Lead Paint Test Kit FAQ
The Verification Test Strips are included with each test kit and are there to confirm a negative test. Age and storage conditions of Solution 2 can affect the accuracy of the test. Use verification test strips to ensure your test kit is working properly by testing Solution 2.
To verify that Solution 2 is active, place 1 drop of Solution 2 onto a test strip. DO NOT dip the test strip into Solution 1 bottle.
Verification Test Strips can be used either prior to running your first test each day, or after your first negative test result.
Yes, EPA recognizes the D-Lead® Paint Test Kit, when used by a certified renovator, can reliably determine that regulated lead-based paint is not present on drywall, plaster, wood, and ferrous metal.
The EPA only recognizes the use of paint test kits on wood, drywall, plaster and ferrous metals. However, you can still use the paint test kit to screen for the presence of lead based paint on other surfaces. If the results are negative on these other surfaces, it may be worthwhile to hire a risk assessor to confirm the results. If the results are positive for lead, then you can assume regulated lead based paint is present and save the cost of hiring a risk assessor or inspector.
Yes, the D-Lead® Paint Test Kit can be used by a homeowner.
Yes, it can. The EPA recognizes the use of the D-Lead® Paint Test Kit on paint of any color.
Currently, an EPA Recognized Test Kit means it can reliably determine if regulated lead based paint is not present. EPA evaluated the D-Lead® Paint Test Kit for use on four substrates: wood, ferrous metal, plaster and drywall.
See: https://archive.epa.gov/nrmrl/archive-etv/web/html/basic.html
For Lead Paint Test Kits, the ETV program evaluated whether lead test kits could meet the needs of Certified Renovators in meeting the requirements of the RRP Rule.
There are 3 possible results:
No Lead Detected: Means that if any trace of lead is present in the paint sample it is so low that it was not detectable and lead safe work practices are not required.
Negative Test: Lead is present but below the EPA Limit. Lead safe work practices are not required; however the homeowner may wish to require lead safe work practices when disturbing any surfaces with even low levels of lead.
Positive Test: Elevated levels of Lead are present. Lead safe work practices are then required, unless a certified lead inspector using more expensive test methods determines the lead levels are below the EPA limit.
Lead was added to paint to improve paint performance. It was added to paint as a pigment, to speed drying, increase durability, retain a fresh appearance, and resist weathering and moisture that cause corrosion. The use of lead paint in residential housing was banned in 1978 in the US.
Today we recognize the dangers of lead-based paint as a major source of lead poisoning for children and adults. In children, lead poisoning can cause irreversible brain damage and can impair mental functioning. It can retard physical and mental development, reduce attention span and retard fetal development even at very low levels of exposure.
In adults, it can cause irritability, poor muscle coordination, nerve damage to the sense organs, nerves controlling the body and may also increase blood pressure. Thus, young children, fetuses, infants, and adults with high blood pressure or pregnant women are the most vulnerable to the effects of lead.
Exposure to lead paint dust is the primary way young children are exposed to lead. Ingesting and inhaling lead dust that is created as lead-based paint “chalks,” chips, or peels from deteriorated surfaces can expose consumers to lead. Walking on small paint chips found on the floor, or opening and closing a lead painted frame window, can also create lead dust. Consumers can also generate lead dust by sanding, scraping, or heating lead-based paint. As lead dust settles on the floors, walls, and furniture, children can ingest lead dust from hand-to-mouth contact and by transfer of lead dust onto their food. Settled lead dust can re-enter the air though cleaning, such as sweeping or vacuuming, or by movement of people throughout the house. It can be spread around the house by the heating and cooling system and by walking on it.
The only known interference is mercury which was used in some marine coatings. The presence of mercury will result in a positive test even in the absence of any lead.
Fourteen (14) months from the date of manufacture. The expiration date is clearly labeled on every test kit box.
The sampling tool is included in order to make sample collection fast and easy, giving you a consistent sample every time.
Cleaning the sampling area reduces the chance of sample contamination. For example: you are testing the windows, walls and doors of a room. The window was painted with lead based paint but the walls and doors were not. Lead dust from the windows can settle on the walls or doors and when you take the sample from the wall or a door you may get a false positive result. If you clean the wall or door surface before sampling, you remove the dust originating from the window and your test results will be more accurate.
There may be residual dust from the prior sample on the tools, which could cause the next sample collected to give a false positive result.
Exposing more surface area (by cutting it into pieces) speeds up the test.
Yes, but the sample catch tray was designed to easily attach to the wall under the sample to ensure that the entire paint sample is collected by the “catch” tray. If you decide to use a different piece of paper to catch the paint chips, just make certain you collect ALL of the sample and then the entire sample is transferred to the test bottle.
The yellow tinge is an indication that chromates are present in your paint sample. This does NOT mean that lead is present as not all of the chromates used in paint contained lead. You must now finish the test by adding the 5 drops of solution 2 to the test bottle in order to determine if lead is indeed present.
When there are multiple layers of paint or substrate, it can take up to ten minutes for the test to penetrate all the layers.
We included a waste disposal bag to safely dispose the solutions and lead. We recommend using the disposal bag. The disposal material neutralizes the solutions and binds the lead into an insoluble form and the waste can be disposed as non-hazardous waste.
For additional questions or information please call 1-877-532-5323 or send an email to cservice@esca-tech.com.