Lead-Based Paint Regulations Protect Charlotte Residents

Get The Lead Out® would like you to know that lead-based paint regulations protect Charlotte residents. If you are considering remodeling or renovating your home, you need to be aware of the dangers of lead exposure. Lead-based paint was used in the majority of homes before it was banned in 1978. Common renovation activities, such as sanding, cutting, and demolition, can create hazardous dust and chips by disturbing lead-based paint. This lead-contaminated dust is the most common source of lead exposure for children. Young children, under the age of six, are the most vulnerable to these dangers because it affects their developing brains and nervous systems.

In order to protect residents and workers, North Carolina has enacted laws requiring the use of lead-safe work practices and other actions to prevent lead poisoning when lead-based paint is disturbed during renovation and remodeling work. "Under this law, contractors, property managers and other paid workers doing renovations, constructions or repairs in homes and child-occupied facilities built before 1978, must be trained and certified," says Kathryn Hubicki, President of Get The Lead Out®.

Because Charlotte is an older city, many of the homes were built before 1978 and contain lead-based paints. Get The Lead Out® is certified in lead paint inspection, testing, and removal. "We have 19 years of experience and have performed thousands of lead paint inspections," says Hubicki.

If you suspect that your home may contain lead paint, please call Pete Hubicki with Get The Lead Out® at 704-376-3594 or email peteh@gettheleadout.biz to arrange a lead paint inspection and test.  We will uncover whether your home tests positive for the presence of lead paint!

Should Pregnant Women’s Homes be Tested for Lead Paint in Charlotte?

Get The Lead Out® in Charlotte has been noticing some interesting trends in protecting children, pregnant women and unborn infants against the dangers of exposure to lead paint and lead paint poisoning.  One of these really interesting programs is taking place in St. Louis, MO.

In a nutshell, the program in the city of St. Louis tests the homes of pregnant women for the presence of lead paint and removes any before the baby is born.  This type of “SWAT-team” approach can eliminate or reduce the children’s exposure to lead paint.

Get The Lead Out® knows that approximately 250,000 children are exposed to dangerous levels of lead paint and become poisoned.  Experts report that as many as twice that amount, or 500,000, children are affected.  Lead permanently damages a child’s brain, lowering IQ and causing lifelong behavior problems and learning disabilities.  (Source, March 2, 2012 article from NPR)

Even though the United States has had a real effort of removing lead paint from substandard housing, there are approximately 24 million houses and apartments in the US that are still thought to have lead paint, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Congress recently cut funding for lead testing of children from $30 million to $2 million.  This money is given to local health departments to pay for children’s blood tests.  You can read more about the funding cut here.

How Can Get The Lead Out® Help?

Get The Lead Out® is an experienced, professional lead paint inspection, lead paint testing and lead paint removal company.  We have more than 18 years of experience working with all types of housing and community housing neighborhoods.

Lead paint poisoning and the detection and removal of dangerous lead paint has become one of our country’s most highly regulated environmental issues.  We have performed thousands of lead inspections, site assessments, and risk assessment projects.  Our clients trust us for providing cost-saving, environmentally-effective and safe solutions to locate and remove any lead paint discovered.

A typical lead paint test from Get The Lead Out® starts at $400 for an average 1,500 sq.ft. home.  Our basic $400 lead paint test includes professional testing with one of our licensed, experienced Lead Assessors, along with a comprehensive inspection report that will contain the lead-based paint findings from your home.

To learn more about lead paint testing, or to schedule your lead paint test, please call Kathryn Hubicki at 704-376-3594 or email koh@gettheleadout.biz.  We can help!

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Protecting Charlotte Children from the Affects of Lead Paint Poisoning

It’s a national statistic that approximately 1 million children are affected by lead poisoning annually.  Get The Lead Out® in Charlotte wants you to know that lead poisoning is 100% preventable when you know what to look for and what to do.

There is a good chance that any home, building, school or daycare center built before 1978 in Charlotte contains some lead paint.  And just a  few particles of dust from lead-based paint are enough to poison a child, with the effects possibly lasting a lifetime.

There are “danger zones” around your home where the presence of lead paint can be found or introduced.  The graphic below is an interactive website tool that can show you and your children where the presence of lead paint might be found in your home.  Click on the graphic to visit the actual website.

Q. How does lead get into my children's bodies?

A. It enters the body through the mouth or nose. Lead is not absorbed through the skin.

Q. How do I know if my children have been exposed?

A. Sometimes there are no symptoms. The best way is to get a blood test from your pediatrician. Many people mistake the symptoms of lead poisoning for other common illnesses like a cold or flu.

Visit this website link to view an entire section of content on how to protect our children from lead paint exposure and lead paint poisoning.

If you suspect that your home may contain lead paint, please call Pete Hubicki with Get The Lead Out® at 704-376-3594 or email peteh@gettheleadout.biz to arrange a lead paint inspection and test.  We will uncover whether your home tests positive for the presence of lead paint!

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Charlotte’s Lead Paint Inspection & Lead Paint Testing Company says to Check for Lead Paint Before Any Remodeling Work at Home

Get The Lead Out® likes to remind all homeowners with homes built prior to 1978 to use extreme caution before beginning any spring remodeling or renovation projects!  Lead paint was used in the construction of homes built prior to 1978, and there are many homes around our Charlotte area that were constructed prior to 1978 and could have lead paint.

To protect against the risk of exposing dangerous lead paint during home renovations, on April 22, 2008, EPA issued the Renovation, Repair and Painting Rule. It requires that firms performing renovation, repair, and painting projects that disturb lead-based paint in pre-1978 homes, child care facilities and schools be certified by EPA and that they use certified renovators who are trained by EPA-approved training providers to follow lead-safe work practices.

Contractors must use lead-safe work practices and follow these three simple procedures:

• Contain the work area.
• Minimize dust.
• Clean up thoroughly.

If you are a homeowner performing renovation, repair, or painting work in your own home, EPA's RRP rule does not cover your project. However, you have the ultimate responsibility for the safety of your family or children in your care. If you are living in a pre-1978 home and planning to do painting or repairs, please read a copy of EPA's Renovate Right: Important Lead Hazard Information for Families, Child Care Providers, and Schools (PDF) lead hazard information pamphlet.

If your home was built before 1978, there could be a good chance that lead fibers or lead paint were used in the initial construction of your home.  Please call Get The Lead Out® at 704-376-3594 or email peteh@gettheleadout.com.  Do not deal with the removal of lead paint or lead substances on your own!  Disturbing the lead from paint or pipe wrapping could cause lead-contaminated dust to be freed and inhaled by you or your children.

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Charlotte Lead Paint Inspections for Section 8 Housing

Get The Lead Out® just began working with a client who resides in Section 8 housing with the Charlotte Housing Authority.  This particular problem deals with black, bioorganic growth called mold.  And mold identification and safe removal is a common challenge for many homes and homeowners across Charlotte.  But so is the detection of lead paint.

Get The Lead Out® provides a turnkey, professional lead paint inspection and abatement program for Section 8 Housing across Greater Charlotte.  Our lead paint inspectors are highly-trained, skilled and experienced at identifying possible lead paint presence and associated dangers.



Because so many of our Charlotte Section 8 Housing was built prior to 1978, there is a probability that lead-based paint was used in the construction or renovation process.

Please call Get The Lead Out® at 704-376-3594 or email peteh@gettheleadout.com.  Do not deal with the removal of lead paint or lead substances on your own! Or please call the Charlotte Housing Authority to obtain proper and professional lead paint inspection and removal specialists like Get The Lead Out®.  We’re large enough to serve you, yet small enough to care!

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What Does Get The Lead Out® in Charlotte Do with Lead Paint Inspections?

Since 1993, Get The Lead Out® in Charlotte has performed thousands of lead paint inspections on homes, apartment buildings, commercial and educational buildings, and even garages and workshops.  We started Get The Lead Out® almost 19 years ago to become the premier lead paint inspection, testing and removal company serving Charlotte and the Carolinas.

“Probably the biggest question we get on almost a daily basis is ‘how do you test for the presence of lead paint in my house?’” says Pete Hubicki of Get The Lead Out®.  “Our answer is always the same:  It’s part scientific, part experience, part explorer, and part problem-solver.”

Lead Paint Inspections in Charlotte

Get The Lead Out® is a full-service property inspection, remediation, and management services firm dedicated to providing superior environmental inspection and testing.  Our profession is dangerous because we work with dangerous substances like lead paint, mold, asbestos and radon gas.  We always mitigate the danger because we are extremely safe and approach each project with experience and scientific exploration to virtually eliminate our risk of exposure.

Lead paint inspections are scientific exploration and collection of suspected lead paint material in your home, school or church.  Our licensed lead paint inspectors visit your property and carefully collect specimens from strategic points throughout your home.  We then transport these specimens to the laboratory to examine them closely under microscopic conditions to determine if there is a presence of lead in the samples we collected.

If the report shows a presence of lead paint in your home, we can then work with you on several plans of approach to safely remove the lead and make your home safe and lead-free.

“Our lead paint inspectors are educated, trained, experienced and licensed before they join our team,” said Hubicki.  “We take the dangers of lead paint seriously because our homeowners and customers are depending on us to identify possible presence and then safely and professionally remove the offending lead paint presence.”

If your home was built before 1978, there could be a good chance that lead fibers or lead paint were used in the initial construction of your home.  Please call Get The Lead Out® at 704-376-3594 or email peteh@gettheleadout.com.  Do not deal with the removal of lead paint or lead substances on your own!  Disturbing the lead from paint or pipe wrapping could cause lead-contaminated dust to be freed and inhaled by you or your children.

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Charlotte Lead Paint Inspections for Home and Apartment Renters

Get The Lead Out® receives many inquiries about lead paint inspections for rental homes and apartments.  Is the landlord responsible for testing your rental for the presence of lead paint?  Is the landlord required to let you know if your rental unit has lead paint within your premises?

Many houses and apartments built before 1978 have paint that contains lead (called lead-based paint). Lead from paint, chips, and dust can pose serious health hazards if not taken care of properly.

Federal law requires that individuals receive certain information before renting a pre-1978 house:

LANDLORDS must disclose known information on lead-based paint and lead-based paint hazards before leases take effect. Leases must include a disclosure form about lead-based paint.

In general, the older your home, the more likely it has lead-based paint.  And we have many subdivisions and homes around Greater Charlotte that were built prior to 1978.  It is part of our city’s charm and attraction.  All landlords are required to tell both their new and old tenants if they know of any lead based paint in the apartment or rental home. The landlord also must give tenants any reports that he may have concerning any tests for lead paint in the apartment.

There are federal laws which help protect home and apartment renters from the dangers of lead paint.  You can always contact the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) by visiting their website here.  Get The Lead Out® is a certified and professionally-licensed lead paint inspection and lead paint removal company.

If you would like to learn more about lead paint inspections and lead paint safety, please contact Pete Hubicki of Get The Lead Out® at 704-376-3594 or email peteh@gettheleadout.biz.  We can help apartment owners and landlords with the professional testing for the presence of lead paint and the removal of lead paint if it is found!

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