When you go to your local paint or hardware store to buy paint, you often ask for advice on prepping the surface so the paint will stick. IKE’s Tom Neltner recently visited many stores that advertise their technical expertise and was disappointed. 90% of the stores told Tom to sand lead-based paint off — a practice sure to poison children in the house. 6% of the stores did not recognize the lead hazard and luckily gave better advice in order to sell more expensive alternatives.

One large hardware store chain recognized that lead-based paint may be present and found an EPA brochure buried in a cubbyhole. Then they told Tom not to call the EPA toll-free number. They erroneously believed that EPA would order a full abatement of the paint and that his children would be evicted until the work was done.

IKE will soon be routinely monitoring stores throughout Indiana and reporting on the quality of the advice and publishing the results on the Web. Perhaps IKE’s motto should be “IKE Knows!”

As a result of these and other efforts, the National Paint and Coatings Association has moved to a proactive stance.