Lead Testing: When, Why, and How Should You Do It?

When Should You Test for Lead?

Does everyone need to test for lead? Probably not – but how will you know whether or not you should? Knowing some history about your home can help. Lead paint is a common way that people are exposed to lead in their homes. In many cases, even after lead paint was banned, it remained on the walls of homes where it had already been applied and was just covered with additional layers of paint. So it’s not enough to know that the top layer of paint has no lead – you want to know if there’s a possibility of lead underneath the top layer.

Knowing when your home was built can give you a clue. The EPA explains that although lead paint wasn’t banned on a federal level until 1978, some states banned it earlier, and it was much more common before 1940 than it was in the 60s and 70s. So, if you know when your state banned lead paint, that can also help narrow things down – if your home was built before the federal ban but after your state implemented a ban, there’s a good chance you’re safe.

Keep in mind that even if you do have old lead paint underneath newer paint layers, you’re not in danger if the paint is in good shape and undisturbed. If the paint is peeling or chipping off, though, or if you’re planning renovations that will disturb the paint layers, then you need to learn about your home’s lead status.

Why Should You Test for Lead?

Don’t make the mistake of believing that because people frequently lived with lead paint decades ago that current warnings about the dangers of the substance are overblown. The effects of lead exposure are well worth taking seriously, says MayoClinic. In an adult, lead poisoning can cause high blood pressure, memory loss, reduced sperm count in men, increased chances of stillbirth or miscarriage in pregnant women, and more. Children could experience kidney problems, seizures, and hearing loss, among other things, and may suffer effects permanently, even after being removed from the lead exposure.

You and your children may not experience any of these symptoms right away. Living with lead means repeated exposure, which causes the levels of the lead in the bloodstream to build up over time. Often, symptoms only appear after the lead levels in the victim’s blood have reached dangerous levels. A major reason for lead testing is to mitigate the exposure before the worst of the damage is done.

How Can You Test for Lead?

There are DIY test kits for lead that will allow you to find out whether or not you’re living with it in your home. You can find them at home improvement stores. There are two different types of tests, and it’s important to understand which is which. One type of test kit is rhodizonate-based and the other is sulfide-based. The rhodizonate-based kit can return a false positive when used on red paint, and the sulfide-based kit can return false positives on black and other dark colors. Because you may be dealing with layers of different colored paint, you may need more than one kit, and you may need both types.

If your DIY test produces a positive result, you’ll need a professional lead remediation service to move forward. Lead abatement is not a DIY job and homeowners should not attempt to take care of it by themselves. A certified inspector will assess your home and then come up with a plan that may involve completely removing the lead or may recommend leaving it alone and putting a maintenance plan in place to prevent exposure from affecting you.

Conclusion

Understanding when, why, and how to test for lead can help you keep your home safe. Learn the history of your home, understand the serious consequences of failing to test when lead exposure is likely, and learn how to test and what to do after that.

Sources

• https://www.epa.gov/lead/protect-your-family-sources-lead#older
• https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/lead-poisoning/symptoms-causes/syc-20354717