Lowe’s Home Centers has agreed to pay a $12.5 million penalty to resolve federal allegations that the home improvement giant failed to ensure its contractors followed lead safety laws during home renovations.
The proposed settlement, announced Tuesday by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Justice (DOJ), addresses violations of the Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting (RRP) rule. Federal officials allege that between 2019 and 2021, contractors hired by Lowe’s for projects in hundreds of homes failed to use required safety practices designed to contain lead dust and paint chips.
This isn’t the first time the retailer has faced scrutiny regarding lead safety. According to the EPA, Lowe’s failed to fully comply with the terms of a previous settlement reached in 2014. The agency discovered the recent lapses partly through compliance reports filed by Lowe’s itself, and partly through a public tip regarding door replacement work in southern and central California.
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“Noncompliance with EPA regulations aimed at reducing or preventing health risks from lead paint exposure during renovations, repairs, and painting can endanger families, especially young children and infants,” said Craig Pritzlaff, Acting Assistant Administrator for the EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance.
The danger centers on homes built before 1978, the year residential lead-based paint was banned in the United States. When lead paint in older structures is sanded, scraped, or disturbed during remodeling, it creates toxic dust. This dust poses severe neurological risks to children, whose nervous systems are still developing.
Under the new agreement, Lowe’s is required to overhaul its compliance program. The company must implement a corporate-wide system to verify that the third-party firms and installers it hires are certified and trained to use lead-safe work practices.
“The stiff penalty Lowe’s will pay reflects the importance of using certified firms and contractors in older home renovations,” said Adam Gustafson, Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division.
The consent decree was lodged in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. It is currently subject to a 30-day public comment period before it receives final court approval.
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