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Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 4 / Thursday, January 7, 2021 / Rules and Regulations
improved cognitive function and, hence, lifetime earnings. For the subset of adverse health effects where these effects were quantified, the estimated annualized benefits are $13 million to $202 million per year using a 3%
discount rate, and $3 million to $44
million per year using a 7% discount rate, with the range representing the uncertainties about the blood lead levels at which an environmental investigation will be triggered and about the relationship between changes in blood lead levels and IQ. The and
symbols are intended to convey uncertainty in the results. They do not mean that the results are unbounded i.e., that the true values could be zero on the lower end or infinity on the higher end. There are additional unquantified benefits due to other avoided adverse health or behavioral effects in children, including attentionrelated behavioral problems, greater incidence of problem behaviors, decreased cognitive performance, reduced post-natal growth, delayed puberty, decreased hearing, and decreased kidney function Ref. 9.

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2. Costs This rule is estimated to result in costs of $2 million to $14 million per year using either a 3% or a 7% discount rate. The and symbols are intended to convey uncertainty in the results. They do not mean that the results are unbounded i.e., that the true values could be zero on the lower end or infinity on the higher end. In the events affected by this rule, incremental costs are incurred for specialized cleaning used to reduce dust-lead loadings to below the clearance levels and for retesting lead levels. In some instances, floors will also be sealed, overlaid or replaced, or window sills will be sealed or repainted.
3. Small Entity Impacts EPA estimates that this rule may impact 1,240 to 10,215 small abatement firms; 1,025 to 8,977 may have cost impacts estimated at less than 1% of revenues, 113 to 990 may have impacts estimated between 1% and 3%, and 28 to 240 may have impacts estimated at greater than 3% of revenues. The and symbols are intended to convey uncertainty in the results. They do not mean that the results are unbounded i.e., that the true values could be zero on the lower end or infinity on the higher end. EPAs analysis assumes that in all cases the costs are borne entirely by the lead paint abatement firm as opposed to being passed through to the property owner.
However, it is more likely that some, or
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perhaps even most, of these costs will be passed on to the property owners.
4. Environmental Justice This rule would increase the level of environmental protection for all affected populations without having any disproportionately high and adverse human health or environmental effects on any population, including any minority or low-income population.
5. Effects on State, Local, and Tribal Governments The rule would not have any significant or unique effects on small governments, or federalism or tribal implications.
F. Childrens Environmental Health Lead exposure has the potential to impact individuals of all ages, but it is especially harmful to young children because the developing brain can be particularly sensitive to environmental contaminants Refs. 10, 11. Exposure to lead is associated with increased risk of a number of adverse health or behavioral effects in children, including decreased cognitive performance, greater incidence of problem behaviors, and increased diagnoses of attentionrelated behavioral problems Ref. 9.
Furthermore, floor dust in homes and child-care facilities is a significant route of exposure for young children given their mouthing and crawling behavior and proximity to the floor. Therefore, the environmental health or safety risk addressed by this action may have a disproportionate effect on children Ref.
12.
Consistent with the Agencys Policy on Evaluating Health Risks to Children Ref. 13, EPA has evaluated the health effects in children of decreased lead exposure from the lowering of the DLCL. EPA prepared a Technical Support Document for this rulemaking, which models dust-lead exposures and estimates both blood lead levels and associated impacts on IQ at the revised DLCL of 10 mg/ft2 and 100 mg/ft2 versus the original DLCL of 40 mg/ft2 and 250
mg/ft2 on floors and window sills, respectively Ref. 12. While no safe level of lead in blood has been identified Ref. 4, the reductions in childrens blood-lead levels resulting from this rule are expected to reduce the risk of adverse cognitive and developmental effects in children. The Technical Support Document shows that health risks to young children decrease with decreasing dust-lead levels.

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II. Background A. Health Effects Lead exposure has the potential to impact individuals of all ages, but it is especially harmful to young children because the developing brain can be particularly sensitive to environmental contaminants Ref. 10, 11. Ingestion of lead-contaminated dust is a major contributor to blood lead levels in children, particularly those who reside in homes built prior to 1978 Ref. 14, 15. Infants and young children can be more highly exposed to lead through floor dust at home and in child-care facilities because they often put their hands and other objects that can have lead from dust on them into their mouths Ref. 11.
The best available science informs EPAs understanding of the relationships between exposures to dust-lead loadings, blood lead levels, and adverse human health effects. These relationships are summarized in the Integrated Science Assessment for Lead Lead ISA Ref. 16, which EPA
released in June 2013, and the National Toxicology Program NTP Monograph on the Health Effects of Low-Level Lead, which was released by the Department of Health and Human Services in June 2012 NTP Monograph Ref. 9.The Lead ISA is a synthesis and evaluation of scientific information on the health and environmental effects of lead, including cognitive function decrements in children Ref. 16.
The NTP, in 2012, completed an evaluation of existing scientific literature to summarize the scientific evidence regarding potential health effects associated with low-level lead exposure as indicated by blood lead levels less than 10 mg/dL. The evaluation specifically focused on the life stage prenatal, childhood, adulthood associated with these potential health effects, and on epidemiological evidence at blood lead levels less than 10 mg/dL, because health effects at higher blood lead levels are well-established. The NTP concluded that there is sufficient evidence for adverse health effects in children and adults at blood lead levels less than 10
mg/dL, and less than 5 mg/dL as well.
The NTP concluded that there is sufficient evidence that blood lead levels less than 10 mg/dL are associated with delayed puberty, decreased hearing, and reduced post-natal growth.
In children, there is sufficient evidence that blood lead levels less than 5 mg/dL
are associated with increased diagnoses of attention-related behavioral problems, greater incidence of problem behaviors, and decreased cognitive
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