LEAD-BASED PAINT SURVEY, COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT
An Engineering Excellence Award-Winning Project

In the absence of standards regulating lead-based paint in South Carolina Schools, S&ME designed the first-ever comprehensive program to protect school children against exposure to lead-based paint for a countywide school system. The Charleston County School District (CCSD), preparing for a renovation program in its 46 elementary schools, was aware that studies had found rates of lead poisoning in Charleston-area school children to be higher than state and national norms.

Construction of many CCSD schools dated from before the Consumer Product Safety Commission had banned lead in paints. S&ME was called in to perform a lead-based paint survey, design a program to remediate lead-based paint exposures in the schools and develop an operations and maintenance program.

However, nothing close to this had ever been attempted for a countywide school system. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Housing and Urban Development (HUD) standards addressed only public housing units where exposures to lead poisoning are much different than in schools. Thus, no protocols, case histories or other experience was available. Our IH professionals reviewed federal regulations for child-occupied housing units and originated standards that would reasonable apply to classrooms and common areas in the schools.

S&ME used sophisticated paint-penetrating technology to test and analyze layers of paint applied over the years and designed uniform maintenance treatments and preventive measures allowing for differences in lead presence. To protect students in the short term, we developed procedures for surveillance and periodic inspections, incident reporting, incidental repairs, disposal of waste, and medical surveillance and training for staff. Long-range goals included protocols for tracking of material, staff training and contractor activity to prevent spread of lead dust during renovation and demolition of older schools.

We used our EPA-licensed lead-based paint inspectors and risk assessors in providing services. Our research and approach established a unique benchmark for addressing probable future regulations designed to protect against lead-based paint hazards.