New Federal Rule Could Force Millions of Homes, Schools to Remove Lead Dust

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on July 11 announced new proposed rules for lead paint in a bid to prevent hundreds of thousands of children from being exposed to the toxic substance.
Officials predict that the rule will reduce lead exposures for 250,000 to 500,000 children under the age of 6 each year, the agency said in a statement. The mandate would enhance the EPA’s regulations under section 402 of the Toxic Substances Control Act which would revise the standards for how much lead dust can be on floors, window sills, and other locations in older buildings.
“The Biden-Harris Administration is taking a whole-of-government approach to ensure that the most vulnerable among us—our children—are protected from exposure to lead,” EPA Deputy Administrator Janet McCabe said in the statement. “This proposal to safely remove lead paint along with our other efforts to deliver clean drinking water and replace lead pipes will go a long way toward protecting the health of our next generation of leaders.”…