Managing lead poisoning risks on a San Francisco residential property

The risk is high.  There may be three types of lead hazards on your property—paint, soil, and dust hazards. The source of these hazards is the leaded paint.  About 90% of the housing in San Francisco has leaded paint.  You can assume that a building built before 1979 contains lead if previous renovations had not removed the original paint.  The lead in the paint may contaminate the soil and produce lead-contaminated dust.

Water is a minor source of lead poisoning in San Francisco.  Lead found in the water may come from faucets, hose bibs, and the pipes inside the building.  The Public Utilities Commission (Water Department) can guide property owners to find the potential sources of lead in the plumbing and testing the water. 

It is not illegal to have lead on your property, but the San Francisco Health Code prohibits the existence of lead hazards on your property.  

Property owners can prevent lead hazards on their property by:

1. Maintaining  the property in good condition, and
2. Performing remodeling, repairs, and other construction work in a way that will not create lead hazards.

On an on-going basis

• Maintain the interior and exterior paint (including wood varnishes)  intact and in good condition.  An intact top layer of paint will cover up the bottom layers of lead paint.  This will prevent children from touching old paint. Controlling peeling paint will also prevent the flaking paint from contaminating soil and leaving contaminated dust.
• Ensure that windows and doors open smoothly and do not stick.  The paint on these parts rubs off when the windows and doors open and shut, depositing lead paint dust on the windowsills and on the floor.  The best way to eliminate lead dust from these friction points is to replace the old painted window and door parts.
• Maintain a soil cover.  This will reduce the chances of children and pets touching leaded soil.  Common methods of covering the soil include laying down grass, cement, or 3-4 inches of new lead-free topsoil. Ask a landscape or gardening professional what would be best for your area. 

Repairs, renovations, and painting

Almost every repair, renovation, or painting job in a pre-1979 home will produce a lead poisoning risk.  Property owners must ask the contractors to use work methods that protect the occupants, the neighborhood, and their workers. (Warning:  Cleaning lead contamination from construction work will be laborious and costly.) 

Property owners are not required to test the paint before repairs or construction, but the work must be done according to the requirements of federal, State, and the San Francisco Building Code when disturbing paint in pre-1979 housing.

The federal law requires property owners and managers to hire an Environmental Protection Agency lead-certified firm when the work disturbs more than 6 square feet of paint per room or 20 square feet on the exterior.  Even smaller jobs that do not require a lead-certified firm must still follow the requirements of the San Francisco Building Code. Property owners may want to hire a contractor with an additional certification, the Lead Supervisor certification issued by the California Department of Public Health. These contractors have received more thorough training and examination.

Other ways that property owners can decrease the likelihood that work will expose tenants to lead include: 

• Ensure that contractor provides the federal and local notifications before the work begins so that occupants can do their part in protecting themselves
• Request that the contractors create for themselves a separate pathway to go from the work area to the outside.
• Turn off the HVAC systems and cover openings.

Property owners and maintenance staff who intend to do their own work must still follow the requirements of the San Francisco Building Code. Maintenance staff of property management companies must also be an Environmental Protection Agency lead-certified firm.  The Environmental Protection Agency (Spanish) and the California Department of Public Health (Chinese, Filipino, Spanish) provide suggestions for how to set up the work area and work safely.

Property owners in certain San Francisco zip codes can apply to a City program to reduce and eliminate some of the most difficult and expensive lead issues in pre-1950 buildings.

Owners and managers of rental properties have an important role in protecting the health of their tenants. The Environmental Protection Agency outlines the requirements for real estate disclosures.