HUD and EPA set reference levels indicating the amounts of lead that might create adverse 
health effects to pregnant women and children younger than 6 years old. These standards allow 
landlords, tenants, parents, and child care providers to identify problems and make informed 
decisions. The Syracuse project based its own hazardous levels of concern on these standards 
(see table below). ^_______________________________________ 
Syracuse Reference Levels 
Floor 
Window Sill 
Window Trough 1 
for Lead Dust Hazards 
40 g/ft. 2 
250 g/ft. 2 
400 g/ft. 2 
Syracuse s Lead Dust 
Project provides resi¬ 
dents (particularly low- 
income, urban, 
minority residents) with 
practical, low-cost dust 
cleanup measures that 
will reduce exposure to 
lead-contaminated dust 
in the home. These 
low-cost measures may be used as interim shorter term solutions until permanent, higher cost 
solutions are employed as long as homeowners and/or residents carefully and conscientiously 
follow and continue to practice the recommended cleanup procedures. 
Syracuse s Lead Dust Project uses EPA s clearance level of 400 g/ft. 2 for win¬ 
dow troughs. 
Before applying the Syracuse Lead Dust Project s model to your situation, consult local regula¬ 
tory authorities to determine their specific requirements, such as reference levels for lead-con¬ 
taminated dust. State, tribal, and local government regulations might be more restrictive than 
existing federal guidance. 
Links td Regulations Related to Lead Dust 
• HUD Guidelines for the Evaluation and Control of Lead-Based Paint Hazards in Housing. 
<www.hud.gov/offices/lead/guidelines/hudguidelines/index.cfm> 
• Residential Lead-Based Paint Hazard Reduction Act of 1992. <www.epa.gov/lead/tideten.html> 
• The National Conference of State Legislatures Directory of State Lead Poisoning Prevention Contacts 
<www.ncsl.org/programs/esnr/pbdir.htm> 
• The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) 
<www.osha-slc.gov/ SLTC/lead/index.html> 
• HUD s Lead Safe Housing Rule <www.hud.gov/offices/lead/leadsaferule> 
• EPA s final standards (TSCA 403) for lead-based paint hazards (including lead dust). Office of 
Pollution Prevention and Toxics Web site <www.epa.gov/lead/leadhaz.htm> 
• SW-846 is EPA s Office of Solid Waste s official compendium of analytical and sampling methods 
that have been evaluated and approved for use in complying with RCRA regulations. 
<www.epa.gov/epaoswer/hazwaste/test/sw846.htm> 
Introduction 
5 
