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State of Michigan  Department of Community Health  Lead Hazard Remediation Program

What You Can Expect from a Lead Inspection

What is a Lead Inspection?

According to Michigan’s lead laws (MCL 333.5451-5477), a Lead Inspection is defined is a surface-by-surface investigation to determine the presence of lead paint and the provision of a report explaining the results of the investigation. A Lead Inspection is designed to locate lead paint in a housing unit, and determine how much lead is in that paint. A Lead Inspection can be done to satisfy real estate transactions, and to know if lead paint will be disturbed before any renovation projects are started. The Lead Inspection report will not be helpful in deciding whether the housing unit is leadsafe for young children (six years of age and under) to live in. Only a Risk Assessment report can determine if a housing unit is lead-safe or not, and what should be done to fix any lead paint hazards.

Who can Perform a Lead Inspection?

Only a person certified by the Department of Community Health as a Lead Inspector or a Risk Assessor can conduct a Lead Inspection. A home inspector can provide this service only if the individual has one of these certifications. A person should be able to present a card from the Lead Hazard Remediation Program indicating that he or she is certified as a Lead Inspector or Risk Assessor. The card shows the expiration date of the certification. The certification status of the individual can also be verified by contacting the Program at (517)335-9390 or tollfree (866)691-LEAD. In addition, this information is listed on the Program’s website at www.mdch.state.mi.us/dch/lead.

What Areas in the Home are Tested for Lead?

The individual must select the following locations and test these locations for the presence of lead paint:

Each interior and exterior housing component that has a different painting history must be tested for lead paint, except for components that have been replaced after 1978 or do not contain lead paint.

In a multifamily housing structure, day care center, preschool or kindergarten classroom, each component that has a different painting history in every common area, except for components that have been replaced after 1978 or do not contain lead paint.

How is a Lead Inspection Performed?

The individual conducting the Lead Inspection must use lead sampling methods or

instructions that are approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban

Development (HUD) and/or the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The

current references are the following, which can be obtained from the Lead Hazard

Remediation Program:

HUD publication, Guidelines for the Evaluation and Control of Lead-Based Paint

Hazards in Housing.

EPA publication, Guidance on Residential Lead-Based Paint, Lead-Contaminated

Dust, and Lead-Contaminated Soil.

EPA publication, Residential Sampling for Lead: Protocols for Dust and Soil Sampling,

report number EPA 747-R-95-001.

American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) publication, Standard

Practices for Field Collection of Soil Samples for Lead Determination by Atomic

Spectrometry Techniques, standard number E1727.

ASTM publication, Standard Practices for Field Collection of Settled Dust Samples

Using Wipe Sampling Methods for Lead Determination by Atomic Spectrometry

Techniques, standard number E1728.

Only paint is required to be tested for a Lead Inspection. Household dust, soil and water testing are optional and can be requested.  Paint chips, dust, and soil samples must be analyzed for lead by a laboratory approved by the EPA. These can be identified by contacting the National Lead Information Center at (800)424-LEAD, or by visiting the American Industrial Hygiene Association’s website at www.aiha.org. According to Michigan law, lead detection test kits cannot be used on paint, dust or soil to determine lead content for a Risk Assessment. These kits include swabs, sticks or liquid drops that turn color when they come in contact with leadcontaining surfaces.

What Does a Lead Inspection Report Contain?

The individual conducting the inspection must prepare an inspection report. The

report must include all of the following information:

Date of the Lead Inspection.

Address of the property.

Date the housing unit was built.

Apartment number, if applicable.

Name, address, and telephone number of the owner(s).

Name, signature, and certification number of each individual conducting testing

on the housing unit.

Name, address, and telephone number of the company employing the

individual(s) conducting the testing, if applicable.

Each testing method, device and sampling procedure used for paint analysis,

and, if used, the serial number of any x-ray fluorescence lead testing device.

Specific locations of each painted component tested for the presence of lead

paint.

The results of the inspection in units of measure that match the type of sampling method used. According to Michigan law, the Lead Inspection report must be provided to the property owner who contracts the service. The individual conducting the inspection must keep a copy of the report on file for a minimum of three years. The Lead Inspection report will list locations tested for lead and the results of the testing. The results will be in numbers with units of measurement; the units are different for paint, dust, soil and water. EPA and HUD regulations define lead-based paint and lead-based paint hazards with the values and units of measurement

Hazardous Lead Levels and Units of Measurement

Material Tested Hazardous Lead Levels

Paint (XRF lead analyzer)  - equal to or more than 1.0 milligrams of lead per

square centimeter of sampled surface area (mg/cm2)

Paint chip -  equal to or more than 0.5% lead by dry weight or

equal to or more than 5,000 parts of lead per million parts of paint chips (ppm)

Bare soil (child play areas) - equal to or more than 400 parts of lead per million

parts of soil (ppm)

Bare soil (other areas) - equal to or more than 1200 ppm of lead

House dust (floors) -  equal to or more than 40 micrograms of lead per square foot of sampled surface area (ug/ft2)

House dust (window sills) - equal to or more than 250 ug/ft2 of lead

House dust (windowtroughs) - equal to or more than 400 ug/ft2 of lead

Water - equal to or more than 15 parts of lead per billion parts of water (ppb)

Additional Information

Complaints about improper work practices can be filed by calling the Lead Hazard

Remediation Program staff toll-free at (866)691-LEAD or (517)335-9390.

The mailing address is Lead Hazard Remediation Program, P.O. Box 30195, Lansing,

Michigan, 48909.