Document Evq3Ky7kbyD8LkYzaNBJ3kv0j

Lead Bills Go Down the Drain Congress Quits Without Tnking Action on Paint Washington, D.C.---Paint manufacturer] saw their efforts to get a more livable lead paint bill go down the drain with the adjournment'of Congress for this year. In the House of Iteprcsentatlvcs, the amended lead paint hill, a part of the federal Housing and Urban Development Act of 1072, died when the omnibus hous ing legislation failed to get out of the House Kutcs Committee for a vole. Hie. hill was recently amended by the House Banking and Currency Committee to provide for a more equitable lead level in paint of .5 per cent, replacing the drastic 0.00 per cent limit established earlier. '1 ho House legislation also was recently amended to provide a federal preemption clause, preventing states nnd cittcs from establishing their own lead standards. A companion measure in the Senate? calling for r research program to establish what levels of lead in paint arc safe also expired with adjournment. Dentil of the two hilts leaves in effect the one per cent lead standard incorporated in the exist ing I,cad-Based Paint Pensioning Preven tion Act. However, lead levels are scheduled to droii to .5 per cent Rt the beginning of 1973 under regulations adopted earlier this year by the I'ood and Drug Admini stration. John Montgomery, legal counsel for tlio National Paint and Coatings Associa tion, expressed disappointment that no paint legislation was passed. Montgomery was particularly disturbed over the loss of the federal preemption amendment which the paint manufacturer's associa tion was counting upon to hnlt tlio pro liferation of differing paint laws enacted by state anti local municipalities. Montgomery also counted as a loss thc failure to get a government lead research ' program established ns was provided in the Senate lead bill. Put there were some bright spots in the picture. "At least wo are not getting .stuck with a 0.00 per cent lend limit," he said. "And we will now have a chance to start ail over again with the opportunity to testify before House and Senate committees ami bring in up-to-date research findings." ' NPCA recently announced it would fi nance Rnd conduct its own rosmieh to determine tlio safely of various h vels of lead in paint manufacture. Although lead content is scheduled to drop from .5 per cent to 0.00 under Food ami Drug Administration regulations nt the end of 1973, Montgomery said there were indications the FDA would first wait to sec what Congress docs before enforc ing the action. More Paint Plants XJsc Waste Water Recycling System Argo, 111.--Several more midwest paint manufacturing plants are recycling tli ir waste water to cooperate with the clc a water campaign. The paint companies formerly d charged thousands of gallons of contami nated waste water and solvent solntim .used for cleaning tlicir large paint mirin' tanks into public sewage systems, th Wcllco Chemical Co., said. The. plants have now capped off then sewer systems and installed a system o( high-pressure washing equipment and water soluble cleaning chemicals. The sys tem is designed to recirculate and re-use newly developed stripping solutions and rinse water, eliminating the necessity for plant sewers, said Welloo. 92 AMERICAN PAINTING CONTRACTOR . : ar1 - : v-t GLD007133 __v */* * 1" -4 it