Keeping Your Family Safe.

Bluestem is a Lead-Safe Certified Firm. We maintain trained staff members to perform both the testing and the procedures to keep your family safe.

In 2010, The Environmental Protection Agency placed into effect the “RRP” (Renovate, Repair, and Paint) rule for lead-safe remodeling.

Now, all remodeling firms that work in homes built before 1978 must be certified and must follow the prescribed lead safe practices.

Facts about lead, according to the EPA:

• Lead can affect children’s brains and developing nervous systems, causing reduced IQ, learning disabilities, and behavioral problems. Lead is also harmful to adults.
• Lead in dust is the most common way people are exposed to lead. People can also get lead in their bodies from lead in soil or paint chips. Lead dust is often invisible.
• Lead-based paint was used in more than 38 million homes until it was banned for residential use in 1978.
• Projects that disturb lead-based paint can create dust and endanger you and your family. Don’t let this happen to you. Follow the practices described in this pamphlet to protect you and your family.

Where Does the Lead Come From?

1. The most common way to get lead in the body is from dust. Lead dust comes from deteriorating lead-based paint and lead-contaminated soil that gets tracked into your home. This dust may accumulate to unsafe levels. Then, normal hand to-mouth activities, like playing and eating (especially in young children), move that dust from surfaces like floors and windowsills into the body.

2. Home renovation creates dust. Common renovation activities like sanding, cutting, and demolition can create hazardous lead dust and chips.

3. Proper work practices protect you from the dust. The key to protecting yourself and your family during a renovation, repair or painting job is to use lead-safe work practices such as containing dust inside the work area, using dust-minimizing work methods, and conducting a careful cleanup, as described in this pamphlet.

Lead can also come from outside soil, your water, or household items (such as lead-glazed pottery and lead crystal). Contact the National Lead Information Center at 1-800-424-LEAD (5323) for more information on these sources.

*Download the “Renovate Right” Publication and learn more about lead-safe practices in your home. More information can also be found on the EPA’s web site.