EPA Drives Next Phase of Lead Paint Safety in Maine

EPA Drives Next Phase of Lead Paint Safety in Maine

May 21, 2026

BOSTON (May 21, 2026) - Over the past year, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has helped increase awareness of and compliance with federal lead-based paint rules among communities in Maine, as part of a longstanding effort to address the risks of lead paint across New England. EPA's successes in 2025 included:

• Increased the number of RRP certified firms by over 130%
• Increased the number of RRP certified renovators over 21%
• Completed 72 onsite inspections, with 46 of these being within the geographic initiative area
• 4,172 outreach emails and hard copy letters sent to child occupied facilities, firms with expiring RRP certifications, contractors, realtors, and property owners.

EPA will build on these efforts in 2026 and 2027 through continued outreach, education, compliance assistance, and enforcement activities in Maine.

"The continuation of EPA New England's lead paint initiative aims to reduce lead exposure and give families peace of mind in their day-to-day," said EPA New England Regional Administrator Mark Sanborn. "By promoting lead safe practices and working closely with our local partners, we're promoting healthier futures for communities who are greatly impacted by environmental hazards, like lead."

Every year, over 300 children in Maine are poisoned by lead, with the most common cause being dust from lead paint. EPA is leading the charge to reduce childhood lead exposure through increased awareness and improved compliance with the Renovation, Repair and Painting (RRP) Rule, and the Lead Disclosure Rule. This year, EPA will continue to focus its activities in central and northern Maine, including areas along the I-95 Corridor, such as Androscoggin, Cumberland, Kennebec, Penobscot, and Waldo counties. Outreach and education efforts in northern Maine aim to increase availability to lead safe renovation professionals in less populated areas.

These focus areas were selected in part due to the number of children with elevated blood lead levels as reported by Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Lead dust collects on floors and other surfaces where children put their hands and play with toys.

Background

Since the 1970s, EPA has worked alongside partners at the federal, state, Tribal, and local levels to protect children's health and make progress in reducing lead exposures and lead-related health risks. Despite improvements over the last 50 years, ongoing exposures to lead where our families live, work, and play present a health risk, especially to children.

To combat this issue, in 2025 the Trump EPA reestablished a committee of senior leaders across the agency's program offices and ten regions to drive success in reducing children's exposure to lead. This renewed agency-wide focus is centered around strengthening cooperative federalism, streamlining actionable risk communications, and unleashing private sector innovation to protect human health and the environment.

Please see epa.gov/lead for additional information.