Lead poisoning is a top environmental health hazard for young children, affecting as many as 1.7 million children age five and under, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data.  Adults exposed to high levels of lead, usually in the workplace, are also at risk. Based on conversations with the Ontario Ministry of Labour (MOL), it is recommended that the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development Guideline of 0.5 % lead (by weight) or 5,000 parts per million (ppm) lead be used as a guideline for determining whether the use of precautions as outlined in the proposed regulation would be required during operations which create lead dust or fumes.

    Under Ontario Regulation 843 of the Occupational Health and Safety Act, regulatory limits have  been established for occupational exposure limits to airborne lead that may be present in a workplace. The Time Weighted Average Exposure Values  to airborne lead dust or fumes should not exceed the Ministry of Labour  of 0.05 milligram per cubic metre (mg/m3) during the removal of paints and products containing any concentration of lead. The TWAEV represents the time-weighted average concentration for a conventional 8-hour workday and a 40-hour workweek, to which it is believed that nearly all workers may be repeatedly exposed, day after day, without adverse health effects. Although lead-based house paint has long since been taken off the market, children living in older homes are threatened by chipping or peeling lead paint, or excessive amounts of lead-contaminated dust. More than 80 percent of homes built before 1978 contain lead paint. Even at low levels, lead poisoning in children can cause IQ deficiencies, reading and learning disabilities, impaired hearing, reduced attention spans, hyperactivity and other behavior problems. Pregnant women poisoned by lead can transfer lead to a developing fetus, resulting in adverse developmental effects.