rags -

If your paint was originally from the 80s, it's unlikely that it was produced before the main lead restricitions were in place, at least in "civilized" places, so I suspect that no real reason for concern exists. With the shelf life of merchandise in stores, and the permissions to sell "stock on hand" some places had it for sale for quite a long time after the bans were being officially enforced, but 80s (or even late 70s) would only be seriously suspect in backward/remote areas in the US.

HUD requires inspections for lead paint in the US only for houses built pre-1950 or so^*, and although my observation was that lead paint was still available some time after that most sellers would have phased it out by ca. 1980. VA requirements are similar to HUD.

^* I'd have to look through my mortgage papers to get an exact date, but our 1955 construction was waived through without inspection. I do know of farmers using leaded paint on implements as late as at least the early 60s, but their paint may have been from a prior archaeological age by the time they used it.

John