How to Check Your Family and Home for Lead from the EPA

How to check your family and house for Lead

Just knowing that a home contains Lead based paint may not tell you if there is a hazard.

To minimize your child’s exposure to Lead, get your children checked out, have your house inspected (especially if your home has paint in bad shape and was built prior 1978), and repair any problems they might find.

  • Your Loved ones
    • Children’s blood Lead levels tend to elevate quickly from six to twelve months old, and tend to peak at 1 1/2 to 2 years of age.
    • Check with your doctor for advice on testing your kids. A simple blood test can spot high traces of Lead. Blood tests are a must for:
      • Children at ages 1 and 2.
      • Children and other love ones who have been exposed to elevated amounts of Lead.
      • Children should be tested under your state or local health plans.
    • Your doctor can show you what the test mean and if extra tests will be required.
  • Your house
    • You can get your house checked in 1 of 2 or both ways,
      • A paint inspection alerts you the Lead levels of every different type of painted in your home. It will not tell you if the paint is a hazard or how it should be dealt with it.
      • A risk assessment tells you if there are any sources of increased Lead exposure (such as chipping paint and Lead particles). It can also advise you what steps to take to take care of these hazards.
    • Have licensed contractors do the work. There are standards in place for certifying Lead based paint contractors to ensure the work is done in a safe matter, reliably, and effectively. Contact the National Lead Information Center (NLIC) for a list of contractors near your home.
    • Trained contractors use a broad range of procedures when inspecting your home, including:
      • Visual inspection of paint condition and location.
      • A portable x-ray fluorescence (XRF) machine.
      • Laboratory testing of paint samples.
      • Surface particle tests.

Note: Home test kits for Lead are out there, but test show that they are not always as accurate. People should not rely on these tests before doing remodeling or to assure safety.