A -- Collaborations for development of lead paint test kit

Collaborations for Development of Lead Paint Test Kit Opportunity: The EPA is interested in finding partners (cooperative research and development partners or licensees) to further develop, manufacture and market test kits or similar technologies for testing lead in paint as part of its proposed renovation, repair, and painting regulation. It is anticipated that these kits would be used by renovators, repair persons, and painters to identify locations where lead-based paint is present, and reliably determine situations where appropriate preventive actions should be taken. Because the availability of these test kits is an integral part of proposed regulation, EPA seeks to identify research and development partners or licensees as soon as possible, so that it would be commercially available by 2010. To indicate interest: Please reply to Kathleen Graham at contact@example.gov or +1 (555) 000-0000 by June 12, 2007 if you are interested in a CRADA or licensing agreement. For more information on CRADAs please see the following website: http://www.epa.gov/osp/ftta.htm Overview: Under the proposed rule, published on January 10, 2006, EPA called for improved lead test kits that could be used by trained and certified home renovators to determine whether the components affected by the renovation are below the federally regulated level for lead in paint. The presence of lead above that level would require work practices aimed at reducing exposures to lead that could result from disturbed paint surfaces. The proposed regulation requires the development of an improved test kit that can accurately and reliably identify those situations that are above the federally level for lead in paint. EPA expects that each year approximately 10-million renovations will require testing for lead levels in paint. The proposed renovation, repair, and painting regulation envisions that test kits will be commercially available two years after the date of publication of the final rule or, as currently anticipated, by 2010. Readers seeking additional information about the proposed rule should refer to the proposed regulation for renovation, repair, and painting activities published in the January 10, 2006 Federal Register, and available at http://www.epa.gov/fedrgstr/EPA-TOX/2006/January/Day-10/t071.pdf. Specifications: The EPA defines lead-based paint as any paint or other coating on a building component with either 1.0 milligrams or more of lead per square centimeter or 0.5% or more lead by weight. The term "regulated lead level" refers to either of these two threshold numbers. A manufacturer, inventor, or vendor of a test kit or similar technology may choose either one of these numbers as the regulated level for demonstration and evaluation purposes. For the final regulation on renovation, repair, and painting activities, EPA would like a test kit or similar technology that meets the following specifications to be commercially available. The specifications below are consistent with those in the proposed regulation published in the January 10, 2006 Federal Register, and provide additional detail. Note that these specifications have been modified from earlier public notices from EPA to address a variety of comments. Specifications: ? The test kit or similar technology must be able to detect lead in paint in pre-1978 housing units regardless of the type of material (wood, metal, plaster, drywall, brick, concrete, etc.) beneath the paint. ? Cost of approximately $2.00 per test. ? Test results to be available within an hour. ? Test kit should include quality control samples so users can make sure the test kit is working properly when the test is conducted. ? The test kit can be reliably used by a renovator, repair person, or painter who has completed training in the use of the test kit, and who has been certified by an EPA, state, territorial, or tribal lead program. ? The test kit would have negative responses below the federal threshold for lead-based paint (1.0 milligrams per square centimeter or 0.5 percent by weight) and positive responses above that threshold in most cases. The false positive rate should be no more than 10% and the false negative rate should be no more than 5%. Accuracy of these test kits would be evaluated by an independent third party. To maintain consistency with EPA?s recognition program for laboratory testing, lead levels between 80% and 120% of the threshold will not be used to determine false positive or false negative rates for test kits. Partnership Opportunity: CRADA or License