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EPA LEAD INSPECTOR QUESTIONS AND CORRECT ANSWERS LATEST
UPDATE 2025 / ALREADY GRADED A
Lead-based paint (LBP)
Ans: Any varnish, shallac, or coating that contains either- 1.0 mg/cm2 -
0.5 % by weight - 5000 ppm - Older instruments could not read accurately
at 0.7, so the lead standard was updated to 1.0
Dust sample clearance values
Ans: - Floors: 40 μg/ft2 > 10 μg/ft2 (10 μg/ft2 in NY) - Windows: 250 μg/ft2
> 100 μg/ft2 (50 μg/ft2 in NY) - Window wells (troughs): 400 μg/ft2 (100
μg/ft2 in NY) - Samples must be at 1 sq ft > 2 sq ft (can be reduced to 1 sq
ft if within 10 μg)
EPA Soil Regulations
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Ans: - 400 ppm for playgrounds/children's areas - 1200 ppm for rest of
yard - There must be 9 sq ft of soil to classify with soil testing - At 5000 ppm,
MUST remediate/abate (remove & replace, paving, or bioremediation)
Lab sampling technique
Ans: - AAS (Atomic Absorption Spectrometry) - Sample is placed into a
furnace and vaporized ... light is shone through to give a quantitative
result
XRF
Ans: - X-ray fluorescence - Utilizes radioactive isotopes (unstable material
trying to reach stability) - Cobalt-57 (half-life of 9 months) and cadmium-
109 (half-life of 15 months) are the two sources (where radiation
originates) - Emits gamma rays but will read X-rays (backscatters) - Ionizing
radiation from the removal of electrons due to interactions with radiation
LBP Hazard
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Ans: ANY condition that causes exposure to lead
LBP inspection
Ans: a surface-by-surface investigation to determine the presence of
lead
CPSC
Ans: - Consumer Product Safety Commission - Set a lead paint standard:
cannot contain 0.06% lead by weight ... updated to 0.009% - The
commission banned lead-based paint in 1978
True/False: Dust sampling only done for hazard assessments
Ans: True; only risk assessors take samples to determine likelihood of
coming into contact with contaminants
What kind of sampling must be done for inspections?
EPA LEAD INSPECTOR QUESTIONS AND CORRECT ANSWERS LATEST
UPDATE 2025 / ALREADY GRADED A
Lead-based paint (LBP)
Ans: Any varnish, shallac, or coating that contains either- 1.0 mg/cm2 -
0.5 % by weight - 5000 ppm - Older instruments could not read accurately
at 0.7, so the lead standard was updated to 1.0
Dust sample clearance values
Ans: - Floors: 40 μg/ft2 > 10 μg/ft2 (10 μg/ft2 in NY) - Windows: 250 μg/ft2
> 100 μg/ft2 (50 μg/ft2 in NY) - Window wells (troughs): 400 μg/ft2 (100
μg/ft2 in NY) - Samples must be at 1 sq ft > 2 sq ft (can be reduced to 1 sq
ft if within 10 μg)
EPA Soil Regulations
,2|Page
Ans: - 400 ppm for playgrounds/children's areas - 1200 ppm for rest of
yard - There must be 9 sq ft of soil to classify with soil testing - At 5000 ppm,
MUST remediate/abate (remove & replace, paving, or bioremediation)
Lab sampling technique
Ans: - AAS (Atomic Absorption Spectrometry) - Sample is placed into a
furnace and vaporized ... light is shone through to give a quantitative
result
XRF
Ans: - X-ray fluorescence - Utilizes radioactive isotopes (unstable material
trying to reach stability) - Cobalt-57 (half-life of 9 months) and cadmium-
109 (half-life of 15 months) are the two sources (where radiation
originates) - Emits gamma rays but will read X-rays (backscatters) - Ionizing
radiation from the removal of electrons due to interactions with radiation
LBP Hazard
, 3|Page
Ans: ANY condition that causes exposure to lead
LBP inspection
Ans: a surface-by-surface investigation to determine the presence of
lead
CPSC
Ans: - Consumer Product Safety Commission - Set a lead paint standard:
cannot contain 0.06% lead by weight ... updated to 0.009% - The
commission banned lead-based paint in 1978
True/False: Dust sampling only done for hazard assessments
Ans: True; only risk assessors take samples to determine likelihood of
coming into contact with contaminants
What kind of sampling must be done for inspections?
