HUD Tightens Rules on Lead-Base Paint Removal
The U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has published proposed revisions to its regulations covering the elimination of lead-base paint hazards in housing units involved in several HUD programs.
Current regulations, adopted in 1976 pursuant to Section 302 of the Lead-Based Paint Poisoning Prevention Act, require the elimination of chipping, flaking or peeling paint in existing units proposed for mortgage insurance or Section 8 subsidies.
In a lawsuit initiated by public housing tenants in the District of Columbia, a federal Court of Appeals decision ordered HUD to consider the removal of intact lead-based paint, as well on surfaces accessible and chewable by children.
Because equipment for detection of lead content in paint is scarce, HUD is not proposing to require testing and removal of intact paint in single-family homes proposed for FHA mortgage insurance, considering such a measure “impractical” in the high-volume FHA program. However, in other programs, testing and removal of paint would be indicated in some circumstances in housing built before 1950.
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