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®S g e AGENCY GUIDANCE ON RESID-FAIT.ZAL LEAD-BASED PAINT, LEAD-CONTAMINATED DUST, AND LEAD-CONTAMINATED SOIL July 14 , 1994 Recently EPA has received an increasing number of requests for advice on residential lead-based paint hazards, including hazards from lead-contaminated dust and soil in and around homes . These requests have come from State and EPA Regional officials, as well as from public health and housing personnel, concerned with childhood lead poisoning. while the Agency is in the process of developing a rule to identify these hazards under section 403 of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) , 15 USC 2683 , we believe it is appropriate to respond to these requests by issuing guidance at this time based upon our best currently available information. EPA believes that it would not be prudent to issue national regulatory standards under section 403 at this time since a number of relevant research activities are currently underway and are scheduled to be completed in the near future . It is expected that this research will allow the Agency to develop standards that would more accurately direct resources toward residences that would benefit most from abatement and control activities . In the interim, the recommendations in this document represent the Agency' s best judgement given its current state of knowledge and experience and are intended to serve as guidance until the promulgation of the TSCA section 403 rule. EPA emphasizes that these recommendations are intended solely as guidance and, as such, are not intended, nor can they be relied upon, to create any obligation or right that may be created in the future by rules issued under TSCA section 403 . Persons to whom this guidance is directed may decide to follow it or to act at variance with it and may use the guidance in conjunction with analysis of specific site circumstances . The Agency also reserves the right to change this guidance at any time without public notice . Use of This Guidance It is the Agency' s intent that this guidance be used to prioritize primary prevention activities that address hazards from lead in and around residences . EPA expects that these hazards will be among those that will be identified when regulations are issued under TSCA section 403 . The levels and conditions described in this guidance should be used by decisionmakers (risk assessors, risk managers, etc. ) to identify lead-based paint hazards, sources of lead exposure, and the need for control actions in residential environments where children may be present . They should not be regarded as definitive statements of the lead hazard associated with specific environmental lead measurements , but the Agency believes that the