Allegheny Lead Safe Homes Program

Sci-Tek is providing combination Lead-Based Paint (LBP) Inspection/Risk Assessment and other services for residential housing units as part of RAAC’s Allegheny Lead Safe Homes Program, funded by a grant to Allegheny County Economic Development. The program is based on the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)’s Office of Healthy Homes and Lead Hazard Control (OHHLHC), which has established more stringent risk assessment and clearance dust hazard levels. This program is to help eradicate the presence of lead within qualifying homes through combination LBP inspections/risk assessments, interim controls and abatements, and other interventions. The general scope of services includes:

• An EPA accredited and Pennsylvania Licensed LBP Risk Assessor conducts onsite testing via X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) instrument readings, dust samples, and soil samples (if applicable), with water sampling at the request of RAAC.
• Onsite dust wipe samples are collected according to OHHLHC requirements as part of the inspection/risk assessment. Soil samples are collected on the exterior of the dwelling if bare soil areas are present. Dust and soil samples are submitted to a National Lead Laboratory Accreditation Program (NLLAP) certified laboratory for analysis of lead. The analytical results are compared to HUD OHHLHC dust hazard levels.
• Evaluation of common home health and safety hazards and recommendations for the remediation of these hazards is accomplished through the Healthy Homes portion of the program. Inspectors refer to a list of 29 hazards and identify hazardous conditions on the interior and exterior of the residences.
• If warranted, homes are reevaluated at 12-month intervals with a visual condition inspection of painted surfaces and additional dust wipe sampling, followed by a Lead Inspection/Risk Assessment (LIRA) Reevaluation report.
• Assistance is provided to RAAC for proper abatement and hazard remediation. Final clearance inspections are conducted after renovation work is completed. Using the initial LIRA survey and RAAC-provided information as guidance, the assessor conducts a visual assessment and clearance dust-wipe sampling of floors, interior windowsills, and window troughs using the protocol in Chapter 15 of the HUD Guidelines. The dust-wipe samples are submitted to a NLLAP accredited laboratory on a maximum 24-hour turnaround time.
• Thorough and detailed technical reports are provided to RAAC following the LBP inspections and risk assessments, completed clearance inspections following lead hazard control work, and initial and post-remediation assessments for the Healthy Homes portion.