EPA LEAD INSPECTOR CORE 2026 EXAM TEST
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS SURE A+
✔✔Types of insurance - ✔✔- General liability covers general damages - Lead
inspectors are held to a higher standard than contractors ... they are consultants
because they are giving their professional, expert advice. As such, they are covered by
errors/omissions insurance (covers mistakes/forgetting information) - Claims made:
insured while policy is active - Occurence: the above and beyond
✔✔What is required for tort? - ✔✔1) Court must establish duty or rule of conduct based
on what most individuals would do to prevent harm 2) Breach of duty 3) Someone is
harmed/damaged by the breach When these 3 requirements are met, negligence
becomes a factor
✔✔Who is ultimately responsible for the results of an inspection? - ✔✔The property
owner
✔✔Vicarious liability - ✔✔Guilt by association (e.g. an employer is responsible for the
actions of its employees)
✔✔How long should an inspector retain records? - ✔✔20 years
✔✔XRF protocol for risk assessors vs. lead inspectors - ✔✔- Risk assessors only check
non-intact surfaces (logic is that intact surfaces are not hazardous) - Inspectors check
EVERYTHING
✔✔What is the ultimate goal of clearing a project? - ✔✔Ensure safety with respect to
occupancy
✔✔What are the steps to cleaning for visual inspections? - ✔✔- HEPA (High
Effienciency Particulate Air) vacuum - Wash with TSP (trisodium phosphate) - HEPA
vacuum again - If the preliminary inspection fails, cleaning must resume in accordance
to the steps above. Final cleaning means the inspection passed.
✔✔How long after the final cleaning can you collect dust samples? - ✔✔1 hour
✔✔True/False: There is a safe lead level - ✔✔False; there is no safe lead level. The
standard for blood lead concentration keeps dropping because it should be ZERO.
✔✔LBPPPA - ✔✔- Lead-Based Paint Poisoning Prevention Act - Enacted in 1971 -
Amended in 1973 to lower lead content by 0.5% then 0.6% - In 1976, limit was lowered
to 0.06% unless CPSC determined 0.5% was safe - In 1977, 0.06% went into effect
because CPSC didn't make the finding. - Dropped to 0.009% in 2008.
, ✔✔Title X - ✔✔"- Enacted in 1992 by George Bush - Significantly amended LBPPPA -
Established standards for three areas: 1) Inspection 2) Education 3) Disclosure ...
involves giving a ""Protect Your Family from Lead"" pamphlet for target housing ...
MUST obtain form acknowledgment. For purchases, the buyer has to get an inspection
within 10 days - Inspectors must know ALL regulations and apply the most stringent
one"
✔✔What is the OSHA regulation for lead in construction? - ✔✔29 CFR 1926.62 - CFR
(Code of Federal Regulations) - 29 = Agency (Department of Labor - OSHA) - 1926 =
Industry (Construction) - 62 = Material (Lead)
✔✔What are the OSHA lead levels? - ✔✔- Action level = 30 μg/m3 ... triggers HAZCOM
(hazardous communication) and training - PEL (Permissable Exposure Level) = 50
μg/m3 ... triggers above PLUS PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) - 50 μg/dL triggers
medical removal and salary retention - If you're at child-bearing age, the limit is
technically 25 μg/dL since you qualify for fertility testing ($20,000 a pop!)
✔✔What is the OSHA general industry regulation for respirators? - ✔✔29 CFR
1910.134 - 29 = Agency (OSHA) - 1910 = Industry (General) - 134 = Material
(Respiratory protection)
✔✔What must be done to keep track of occupational exposures? - ✔✔- Baseline exam -
Authorization to wear a respirator - FEP (free erythrocyte protoporforin) / ZPP (zinc
protoporforin) to determine past/chronic exposures
✔✔RCRA - ✔✔- Resource Conservation Recovery Act of 1976 - Classifies hazardous
waste
✔✔TCLP - ✔✔- Toxic Characteristics Leachate Procedure - At 5 ppm, a substance
being tested is classified as hazardous waste
✔✔What must be done to wastewater? - ✔✔- Captured, filtered, and checked to see if it
is suitable for flushing - If not suitable, solidify and send to hazardous waste facility
✔✔How to prevent lead from getting into tap water? - ✔✔Flush until water is cold
✔✔Pipe standards for lead - ✔✔- Less than 0.2 % for solder and flux - Less than 8% for
other plumbing materials
✔✔What is a composite sample? - ✔✔Combined sample made up of various individual
samples from the SAME type of component
✔✔What is OSHA's general industry regulation for lead? - ✔✔29 CFR 1910.1025 - 29 =
Agency (Department of Labor - OSHA) - 1910 = Industry (General) - 1025 = Material
(Lead)
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS SURE A+
✔✔Types of insurance - ✔✔- General liability covers general damages - Lead
inspectors are held to a higher standard than contractors ... they are consultants
because they are giving their professional, expert advice. As such, they are covered by
errors/omissions insurance (covers mistakes/forgetting information) - Claims made:
insured while policy is active - Occurence: the above and beyond
✔✔What is required for tort? - ✔✔1) Court must establish duty or rule of conduct based
on what most individuals would do to prevent harm 2) Breach of duty 3) Someone is
harmed/damaged by the breach When these 3 requirements are met, negligence
becomes a factor
✔✔Who is ultimately responsible for the results of an inspection? - ✔✔The property
owner
✔✔Vicarious liability - ✔✔Guilt by association (e.g. an employer is responsible for the
actions of its employees)
✔✔How long should an inspector retain records? - ✔✔20 years
✔✔XRF protocol for risk assessors vs. lead inspectors - ✔✔- Risk assessors only check
non-intact surfaces (logic is that intact surfaces are not hazardous) - Inspectors check
EVERYTHING
✔✔What is the ultimate goal of clearing a project? - ✔✔Ensure safety with respect to
occupancy
✔✔What are the steps to cleaning for visual inspections? - ✔✔- HEPA (High
Effienciency Particulate Air) vacuum - Wash with TSP (trisodium phosphate) - HEPA
vacuum again - If the preliminary inspection fails, cleaning must resume in accordance
to the steps above. Final cleaning means the inspection passed.
✔✔How long after the final cleaning can you collect dust samples? - ✔✔1 hour
✔✔True/False: There is a safe lead level - ✔✔False; there is no safe lead level. The
standard for blood lead concentration keeps dropping because it should be ZERO.
✔✔LBPPPA - ✔✔- Lead-Based Paint Poisoning Prevention Act - Enacted in 1971 -
Amended in 1973 to lower lead content by 0.5% then 0.6% - In 1976, limit was lowered
to 0.06% unless CPSC determined 0.5% was safe - In 1977, 0.06% went into effect
because CPSC didn't make the finding. - Dropped to 0.009% in 2008.
, ✔✔Title X - ✔✔"- Enacted in 1992 by George Bush - Significantly amended LBPPPA -
Established standards for three areas: 1) Inspection 2) Education 3) Disclosure ...
involves giving a ""Protect Your Family from Lead"" pamphlet for target housing ...
MUST obtain form acknowledgment. For purchases, the buyer has to get an inspection
within 10 days - Inspectors must know ALL regulations and apply the most stringent
one"
✔✔What is the OSHA regulation for lead in construction? - ✔✔29 CFR 1926.62 - CFR
(Code of Federal Regulations) - 29 = Agency (Department of Labor - OSHA) - 1926 =
Industry (Construction) - 62 = Material (Lead)
✔✔What are the OSHA lead levels? - ✔✔- Action level = 30 μg/m3 ... triggers HAZCOM
(hazardous communication) and training - PEL (Permissable Exposure Level) = 50
μg/m3 ... triggers above PLUS PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) - 50 μg/dL triggers
medical removal and salary retention - If you're at child-bearing age, the limit is
technically 25 μg/dL since you qualify for fertility testing ($20,000 a pop!)
✔✔What is the OSHA general industry regulation for respirators? - ✔✔29 CFR
1910.134 - 29 = Agency (OSHA) - 1910 = Industry (General) - 134 = Material
(Respiratory protection)
✔✔What must be done to keep track of occupational exposures? - ✔✔- Baseline exam -
Authorization to wear a respirator - FEP (free erythrocyte protoporforin) / ZPP (zinc
protoporforin) to determine past/chronic exposures
✔✔RCRA - ✔✔- Resource Conservation Recovery Act of 1976 - Classifies hazardous
waste
✔✔TCLP - ✔✔- Toxic Characteristics Leachate Procedure - At 5 ppm, a substance
being tested is classified as hazardous waste
✔✔What must be done to wastewater? - ✔✔- Captured, filtered, and checked to see if it
is suitable for flushing - If not suitable, solidify and send to hazardous waste facility
✔✔How to prevent lead from getting into tap water? - ✔✔Flush until water is cold
✔✔Pipe standards for lead - ✔✔- Less than 0.2 % for solder and flux - Less than 8% for
other plumbing materials
✔✔What is a composite sample? - ✔✔Combined sample made up of various individual
samples from the SAME type of component
✔✔What is OSHA's general industry regulation for lead? - ✔✔29 CFR 1910.1025 - 29 =
Agency (Department of Labor - OSHA) - 1910 = Industry (General) - 1025 = Material
(Lead)
