Any lead paint dust detected in certain parts of child care facilities and houses from before 1978 will be considered hazardous, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said on Oct. 24.
A final rule considers “any reportable level” of lead dust on floors, window sills, or window troughs to be hazardous, the EPA said. The rule did not appear to yet be published and the agency did not respond to a request for a copy by publication time.
Federal officials banned lead-based paint in residential homes in 1978, but officials estimate some 31 million homes built before that year still contain lead-based paint. Almost 4 million of these homes house one or more children under the age of 6….