Your favorite HGTV couple is in hot water.
After wrapping up their wildly successful home renovations show Fixer Upper earlier this year, Chip and Joanna Gaines have been fined $40,000 by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
According to Yahoo! Lifestyle, the EPA fined them for “improperly handling lead-based paint” during their show. What this means is that Chip and Joanna have been accused of mishandling paint that could have contained lead in upwards to 33 homes they renovated on Fixer Upper.
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The fine was originally $556,000, but have reached a settlement of $40,000, plus $160,000 in lead abatement, and Chip has 90 days to release an educational video about the dangers of lead-based paint.
“It’s important that consumers and contractors understand that improper home renovation can expose residents and workers to hazardous lead dust,” the head of enforcement at the EPA said, according to Yahoo! “Through this settlement, Magnolia is putting in place safeguards to ensure the safety of its renovation work and making meaningful contributions toward the protection of children and vulnerable communities from exposure to lead-based paint.”
Lead-based paint was banned from use in 1978, but if homes were built before that, they could still have had some lead-based paint on them.
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The couple has yet to comment on this hefty fine, but we’re sure we will find out more once Chip releases that educational video.