SCA Past President Art Coussoulis announced details on the January 16, 2010 Winter Party. A very limited number of tickets were still left. Contact Danell Cassetta. Maximum of 10 tickets per company.

Stephanie Hall, of Ron Hall & Associates, Inc., signs in at the front table.

Lynsey Camara, of Puroclean Home Rescue, wins a door prize.

SCA Vice President, Chris Yaw, of D.Y. Calison, Inc., ran the day's door prize drawings.

Kelly Szymulewski, of Duarte Construction, and Cathrin Nevin, of Carl Warren & Co. come together for a shot.

What had been billed as a gathering for nominations and election of new board members to join the Executive Staff of the SCA was transformed at the last minute to what turned out to be a very substantive look at upcoming changes in the regulation and enforcement of lead in buildings at the December 10, 2009 luncheon meeting of the Sacramento Claims Association.

Environmental expert John Banta, with RestCon Environmental, gave a thorough presentation on issues that will soon affect the property restoration industry in a big way.

Lead, long known as a hazardous and harmful substance used broadly in paint and a wide array of other applications, will be under much stricter guidelines and regulations come April 22, 2010, Mr. Banta stated.

In 1982, John purchased an old victorian "fixer-upper", and proceeded to burn and sand the lead-based paint off the interior of the home. "At that point I did not know about lead. I had no idea what it was," he stated. He was working at that time at University of California at Davis as an animal research technician. His daughter came down with what was diagnosed as Failure to Thrive syndrome, brought about by exposure to lead. That experience began John's path toward providing environmental services. He's been an environmental consultant now since 1987.

He shared that his daughter has gone on to do very well. "She had all kinds of learning disabilities through school, but by high school it was pretty much resolved," he said. Not all victims are so lucky. Fortunately, her exposure was recognized and treated in a timely fashion. In too many cases, the damage is permanent.

New legislation, known as the Renovation Repair & Painting Rule, passed in 2008, goes into effect as of April 22, 2010. Firms working in any building - public buildings, homes, or any "child-occupied" building - built prior to 1978 will now be under strict procedures and rules under this federal law.

Lead abatement will have to be done by a certified Lead Abatement Contractor. Several requirements are included. Firms must be certified. They must have a certified renovator managing each project. Then, any uncertified workers on the job must work under the certified renovator.

Training providers must be accredited by the EPA. There is also an education requirement for the tenant or the owner or occupants of the building. They must be educated as to the potential risks of lead exposure.

"If lead is present then lead-safe work practices must be used." Lead abatement firms will be required for many jobs under the RRP.

If a firm neglects the law, financial penalties will be severe. Should a firm willfully neglect the law, jail-time could even be involved.

Damage can include: inability to concentrate and focus on things; severe dyslexia; hyper-activity; and many learning disabilities. Children under six are most susceptible, as well as pregnant women, as the fetus can suffer great damage.

Paint containing even one half of one percent lead can cause contamination. Mr. Banta sited some EPA statistics that demonstrate the severity of the problem. Homes built between 1960-1970 have a 25% chance they will contain lead-based paint. Homes built between1940 and1960 have a 70% chance. Those built prior to 1940 have a 90% chance.

He discussed a good number of rules and specific requirements. This promises to be as big a deal as asbestos has been for many years.

SCA President Don Sams thanks guest speaker John Banta.

SCA President Don Sams asks a question of John Banta.

Congratulations to

Tami Umland, of Restoration Mgmt Co., shares a smile.

Joan Barrett, of Market Share, and Geoff Jolliff, of JM Environmental, share a laugh.

December SCA luncheon crowd.