The Residential Lead-Based Hazard Reduction Act of 1992, was a 1992 law passed by the US Congress that regulates the selling of houses with
lead paint
Lead paint or lead-based paint is paint containing lead. As pigment, lead(II) chromate (, "chrome yellow"), lead(II,IV) oxide, (, "red lead"), and lead(II) carbonate (, "white lead") are the most common forms.. Lead is added to paint to acceler ...
in the United States and educates consumers about the dangers of lead paint.
The Act was enacted as Title X of the
Housing and Community Development Act.
Background
In the past,
lead
Lead () is a chemical element; it has Chemical symbol, symbol Pb (from Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a Heavy metal (elements), heavy metal that is density, denser than most common materials. Lead is Mohs scale, soft and Ductility, malleabl ...
was added to household paint to increase its drying speed and improve the durability and life of the finish. However, Lead is toxic and is a possible carcinogen.
In 1978, the U.S.
Consumer Product Safety Commission
The United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (USCPSC, CPSC, or commission) is an independent agency of the United States government. The CPSC seeks to promote the safety of consumer products by addressing "unreasonable risks" of injury ...
banned the residential use of
lead-based paint
Lead paint or lead-based paint is paint containing lead. As pigment, lead(II) chromate (, "chrome yellow"), lead(II,IV) oxide, (, "red lead"), and lead(II) carbonate (, "white lead") are the most common forms.. Lead is added to paint to accel ...
containing ≥0.06% lead (600 ppm).
In 2017, the U.S.
Department of Housing and Urban Development
The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is one of the executive departments of the U.S. federal government. It administers federal housing and urban development laws. It is headed by the secretary of housing and u ...
estimated that approximately 35 percent of U.S. homes (37 million) still contain some lead-based paint, a decline from 1990 estimate of 64 million homes with lead paint.
Policy
As per Section 1018 of the Act, sellers must comply with the following requirements before selling or leasing a house built before 1978, or a house that is known to contain lead:
* The buyer must receive a pamphlet that details information regarding lead paint and its potential hazards.
* If there is lead paint in the house, or if there is an apparent danger of
lead poisoning
Lead poisoning, also known as plumbism and saturnism, is a type of metal poisoning caused by lead in the body. Symptoms may include abdominal pain, constipation, headaches, irritability, memory problems, infertility, numbness and paresthesia, t ...
from lead paint in the house, then that information must be disclosed to the buyer. If so, the seller is then required to provide to the buyer any previous documentation or reports on the condition of lead paint in the house.
* The buyer must be allowed ten days to request an evaluation of any lead paint in the house. This time limit may be altered upon agreement by both the buyer and seller.
* Every
contract
A contract is an agreement that specifies certain legally enforceable rights and obligations pertaining to two or more parties. A contract typically involves consent to transfer of goods, services, money, or promise to transfer any of thos ...
selling a house must include a Lead Warning Statement. The buyer is required to read the statement, and their signature on the contract is equivalent to an acknowledgment that they have read it, as well as an acknowledgment that (1) and (3) have been fulfilled.
Sellers who do not comply with the above criterion are subject to legal action, as well as
fines Fines may refer to:
*Fines, Andalusia, Spanish municipality
*Fine (penalty)
* Fine, a dated term for a Lease#Leases_of_land, premium on a lease of land, a large sum the tenant pays to commute (lessen) the rent throughout the term
* Fines, ore or oth ...
for the breaking of rules and any damages experienced by buyers.
Impact
The effects of the Residential Lead-Based Hazard Reduction Act
are studied through observations of people's behavior when choosing a home. A
study
Study or studies may refer to:
General
* Education
**Higher education
* Clinical trial
* Experiment
* Field of study
* Observational study
* Scientific study
* Research
* Study skills, abilities and approaches applied to learning
Other
* Study ...
that analyzed the effectiveness of Section 1018 concluded the following:
*For every economic group, there were no major changes to the number of families in old versus new houses.
* When presented with information about lead paint, people were more likely to consider the risks of living in an old house. People were more likely to exhibit this
behavior
Behavior (American English) or behaviour (British English) is the range of actions of Individual, individuals, organisms, systems or Artificial intelligence, artificial entities in some environment. These systems can include other systems or or ...
when the information was presented during transactions.
* People were more likely to have a house tested for lead before buying.
* Houses saw a decrease in incidents in which paint was found peeling or coming off the walls.
* Older homes were less likely to be owned by families with young children.
External links
Lead as possible carcinogen
References
{{Presidency of George H. W. Bush
Environmental impact of paint