Non-Residential Pb Paint
Homes, schools, and daycare centers aren't the
only structures where lead paint may be of
concern. Factories, petrochemical
refineries, warehouses, office buildings,
military bases, and other commercial/industrial
structures, often are coated with lead-based
paint, and it still is used in certain areas on
bridges, rolling stock, and other transportation
infrastructure.
While
residential lead testing is concerned with
measuring lead versus a government-mandated
action level (the US Environmental Protection
Agency sets the standard at 1.0 mg/cm²),
non-residential testing is focused around a
worker's exposure to airborne concentrations of
lead.
Measuring a coating by itself does not satisfy
the regulatory requirements for an employer.
However, when industrial hygienists perform a
negative exposure assessment, combining
airborne monitoring with accurate
measurements of the lead content in the coating,
and then correlates this data with specific
activities, they can accurately predict whether
airborne exposure is expected to occur in a
given area, recommending appropriate personal
protective equipment (PPE) and safe work
practices.