Check for lead in your home

Lead poisoning is considered to be the most preventable public health hazards affecting children. There has been quite a bit of attention placed on lead in toys and other children's items, but do you know how to test for lead?

The product that we use - and we have tried a few - is LeadCheck Lead Test Kit.  This product is very easy to use and is what helped us initially detect the lead in our dinnerware; ultimately our dinnerware was tested by the FDA to determine their absolute lead content. This product can be used on toys, plates, glasses, metal jewelry, lunch boxes, blinds, and a variety of other products. You simply squeeze the tip to release the gel and rub it onto the surface you are testing. If it turns pink, the product contains lead. In the case of dinnerware, this does not mean it exceeds the FDA levels, it simply means that they contain lead and depending on your eating, microwaving, and dishwashing habits, you may want to replace them.

The disadvantage of this test is if the item you are testing is pink or red, the paint from the item may blend onto the lead check swab and give you a false positive. If you are testing a multi-colored item that has red or pink, either swab the portion that does not contain those colors, or you may want to use a different test.

If you are testing pink or red items, you may want to consider using the Lead Inspector by Abotex. The test kit provides several different ways to perform the test and may be more difficult to use depending on which of their options you choose. However if you are looking for a range of lead present in the product, you can use their patented leach method. This method, which requires you to purchase vinegar, provides you with a ballpark estimate of the amount of lead present in the product.

We thought it's important to address that there has been recent press regarding the accuracy of lead test kits. Consumer Reports evaluates several different lead test kits (including the two mentioned in this article) and states that they are reliable for surface testing. The only way to obtain results for embedded lead (the lead underneath glazes) is to do laboratory testing. Professional laboratory testing is very accurate and provides specific lead levels for the product. This disadvantage of this type of testing is it costs around $300.

The most important things for a family to do are: 1. Eat healthy, as nutrients such as calcium and iron help to displace lead in the body and 2. Have themselves tested for lead by their physician. This will tell them if their family is being exposed to lead. Then they can start treatment while they are looking for a source. If the lead levels are high enough, the county will become involved and provide product testing for the family. In addition, the FDA should be contacted and they will also provide testing on suspicious items.