New Jersey § 26:2q-1

§ 26:2q-1.

The Legislature finds and declares that: Lead poisoning is the most prevalent environmental health problem facing children

in New Jersey today; the Department of Health estimates that over 177,000 children

under the age of five in New Jersey are at high risk of lead poisoning, and the effects

of lead poisoning in children include learning disabilities, mental retardation, behavioral

disorders, hyper-irritability, lack of coordination, loss of appetite, vomiting, abdominal

pain, convulsions, permanent brain damage and death; even low levels of lead exposure

can cause subtle neurological changes, reduced concentration and attentiveness, reduced

I.Q. scores, behavioral problems, and learning disabilities; these problems persist

and can adversely affect the child's chances for success in school and life; lead

poisoning is caused by environmental exposure to lead and the most significant sources

are lead-based paint in older housing and lead-laden dust and soil; and the Department

of Health estimates that approximately 65% of New Jersey's housing stock may contain

lead-based paint, representing a potential public health hazard of alarming magnitude. The Legislature further finds and declares that: Persons performing lead evaluation and lead abatement work must receive appropriate

training and certification to ensure that lead evaluations and abatements are reliable,

thorough, and safe; persons performing lead evaluation, without proper training,

may fail to detect lead-contaminated surfaces; an abatement work plan that is based

on an improper evaluation will be inadequate to rid a dwelling of a lead hazard;

persons performing lead abatement, without proper training, may cause the contamination

of an entire home with dangerous levels of lead; and a certification program for

lead abatement is essential to ensure the safety of the occupants and the safety of

the workers and is also necessary to protect consumers from fraud, abuse, and shoddy

work practices.