How Do You Test For Lead Based Paint

Pb-based pigment is a common environmental hazard with serious health consequences, especially for young children.

According to the most recent American Healthy Homes Survey, 89% of homes congenital before 1978 are estimated to have had lead-based paint. That's about 30 one thousand thousand homes across the United states.

Lead pigment is especially problematic in New York City, where nearly lxx% of the housing was synthetic before 1960 (before the use of lead paint was banned).

Knowing how to test for atomic number 82 paint in your house, apartment, or building is an important step to protect your family unit — or your tenants, if you're a landlord (per Local Police force 1).

How to Exam for Lead Paint

There are three types of lead paint testing methods:

Lead test kits
10-ray fluorescence (XRF)
Paint chip sampling

Dwelling house lead examination kits are convenient and accessible to homeowners, but they are not every bit accurate or reliable equally XRF or pigment flake sampling. According to the EPA, chemical test kits cannot determine the extent of pb-based paint, and may not accurately discriminate between lead-based paint and other paint.

If you're a landlord looking to satisfy lead testing requirements, simply XRF or pigment flake sampling are acceptable forms of testing.

i. Pb Test Kits

Home lead test kits employ chemicals that change colour when they react with lead.

There are several types bachelor that can be inexpensively purchased at local hardware stores and online. The well-nigh common type uses a sodium sulfide or sodium rhodizonate solution applied to a notched surface or paint chip. Another type of lead examination kit uses a swab that you rub onto a painted surface.

If the solution or swab change colors, it indicates that atomic number 82 is present.

However, exist aware that lead examination kits are not always reliable, nor are they recommended by the EPA to decide if lead-based paint is present in a home where a child under 6 resides. Examination kits that utilise sodium sulfide every bit a reagent are particularly susceptible to faux positives (when the test falsely indicates the presence of pb paint).

If you want to use atomic number 82 examination kits at home, use 1 of the three lead test kits recognized by the EPA:

3M™ LeadCheck™
D-Lead®
State of Massachusetts Test Kit (Annotation: only available in MA)

Currently, EPA recognition ways that these three tests satisfy the minimum criteria of having a five% or less false negative rate, which is when the test falsely indicates that there is no atomic number 82 when lead is really present.

To minimize the hazard of a simulated reading, information technology's a good idea to test the aforementioned area two or 3 times. Getting the same reading twice lowers the run a risk of a false negative or false positive from ane in twenty to ane in 400. A third identical reading farther lowers this chance to one in 8000.

Pros

Inexpensive
Easy to use
Immediate results

Cons

Non always authentic (may give false positives or false negatives)
Does not quantify how much atomic number 82 is nowadays
But tests the surface layer; cannot find pb in underlying layers

2. X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF)

X-Ray Fluorescence, normally just called XRF, is a lead testing technique using a special handheld machine — which resembles a radar gun — operated by a trained and certified pb inspector.

XRF measures the amount of lead in one-time paint using loftier-energy beams to knock electrons out of orbit, which releases a certain corporeality of energy unique to each element.

An analyzer detects and reads these free energy signatures to identify the presence of lead and catechumen it into a number representing the corporeality of pb per unit area (milligrams per foursquare centimeter).

XRF is considered the gold standard in pb pigment testing, allowing inspectors to have authentic and reliable measurements across many different surfaces in a relatively short period of time.

Canonical XRF analyzers must be proven to test at the level of 0.5 milligrams of lead per square centimeter, which is the newest action level for defining lead-based pigment co-ordinate to Local Constabulary 66.

For NYC landlords in demand of XRF lead testing to clear an HPD violation, to satisfy Local Law 1 requirements, to verify turnover compliance, or to apply for a Lead-Free or Pb-Rubber exemption, brand sure that your lead inspector is using an XRF analyzer with an canonical functioning feature sheet (PCS) at an activity level of 0.5 mg/cm².

Pros

Accurate and immediate results
Measures how much atomic number 82 is present
Nondestructive — does not damage the painted surface
Can efficiently test a large number surfaces in a short period of time

Cons

More expensive than lead examination kits — XRF machines can price more $xv,000
Needs to be operated by a trained and certified pb inspector
Can't exist used to test irregular or damaged surfaces

3. Paint Chip Sampling

Pigment chip sampling involves removing pigment fries (samples) from diverse surfaces and sending them to an accredited lab for analysis. Samples typically must be at least iv foursquare inches in size for accurate testing.

At the lab, atomic absorption spectrophotometry (AAS) or inductively coupled plasma (ICP) is used to test the sample for presence of lead. The results are reported in terms of atomic number 82 percentage past sample weight.

If the amount of atomic number 82 in the sample exceeds 0.v% (5,000 parts per million lead past dry out weight), the pigment is considered to exist lead-based paint.

During the sampling process, all layers of pigment must be removed together. The older layers of paint underneath the surface layer are more likely to comprise lead. This is important to note, particularly for quondam buildings which are more probable to accept surfaces that have been repainted over.

After taking paint chip samples, areas where samples were removed should exist repaired to minimize the risk of exposure in case the paint does contain lead.

Pros

Virtually accurate manner to examination for lead
Can be relatively inexpensive if you lot're only testing a few surfaces

Cons

Sampling requires disturbing or damaging surfaces
Surfaces need to exist repaired afterward sampling
Deadening results — it can take several days to weeks, depending on the lab

Demand Atomic number 82 Paint Testing in New York Urban center?

Green Orchard Grouping is a leading provider of environmental services in New York City. We specialize in certified pb assessment and remediation services, including fast and reliable XRF lead pigment testing and inspections.

If you're a landlord or homeowner in need of lead paint testing, learn more virtually our XRF lead testing services hither!

To enquire questions, request a quote, or schedule an appointment, call the states at (212) 219-8261 or click the push button below to send a bulletin through our contact course.