As is the case with asbestos-containing materials (ACM), many different regulations affect the
removal of lead-based paint (LBP). These include federal and state regulations outlining
exposure requirements for exposure minimization, personnel and occupant protection, removal
techniques, and disposal. PAS has performed LBP removal operations on areas as small as
2-inches x 2-inches (prior to removal of old brackets and re-welding of new brackets on
several thousand linear feet of piping system lines) to multi-story facilities which must
be delicately handled as part of a historic renovation. In manufacturing facilities, PAS
has removed LBP on operational lines and equipment so that production schedules and
capabilities can continue to be met.
Building components account for a large number of lead abatement activities. Components
include such items as doors, door frames, door jambs, window frames and ledges, shelves and
brackets, and other lead-based paint coated surfaces. Once removed, these components may be
disposed of as lead-based paint construction debris at a municipal solid waste landfill (MSWL),
also known as a Subtitle D landfill. Proper notification must be made to the landfill to
insure those components are placed in the lined portion of the landfill. Removal and proper
disposal of these components is a service performed by PAS.
Chemical or mechanical removal of LBP requires the use of proper personal protective equipment
and implementation of control strategies to maintain exposure of both personnel and the
surrounding environment. LBP which has been stripped from a structured must undergo a TCLP
(toxicity leachate protocol test). Waste streams with test results below 5.0 milligrams per
liter (mg/L) lead may go to an MSWL. Waste streams with results in excess of 5.0 mg/L must go
to a hazardous waste landfill (subtitle C landfill).
Historic preservation work, whether component removal or otherwise, requires not only an
experienced company to conduct proper abatement, but a company that is sensitive to the
importance of preservation of the structure. Great care must be taken to remove LBP on
objects which are irreplaceable. In many cases, clients do not desire to have all the
original paint removed, but need paint which is peeling to be removed and remaining paint
manually smoothed to ready the surface for priming and matched paint application.
PAS also has experience in removing soil contaminated as a result of land use as a firing
range.
For target housing projects, HUD guidelines address the project protocol and types of
protective measures to be taken during lead-based paint abatement projects. In North Carolina,
specific procedures are in place (based upon the HUD guidelines) for target housing and child
care facilities.
Copyright Professional Abatement Services, Inc.