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EPA Lead Inspector Questions with Detailed Verified
Answers
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 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 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
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What kind of sampling must be done for inspections? Ans: ✓ ✓ ✓ Random ... repeats must be
annotated then you move onto the next
HUD Guidelines for abatement Ans: ✓ ✓ ✓ Must last 20 years. Includes the following procedures: -
Removal - Enclosure - Replacement - Encapsulation Painting over is a temporary fix!
Water standards for lead Ans: ✓ ✓ ✓ - 15 ppb under the Clean Water Act (CWA) - 5 ppb under the
FDA standard (bottled water) *These are the ONLY instances where ppb is used
Why was lead used so much? Ans: ✓ ✓ ✓ - Durable - Colorful - Anti-corrosive - Anti-fungal - Drying
agent
What does RRP do? Ans: ✓ ✓ ✓ - Renovation, Repairing, and Painting program - Provided
enforcement to Title X in 2010 ... $37,500 fines for violation - Dust sampling technicians can only
sample for RRP projects
What must you do if a pre-1978 site is not tested? Ans: ✓ ✓ ✓ Presume lead-based paint.
Where is LBP still allowed? Ans: ✓ ✓ ✓ Commercial purposes/boats
What are the major industrial uses of lead? Ans: ✓ ✓ ✓ Present - Electrical batteries - Chemical
additives Past - Paint additive - Gasoline additive (now in soil ... doesn't permeate quickly, so sample
TOP portions (12 in)) - Solder/pipes
What are the common pathways of contamination? Ans: ✓ ✓ ✓ - For children under 6, hand-to-
mouth contact from DUST ... lead tastes sweet (pica is the term for consumption of non-food items)
- For adults, occupational exposure (take-home lead ... pets can contribute too)
Chronic vs. acute exposure Ans: ✓ ✓ ✓ - Chronic: low dose, long period - Acute: high dose, short
period
How do you treat lead poisoning? Ans: ✓ ✓ ✓ - Chelation therapy - Binding agents attach to lead
in the blood, allowing it to be excreted - Chelating agents cannot distinguish lead from minerals, so
the therapy causes demineralization - Done at a blood lead of 45 μg/dL
Where does lead contamination in water come from? Ans: ✓ ✓ ✓ Solder, brass fittings and
fixtures, and service lines
How much lead is present in homes? Ans: ✓ ✓ ✓ - 87% of homes pre-1940 - 69% of homes pre-
1960 - 24% of homes pre-1978
© Get it right 2025 Getaway - Stuvia US All rights reserved
EPA Lead Inspector Questions with Detailed Verified
Answers
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 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 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
© Get it right 2025 Getaway - Stuvia US All rights reserved
, Click here for more: Scholars nexus
What kind of sampling must be done for inspections? Ans: ✓ ✓ ✓ Random ... repeats must be
annotated then you move onto the next
HUD Guidelines for abatement Ans: ✓ ✓ ✓ Must last 20 years. Includes the following procedures: -
Removal - Enclosure - Replacement - Encapsulation Painting over is a temporary fix!
Water standards for lead Ans: ✓ ✓ ✓ - 15 ppb under the Clean Water Act (CWA) - 5 ppb under the
FDA standard (bottled water) *These are the ONLY instances where ppb is used
Why was lead used so much? Ans: ✓ ✓ ✓ - Durable - Colorful - Anti-corrosive - Anti-fungal - Drying
agent
What does RRP do? Ans: ✓ ✓ ✓ - Renovation, Repairing, and Painting program - Provided
enforcement to Title X in 2010 ... $37,500 fines for violation - Dust sampling technicians can only
sample for RRP projects
What must you do if a pre-1978 site is not tested? Ans: ✓ ✓ ✓ Presume lead-based paint.
Where is LBP still allowed? Ans: ✓ ✓ ✓ Commercial purposes/boats
What are the major industrial uses of lead? Ans: ✓ ✓ ✓ Present - Electrical batteries - Chemical
additives Past - Paint additive - Gasoline additive (now in soil ... doesn't permeate quickly, so sample
TOP portions (12 in)) - Solder/pipes
What are the common pathways of contamination? Ans: ✓ ✓ ✓ - For children under 6, hand-to-
mouth contact from DUST ... lead tastes sweet (pica is the term for consumption of non-food items)
- For adults, occupational exposure (take-home lead ... pets can contribute too)
Chronic vs. acute exposure Ans: ✓ ✓ ✓ - Chronic: low dose, long period - Acute: high dose, short
period
How do you treat lead poisoning? Ans: ✓ ✓ ✓ - Chelation therapy - Binding agents attach to lead
in the blood, allowing it to be excreted - Chelating agents cannot distinguish lead from minerals, so
the therapy causes demineralization - Done at a blood lead of 45 μg/dL
Where does lead contamination in water come from? Ans: ✓ ✓ ✓ Solder, brass fittings and
fixtures, and service lines
How much lead is present in homes? Ans: ✓ ✓ ✓ - 87% of homes pre-1940 - 69% of homes pre-
1960 - 24% of homes pre-1978
© Get it right 2025 Getaway - Stuvia US All rights reserved
