Lead Certified

Tim Coulter's Paint It Green, Certified Lead Safe Firm.

From the EPA's Fact Sheet:

Lead paint poisoning affects over one million children today. Adverse health effects include learning disabilities, behavioral problems, and speech delays. If not done in a lead-safe manner, renovations and repair activities that disturb lead-based paint can expose children, as well as adults, to harmful levels of lead dust.

On April 22, 2008, EPA issued a rule requiring the use of lead-safe work practices aimed at preventing lead poisoning in children. On April 22, 2010, the rule became effective and firms performing renovation, repair and painting projects that disturb lead-based paint in homes, child care facilities, and schools built before 1978 must be certified, individual renovators must be trained by an EPA-accredited training provider, and the firms and renovators must follow specific work practices to prevent lead contamination. EPA estimates that the costs to contractors to follow the work practices will range from $8 to $167 per job, with the exception of those exterior jobs where vertical containment would be required.

To become a certified renovator, individuals are required to take eight hours of training, of which two hours must be hands-on training, to become certified. This training is good for five years. The cost of this training is set by individual training providers, not by EPA. In addition, renovation firms must be certified by EPA or by a state authorized by EPA to administer its own program.