5.1 This guide is intended to help prevent lead poisoning of children by providing standardized procedures for conducting a lead hazard assessment and providing information needed to develop and recommend lead hazard control options as described in Practice E2252.

5.2 This guide is applicable for use in either occupied or unoccupied dwellings and in other child-occupied facilities.

5.3 The procedures in this guide, when supplemented by recommendations for controlling lead hazards, provide for the conduct of a lead risk assessment of a dwelling or of other child-occupied facilities.

5.4 This guide may be used to supplement assessment procedures used to determine the causes of elevated blood lead (EBL) levels in young children.

Note 2: In cases of EBL levels, investigation of the total living environment of the child and a pediatric medical evaluation may also be needed. Reference should be made to documents such as Managing Elevated Blood Lead Levels Among Young Children,6 Preventing Lead Poisoning in Young Children (1991),7 HUD Technical Guidelines for the Evaluation and Control of Lead-Based Paint Hazards in Housing,5 and Screening Young Children for Lead Poisoning.(1997)7

5.5 Although this guide was developed for dwellings and for other child-occupied facilities, this guide may be suitable for lead hazard assessments in non-residential buildings and other properties following agreement between assessor and client on appropriate lead action levels.

5.6 This guide is not intended for use in identifying building materials that when abraded or otherwise degraded, such as that which may occur in remodeling or renovation activities, may result in lead hazards.

5.7 Lead hazard assessment reports describe lead hazards identified at the time the assessment was performed. The locations, types or severities of lead hazards can change over time as a result of property improvement or deterioration, significant changes in property use, or other factors.

Note 3: The term "lead-free" should never be used to describe the absence of lead hazards because testing methodologies are not designed to measure the total absence of lead. Small amounts of lead present in building materials and components or soil may result in a hazard with changes in building conditions or as a result of activities that create dust that contains lead.

5.8 This guide is applicable for assisting professionals, homeowners, owners or occupants of rental property, lenders, insurers and others with a property interest in determining the presence of lead hazards.

5.9 This guide also is applicable for assisting designers of lead hazard mitigation projects to target resources toward lead hazard controls that are deemed most likely to result in the prevention of lead poisoning in young children.