What do you guys think of upper Darby, PA?

Regulations for Exterior Lead Paint Removal in PA, US

• I am looking for State regulations for exterior lead paint removal in Pennsylvania. Or if you've had lead paint removed from your house in Pennsylvania (or really any state since I think the rules are pretty similar) by a contractor certified in lead paint removal since the new rules went into effect a few years ago; I would appreciate a description of the precautions the contractor took. We recently hired a contractor to remove lead paint from the exterior of our brick house built in 1869, located in an Historic District. The original bid was $6000, they tested the paint, found it had lead, and increased the bid by $3800. We had previously had another contractor remove paint from another part of our house. That contractor did not test for lead. We were unhappy about how much of a mess they made so for the 2nd round we went with the more expensive, highly recommended contractor. We're concerned though, that the current contractor didn't really do anything significantly different than the first contractor. We're trying to figure out if 1) they actually did what they were supposed to do 2) if it would be reasonable for us to ask them to discount some of the $3800 if they did not. Both contractors used the same kind of solvent and then power washed it off. This was part of the original estimate - its a historic district - no sandblasting allowed. The only difference was that the current contractors collected some of the runoff from the spray when the washed/scrapped off the solvent into large plastic buckets. They didn't collect the run-off when they originally washed down the walls, and there are paint chips all over my garden extending into our neighbors' yard. And the sidewalks and our garden paths were soaking wet, and there's junk all over our plants in the garden. I'm also concerned that we came home a couple of nights and there was red dust all over the sidewalk and our front steps which is around the corner of the building from the walls being stripped. That has been cleaned up (and they told me it was just dust from the mortar, but that still sounds like kind BS - the mortar had paint on it.) When I talked to the contractor about my concerns he said the extra $3800 was for the certification and for the disposal of the water in the tanks. Does that sound reasonable? That just seems like a lot to me for disposing on one drum of waste waster. He also told me the guys working weren't required to wear protective gear while outside, only for interior lead removal. I have tried looking through our city (pittsburgh), state (PA) and national (USA) websites to find out what the requirements are but all I could really find were regulations about how many of hours of training were required to get the certifications, not actually what I should expect as a home owner, or what the minimum standards are. Most of the DYI guidelines talked about protecting everything with plastic and wearing protective gear. Related: the guys that were working were sub-contractors - I asked and was told that they were certified, but I don't know what kind of proof I would need. I'm pretty sure the primary contractor was certified (printed certification numbers on the invoices etc) I'm withholding the final payment until at least the paint chips are out our neighbor's yard and our garden. I'm trying to decide if I should negotiate with contractor to reduce the charge for the lead mitigation since I don't feel like they actually did anything that they would have done differently, other than maybe the runoff - and even that seems like what they should have been doing that for this solvent anyway. Frankly, I also really concerned that they just contaminated my whole neighborhood too, if they weren't following the guidelines there were supposed to be. Interested in hearing from folks who are certified or have had this process done on their own house. Or if someone actually knows how to get a copy of the requirements.

• Answer:

  The new lead paint abatement rule that went into effect is actually an EPA program -- the Renovation, Repair, and Painting Program. http://www2.epa.gov/lead/renovation-repair-and-painting-program. There is a more specific breakdown of what the RRP rule requires in http://www2.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2013-11/documents/steps_0.pdf. Pg 11 says that exterior work areas must be protected by plastic sheeting extending at least 10 feet or as far as it takes to contain the material. Pg. 20 says the work area must be completely clean of dust and debris (paint chips) at the end of each day. It sounds like your guys did not do these things, so I would say you are probably right to be concerned. If you want to figure out how to escalate this, I would suggest calling your county health agency. They are usually the correct folks to ask, or if they aren't, they will know who is. I would also suggest photographing the paint chips on the ground to document the situation. (Standard disclaimer: I am an environmental consultant, but I am not your environmental consultant.)