Joanna and Chip Gaines, the Texas power couple featured on HGTV’s "Fixer Upper," have been hit with a huge fine.
The Gaines’ company, Magnolia Homes, has been ordered to pay $40,000 after the Environmental Protection Agency found proper precautions were not taken to remove lead paint at 33 properties featured on the show.
The EPA says the couple failed to heed its Renovation, Remodeling and Painting (RRP) Rule, which includes posting warning signs or obtaining EPA certification.
A spokesman for the Gaines says they immediately took steps to bring their activities into compliance after hearing from the EPA.
In March, a segment of the show aired in which workers wore face masks and full protective gear in a home that tested positive for lead-based paint.
The EPA says lead paint often found in old homes can cause "a range of health problems, from behavioral disorders and learning disabilities to seizures and death."
Home improvement expert, Ron Hazelton, provided Inside Edition with some tips on lead paint safety.
"If your house was built before 1978, then I would say you need to check it," Hazelton said.
Hazelton mentioned that even if the top layer of paint doesn’t contain lead, the layer underneath just might.
He also advises capturing and containing the paint, instead of letting paint chips fall off.
"Put out a heavy plastic sheeting... tape it around the edges [of the floor]," he said.
As for the couple, they will spend an additional $160,000 on lead-paint treatment in high-risk homes and facilities in their Waco, Texas, community.
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