EPA Lead Inspector Exam With 100% Correct
Answers 2024 GRADED A+ BEST EXAM
Lead-based paint (LBP) - ANSWER-Any varnish, shallac, or coating that contains either- 1.0 mg/cm2 - 0.5
% by weight - 5000 ppm - Older instruments could not read accurately at 0.7, so the lead standard was
updated to 1.0
Dust sample clearance values - ANSWER-- Floors: 40 μg/ft2 > 10 μg/ft2 (10 μg/ft2 in NY) - Windows: 250
μg/ft2 > 100 μg/ft2 (50 μg/ft2 in NY) - Window wells (troughs): 400 μg/ft2 (100 μg/ft2 in NY) - Samples
must be at 1 sq ft > 2 sq ft (can be reduced to 1 sq ft if within 10 μg)
EPA Soil Regulations - ANSWER-- 400 ppm for playgrounds/children's areas - 1200 ppm for rest of yard -
There must be 9 sq ft of soil to classify with soil testing - At 5000 ppm, MUST remediate/abate (remove
& replace, paving, or bioremediation)
Lab sampling technique - ANSWER-- AAS (Atomic Absorption Spectrometry) - Sample is placed into a
furnace and vaporized ... light is shone through to give a quantitative result
XRF - ANSWER-- X-ray fluorescence - Utilizes radioactive isotopes (unstable material trying to reach
stability) - Cobalt-57 (half-life of 9 months) and cadmium-109 (half-life of 15 months) are the two
sources (where radiation originates) - Emits gamma rays but will read X-rays (backscatters) - Ionizing
radiation from the removal of electrons due to interactions with radiation
LBP Hazard - ANSWER-ANY condition that causes exposure to lead
LBP inspection - ANSWER-a surface-by-surface investigation to determine the presence of lead
CPSC - ANSWER-- Consumer Product Safety Commission - Set a lead paint standard: cannot contain
0.06% lead by weight ... updated to 0.009% - The commission banned lead-based paint in 1978
True/False: Dust sampling only done for hazard assessments - ANSWER-True; only risk assessors take
samples to determine likelihood of coming into contact with contaminants
What kind of sampling must be done for inspections? - ANSWER-Random ... repeats must be annotated
then you move onto the next
,EPA Lead Inspector Exam With 100% Correct
Answers 2024 GRADED A+ BEST EXAM
HUD Guidelines for abatement - ANSWER-Must last 20 years. Includes the following procedures: -
Removal - Enclosure - Replacement - Encapsulation Painting over is a temporary fix!
Water standards for lead - ANSWER-- 15 ppb under the Clean Water Act (CWA) - 5 ppb under the FDA
standard (bottled water) *These are the ONLY instances where ppb is used
Why was lead used so much? - ANSWER-- Durable - Colorful - Anti-corrosive - Anti-fungal - Drying agent
What does RRP do? - ANSWER-- Renovation, Repairing, and Painting program - Provided enforcement to
Title X in 2010 ... $37,500 fines for violation - Dust sampling technicians can only sample for RRP projects
What must you do if a pre-1978 site is not tested? - ANSWER-Presume lead-based paint.
Where is LBP still allowed? - ANSWER-Commercial purposes/boats
What are the major industrial uses of lead? - ANSWER-Present - Electrical batteries - Chemical additives
Past - Paint additive - Gasoline additive (now in soil ... doesn't permeate quickly, so sample TOP portions
(12 in)) - Solder/pipes
What are the common pathways of contamination? - ANSWER-- For children under 6, hand-to-mouth
contact from DUST ... lead tastes sweet (pica is the term for consumption of non-food items) - For
adults, occupational exposure (take-home lead ... pets can contribute too)
Chronic vs. acute exposure - ANSWER-- Chronic: low dose, long period - Acute: high dose, short period
How do you treat lead poisoning? - ANSWER-- Chelation therapy - Binding agents attach to lead in the
blood, allowing it to be excreted - Chelating agents cannot distinguish lead from minerals, so the therapy
causes demineralization - Done at a blood lead of 45 μg/dL
,EPA Lead Inspector Exam With 100% Correct
Answers 2024 GRADED A+ BEST EXAM
Where does lead contamination in water come from? - ANSWER-Solder, brass fittings and fixtures, and
service lines
How much lead is present in homes? - ANSWER-- 87% of homes pre-1940 - 69% of homes pre-1960 -
24% of homes pre-1978
Who is responsible for investigating lead poisoning? - ANSWER-- Departments of Health (DOH) - They
can mandate abatement
T/F: Poor diet can exacerbate lead absorption - ANSWER-True. You want high calcium, iron, and Vitamin
C.
True/False: The association between lead dust and blood level has been scientifically proven - ANSWER-
True
Where does a house have the highest lead levels with respect to soil sampling? - ANSWER-Dripline
What are friction, impact, and mallable surfaces? - ANSWER-- Friction: rub (floors) - Impact: smash
(doors, stairs) - Mallable: edible ... protrude more than 4 in
What is the chance of lead dust from high levels of LBP? - ANSWER-Twice as high
How much does water contribute to lead exposure for the average 2-year old? - ANSWER-5-50%
How much lead can infants on formula receive from water? - ANSWER-As much as 85%
True/False: Lead has a purpose in the body - ANSWER-False; lead does nothing for the body
Lead poisoning blood concentration - ANSWER-- For children: 5 μg/dL - For adults: 50 μg/dL
, EPA Lead Inspector Exam With 100% Correct
Answers 2024 GRADED A+ BEST EXAM
How does lead travel through the body and for how long? - ANSWER-- Blood (30 days) - Soft tissues (60-
90 days) - Bones (20-30 years) ... 95% of lead from an initial exposure gets stored in bones
What body system does lead most affect? Least affect? - ANSWER-- Most affects central nervous system
- Least affects lungs (point of entry)
What is the ONLY way to know if someone is lead poisoned? - ANSWER-Blood lead level
True/False: You can use prophylactic chelation to maintain someone's employment - ANSWER-False;
chelation can only be used when blood lead reaches a certain threshold (45 μg/dL)
What do you need to transport XRF analyzers? - ANSWER-- Paper documentation - Reciprocity
(agreement to allow between states)
Can you bring an XRF analyzer in a car ... what about a plane? - ANSWER-- Cars: Yes ... it must be tied
down, you need a manifest, and you must keep it in line of sight- Planes: Yes IF properly packaged
What is used to check level of radiation exposure? - ANSWER-- Dosimeter - Different types like
electronic (instant reading) or body badges (after the fact) or thermoluminescent (TLDs ... after the fact)
or ring badges - NEVER store near the XRF analyzer or ANYTHING with radiation (e.g. computers or TV) -
Dosages MUST be reported monthly
How often should you perform a leak test for XRF analyzers? - ANSWER-Every 6 months
How much energy is required for cobalt-57 to excite an electron? - ANSWER-128 keV
What are the units of measurement for radiation exposure? - ANSWER-rad = energy per unit of mass of
material rem = rad * QF (quality factor) ... corrects for variables like the type of tissue
Regulatory dose limits for radiation - ANSWER-- Whole body: 5 rem/year - Skin/extremities: 50 rem/year
- Declared pregnant worker: 0.5 rem/gestation period
Answers 2024 GRADED A+ BEST EXAM
Lead-based paint (LBP) - ANSWER-Any varnish, shallac, or coating that contains either- 1.0 mg/cm2 - 0.5
% by weight - 5000 ppm - Older instruments could not read accurately at 0.7, so the lead standard was
updated to 1.0
Dust sample clearance values - ANSWER-- Floors: 40 μg/ft2 > 10 μg/ft2 (10 μg/ft2 in NY) - Windows: 250
μg/ft2 > 100 μg/ft2 (50 μg/ft2 in NY) - Window wells (troughs): 400 μg/ft2 (100 μg/ft2 in NY) - Samples
must be at 1 sq ft > 2 sq ft (can be reduced to 1 sq ft if within 10 μg)
EPA Soil Regulations - ANSWER-- 400 ppm for playgrounds/children's areas - 1200 ppm for rest of yard -
There must be 9 sq ft of soil to classify with soil testing - At 5000 ppm, MUST remediate/abate (remove
& replace, paving, or bioremediation)
Lab sampling technique - ANSWER-- AAS (Atomic Absorption Spectrometry) - Sample is placed into a
furnace and vaporized ... light is shone through to give a quantitative result
XRF - ANSWER-- X-ray fluorescence - Utilizes radioactive isotopes (unstable material trying to reach
stability) - Cobalt-57 (half-life of 9 months) and cadmium-109 (half-life of 15 months) are the two
sources (where radiation originates) - Emits gamma rays but will read X-rays (backscatters) - Ionizing
radiation from the removal of electrons due to interactions with radiation
LBP Hazard - ANSWER-ANY condition that causes exposure to lead
LBP inspection - ANSWER-a surface-by-surface investigation to determine the presence of lead
CPSC - ANSWER-- Consumer Product Safety Commission - Set a lead paint standard: cannot contain
0.06% lead by weight ... updated to 0.009% - The commission banned lead-based paint in 1978
True/False: Dust sampling only done for hazard assessments - ANSWER-True; only risk assessors take
samples to determine likelihood of coming into contact with contaminants
What kind of sampling must be done for inspections? - ANSWER-Random ... repeats must be annotated
then you move onto the next
,EPA Lead Inspector Exam With 100% Correct
Answers 2024 GRADED A+ BEST EXAM
HUD Guidelines for abatement - ANSWER-Must last 20 years. Includes the following procedures: -
Removal - Enclosure - Replacement - Encapsulation Painting over is a temporary fix!
Water standards for lead - ANSWER-- 15 ppb under the Clean Water Act (CWA) - 5 ppb under the FDA
standard (bottled water) *These are the ONLY instances where ppb is used
Why was lead used so much? - ANSWER-- Durable - Colorful - Anti-corrosive - Anti-fungal - Drying agent
What does RRP do? - ANSWER-- Renovation, Repairing, and Painting program - Provided enforcement to
Title X in 2010 ... $37,500 fines for violation - Dust sampling technicians can only sample for RRP projects
What must you do if a pre-1978 site is not tested? - ANSWER-Presume lead-based paint.
Where is LBP still allowed? - ANSWER-Commercial purposes/boats
What are the major industrial uses of lead? - ANSWER-Present - Electrical batteries - Chemical additives
Past - Paint additive - Gasoline additive (now in soil ... doesn't permeate quickly, so sample TOP portions
(12 in)) - Solder/pipes
What are the common pathways of contamination? - ANSWER-- For children under 6, hand-to-mouth
contact from DUST ... lead tastes sweet (pica is the term for consumption of non-food items) - For
adults, occupational exposure (take-home lead ... pets can contribute too)
Chronic vs. acute exposure - ANSWER-- Chronic: low dose, long period - Acute: high dose, short period
How do you treat lead poisoning? - ANSWER-- Chelation therapy - Binding agents attach to lead in the
blood, allowing it to be excreted - Chelating agents cannot distinguish lead from minerals, so the therapy
causes demineralization - Done at a blood lead of 45 μg/dL
,EPA Lead Inspector Exam With 100% Correct
Answers 2024 GRADED A+ BEST EXAM
Where does lead contamination in water come from? - ANSWER-Solder, brass fittings and fixtures, and
service lines
How much lead is present in homes? - ANSWER-- 87% of homes pre-1940 - 69% of homes pre-1960 -
24% of homes pre-1978
Who is responsible for investigating lead poisoning? - ANSWER-- Departments of Health (DOH) - They
can mandate abatement
T/F: Poor diet can exacerbate lead absorption - ANSWER-True. You want high calcium, iron, and Vitamin
C.
True/False: The association between lead dust and blood level has been scientifically proven - ANSWER-
True
Where does a house have the highest lead levels with respect to soil sampling? - ANSWER-Dripline
What are friction, impact, and mallable surfaces? - ANSWER-- Friction: rub (floors) - Impact: smash
(doors, stairs) - Mallable: edible ... protrude more than 4 in
What is the chance of lead dust from high levels of LBP? - ANSWER-Twice as high
How much does water contribute to lead exposure for the average 2-year old? - ANSWER-5-50%
How much lead can infants on formula receive from water? - ANSWER-As much as 85%
True/False: Lead has a purpose in the body - ANSWER-False; lead does nothing for the body
Lead poisoning blood concentration - ANSWER-- For children: 5 μg/dL - For adults: 50 μg/dL
, EPA Lead Inspector Exam With 100% Correct
Answers 2024 GRADED A+ BEST EXAM
How does lead travel through the body and for how long? - ANSWER-- Blood (30 days) - Soft tissues (60-
90 days) - Bones (20-30 years) ... 95% of lead from an initial exposure gets stored in bones
What body system does lead most affect? Least affect? - ANSWER-- Most affects central nervous system
- Least affects lungs (point of entry)
What is the ONLY way to know if someone is lead poisoned? - ANSWER-Blood lead level
True/False: You can use prophylactic chelation to maintain someone's employment - ANSWER-False;
chelation can only be used when blood lead reaches a certain threshold (45 μg/dL)
What do you need to transport XRF analyzers? - ANSWER-- Paper documentation - Reciprocity
(agreement to allow between states)
Can you bring an XRF analyzer in a car ... what about a plane? - ANSWER-- Cars: Yes ... it must be tied
down, you need a manifest, and you must keep it in line of sight- Planes: Yes IF properly packaged
What is used to check level of radiation exposure? - ANSWER-- Dosimeter - Different types like
electronic (instant reading) or body badges (after the fact) or thermoluminescent (TLDs ... after the fact)
or ring badges - NEVER store near the XRF analyzer or ANYTHING with radiation (e.g. computers or TV) -
Dosages MUST be reported monthly
How often should you perform a leak test for XRF analyzers? - ANSWER-Every 6 months
How much energy is required for cobalt-57 to excite an electron? - ANSWER-128 keV
What are the units of measurement for radiation exposure? - ANSWER-rad = energy per unit of mass of
material rem = rad * QF (quality factor) ... corrects for variables like the type of tissue
Regulatory dose limits for radiation - ANSWER-- Whole body: 5 rem/year - Skin/extremities: 50 rem/year
- Declared pregnant worker: 0.5 rem/gestation period
