EPA Lead Inspector EXAM QUESTIONS AND VERIFIED SOLUTIONS |2026|
Exam Questions & Answers Test || ELABORATED &DETAILED ANSWERS!!
1. Lead-based paint Any varnish, shallac, or coating that contains either- 1.0 mg/cm2 - 0.5 % by weight
(LBP) - 5000 ppm - Older instruments could not read accurately at 0.7, so the lead
standard was updated to 1.0
2. Dust sample - Floors: 40 μg/ft2 > 10 μg/ft2 (10 μg/ft2 in NY) - Windows: 250 μg/ft2 > 100
clearance values 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)
3. EPA Soil Regula- - 400 ppm for playgrounds/children's areas - 1200 ppm for rest of yard - There
tions must be 9 sq ft of soil to classify with soil testing - At 5000 ppm, MUST remedi-
ate/abate (remove & replace, paving, or bioremediation)
4. Lab sampling - AAS (Atomic Absorption Spectrometry) - Sample is placed into a furnace and
technique vaporized ... light is shone through to give a quantitative result
5. XRF - 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
6. LBP Hazard ANY condition that causes exposure to lead
7. LBP inspection a surface-by-surface investigation to determine the presence of lead
8. CPSC - 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
9. True/False: Dust True; only risk assessors take samples to determine likelihood of coming into
sampling only contact with contaminants
done for hazard
assessments
, EPA Lead Inspector EXAM QUESTIONS AND VERIFIED SOLUTIONS |2026|
Exam Questions & Answers Test || ELABORATED &DETAILED ANSWERS!!
10. What kind of Random ... repeats must be annotated then you move onto the next
sampling must
be done for in-
spections?
11. HUD Guidelines Must last 20 years. Includes the following procedures: - Removal - Enclosure -
for abatement Replacement - Encapsulation Painting over is a temporary fix!
12. Water standards - 15 ppb under the Clean Water Act (CWA) - 5 ppb under the FDA standard (bottled
for lead water) *These are the ONLY instances where ppb is used
13. Why was lead - Durable - Colorful - Anti-corrosive - Anti-fungal - Drying agent
used so much?
14. What does RRP - Renovation, Repairing, and Painting program - Provided enforcement to Title X
do? in 2010 ... $37,500 fines for violation - Dust sampling technicians can only sample
for RRP projects
15. What must you Presume lead-based paint.
do if a pre-1978
site is not tested?
16. Where is LBP still Commercial purposes/boats
allowed?
17. What are the Present - Electrical batteries - Chemical additives Past - Paint additive - Gasoline
major industrial additive (now in soil ... doesn't permeate quickly, so sample TOP portions (12 in))
uses of lead? - Solder/pipes
18. What are the - For children under 6, hand-to-mouth contact from DUST ... lead tastes sweet
common path- (pica is the term for consumption of non-food items) - For adults, occupational
exposure (take-home lead ... pets can contribute too)
, EPA Lead Inspector EXAM QUESTIONS AND VERIFIED SOLUTIONS |2026|
Exam Questions & Answers Test || ELABORATED &DETAILED ANSWERS!!
ways of contami-
nation?
19. Chronic vs. acute - Chronic: low dose, long period - Acute: high dose, short period
exposure
20. How do you treat - Chelation therapy - Binding agents attach to lead in the blood, allowing it to be
lead poisoning? excreted - Chelating agents cannot distinguish lead from minerals, so the therapy
causes demineralization - Done at a blood lead of 45 μg/dL
21. Where does Solder, brass fittings and fixtures, and service lines
lead contamina-
tion in water
come from?
22. How much lead - 87% of homes pre-1940 - 69% of homes pre-1960 - 24% of homes pre-1978
is present in
homes?
23. Who is responsi- - Departments of Health (DOH) - They can mandate abatement
ble for investigat-
ing lead poison-
ing?
24. T/F: Poor diet can True. You want high calcium, iron, and Vitamin C.
exacerbate lead
absorption
25. True/False: The True
association be-
tween lead dust
and blood level
Exam Questions & Answers Test || ELABORATED &DETAILED ANSWERS!!
1. Lead-based paint Any varnish, shallac, or coating that contains either- 1.0 mg/cm2 - 0.5 % by weight
(LBP) - 5000 ppm - Older instruments could not read accurately at 0.7, so the lead
standard was updated to 1.0
2. Dust sample - Floors: 40 μg/ft2 > 10 μg/ft2 (10 μg/ft2 in NY) - Windows: 250 μg/ft2 > 100
clearance values 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)
3. EPA Soil Regula- - 400 ppm for playgrounds/children's areas - 1200 ppm for rest of yard - There
tions must be 9 sq ft of soil to classify with soil testing - At 5000 ppm, MUST remedi-
ate/abate (remove & replace, paving, or bioremediation)
4. Lab sampling - AAS (Atomic Absorption Spectrometry) - Sample is placed into a furnace and
technique vaporized ... light is shone through to give a quantitative result
5. XRF - 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
6. LBP Hazard ANY condition that causes exposure to lead
7. LBP inspection a surface-by-surface investigation to determine the presence of lead
8. CPSC - 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
9. True/False: Dust True; only risk assessors take samples to determine likelihood of coming into
sampling only contact with contaminants
done for hazard
assessments
, EPA Lead Inspector EXAM QUESTIONS AND VERIFIED SOLUTIONS |2026|
Exam Questions & Answers Test || ELABORATED &DETAILED ANSWERS!!
10. What kind of Random ... repeats must be annotated then you move onto the next
sampling must
be done for in-
spections?
11. HUD Guidelines Must last 20 years. Includes the following procedures: - Removal - Enclosure -
for abatement Replacement - Encapsulation Painting over is a temporary fix!
12. Water standards - 15 ppb under the Clean Water Act (CWA) - 5 ppb under the FDA standard (bottled
for lead water) *These are the ONLY instances where ppb is used
13. Why was lead - Durable - Colorful - Anti-corrosive - Anti-fungal - Drying agent
used so much?
14. What does RRP - Renovation, Repairing, and Painting program - Provided enforcement to Title X
do? in 2010 ... $37,500 fines for violation - Dust sampling technicians can only sample
for RRP projects
15. What must you Presume lead-based paint.
do if a pre-1978
site is not tested?
16. Where is LBP still Commercial purposes/boats
allowed?
17. What are the Present - Electrical batteries - Chemical additives Past - Paint additive - Gasoline
major industrial additive (now in soil ... doesn't permeate quickly, so sample TOP portions (12 in))
uses of lead? - Solder/pipes
18. What are the - For children under 6, hand-to-mouth contact from DUST ... lead tastes sweet
common path- (pica is the term for consumption of non-food items) - For adults, occupational
exposure (take-home lead ... pets can contribute too)
, EPA Lead Inspector EXAM QUESTIONS AND VERIFIED SOLUTIONS |2026|
Exam Questions & Answers Test || ELABORATED &DETAILED ANSWERS!!
ways of contami-
nation?
19. Chronic vs. acute - Chronic: low dose, long period - Acute: high dose, short period
exposure
20. How do you treat - Chelation therapy - Binding agents attach to lead in the blood, allowing it to be
lead poisoning? excreted - Chelating agents cannot distinguish lead from minerals, so the therapy
causes demineralization - Done at a blood lead of 45 μg/dL
21. Where does Solder, brass fittings and fixtures, and service lines
lead contamina-
tion in water
come from?
22. How much lead - 87% of homes pre-1940 - 69% of homes pre-1960 - 24% of homes pre-1978
is present in
homes?
23. Who is responsi- - Departments of Health (DOH) - They can mandate abatement
ble for investigat-
ing lead poison-
ing?
24. T/F: Poor diet can True. You want high calcium, iron, and Vitamin C.
exacerbate lead
absorption
25. True/False: The True
association be-
tween lead dust
and blood level
