While the focus of this blog typically heads towards water quality issues, the release of an accurate and easy-to-use lead in paint test definitely merits our (and your) attention.

About a year ago major news networks ‘broke the story’ about toy manufacturers failing to prevent their imported toys from getting coated with paint which contained potentially dangerous amounts of lead. Many companies pulled the toys they knew about off the shelves immediately but what about the large number of older toys for which no one will step up and say for sure they do not have lead on or in them?

At the time that these stories hit the airwaves and headlined printed media all over the United States very few, if any, of the existing do-it-yourself lead in paint tests really and truly gave definitive answers without involving the use of expensive meters, dangerous chemicals or complex testing methods with large margins for error.

That all changed with the recent introduction of the LeadQUICK™ in Paint Home Visual Test Kit and we can best relay the groundbreaking details of the test by quoting the manufacturer:

LEADQuick™ Home Paint Kit — A new home based kit for screening lead levels in paint

Lead exposure can cause serious health problems, especially in young children. When lead is absorbed into the body, it can cause damage to the brain and other vital organs. The greatest concern is even “low level” lead exposure reduces children’s ability to learn. Lead-based paint becomes a hazard when it starts to wear, chip, or peel, or while it is being removed by sanding or stripping. In 1978 lead-based paint was banned in the United States but more than 80 percent of homes built before 1978 still contain lead. In most states a home seller must disclose their home was tested for lead.

Now it is easier to screen your home for leaded paint. Industrial Test Systems, Inc. is proud to announce the revolutionary new LEADQuick™ Home Paint Kit (487924-V). It’s an accurate, affordable, fast (results in 4 minutes) and easy to use visual home test kit for testing the EPA recommended maximum level of lead in paint (1 mg Lead per cm2). Unlike the popular swab method that only tests for lead only on the surface, the new LEADQuick™ Home Paint Kit uses a wedged paint chip that measures all paint layers for lead. The kit involves chemical reactions that produce a visible color change in the presence of lead compounds. LEADQuick™ Home Paint Kit has the following low levels of detection: 0.05, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8, 1.0 and 1.2, mg/cm2. The kit includes 25 tests.

So whether you fear lead in your children’s toys or lead in the paint of your home, the new LEADQuick™ Home Paint Kit appears as though it will provide you with fast, accurate lead in paint test results.