Indoor Air Quality

The Indoor Air Quality/Lead Branch provides information on issues related to indoor air quality, lead-based paint, and other lead hazards. Regarding the lead hazard program, the primary focus of the branch is to enforce the state regulations promulgated under the Alabama Lead Reduction Act of 1997. These rules require individuals and firms that are engaged in lead identification and risk assessment, planning, and design of lead abatement projects, and lead-based paint removal of pre-1978 housing and child-occupied facilities to be training and certified to perform according to established safe work practice standards.

Branch personnel also provide support for the Alabama Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program, a program which identifies children with elevated blood levels through screening by local health departments and private physicians, and provides environmental surveys of their homes to identify sources of lead hazards and recommend methods to eradicate the hazard.

The Indoor Air Quality/Lead Branch is the Environmental Protection Agency's designated state indoor air contact providing advisory services for those who request it by providing indoor air quality, molds, asbestos information, and printed materials.

The Indoor Air Quality Program provides technical support to individuals based on EPA's mold and moisture control guidelines. Currently, there are no Alabama laws concerning residential or commercial building mold standards or testing requirements, nor is there any contractor accreditation/certification for contractors performing mold testing or remediation activities. It should also be noted that the EPA does not regulate mold or mold spores in indoor air.

If you rent and are having issues with your landlord, learn what rights you have as a tenant by reviewing Alabama's Landlord-Tenant Law Fact Sheet or obtain the brochure: A Decent Place to Live.

Visit the Alabama Lead Contractors Certification Program.

April is National Health Homes Month

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development is celebrating National Healthy Homes Month in April. The theme, "Making An Impact: Healthy, Safe, and Resilient Homes" highlights the daily benefits of programs funded by the Office of Lead Hazard Control and Healthy Homes in communities throughout the country. Visit National Healthy Homes Month to learn more.