You have seen those do-it-yourself kits before. Did you know, However, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has not evaluated any of these kits? One home test kit uses sodium sulfide solution. This procedure requires you to place a drop of sodium sulfide solution on a paint chip. The paint chip slowly turns darker if lead is present. There are problems with this test, however. Other metals may cause false positive results, and resins in the paint may prevent the sulfide from causing the paint chip to change color. Thus, the presence of lead may not be correctly indicated. In addition the darkening may be detected only on very light-colored paint.
Another in-home test requires a trained professional who can operate the equipment safely. This test uses X-ray fluorescence (XRF) to determine if the paint contains lead. Although the test can be done in your home, it must be done by trained professionals who have passed a state or local government training course, since the equipment contains radioactive materials. In addition to the enormous costs associated, the method has not been reliable in some tests.
Studies performed by EPA and OSHA both agree that do-it-yourself
kits are inaccurate and unsuitable when serious results are needed. At
MACSLAB, your health is an extremely serious matter. That's why our test
kits provide all of the instructions and sampling equipment you need to
take a reliable sample. The sample is then sent(postage paid) to our laboratory
where trained chemists analyze them using the latest technology
(atomic absorption spectroscopy). Our laboratory equipment is extremely
accurate and our test methods are approved by the AIHA
and the EPA. Is your family's health worth the extra effort. We think
so too.
(excerpts taken from "U.S. CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION WASHINGTON, DC 20207, CPSC Document #5054")
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