How to Test for Lead-based Paint?

The paint containing lead is known as lead-paint. Normally, lead is added to paint in order to make drying faster, increase durability, resist moisture, and make the fresh appearance long lasting.

Lead enhances paint performance but is very dangerous. Lead is a poisonous substance that affects people of all age groups; and one major source of lead-poisoning is lead paint. Lead-poisoning is found to cause permanent brain damage and mental dysfunction. It also affects the growth of a fetus with a minute level of exposure. In adults, lead-poisoning causes various health problems like irritability, high blood pressure, defects in reproduction, lack of muscle coordination and certain heart and lung diseases. It’s easy to verify, through some testing methods, whether lead is present in your paint or if there is any health hazard in your house arising out of lead paint. During unsafe repainting and renovation work of households, people might get poisoned through lead-based paint.

The first step of preventing lead-poisoning is to determine the presence of lead-containing items in the household. All suspected surfaces and dishware should be checked and tested. For lead testing, 3 approaches are mainly used: lead paint inspection, risk assessment and lead hazard screen.

Many home test kits are available nowadays in market, which come along with a do-it-yourself guide. But the Consumer Product Safety Commission of the United States has not yet approved and evaluated any of these products. These test kits help in detecting lead in paint, dust, soil, water, dishware, glasses, windows, floors, ceilings, walls and ceramics. The lead contamination information can be correctly and easily obtained using these do-it-yourself test kits. The professional home test kits contain some non-poisonous chemically processed strips of paper. When these paper strips come in contact with water, they get activated and can detect up to 5 ppm of lead on a surface. Upon activation, if it detects any problem, then the test paper strips which were originally white immediately become bright red.

In case you happen to discover lead-based paint present in your house, it is advisable not to try to remove the paint yourself. It is advised to consult the local health department first and find out a lead-paint-removing expert. Many experts having specialized training for covering, replacing and removing lead-paint are available. The state medical department and the government release notices and organize public awareness campaigns about removing lead paint from time to time.

If you want to test for lead, visit us as we help you out:
Test for lead in paint
Home lead test kits