Lead Testing - PF

LEAD INSPECTOR Lead Test Kits™
Now You Can Test for Lead in Your Home or Office

8 Test Packets Per Kit

Lead testing is especially important if you are pregnant and/or have children. Glasses with cartoon characters painted on them, painted plates, lunchboxes, crayons, chalk, stickers and toys can all contain unsafe levels of lead. No matter what age, if you live in an old house it’s important to test for lead-based paint. Any type of pottery tableware should be tested before using with food. Check the More Info page for a complete list of items that may contain lead.

Each kit contains an Instruction Manual/Information Package on lead in the household, Indicator Solution, Swabs and Tube.

LEAD INSPECTOR Lead Test Kits™
Now You Can Test for Lead in Your Home or Office
8 Test Packets Per Kit

A simple household test kit for the detection of poisonous lead in:

Antiques
Bathtub Glaze
Candle Wicks
Ceramic Tile
Ceramicware
Chalk
Children's Plastic Lunch Boxes
Circuit Boards
Crayons
Cribs
Crock Pots
Curtain Weights
Cutlery
Decals
Dust (renovation)
Food Can Seams
Furniture
Glassware
Hair Dye
Jewelry
Lead Crystal
Lead Pellets
Lipstick / Make-up
Mexican Bean Pots
Mexican Candy
Mini-blinds
Older Pewter
Paint Surfaces/Chips
Play Sand
Plumbing
Pottery/China
Sinkers
Soil
Solder
Toys
Xmas Lights/Wires

 

GET THE LEAD OUT

Lead is a very poisonous heavy metal, in very small amounts. Lead toxicity is measured in millionths of grams (micrograms). Children are especially at risk both because they absorb lead more easily than adults, and because it’s more toxic to growing brains and bodies. It’s estimated that more than a million children have high enough blood lead levels to require medical attention, and have some level of mental or emotional impairment caused by lead poisoning. The Centers for Disease Control considers lead to be among the greatest environmental health risks to children.

Symptoms of Lead Poisoning
Symptoms of acute lead poisoning can include stomach pains, constipation, diarrhea, anemia aggressiveness, anxiousness, hyperactivity, muscle pain, weakness, weight loss, learning disabilities, convulsions and with chronic lead poisoning, eventual death. The symptoms usually last for about two weeks from the time of exposure, after which the lead settles into the body, particularly the organs, bones and hair.

Lead in Food
Lead intake from fresh vegetables and fruits can be reduced by thorough washing and by peeling root vegetables. Food produced close to heavy traffic or lead-emitting industries will have more lead. Fertilizers with sewage sludge added to them may boost soil lead levels. Lead in processed foods is picked up at various stages, from growing to packaging. There are estimates that 13 to 22 percent of our dietary lead intake is from lead-soldered food cans. Unfortunately, the U.S. does not regulate and test for lead in all canned foods. The current FDA guideline for lead in most food is 0.25 ppm. Food in cans with lead soldered seams can be dangerous, particularly cans that contain acidic substances such as fruit juices, fruits and some vegetables such as tomatoes. Imported canned goods are more likely to have lead soldered seams. Cans with round bottoms (extruded cans) are safe and do not have a seam or use lead. You can test any can seam with Lead Inspector. Watch for white powdery lead compounds beneath corroded lead foil wine bottle wrap, especially after horizontal storage. You can test wine bottle wrap with Lead Inspector to see if it contains lead.

Lead in Drinking Water and Plumbing
After several hours, tap water standing in metal pipes may dissolve unhealthy amounts of lead from pipe solder. In areas with soft, non-mineralized water, run taps for 30 seconds or until cold before using water to drink or cook. Request lead-free solder when plumbing is installed or repaired, and don't drink water from the hot water tap, as it has higher levels of dissolved metals. Excessive lead levels in potable water may be determined by using Lead Inspector. Lead piping in older homes and solder joints can also be tested for lead using Lead Inspector.

Lead in Soil and Dust/Dirt
The closer your home is to heavy automobile traffic or to lead-emitting industries, the more lead is deposited in household dust and in gardens. Every cigarette smoked inside adds a measurable amount of lead to household dust. Regular damp dusting, wet mopping, and cleaning, especially near windows and entrances, helps control lead dust. You can test for lead particulate in dust with Lead Inspector.

Burning candles with lead wicks not only emits lead particles into the air, those particles also ultimately settle out as dust on walls and floors. The lead dust from these candles may actually be mistaken for lead-based paint.

Lead Paint and Home Renovations
Most household paints contained lead prior to 1979. Children should be watched in homes and day care centers to prevent swallowing of paint chips or chewing painted surfaces, including toys and older cribs. Test older cribs for lead based paints before purchasing or using as children may chew paint from the railings and ingest lead.

Children should be kept away from sanding and paint removal (during renovations) in older houses, and adults should wear filter masks approved for use with toxic dusts. Burning off paint or using mechanical sanders boosts your lead exposure.

Lead-Safe China and Ceramics
Almost all American and Canadian ceramics makers meet lead safety standards for glazes. Imported ceramics from countries such as Mexico, China, Italy, Spain, India, Korea, Macao, Pakistan and Thailand can cause severe lead poisoning. Use caution when buying imported ceramic tableware. If you already have it in the house, use Lead Inspector to test it.

Children’s Drinking Cups and Glasses
Recent testing in Southern California found that many children’s cups and glasses with painted designs such as cartoons contained dangerous levels of lead.

Lead in Furniture, Toys and Antiques
Imported furniture, toys and antiques often contain lead. Older items which have been handed down from one family to another (e.g. painted cribs and toys) also have been found to contain lead.

Lead Crystal Glasses, Decanters and Pitchers
These sources of lead can cause serious lead poisoning. Acidic juices and wines should never be stored in these items for extended periods of time.

PVC Mini-blinds
Inexpensive plastic blinds (about 1" wide) should not be used in homes, especially with pregnant women and children under six years of age. Do not allow children to come in contact with these blinds. Health and Welfare Canada reports that these blinds have unacceptable levels of surface lead through production and airborne particulate. These blinds have also been found to contain lead in their vinyl formulation (used as a UV ray inhibitor).

Bath Tub Glazes
Test your bath tub glaze, especially if it's old. There have been recent reports of acute lead poisoning in young children from leaded bath tub glazes via drinking bath water. Always bathe children in fresh warm water. Never re-heat cold bath water that has been sitting in the tub as dissolved lead will accumulate in tubs with a leaded glaze. You can test any bath tub glaze using Lead Inspector.

Lead in Candle Wicks
Candles made with lead core wicks (used to support the wick upright and make the candle last longer) can release lead when burned. The lead can be absorbed by inhalation. Wicks with tin or zinc cores are safe, but since it’s hard to tell which metal it is, it’s probably best just to stick with plain cotton wicks. Candles imported from China are the most likely to have lead core wicks, but lead wicks have been found in candles made in the U.S., Canada and Mexico.

Lead in Jewelry
Inexpensive children's toy jewelry (trinkets, necklaces, bracelets, brooches, metallic hair accessories and "big heavy" finger rings) can contain high amounts of lead, which poses a risk if toddlers, young children or teens suck or chew on it. A survey of inexpensive jewelry—a range of items costing less than $20—found that 70 of them contained lead. Especially beware of jewelry purchased from vending machines or discount stores that sell for less than $2.00.

Lead in Ceramic Tile
Some glazes on ceramic tile (floor, wall, counter and ceiling tiles) have been found to contain lead. These glazes are generally made with white lead and mixed with finely ground metallic oxides to provide color.

Lead in Mexican Candy
Mexican candy has repeatedly, over the years, been found to contain lead. When in doubt, skip it or test it.

 

HOW LEAD INSPECTOR™ WORKS

These brief instructions will give you an overall sense of how easy the test is to use. Full instructions, including how to tell if what you’re testing is above or below the safe limit, are included with the kit.

Lead Inspector™ is the only patented lead test kit on the market that employs three different methods for accurate testing:

1. Rapid Test Procedure (qualitative)
2. Patented "Special Test" Procedure (semi-quantitative patented leach method)
3. Test for Lead in Water

RAPID TEST PROCEDURE

Use this procedure to quickly test dry painted surfaces/paint chips, pottery/ceramic ware, mini-blinds, plumbing/lead pipe/solder, electronic assemblies, bathtub glazes, toys, toy cars, furniture, food can seams, antiques, ceramic tile and other surfaces for lead.

1. Clean the area of any dust or dirt.
2. Insert a swab into the Indicator Vial.
3. Gently rub the surface to be tested with the cotton swab tip for about 30 to 60 seconds. If the surface or swab tip changes color, lead is present.

SPECIAL TEST PROCEDURE (Patented Leach Method)

Use this procedure to quantify the approximate lead release in pottery/ceramic ware, multi-layered paint or paint chips, mini-blinds, toys, children's jewelry, Mexican candies, make up and candle wicks. You can test almost anything with this method.

Dust, Dirt, Play Sand, Garden Soil
To test the approximate lead release in garden/lawn soil, dust, dirt, play sand and renovation/construction dust:

Thick Paint with Multiple Layers
Take a small paint chip (or scrape off a sample from an inconspicuous place) and allow to sit in vinegar for 4 hours. The vinegar (mild acid) will penetrate the inner & outer layers and dissolve lead, if any. Then simply test as noted above. Complete instructions for this procedure and others are included in the kit.

LEAD IN WATER

Get a good sample of potable water by allowing tap water to sit in the plumbing pipes overnite or over the weekend (this will give you the "worst case scenario" for dissolved lead in your water supply). Test a small sample of the water by adding Indicator Solution. The lower detectable limit (sensitivity) of the kit is 1 ppm (part per million) lead which is above most current guidelines of 10 to 50 ppb lead in water. This test will alert users to high levels of lead in potable water that will require immediate action!

LEAD INSPECTOR IS RELIABLE

Patented Test Kit & Method. Laboratory Tested Product - LEAD INSPECTOR Lead Test Kit (and method) has been tested by independent and government laboratories and found to be effective for consumer use to detect lead.

Method Approved for lead detection - testing chemical/method used in LEAD INSPECTOR is approved for lead detection in the state of Massachusetts, U.S.A. (Dept. of Public Health, Massachusetts Lead Law (105 CMR - 1923).

Used by Government Agencies - LEAD INSPECTOR is used by the USA Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Health Canada to pre-screen items for lead.

Patented Test Kit & Method - Patent #1,256,782 (1988) / Other Patent Pending ™ - Reg. Trademark of Abotex Ent. Ltd. (USA & Canada