| Term/Concept |
Definition/Descrpition |
| Abatement |
Housing interventions that eliminate the possibility of exposure to
lead by ensuring that a given lead-based paint hazard is either removed
completely, or otherwise addressed in such a way as to effectively prevent
exposure to the hazard over a long-term period of time. Abatement can get
expensive, depending on the nature and extent of the lead-based paint
hazards being addressed. It is also possible to abate intact lead-based
paint that does not constitute a lead-based paint hazard.
|
| Case management |
When a child is diagnosed as having an elevated blood-lead level, medical
followup should occur and continue as necessary to ensure the blood-lead
level decreases over time. This process is called case management.
|
| Chelation therapy |
A medical drug treatment for lead poisoning, used when blood-lead
levels exceed 45µg/dL.
|
| Dust wipe |
The method used to determine whether any lead-contaminated dust exists.
Typically, a dust wipe involves the sampling of a 1-square-foot area with
an approved towelette that picks up the dust. The used towelette is then
carefully stored to avoid contamination, until its lead content is analyzed
by an accredited laboratory. Note that lead particles derived from deteriorated
lead-based paint can often be of microscopic size, in other words invisible to
the naked eye. This means that even surfaces that appear at first glance to be
"clean" may contain significant and hazardous amounts of lead-contaminated
dust, since lead dust is not only tiny but also clings to surfaces.
|
| Elevated blood-lead level |
In children, an elevated blood-lead level (commonly abbreviated as
"EBL") consists of a level of lead in blood that is high enough
to cause adverse health effects. This measurement is made in units of
micrograms of lead per deciliter of blood (abbreviated as µg/dL). While
an elevated blood-lead level is generally considered to start at 10µg/dL,
there is a growing body of research arguing that exposure to lead can
produce adverse health effects in young children at levels as low as 2µg/dL.
Most observers would agree that at the very least there is no known "safe"
level of lead in blood for children under the age of six or for pregnant women.
|
| HEPA |
Stands for "High-Efficiency Particulate Air." HEPA vacuums and
HEPA masks are, respectively, vacuum cleaners specially equipped with a
HEPA filter, and face masks equipped with a HEPA filter. The vacuums
are used to help clean up lead-contaminated dust. The masks are used
to prevent inhalation of lead dust.
|
| Interim controls |
Relatively inexpensive housing interventions that reduce the risk of
exposure to lead-based paint hazards over a short-term period of time
(typically from 6 months to a year or so). To ensure their optimal
effectiveness, interim controls require close cooperation by the dwelling
occupants. They also require ongoing maintenance over time. The
advantage of interim controls is that these measures tend to be
inexpensive ways to reduce the likelihood of exposure to lead, and they
can be relatively quickly implemented. However, interim controls are only
temporary solutions to a long-term lead exposure problem, and they require
ongoing care and vigilance, which becomes more challenging as time passes.
|
| Lead-based paint |
Paint, varnish, or any other coating that contains more than 0.5% lead by
weight or more than 1.0 milligram of lead per square centimeter is called
lead-based paint.
|
| Lead-based paint hazard |
When lead-based paint is in a condition that makes it an imminent health
threat, it is a lead-based paint hazard. Federal law defines a lead-based
hazard as any of the following: lead-contaminated household dust;
lead-contaminated bare soil; deteriorating lead-based paint; lead-based paint on
friction surfaces (such as windows); lead-based paint on impact surfaces (such
as doors); and lead-based paint on chewable surfaces (such as the interior edge
of a window sill).
|
| Lead inspection |
A surface-by-surface examination of all painted surfaces in a dwelling to
determine the presence of lead-based paint. Only a certified lead
inspector or a certified risk assessor may conduct a lead inspection, which
involves the use of a portable (and expensive) machine called an XRF
(x-ray fluorescence analyzer). The report issued after an inspection has
been concluded provides a room-by-room breakdown of all painted surfaces,
characterizing each surface according to whether or not it contains lead-based
paint, and if so, how much lead is in the paint.
|
| Lead poisoning |
The level of lead in an individual's blood at which the US Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that adverse health effects
are bound to occur.
|
| Lead-Safe Work Practices |
A set of rules that enable workers to undertake interim control measures
in safety, while reducing or controlling lead-based paint hazards, or
otherwise working on or around surfaces that contain lead-based paint.
Many individuals nationwide have been trained how to teach lead-safe work
practices to interested persons. This is a one-day course that usually
takes fewer than 8 hours to complete.
|
| Real estate disclosure requirements |
One of Title X's most important contributions, effective as of 1996, these
require disclosure of any known lead-based paint or lead-based paint hazards
prior to the completion of a sale, transfer, or lease of a pre-1978 residential
dwelling, anywhere in the US.
|
| Risk assessment |
A comprehensive evaluation of a dwelling's lead safety by a combination of
visual examination and sampling of paint, dust, and bare soil. Only a
certified risk assessor may conduct a risk assessment. The report issued
by a risk assessor provides the results of all sampling conducted at the
dwelling, as well as the risk assessor's detailed observations and
conclusions regarding the dwelling's lead safety status. If lead-based
paint hazards are detected, the risk assessor's report will specify where
they are located as well as their relative significance, and will also
provide specific recommendations for remedial action.
|
| Screening |
The process of testing children to determine whether there is any lead in
their blood. There are two methods of screening children: the venous
method is the most accurate way of measuring lead in blood; the
fingerstick method is the easiest way to screen young children, but
it is potentially less accurate and because it is prone to sample
contamination problems. Any fingerstick that reveals a blood lead level
above 10µg/dL must be confirmed by a venous test.
|
| Specialized cleaning |
The process of removing lead-contaminated dust, involving use of a HEPA
vacuum along with a lead-specific cleaning agent.
|
Title X
(pronounced "ten") |
The Federal law, also called the Residential Lead-Based Paint Hazard
Reduction Act of 1992, is actually Title 10 of the Housing and Community
Development Act of 1992—known for short as "Title X."
|