PAINT TESTING
LEAD BASED PAINT.
Until 1978, when the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) phased out the sale and distribution of residential paint containing lead, many homes and businesses were treated with paint containing some amount of lead. The Residential Lead-Based Paint Hazard Reduction Act of 1992 defined lead based paint as containing 0.5 percent lead by weight. If you own a building constructed or significantly modified prior to 1980, it may contain Lead Based Paint (LBP).
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OSHA regulation 29 CFR 1926.62 requires owners to know the condition of LBP in their buildings and to provide this information to contractors prior to the beginning of any renovations. This information is used to protect the workers from lead exposures. Therefore, a lead survey is the first step in the proper management of LBP in your building.
We will use X-Ray Florescence (XRF) or Flame Atomic Absorption spectrometry (FAA) to analyze your paints (also referred to in the industry as coatings) for lead. We will sample the suspect paints in your building, assess their conditions, quantify them and test them for waste stream designation using Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure (TCLP) tests. We will provide you with recommendations for handling the materials and provide you with a rough order of magnitude cost estimate for any recommended repairs or removals.
LEAD IN DRINKING WATER.
Through the 1900’s, it was common practice to use lead pipes for interior plumbing. Lead piping was also used for the service connections that join buildings to the public water supply. This practice only recently ended in some localities. Plumbing installed before 1930 is most likely to contain lead. Since then, copper pipes have replaced lead pipes in most buildings. However, the use of lead solder with copper pipes is widespread. Lead solder was not only used in building plumbing systems, it was also used in drinking fountains. Experts regard the lead solder as the major cause of lead contamination of drinking water in the U.S. today.
All Phase Environmental will come to your building and take samples of the drinking water. These samples must be taken according to a specified protocol, placed in containers with special preservatives and delivered to the analytical laboratory on ice. Our NVLAP accredited laboratory will provide us with results and we will prepare a report for you with a summary of the condition of your water. We will also provide you with recommendations and a rough order of magnitude cost estimate for any recommended repairs or removals.
LEAD IN SOIL.
Damaged or deteriorating LBP on the exterior of your building has the potential to contaminate the surrounding soil. All Phase Environmental will come to your building and take samples of potentially contaminated soil. These samples will be taken in accordance with regulations, placed in containers and delivered to the analytical laboratory on ice. Our NVLAP accredited laboratory will provide us with results and we will prepare a report for you with a summary of the condition of your soil. We will also provide you with recommendations and a rough order of magnitude cost estimate for any recommendations.