Lead Based Paint

Roger

I would like to hear about anyone's personal experience in testing for lead based paint. I know you can buy special swabs at home improvement stores. The swabs change color in the presence of lead just like a litmus test works.
Where would you test if you had a package of eight swabs?

Box

A lot depends on your reason for testing.
If you are planning renovations then you need to test the areas that you will be creating dust in.
If you have kids and are concerned for their health then you need to test the areas that mostly affect them.

Lead paint in good condition is relatively stable and can pretty much be ignored, but if you are going to be cutting into it, sanding, demolishing etc then you should find out if you need to take precautions.
If your paint is flaky, then you need to test it.

Generally testing is done by a combination of visual inspection and specific testing.
The actual tests are done on Dust. lead is ingested mainly as dust particles, you don't get lead poisoning from rubbing up against a nice smooth stable paint surface, you get it from inhaling or eating the particles.

So test areas where dust accumulates, or flaky paint, or areas your children tend to chew on the walls.
The soil around your house can be full of it from years of scrapping back and repainting.
An old outbuilding can be a huge source, particularly if it is in or near a child's play area.

Good friends of mine had a problem some years back as their son had a very high level, they tested the house and couldn't find it, eventually they located an area in the garden that had once had a garage (no evidence of it visible until they dug down) that had levels so high they had to remove 1 foot of soil and refill with clean.

So, look about your property with an eye to it's history and what your plans are and that should help you to decide where to do your preliminary tests.

Roger

Box, thanks for the good advice.

Roger

Well I tested and did not find lead. There were other problems, but no lead.

TIG

Like...
Asbestos floor/ceiling-tiles and pipe-insulation ?
Arsenical wallpaper [usually dark green] ??
Lead pipes or even worse lead-solder to joint copper-pipes that are then used for drinking water [should be silver-solder] ???

Been there done that...

mac1

For everyone's info the EPA has implemented rules you should read if you plan renovations or selling especially if your home was built before 1978. This is covered in US code Tile 40 section 745 titled "Lead-based paint poisoning prevention in certain residential structures".