Lead Risk Assessor Certification Exam Prep Guide with Verified Answers

Lead Risk Assessor Certification Exam Prep Guide with Verified Answers Why are dust samples taken? - ANS to identify lead paint hazards; to see if the contractor cleaned up properly after renovation; to identify a dust hazard from lead that may not be paint After a final clearance wipe down, a clearance test can begin _________ after the clean-up. - ANS one hour T/F No one should operate the XRF analyzer until they have received radiation safety training - ANS True What does a performance characteristic sheet for an XRF instrument determine? - ANS XRF specified range; results that are positive, negative, and inconclusive; calibration check tolerances A testing combination is a - ANS unique combination of room equivalents, building component types, or substrates An abbreviated test can be performed when - ANS the owner agrees; all components tested are the same in each room equivalent; the component tested is positive for lead based paint in the first five rooms tested. T/F An XRF calibration check should be performed before an inspection begins; after the inspection is completed, or at least every 24 hours, whichever occurs first. - ANS False Dust wipe media must meet what criteria? - ANS ASTM E 1792 laboratory criteria A soil sample from around the drip line of a house resulted in 530 ppm. As a risk assessor you must explain to the owner what should be done with the soil. - ANS soil where children have contact must be abated; interim controls can be used to eliminate the present hazard. What is the procedure for clean up of lead dust after abatement or renovation? - ANS HEPA vacuum, wet clean, HEPA vacuum again What should a risk assessor do prior to conducting a risk assessment on a house? - ANS gather information on the property T/F The inspector also tests soil and dust for lead contamination as part of a clearance test - ANS True What is Title X - ANS Residential Lead Hazard Reduction Act of the Community Development and Housing Act of 1992 HUD estimates how many homes contain lead-based paint? - ANS 64 million lead-based paint - ANS paint, varnish, shellac, or other coating on surfaces that contain 1.0 mg/cm2 or more of lead, or 0.5% or more lead by weight lead-based paint hazard - ANS any condition that causes exposure to lead contaminated dust, lead contaminated soil, or lead contaminated paint that is deteriorated or present on accessible surfaces, friction surfaces, or impact surfaces. lead-based paint inspection - ANS a surface by surface investigation to determine the presence of lead based paint. deteriorated paint - ANS any interior or exterior paint that is peeling, chipping, chalking, or cracking, or is located on an interior or exterior surface or fixture that is damaged or deteriorated accessible surface - ANS surface that protrudes from the surrounding area to the extent that a child can chew the surface and is within three feet of the floor or ground friction surface - ANS an interior or exterior surface that is subject to abrasion or friction (certain window, floor, and stair surfaces) impact surface - ANS an interior or exterior surface that is subject to damage from repeated impacts (parts of door frames) PHAs and IHAs must abate - ANS lead based paint in pre-1978 family developments equal to or greater than 1.0 mg/cm2 using XRF, or 0.5% (5000 ppm) using lab methods Deciliter - ANS measure of volume. It is equal to a little less than half a cup. Main cause of lead contamination in drinking water - ANS corrosion of lead containing plumbing Blood lead level - ANS is the best initial measurement for evaluating lead exposure in the body 1st step in treating lead poisoning - ANS remove the person from further exposure Romans used lead for constructing? - ANS Aqueducts Greeks wrote about Roman miners who suffered from - ANS lead poisoning Symptoms of lead poisoning? - ANS Flu like symptoms to cognitive impairement De minimis levels "safe work practices" must be used during stabilization or abatement only when the area of paint being disturbed is greater than: - ANS 20 square feet on exterior surface, 2 square ft on interior surface, 10% of a building component with a small surface area. Disclosure Requirements - ANS required for pre 1978 housing. Provide buyer/seller with EPA approved pamphlet. Disclose presence of known LBP or LBP hazards. Provide copy of any reports. Include warning statement, and give 10 days to purchaser to conduct risk assessment or inspection. What makes Lead Based Paint a Hazard? - ANS paint is deteriorated, lead paint is on friction or impact surface, lead paint is on child-accessible surface that shows evidence of teeth marks. Safe Drinking Water Act defines lead free plumbing as - ANS solders and flux may not contain more than 0.2% lead and pipes, pipe fittings, and well pumps may not contain more than 8.0% lead. ALARA - ANS As Low As Reasonably Achievable Exposure to radiation is affected by 3 important factors - ANS time, distance, shielding XRF Performance Characteristics Sheet (PCS) - ANS provides information necessary to conduct an inspection of lead-based paint using specific XRF instruments. Advantages of XRF testing are - ANS speed, cost-efficiency, non-destructiveness Laboratory analysis of paint-chip samples must be completed by a laboratory recognized by? - ANS National Lead Laboratory Accreditation Program (NLLAP) The need for XRF substrate correction depends on: - ANS specific instrument used; substrate; initial reading levels; PCS XRF calibration checks must be conducted: - ANS at the beginning, every 4 hours, and at the end of an inspection. Tort law - ANS civil "wrong" or breach of a standard of behavior or failure to use reasonable care for which a court orders a monetary remedy called "damages". Contract law - ANS relates to situations in which a person breaks or "breaches" a legally enforceable written or oral agreement or contract. Negligence - ANS contractor fails to fulfill all of his/her duties or fails to exercise the standard of care Vicarious Liability - ANS employer is legally responsible for the acts, omissions, and wrongful behavior of his/her employees. Room Equivalent - ANS identifiable part of a residence such as a room, house exterior, a foyer, staircase, hallway, or an exterior area. Building Component Type - ANS Items in the interior or exterior of housing onto which paint, stain, varnish, or shellack has been applied and that have a common substrate Substrate - ANS Material underneath the paint. HUD guidelines recommend six classifying substrates; brick, concrete, drywall, metal, plaster, wood. testing combination - ANS unique combination of room equivalent, building component type, and substrate test location - ANS specific area on a testing combination where either an XRF reading or a paint-chip sample will be taken Certain adjacent building components can be grouped together if? - ANS they have the same painting history Single family housing HUD Guidelines recommend XRF testing on at least - ANS 1 location per testing combination, except interior and exterior walls; 4 readings, one on each wall. When upper and lower walls have a different painting history what must be done? - ANS four tests are required of each What does the inspector do if the surface cannot be tested with an XRF test? - ANS A paint sample must be submitted, or the surface must be assumed positive. An inspector must never assume what in a pre-1978 dwelling? - ANS That paint is free of lead without testing How are XRF results corrected for substrate bias? - ANS subtracting a correction value XRF readings of 4.0 mg/cm2 or higher - ANS do not need to be corrected for substrate bias. XRF positive classification - ANS indicates that lead is present on the testing combination at or above the federal standard of 1.0 mg/cm2. XRF negative classification - ANS indicates that lead is not present on the testing combination at or above the federal standard of 1.0 mg/cm2. XRF inconclusive classification - ANS indicates that the XRF cannot determine with reasonable certainty whether lead is present on the testing combination at or above the federal standard. multifamily units can have - ANS different sizes, floor plans, and number of bedrooms and still meet the criterion of commonality Random sampling of multi units ensures what? - ANS insures selection of the units is not influenced by preconceived notions or convenience. Testing combinations in dwelling units, common areas, and exterior sites - ANS cannot be mixed together in a single group Lead levels in paint below the federal standard for lead-based paint - ANS may still present a hazard if disturbed American Society of Testing and Materials (ASTM) - ANS developed standards addressing the collection, preparation, and analysis of paint samples for lead determination ASTM E 1729 - ANS Field collection of dried paint samples for lead determination ASTM E 1645 - ANS Preparation of dried paint samples for laboratory analysis ASTM E 1979-98 - ANS Standard practice for ultrasonic extraction of paint, dust, soil, and air samples for subsequent determination of lead ASTM E 1775-96 - ANS Standard guide for evaluating performance of on-site extraction and field-portable electochemical or spectrophotometric analysis for lead Guidelines recommend collecting how much paint for analysis - ANS 4 square inches of paint Summary report of LBP inspection should answer what two questions - ANS 1. is the lead-based paint 2. where is it located After abatement, EPA requires __________ and _____________ in target housing and child-occupied facilities - ANS post-abatement visual inspections and clearance dust sampling To ensure effectiveness of cleanup the inspector has 3 responsibilities - ANS 1. visual inspection 2. clearance testing of dust 3. visual examination of soil Where should the visual examination focus - ANS on hard to reach areas What happens if a work area fails the visual inspection - ANS The contractor must complete the hazard controls and/or re-clean before dust samples are collected Loading - ANS a measure of the total amount of lead present in micrograms of lead per square foot of surface area. Weight concentration - ANS measure of the amount of lead contained in dust, expressed in micrograms of lead per gram of dust (ug/g) How is loading measured - ANS wipe sampling or vacuum sampling Why is wipe sampling recommended? - ANS 1. relatively simple and cheap 2. has been correlated with children's blood lead levels in studies 3. current standards are based on wipe sampling 4. vacuum sampling is not standardized 5. it is not possible to identify dust hazards directly using vacuum sampling. ASTM E 1728 - ANS wipe sampling protocals ASTM E 1792-96a - ANS standard specification for wipe sampling materials Requirements for size of wipe sample - ANS at least 0.1ft2 and no more than 2 ft2 Area Measurement - ANS inspectors must record specific measurements for each area wiped on the field sampling form Blanks Samples - ANS serve 2 purposes; is the media contaminated, is the inspector's sampling technique poor. Spiked Sample - ANS is a wet wipe spiked with a known amount of lead to test the laboratories ability to analyze dust wipe samples Ratio for spiked samples - ANS 1 sample for every 50 field samples Advantages of composite sampling - ANS lower cost per surface sampled; increased surface area that can be wiped for the same cost; Disadvantages of composite sampling - ANS information on specific location is lost; laboratories will have to adopt special handling and digestion procedures Composite samples should be collected from where? - ANS bare floors, carpeted floors (wall to wall carpet), window sills, window troughs, exterior surfaces What happens if a composite sample fails? - ANS all the rooms with that component must be re-cleaned When should single surface wipe samples be used? - ANS when informion is needed to determine leaded dust levels in a specific location; in other areas where leaded dust levels are expected to be high to determine if targeted cleaning efforts are needed. When should composite wipe samples be used? - ANS controlling cost is essential; no reason to suspect that dust levels from same surfaces in different rooms will vary greatly; costs of multiple-room cleanup will not greatly exceed cost of single room cleanup Determine numbers of post-abatement clearance samples to be collected? - ANS depends upon the number of rooms treated, the type of sampling conducted, and whether work was done on interior or exterior When does the EPA not require dust wipe sampling? - ANS following abatement exclusively on exterior of a dwelling What are EPA requirements for clearance sampling multifamily housing of 20 units or more - ANS require that a sufficient number of residential dwellings are selected for dust sampling to provide a 95 percent level of confidence that no more than 5% or 50 of the residential dwellings in the randomly sampled population exceed the appropriate clearance levels Final dust wipe sample results must be reported in - ANS ug/ft2 For abatement involving exterior of the building a visual inspection for dust and debris should be conducted for what surfaces? - ANS all horizontal surfaces in the outdoor living space, and at the dripline or next to the foundation below any exterior surface abated. If postabatement soil samples are collected then - ANS preabatement soil samples should also be collected How many soil samples should be collected for one composite sample? - ANS three to ten how deep do you go when sampling soil? - ANS top half-inch How does the inspector choose soil sampling locations - ANS sampling locations are based on the hazard control strategy used and their professional judgement Who does not recommend use of lead spot test kits? - ANS both EPA and HUD Who should confirm inconclusive results? - ANS laboratory unless the client wishes to assume they are all positive Multifamily Housing: Component Type Report classified into component types - ANS 1. positive 2. negative 3. inconclusive Where should statement of federal disclosure requirements be located in the report - ANS summary page of the report What must the report include for each paint component tested? - ANS locations and results Final report must include what XRF data - ANS All raw data and laboratory results How long must inspection reports be kept? - ANS EPA requires kept at least three years Risk Assessment - ANS onsite investigation or a residential dwelling for lead based paint hazards What else do we need to know besides lead paint concentration? - ANS condition of paint; various exposure pathways; likely sources of exposure; future plans for dwelling Lead Hazard Screen - ANS purpose of screen is to determine if full risk assessment is needed Combination Risk Assessment/Inspection - ANS combines surface-by-surface measurement of lead based paint with soil and dust sampling to provide the owner with information on what should be done immediately and what can be done later. Bypass Hazard Identification - ANS determine if all lead-based paint hazards have been controlled after the work has been completed Re-Evaluations - ANS needed in dwellings where lead-based paint remains, or is suspected to remain, even if it is presently in a nonhazardous condition 7 Steps HUD Risk Assessment Process - ANS 1. determine appropriate evaluation process 2. obtain background information; 3. schedule evaluation; 4. conduct evaluation; 5. determine actual & future hazards; 6. provide guidance 7. produce a written report Purpose of Title X (4 parts) - ANS 1. eliminate LBP hazards 2. implement LBP hazard reduction programs 3. establish workable framework, infrastructure, and standard of care for LBP hazards evaluation and reduction. 4. reduce threat of childhood lead poisoning Elevated Blood Level investigation - ANS differs from basic risk assessment in purpose, scope, and consequences six motivating factors risk assessor should review with owner that may affect which evaluation options are provided - ANS 1. legal/insurance requirements 2. property disposition 3. liability issues 4. preventive measures for children at risk 5. preventive measures prior to renovation or remodeling 6. response to child with EBL Visual Examination Steps - ANS 1. conduct initial walkthrough; 2. assess paint condition; 3. identify exterior problems; 4. identify areas of bare soil; 5. identify interior problems Intact Paint Condition - ANS entire surface is intact Fair Paint Condition - ANS Exterior less than or equal to 10 ft2 Interior less than or equal to 2 ft2 small surface components less than or equal to 10% total surface area Poor Paint Condition - ANS More than 10 ft2 More than 2 ft2 More than 10% total surface area ug/g - ANS microgram per gram ug/ft2 - ANS microgram per foot square (dust sampling) mg/cm2 - ANS milligrams per centimeter squared (XRF) ug/dL - ANS microgram per deci-liter ug/m3 - ANS microgram per deci-liter (quantity in blood) 1% - ANS 10,000 ppm Allowed quantity of lead in dry surface paint when testing with XRF. - ANS 1.0 mg/cm2 Allowed quantity of lead in dry surface paint when testing with paint chip - ANS 5000 ppm Allowed quantity of lead in dry surface paint by weight - ANS .5% = 5000ppm Lead Quantities for Dust Clearance from floors/carpet - ANS 40 ug/ft2 Lead Quantities for Dust Clearance from furniture - ANS 40 ug/ft2 Lead Quantities for Dust Clearance from window sills - ANS 250 ug/ft2 Lead Quantities for Dust Clearance from window wells - ANS 400 ug/ft2 Lead Quantities for Dust Clearance from outside concrete - ANS 800 ug/ft2 Lead Quantities for Soil Clearance in contact areas - ANS 400 ppm Lead Quantities for Soil Clearance in non-contact areas - ANS 1200 ppm Allowable lead quantity in water - ANS 15 ppb/liter, or 15 mgL Lead blood level of concern for children - ANS 5 ug/dL NIOSH Lead blood level of concern - ANS 25 ug/dL OSHA employee lead blood level of concern - ANS 40 ug/dL OSHA medical removal lead blood level - ANS 50 ug/d? Lead Paint 1978 level allowed - ANS .06%; 600 ppm Current level lead allowed in paint - ANS .009%; 90 ppm Lead Paint allowed in all other consumer products - ANS .01%; 100 ppm Hazardous Waste Toxic Characteristic Leaching Procedure (TCLP) - ANS 5 ppm The use of lead based paint exceeding .06% was banned - ANS in 1978 for residential housing. T/F the concentration of lead paint in deteriorating housing must be greater than 1 mg/cm2 by XRF to pose a threat to workers doing renovation or abatement practices. - ANS False Title X does not apply to; - ANS bridges and steel structure; hotels and motels rented less than 100 days and commercial complexes. What is the primary objective of a Lead Paint Risk Assessment? - ANS to discover lead hazards Surface Coat Failure - ANS top layer of paint is flaking, peeling, or otherwise detaching from layers below Multi-Coat failure - ANS several of the top layers of paint or other coatings are delaminating from layers below Paint Abrasion - ANS paint is rubbing because of mechanical friction chipped paint - ANS pieces of paint are loosened or broken because of impact ASTM E 1792 - ANS Ghost Wipes Water Samples of one liter should be collected from? - ANS residential tap most commonly used for drinking water after the water has remained motionless for 6 hours Water samples should not be stored for more than? - ANS 28 hours before analysis, unless acidification is completed How does a lead hazard screen act as a "negative" screen? - ANS if the results of the screen indicate that lead hazards are not present, no further testing is required What recommendation is made if more than 5 surfaces have paint in poor condition - ANS a fill risk assessment is recommended Interim Controls - ANS measures designed to temporarily reduce human exposure or possible exposure to LBP hazards. Interim control measures include - ANS paint film stabilization; friction and impact reduction treatments; dust removal; soil covering using non-permanent means Abatement - ANS measure or measures designed to permanently eliminate LBP hazards Abate measures include - ANS building component replacement; enclosure; paint removal by heat gun, chemical, or contained abrasive; encapsulation (20 yr warranty), permanent soil covering; soil removal and replacement What standard is only measured in mg? - ANS Paint What are standards monitored by the EPA? - ANS Paint, surface dust, and soil Paint - ANS - 1.0 mg/cm^2 - 0.5% by weight -5,000 PPM -5000 mg/g - or 5000 mg/kg) Surface Dust - ANS µg/ft2 - Floor: 10 µg/ft^2 -Window sill -100 µg/ft^2 -Window well- 400 µg/ft^2 Soil - ANS soil sampling is mandatory for risk assessment - Childs play area: 400 ppm - all other areas 1,200 ppm Air - ANS worker exposure to airborne lead is monitored by OSHA and NIOSH - Action level for airborne lead is 30 µg/m^3 for an 8 hour shift. - PEL is 50 µg/m^3 What are the "blood lead reference levels" of concern? - ANS CDC monitors "blood lead reference level" for children In 2021, BLRL was lowered to 3.5 µg/dL for children - OSHA's level of concern for adults is 40 µg/dL, medical removal level is 50 µg/dL Objects - ANS Level of lead in objects monitored by the consumer product safety commission. 90 ppm or 0.009% by weight Water - ANS In June 1991 under authority of the 1986 Safe water drinking act (SDWA), EPA's office of ground water and drinking water promulgated the "National Primary Drinking Water Regulation for Lead'. The goal of the new standards if for at least 90% of monitored household drinking water taps to have levels of 15 ppb or less, which corresponds to an average level of approximately 5 ppb. Exposure to lead in water is monitored by the EPA. Routine risks assessments do not require water sampling for lead . 15 PPB or 15 µg/L or 0.015 mg/L What is room equivalent? - ANS it is any place with a natural break in paint history (for example - a living room and dining room should be tested separately since it is likely they do not have the same paint history What is a testing combination? - ANS it is a component in the same room equivalent with the same substrate, meaning these results can be replicated (for ex. Bedroom 01 baseboard on wall 1 may be tested and these results can be used for baseboards on walls 2, 3, 4 without testing them individually) Households that have lead levels above 15 ppb in 1 liter sample should take the following steps to limit lead exposure: - ANS 1. running tap water for 30-60 seconds before use 2. never using water from the hot water tap for drinking or cooking 3. not boiling water longer than necessary for making baby formula 4. checking for lead solder types of errors in LBP testing - ANS a false negative - ( failure to detect lead at or in excess of federal regulatory standard) a false positive - ( concluding that lead is present at or above federal regulatory standard when in fact it is not ) what are two general ways that XRF analyzers present information? - ANS Direct Reader Spectrum analyzer Which chapters provide information on proper waste disposal? - ANS Chapter 10, appendix 10 and 10.1 of the HUD Guidelines What are the goals of the 1986 Safe Drinking water Act (SDWA)? - ANS The goal of the new standards is for at least 90% of monitored household drinking water taps to have lead levels of 15 PPB or less, which corresponds to an average level of 5 ppb. Lead free is defined as what under SWDA? - ANS Lead free as defined in the SWDA means that solders and flux may not contain more than 0.2 % lead and pipes, pipe fitting, and pumps, may not contain 8% of lead. What are the steps to limit lead exposure in household drinking water? - ANS 1. running the tap for 30-60 seconds before use 2. never use hot water from the tap for drinking or cooking 3. Not boiling water for longer than neccesary for cooking baby formula 4. checking for lead solder What are the sources of radiation in the XRF Analyzer that is used to detect lead-based paint? - ANS Cobalt -57 and Cadmium-109 Florescence is defined as - ANS Both Cobalt-57 and Cadmium-109 emit energy in the form of x-rays and gamma rays. When these rays are released from an XRF analyzer and hit a painted surface, the elements in the paint matrix - which can include lead - are "excited" and respond by emitting energy in the form of x-rays characteristic of each element. This response is known as fluorescence. True or false: The terms "spectrum" and "direct read" describe how an XRF detects and separates X-rays. . . - ANS False. "Spectrum" and "direct read" do NOT describe how an XRF detects and separates x-rays but rather how the information is displayed to the user. Most XRF use a multi-channel analyzer to separate the different energy x-rays emitted by the paint surface and the substrate. What is half-life? - ANS the term half-life refers to the time it takes half of the material to decay into another radionuclide or element. How does half-life effect an XRF analyzer? - ANS The amount of time that it takes for an XRF analyzer to determine if lead is present is related to the number of source atoms that decay and emit gamma and x-rays during sampling. After one half-life the length of time it takes to obtain a proper reading doubles. What is the half-life of Cobalt-57? - ANS 9 months or 270 days What is the half-life of cadmium-109 - ANS 15 months or 461.4 days What form of radiation is x-rays and gamma rays? - ANS Gamma and x-rays are forms of ionizing radiation. Radiation that has enough energy to eject electrons from electrically neutral atoms, leaving behind charged atoms or ions, is known as ionizing radiation. The result of ionization is the production of negatively charged free electrons and positively charged ionized atoms.