More Reality about Working with the RRP Rule (It’s Hot and Uncomfortable!)
Well, our first big lead-based job is underway and let me tell you working it lead-safe has been a bear. The closed off areas are hot and we cannot run a fan or let any air in. The dust still gets under the masks and we actually go outside often to get some fresh air and to get away from the suits and the masks (even though it is still very hot and humid outside). Right now, we are tearing apart a kitchen, and the demo work has taken a lot longer than expected. It has put us behind on the whole project. Thank goodness no one is living there though; we can work later and on weekends.
In the past, we had just shoveled plaster out the window and into our truck. Now every bit of it, including the lath has to be bagged and goose-necked with duct tape. And it has to be bagged again when the lath or the plaster breaks a little hole in the bag. We have gone through like one hundred bags and counting. The kitchen isn’t even that big! It is also not done, as we are just now tearing apart the sub floor.
To add insult to injury, the EPA announced that contractors now have until September 30th to register for the new RRP deadline and until December 31st to take their class. They pushed it back to allow more contractors time to get certified and not be operating 
against the law. That means some of my friends are working lead jobs, being untrained and exposing people to lead. In the mean time, I have to do the plastic, Tyvek suits and the Swiffer test. Let us just hope they don’t pass the third party wipe down requirement!
Anyhow, one of the reasons this demolition is taking so long is because we are so hot and uncomfortable in the house. Anyone who has torn out plaster knows how much fun that isn’t, but it is even worse in the suits, and the masks, and the heat. And I can’t help but think, as I carry the trash bags out to the covered dump trailer we are fortunate enough to have, that this is a lot of plastic we are throwing away. I am trying to understand why this stuff has to be in plastic bags when the outside of the bags themselves get so dusty from being in the area — I know I am exposing the outdoors to lead. Am I supposed to wipe down each bag as I carry them out? I don’t remember that from class.
I also think about all of the times I have done this exact same type of job without the suits, the masks, and the plastic. Sure, I feel confident that I left the job site clean when I was done with a complete demo, because I clean a job site like nobody’s business (or hire it out to be cleaned, which I do often). But I am wondering how much lead I have been exposed to. Maybe I should have a blood test?
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Holly, while Paul is correct on the suits & masks – in a plaster environment, they are a good idea to wear. Now if lead is known to be present, they might be required under OSHA’s requirements. As for the trash bags – no dust should be on the outside of them.
A few tips & tricks (mind you I don’t have many buildings with plaster around here) but I first rip out anything that does not qualify under the RRP. (i.e. the countertop, appliances, cabinets are a possibility, etc…)
Setup your containment, leaving all your trash bags, cans, and tools outside that are not necessary. Setup a negative pressure machine which will help pull in cool air & keep the dust down. Break the plaster off the lathe (leave the lathe on the walls). When it is all laying on the ground – go relax for an hour to let the dust settle.
At this time you mist it down to help control the dust, but IMHO, working slowly is better. Bring in all your trash cans & line them with your plastic bags. Use a flat shovel and gently scoop up the mess slowly placing it in the bag to keep down the dust. Fill all the bags – if you created a dusty mess, repeat the wait period. If you didn’t or after it has settled down – tie the bags off & remove them. Repeat as necessary.
Now one word of caution to everyone… the only item that matters is the regulation – just because you were “taught” something in class, read something off the web (even the EPA’s own site), etc… does not mean you are in compliance. Read and understand what is required of you by the regulation
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I second the negative-pressure blower. I went on site with a mold remediation crew some years ago for a JLC article (see jlconline.com, Doug Garrett’s June 2003 story “Indoor Mold: Causes and Cures”) – this NY State crew would plastic off the work area, install a vacuum blower with HEPA filter, and suit and mask up. But the masks were the kind with power filter blowers that hang on your belt. Nice flow of positive air pressure into the mask continuously – way cooler.
Now for my money this is all overkill for a typical remodel, and it’s bad policy to force remodelers to treat every pre 78 house as a hazmat site. But politics is not the point here- if you have to comply, the best tech for you is this negative pressure blower, full suit, and powered respirator. You’ll be faster, more comfy, and more effective. We may all go broke, but hey — isn’t that the grand plan anyway?
I think DIY jobs are exempt. Interestingly, those jobs seem to be the ones causing the trouble. This CDC NY State study says only 6% of bad lead test results were related to professional remodeling — more than 60% were related to DIY work — http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5803a3.htm
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Have you considered separating the wood lath and wrapping it up in reinforced poly? You’ll have a lot fewer blowouts in your bags for sure.
Amy, if you’re a home owner, you don’t have to follow the requirements at all. Even still though, I would use common sense when you do this work. It can still poison you and if small children are around it can have horrible affects on them that can be permanent.
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#7 written by Bryan Roof 1 year ago
Jason,
We were told that the bag must also be wiped down and vacuumed.
Our instructor also recommended that we all get a blood test. Lead stays in your system pretty much forever hanging out in the bone marrow. When your body gets low on calcium or iron it goes to the bone marrow looking for heavy metal. Or so we were told
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Holly, the suits and masks are suggested, they are not mandatory. I don’t use the suits as they are to keep me safe and I just remove my clothing at home before going into the living area of my home. What is mandatory is the signs, and controlling dust the clean up and paperwork.