Testing for Lead Poisoning Washington State Department of Health

Table of Content

• Where is lead found?
• Medical Marijuana Identification Card Program
• Self-Checks/At-Home Testing
• Climate Change and Health
• When was lead paint banned?

The decision to treat is an individual one based on a review of the potential benefits and risks. Discuss any lead concerns with your healthcare provider or your child's practitioner. Contact your local health department to have your paint tested for lead.

Here are some ways you can test your paint and water for lead—and what to do if you think you have a problem. Although the use of lead-based paints has been banned since the 1970s, older homes and buildings often retain remnants of this paint. People are exposed to lead and can bring it home on their clothes when they work in auto repair, mining, pipe fitting, battery manufacturing, painting, construction and certain other fields. Cleveland Clinic Children's is dedicated to the medical, surgical and rehabilitative care of infants, children and adolescents.

Where is lead found?

Lead test swabs may not work as well on porous or irregular surfaces, such as raw stone, metal grating, or painted wicker. Crush the indicated points on the test swab to activate it. Locate the points marked “A” and “B” on the outer tube of the swab and squeeze them forcefully one at a time. This will activate the compounds used to detect lead on the test surface.

In-home analysis is the most effective form of lead testing, as it's carried out by qualified specialists in a controlled laboratory setting. As a general rule, the higher the lead content in the test surface, the darker the final color will be. If the swab doesn't change color, it means no lead has been detected and you can check that surface or material off of your list. If you have small children or pets who could find their way into the trash, deposit your testing materials in an outdoor receptacle a safe distance from your home. When the 2 test solutions are mixed, lead-tainted paint will cause them to take on a dull yellow color. Compare the color of the solution to the test standard on the vial.

Medical Marijuana Identification Card Program

If you have lead pipes, stagnant water or hot water can leach lead into your tap water. Let your faucet run cold water for one minute before using for drinking, cooking or making baby formula. Put their hands, toys and other items covered with lead dust in their mouths. Lead is a naturally occurring poisonous metal found in small amounts in the earth’s crust.

Tiro, an eye cosmetic from Nigeria, has been linked to lead poisoning. Lead is sometimes found in toys and other products produced abroad. Wash your child’s hands, bottles, pacifiers and toys frequently.

Self-Checks/At-Home Testing

Sometimes, children and adults who’ve been exposed to lead have no symptoms. Other times, the symptoms of lead poisoning won’t appear right away. When they do occur, the symptoms may develop over several weeks or months. Lead poisoning happens when your child is affected by high levels of lead exposure. Lead poisoning is usually caused by eating or drinking lead, but touching or breathing in the toxic metal can also cause it.

One exception is patients with a high body burden under physiological stressful circumstances whose BLLs may be elevated from the release of lead stored in bones. Testing will often occur during routine well-child care as recommended by the American Academy of Family Physicians and the American Academy of Pediatricians . Over the past 40 years, there has been a dramatic decline in the United States in BLLs. Despite progress in reducing BLLs among children overall, differences between the geometric mean BLLs of different racial/ethnic and income groups still persist. Samples gathered first thing in the morning are known as “first-draw” water. Since this water has been sitting in your pipes for so long, it will contain the highest concentrations of lead and other toxins.

Exposure to lead is dangerous, so any control measures are best left to the pros. Many companies will offer free estimates to test your home and take precautions against lead contamination. To mail your soil to a testing lab, or you can check locally to see if soil testing kits are available for free. To help reduce hand-to-mouth transfer of contaminated dust or soil, wash your children's hands after outdoor play, before eating and at bedtime. Household dust can contain lead from lead paint chips or from contaminated soil brought in from outside. There is treatment for lead poisoning, but taking some simple precautions can help protect you and your family from lead exposure before harm is done.

Isolate sources of lead until they can be removed or cleaned up. This may include locking up rooms where lead paint is peeling or putting barriers around gardens or plots where lead has been found in the soil. The Environmental Protection Agency has a list of certified professionals who can inspect your home and use lead test kits to determine if lead paint is present.

Climate Change and Health

If that’s not an option, you can buy a lead testing kit from home improvement stores to collect the testing samples. Lead poisoning can affect anyone, but babies and children under the age of 6 are most at risk because their bodies are still developing. Because their bodies are still growing, their brains and nervous systems are more sensitive to the harmful effects of lead. In addition, babies and young children tend to pick up objects and put them in their mouths more frequently. Since the ban of lead-based paint, lead poisoning cases have dropped. But it’s still a major public health issue in certain areas of the country where older homes are located.

Lead-contaminated soil is still a major problem around highways and in some urban settings. Make sure your child eats healthy foods that are high in iron, calcium and vitamin C, which help protect against lead poisoning. This lead dust settles on the ground and everything around it. Children can become exposed to lead by putting objects in their mouths or by touching objects containing lead dust and then putting their hands in their mouths. The certified Inspector/Assessor can test your paint with an XRF (x-ray fluorescence) machine, for immediate results.

When was lead paint banned?

Lead poisoning is when any detectable amount of lead is found in your child’s blood. If you plan to repaint or remodel your home, hire a State-certified lead contractor. Most water samples tested will contain below the legal limit of lead providing reassurance that no further action is required. You may be advised to stop drinking your tap water until investigation of the source of the lead is completed and remedial measures are taken. The good news is that childhood lead exposure is preventable.

Don’t remove paint with an open flame torch because this can also create small lead particles that you could ingest. Tells you if your home has lead-based paint and where it is located. It will not tell you whether your home currently has lead hazards or how to deal with it. This is most helpful when buying a home or signing a lease, before renovating.