In the battle against lead poisoning, you are the first line of defense. It is your responsibility to check that your home is free of lead and safe for you and your family. Children are particularly susceptible to lead poisoning, so if you have kids, it’s of the utmost importance to check your home for lead. Here are a few tips on how to do so.
Do I Need To Test for Lead?
If your home was built before 1978, you need to check your house for lead. This is the year that lead-based paint was finally banned from being sold to consumers. The older the house, the more likely that lead is going to be a potential problem, and anything built prior to 1950 is almost guaranteed to have been made with paint that’s deteriorating. This includes paint that could be peeling, chipping, or coming apart in some way. Paint that’s still in good shape is fine, but when lead-based paint starts to deteriorate, it starts to become a problem.
Dust can also be a problem, as it could have collected particles of lead into your house.
Where Do I Look?
It’s best to check every inch of your house if possible, but you can start by looking at the rooms where you spend most of your time. This includes the kitchen, bedrooms, bathroom, and any living room where you and your family may spend a lot of time. You’ll also want to carefully check rooms you want to remodel, as you need to know about any a regular basis.
This includes doors, kitchen cabinets, baseboards, and windows. It’s also best to check areas where your children play on a regular basis, including any bare soil paint in your home has lead. However, this kit doesn’t test the soil near your home. The kit also won’t tell you the level of lead in the paint and how dangerous it may be to both paint and soil. Once you find a lab, they can give you directions on how to collect samples and send them. Generally, you’ll get results back risk because of lead.
The Next Step
If your house tests positive for hazardous levels of lead, the first thing you’ll want to do is lead in your body. Your doctor will then be able to tell you the proper treatment.
With regard to your home, the best thing you can do is hire a contractor who is certified to work with hazardous amounts of lead. The contractor can discuss your remodeling options so that you can rid your home of the lead that is potentially causing serious harm to you and your family.
