Lead Analysis

Lead hazards Lead is a toxic metal that was used for many years in paint and other products found in and around our homes. Lead also can be emitted into the air from industrial sources, and lead can enter drinking water from plumbing materials. Lead may cause a range of health effects, from behavioral problems and learning disabilities, to seizures and death. Children six years old and under are most at risk. Workers who handle materials such as paint that might contain lead are also at risk.

When to test for lead

• When any painted surface is to be sanded or repaired.
• If you suspect a lead hazard in soil where children play.

How to get your paint tested

The best way to protect yourself and your family from lead hazards is to get a professional inspection from a certified lead inspector. In California, the Department of Public Health certifies lead Inspector/Assessors. A reputable company will usually take samples of suspect materials and send them to our laboratory for analysis.

If you just want to get specific areas of paint tested for lead, it is not too difficult to take the samples yourself. Start by choosing a representative area, that is, an area where one sample represents the whole painted area. Usually an area of a single type of paint can be determined from the color and the sheen such as glossy, flat, or semi-gloss.

Scrape the paint from the surface material so that you get almost all paint and little or none of the material under the paint. This can be done with a paint scraper tool, a sharp knife or other device that can lift the paint off the substrate. The laboratory needs enough paint to fill a teaspoon. If you have less than that, your results will be less accurate.

Please exercise great care in handling sharp tools such as a paint scraping tool. Serious injury can occur if the tools are misused. Please read and follow the instructions on the tool prior to its use.

Place the paint scrapes into a zip lock type food storage bag and label it so that you know exactly the location it came from. Put each area’s paint into a separate bag for separate testing.

Download our Chain of Custody form and fill it out. Be sure to check the column for Lead to indicate the type of analysis you want, and circle the word “paint”.

The analysis costs $37.50 per sample. You can enclose a check, or complete our Credit Card Authorization form. Send the sample(s), Chain of Custody, and payment to us. Results are usually sent in two days. For help interpreting your results, please see our FAQ.

Again, if you are not confident of your ability to take a proper sample, we recommend a professional inspection.

Types of analysis we offer

• Lead analysis by Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy (ELLAP accredited lab through AIHA)
• Lead in Air NIOSH 7082 AA (ELLAP accredited lab through AIHA)
• Lead in Paint 7400/7420 AA (ELLAP accredited lab through AIHA)
• Lead in Soil 7000/7420 (ELLAP accredited lab through AIHA)
• Lead in drinking Water 3113B (California Department of Health certified)
• Lead Wipe NIOSH 9100 (ELLAP accredited lab through AIHA)

Accreditations

MACS Lab’s accreditations are your assurance that the lab follows prescribed procedures for analysis and quality assurance, so you know you are getting accurate results. Each laboratory site actually performing the analysis of lead in paint, soil, dust, and air must be separately accredited. Some big companies have many sites but not all of their sites are accredited. MACS Lab, Inc. invites you to visit the AIHA and A2LA web sites and see if your lab is there. If not we sincerely invite you to use our services and be confident that we will provide you with the highest quality analysis of your samples.

MACS Lab is accredited by the American Industrial Hygiene Association (ELPAT program, Accreditation #101786) to perform analysis for lead in soil, lead in paint, lead in air, and lead in dust. The American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA) and A2LA have been appointed by the United States Environmental Protection Agency to accredit laboratories for this purpose.

MACS Lab participates in the California Department of Health Services (DOHS) ELAP #2027 program and has earned full accreditation. This registers MACS Lab as an environmental testing laboratory pursuant to the provisions of the California Environmental Laboratory Improvement Act of 1988. Accreditation by ELAP is mandatory for all determination of lead in drinking water in California. We are accredited for both lead and copper in drinking water.