LEAD PAINT AND HISTORIC BUILDINGS

PUBLICATION AVAILABLE HERE FOR FREE DOWNLOAD

Download the 2000 version of the document as a pdf now  (please note: the entire document is approximately 50MB) Check back later for the revised 2012 version.  

LEAD PAINT and HISTORIC BUILDINGS

A publication for historic property owners, contractors, and preservationists on lead-safe methods and techniques to rehab their properties  

The Illinois Historic Preservation Agency has available online, free of charge, the publication Lead Paint and Historic Buildings. This manual is designed to help historic building owners and those in the existing rehab and preservation industry better understand lead paint issues. It includes cost-effective, historically-appropriate construction techniques to lead-safely rehab historic buildings.

Most buildings built before the 1960’s have some lead-based paint. Although used less frequently in the 1960’s and 1970’s, lead paint was still available and used for residential applications until 1978. It’s important to note that intact lead-painted surfaces that are not subjected to impact or friction do not normally present an active lead hazard. However, when lead-painted surfaces are incorrectly handled during renovations it can become a significant issue for both the workers on rehabilitation projects and the occupants of historic buildings. There are methods for working with lead painted surfaces that can be affordable, maintain lead-safe conditions, and also retain significant historic features and materials. This training manual fully discusses and illustrates many of those protocols. This publication differs from traditional lead-abatement training because of the historic preservation philosophy inherent in our cost-effective and common-sense solutions. 

On April 22, 2010, EPA is implementing a new rule about working with lead-painted surfaces. This Renovation, Repair, and Painting (RRP) rule is designed to protect inhabitants (especially children) in older buildings when the buildings are being renovated. The premise is to not inadvertently and unnecessarily expose residents to lead paint dust or hazards during renovations. Towards that end the rules require that renovators be trained and certified, and practice lead safe work practices. Our document was initially written in 2000 but it addresses many lead-safe rehab and work practices and preservation policies pertinent today. There have been legislative and regulatory updates since it was initially written (including the new RRP rule), and the IHPA worked with the late Dennis Livingston, a contractor and national policy-maker in the lead-paint and healthy homes field, to update the manual. An updated version will be made available on this website in 2012. The original version can be downloaded now.

Lead Paint and Historic Buildings was originally written by a team including Dennis Livingston of Community Resources in Baltimore, Jeff Gordon of the UIUC Building Research Council of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and Carol J. Dyson, AIA, and Mike Jackson, FAIA, of the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency. In our research we found that often the most cost-effective approaches to the issue of lead paint and historic buildings coincided with the retention of historic materials. This project was funded by a grant from the National Park Service’s National Center for Preservation Technology and Training and published in 2000. The Training Manual is written to serve either as the course material for a two-day workshop on historically appropriate lead paint treatments or as a stand-alone informative publication on this complex and important subject.

NOTE:
Not all of the regulatory issues and related practices are up-to-date in this 2000 publication. However many of the lead-safe and preservation-friendly work practices and policies are still relevant. Check back soon to see the 2012 updated version of this manual.

The Lead Paint and Historic Buildings Training Manual is designed for use as either the course workbook for a training workshop, or as a stand-alone reference document, complete without classroom training.

Note: Lead Paint and Historic Buildings was published in January of 2000. Thus, not all of the regulatory issues, practices and standards are current. However, the main emphasis of the publication is on making historic building renovation preservation-compatible and lead-safe for both the workers and the inhabitants. Many of the lead-safe practices and preservation policies are still relevant. Check back soon to see a 2010 updated version of the manual.

For more information:
EPA’s new Repair Renovation Paint Rule: http://www.epa.gov/lead/pubs/renovation.htm

Renovate Right Brochure by EPA & HUD: http://www.epa.gov/lead/pubs/renovaterightbrochure.pdf