Baron & Budd, P.C. Attorney John Langdoc Discusses New EPA Lead-Paint Rule

New EPA Lead-Paint Rule Helps Protect Homeowners from Potential Health Hazards

DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Baron & Budd, P.C. attorney John Langdoc commented on a new Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rule that puts stricter regulations on home renovation contractors. According to the new rule, the on-site renovator must be trained and certified through an EPA-accredited lead safety-training course if they disturb six square feet inside the home or 20 square feet outside the home – or else suffer fines of up to $37,500 a day. The new EPA rule went into effect on Earth Day, April 22.

“Federal Agencies like the EPA continue to propagate safety measures and greater awareness of hazardous contaminants that still exist in homes today”

“Federal Agencies like the EPA continue to propagate safety measures and greater awareness of hazardous contaminants that still exist in homes today,” said Langdoc. “Environmental toxins like lead and asbestos can still be life-threatening problem associated with home renovation.”

Asbestos fibers can be found in sheetrock, texturing paints, block filler and drywall compounds, many of which were commonly used to build homes in the 1960s and 1970s. When these construction materials are disturbed during remodeling, they can become airborne, and can put workers and homeowners at risk of developing environmental cancers.  Exposure to asbestos causes a number of deadly diseases such as asbestosis, lung cancer and mesothelioma. According to the Centers for Disease Control, mesothelioma kills 2,700 people a year.

“When there’s renovation done to a home that was built in the 1970s, there’s a risk of sending carcinogenic asbestos dust into the air,” said Langdoc. “It's important to let workers know that residential renovations can release carcinogens and other toxins into the air they are breathing, if they don't know, there's no way for them to protect themselves.”

Baron & Budd has fought on behalf of mesothelioma patients for over thirty years. To learn more about asbestos and mesothelioma, visit http://www.mesotheliomanews.com.

About Baron & Budd, P.C.

Dallas-based Baron & Budd, P.C., with offices in Baton Rouge, Austin and Beverly Hills, is a nationally recognized law firm with more than three decades of experience representing people and communities harmed by corporate negligence. The firm resolved one of the first asbestos cases in the United States in the 1970s and continues to serve people diagnosed with mesothelioma and asbestos-related lung cancer.

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