Untested old paint swap to Mail-in lab lead test

Why make the swap

• Why switch to mail-in lab lead test

  Check the year your home was built; lead paint was banned for homes in 1978. Renting or buying an older home? The landlord or seller must tell you about any lead paint they know of and give you EPA’s lead pamphlet. They don’t have to test, so ‘no known lead paint’ isn’t the same as a test. Ask your child’s doctor about a blood lead test; children on Medicaid must be tested at 12 and 24 months. For the paint itself, EPA says the most accurate readings come from a certified inspector or risk assessor, or from a paint-chip sample sent to a lab in its National Lead Laboratory Accreditation Program. This kit’s lab, Schneider Laboratories in Richmond, Virginia, is on EPA’s list.

• What's the concern with untested old paint

  Dust and chips from old lead paint are among the most common ways people are exposed to lead at home. Lead paint was banned for homes in 1978, so older homes carry the most risk.

• General information, not medical advice. Ask your doctor, especially if you’re pregnant, nursing or have a health condition.

• Good to know before you buy

  EPA recognizes its three swab test kits only when a certified renovator or trained professional uses them, so we suggest a lab test instead. Test before you sand, scrape or replace old windows, and take the sample the way the kit’s instructions say.

  Schneider Labs mail-in lead test kit, paint, dust or soil, 1 sample: One paint, dust or soil sample, mailed back with the prepaid label; the lab fee is included. The maker says results come within 5 business days of the kit reaching the lab.

• Sources (5)

  1. EPA: pre-1978 homes more likely to have lead paint; dust and chips a top source (opens in a new tab)
  2. EPA: recognized lead test kits count only when used by a certified renovator or trained professional; for an accurate reading, hire a certified inspector or risk assessor, or send a paint chip to an NLLAP lab (opens in a new tab)
  3. EPA: National Lead Laboratory Accreditation Program list (Schneider Laboratories, Inc., Richmond, VA: paint chip, dust and soil) (opens in a new tab)
  4. EPA: sellers and landlords of pre-1978 housing must disclose known lead-based paint and give the EPA pamphlet; they are not required to test or inspect (opens in a new tab)
  5. Medicaid.gov: children in Medicaid must have blood lead tests at 12 and 24 months (opens in a new tab)

  Health and safety facts on this page come from these sources. What a pick is made of comes from its maker's listing or website, as stated on the date we checked.