Testing for Lead Paint

There are do-it-yourself testing kits for lead paint available. However, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has not evaluated any of these kits. One home test kit uses sodium sulfide solution. This procedure requires you to place a drop of sodium sulfide solution on a paint chip. The paint chip slowly turns darker if lead is present. There are problems with this test, however. Other metals may cause false positive results, and resins in the paint may prevent the sulfide from causing the paint chip to change color. Thus, the presence of lead may not be correctly indicated. In addition, the darkening may be detected only on very light-colored paint.

Another in-home test requires a trained professional who can operate the equipment safely. This test uses x-ray fluorescence to determine if the paint contains lead. Although the test can be done in your home, it should be done only by professionals who are trained by the equipment manufacturer or who have passed a state or local government training course, because the equipment contains radioactive materials. In addition, in some tests, the method has not been reliable.

Consumers may choose to have a testing laboratory test a paint sample for lead. Lab testing is considered more reliable than other methods. Lab tests may cost from $20 to $50 per sample. To have a lab test for lead paint, consumers may:

Get sample containers from the lab or use re-sealable plastic bags. Label the containers or bags with the consumer's name and the location in the house from which each paint sample was taken. Several samples should be taken from each affected room.

Use a sharp knife to cut through the edges of the sample paint. The lab should tell you the size of the sample needed. It will probably be about two inches by two inches.

Lift off the paint with a clean putty knife and put it into the container. Be sure to take a sample of all layers of paint, as there's a chance that only the lower layers contain lead. Do not include any of the underlying wood, plaster, metal or brick.

Wipe the surface and any paint dust with a wet cloth or paper towel and discard the cloth or towel.

Adapted from "What You Should Know About Lead Based Paint in Your Home" from the Consumer Product Safety Commission.