not do this testing for HUD in their other contracts located all over the United States?
    It is my understand that the lead base paint testing is only required in homes where small children reside. Over the past 20 years how many Section 8 children have shown high levels of lead in their blood samples while living in our Section 8 housing?
    Are you now saying that the encapsulated painting method on walls and woodwork is no longer acceptable in these older homes? If this is the case then none of the older Middletown homes in this program will pass the test of “N0 LEAD”. (and neither will any of the older public housing units in Middletown)
   Will your new lead laws be above and beyond what is required by HUD?

   Please remember that over 70% of all houses in the United States contain lead paint.


Replies:
Posted By: VietVet
Date Posted: Jul 07 2010 at 12:06pm
Got some other info. of interest that was done a long time ago concerning the subject of lead paint.

On University Blvd., down across from Old Towne Apartments/Chimney Hill apartments and next to the small professional office complex was, back in the 50's, an outdoor paint testing facility set up. It had paint panels on boards for weather exposure purposes. Back in the 50's, lead-based paint was about the only game in town. Today, Buttercup Ct. is located there with people living in houses. We may have no clue how much lead has seeped into the soil during the testing years. Doubt if the developer had the soil tested for lead before building the homes. Doubt if the city officials, at that time, required them to have the soil tested either. Whoever was the head doggie in the planning dept., the city manager and the health honcho at the time these homes were built, may have overlooked the safety of these residents. Would be interesting to see how much lead retention, if any, has remained in the soil.

Posted By: Nelson Self
Date Posted: Jul 07 2010 at 12:09pm
I remember watching a City Council meeting late last year where the "Fourth Floor Wizard" of One Donham Plaza told us how all-encompassing the services of The Inspection Group were.
 
Are we to assume that Lead-Based Paint analysis was not in the scope of the $140,000 contract that they have with the Community Revitalization Department?
 
If they did not perform Lead-Based Paint inspections, who (if anyone) did the testing until Mr. Huiett's recent certification and Doug's comments on the subject?  Good questions Vivian.

Posted By: Pacman
Date Posted: Jul 07 2010 at 12:30pm
Why would it be the Cities job to notify landlords in any program  of the Lead Paint Hazard?   When you get a Section 8 Choice Voucher you can rent any home or apartment that will take Section 8 Voucher Holders. The city will not necessarily know who you are renting from until you find a place....right or wrong?
 
There is plenty of info on Lead Based Paint and HUD and the EPA who just enacted new regulations on Lead based paint and pre-1978 homes in April of this year, on the net.  Just google it.  The fact that 70% of all homes in the USA may contain Lead Based Paint is just a fact of life and is probably why the EPA has done what it has done.

Posted By: Nelson Self
Date Posted: Jul 07 2010 at 2:27pm
Not so quick Pac.  When the City of Middletown first accepted Section 8 (Housing Choice Voucher) funds it AGREED TO ABIDE BY Federal law relative to Lead-Based Paint.  The same is true for other HUD grants -- CDBG, HOME and NSP-1.  It is the law, Pac.  No exceptions.

Posted By: Pacman
Date Posted: Jul 07 2010 at 2:35pm
No one is saying it isn't the law, I am saying what responsibility does the city have to notify everyone that MAY rent a home to a Section 8 recipient.   If you are a Section 8 Landlord then you agree to abide by HUD regulations etc., when you rent a home to a Voucher holder.  I don't see it as the Cities job to run around and tell everyone that MAY rent a home to a section 8 voucher holder, "Oh by the way, before you invest any money in this home, did you know about the Lead based paint regs. from the EPA & HUD."
 
If I put my house up for rent with no intention of renting to a voucher holder and then a voucher holder approaches me and I decide to go ahead and rent to them, how can you say the City should have warned me ahead of time about Lead Based Paint.
 
If there is a violation of the Lead based paint reg it should be caught on the initial inspection and the landlord will have to take any corrective action needed.
 
On the other hand if you are a major Section 8 Landlord and own dozens of Homes and rent to mainly Section 8 you should know the regs. you must comply with before you invest in the real estate and the rehabbing of that real estate.

Posted By: Vivian Moon
Date Posted: Jul 07 2010 at 2:42pm
It is my understanding that local contractors were notified of these new lead requirements for Section 8.
Since most of Section 8 housing is restored by the home owner and not a contractor why wouldn't they contact them about about the new lead laws?

Posted By: Vivian Moon
Date Posted: Jul 07 2010 at 2:47pm

Pac, more children get high lead levels from the toys that we import from China than any housing they have lever lived in here in the US

Posted By: Pacman
Date Posted: Jul 07 2010 at 2:52pm
Those that are already in the program may very well get notified by HUD, etcetera.  But how do you notify everyone that MAY rent a place to a Section 8 Voucher Holder?  Local Contractors were notified because they are required to have a Certified Lead Base person on staff now whenever they do a rehab of a house where Lead Based Paint may be present.
 
Did the Feds notify you or me that if we decide to paint the inside of our houses and start scraping paint in a house that was built prior to 1978 we must take certain pre-cautions....No.

Posted By: Pacman
Date Posted: Jul 07 2010 at 3:04pm
Then I guess Mr. Adkins had better get in touch with the Chinese and advise them also.  Although personally I don't think the Chinese give a rat's a$$ until they get caught.  Then they just execute a few Plant managers and tell everyone the problem is solve.
 
"More than 800,000 children younger than 6 years old living in the United States have lead in their blood that is above the level of concern set by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). A large portion of these children are in families of low income and are living in old homes with heavy concentrations of lead-based paint. The most common sources of childhood exposure to lead are deteriorated lead-based paint and lead-contaminated dust and soil in the residential environment.

HUD estimates that the regulation will protect more than two million children from exposure to lead during its first five years. The estimated net benefits (that is, benefits minus costs) from the first five years are $2 billion, mostly from increased lifetime earnings but also including reductions in medical and special education costs."

Posted By: lrisner
Date Posted: Jul 07 2010 at 3:46pm
Pacman, it is my understanding that in order to comply with Fed Regs on Sec8 and Lead paint, the City has to  ensure there is no Lead paint hazard in the Rental. The City has been doing this in the past  by simply asking the Landlord. That way creates a bit of potential Liability to say the least. It is my understanding that the change is to put the City in a better Legal position on the Issue.

Posted By: Pacman
Date Posted: Jul 07 2010 at 3:54pm
lrisner, that is how I understood Mr. Adkins presentation on the matter.  That is why Mr. Adkins wants to take over and have the City do the First initial inspection of the property and TIG will do all renewals.

Posted By: Vivian Moon
Date Posted: Jul 07 2010 at 6:53pm
Here is the web link to the Code of Federal Regulations that govern lead base paint requirements for federally funded Housing Programs.  The only sections that apply to the Section 8 Housing Program are subparts A,B,M, and R
 
http://ecfr.gpoaccess.gov/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=ecfr&sid=3f79427f5c208ddfb32df27aa36f268c&rgn=div5&view=text&node=24:1.1.1.1.25&idno=24 - http://ecfr.gpoaccess.gov/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=ecfr&sid=3f79427f5c208ddfb32df27aa36f2 68c&rgn=div5&view=text&node=24:1.1.1.1.25&idno=24

Posted By: TANGO
Date Posted: Jul 07 2010 at 7:46pm

I am glad to see the city take over the inspections. These outside contractors are coming into contact with these big landlords  way to ofton with these yearly inspections. Look how many landlords that have a lot of section 8 rentals are attending coucil meetings now.


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