All News Releases By Date

EPA to Provide Lead-Based Paint Compliance Assistance in the Macon, Ga., Area

Release Date: 03/09/2006
Contact Information: Laura Niles, (404) 562-8353, [email protected]

(ATLANTA – March 9, 2006) Representatives from EPA will be conducting Lead-Based Paint Disclosure Rule (Disclosure Rule) compliance assistance in the Macon, Ga. area beginning in March 2006 and throughout the spring. Approximately 70 property owners and landlords in the Macon area received letters from EPA about the requirements of the Disclosure Rule, and EPA will be conducting random inspections later this year.

EPA is performing these Disclosure Rule inspections in an effort to determine how many property owners are currently complying with the Disclosure Rule and to help prevent the occurrence of lead poisoning in Macon area children. A property owner or landlord must disclose any known lead-based paint and/or lead-based paint hazards to a buyer or renter of a property prior to the purchase or lease of a home and must distribute a copy of the pamphlet entitled Protect Your Family From Lead in Your Home (https://www.epa.gov/oppt/lead/pubs/leadpdfe.pdf) to buyers and renters of most housing built prior to 1978. More information on this and other responsibilities of property owners and landlords under the Disclosure Rule can be found at https://www.epa.gov/opptintr/lead/pubs/leadbase.htm .

EPA has chosen Macon for this compliance assistance project because it is one of the older, more populous Georgia cities, increasing the likelihood of a higher concentration of residents living in pre-1978 housing. The Georgia Department of Human Resources estimates that less than 300 children living in pre-1978 housing in Macon and Bibb County were screened for lead during 2005.

Homes built before 1978 may contain lead-based paint. If it is in poor condition, it may pose a hazard if paint chips or lead-contaminated dust or soil is inhaled or ingested. Lead poisoning is one of the most serious environmental health hazards to children, particularly for children under the age of six. Lead may cause a range of health effects, from behavioral problems and learning disabilities, to seizures and death. For more information about EPA’s Lead-Based Paint Program, please visit https://www.epa.gov/region4/air/lead/, or call the National Lead Information Center at 1-800-424-LEAD.