Lead Testing -- Paint and Soil
We have just purchased a brownstone in Clinton Hill. I am pregnant and want to get the house tested for lead. I’m especially concerned about paint (because we are renovating) and the soil in our yard (because we have a pear tree that tields wonderful fruit and want to know whether it’s safe to eat)….
We have just purchased a brownstone in Clinton Hill. I am pregnant and want to get the house tested for lead. I’m especially concerned about paint (because we are renovating) and the soil in our yard (because we have a pear tree that tields wonderful fruit and want to know whether it’s safe to eat).
Are the lead testing kits sold on the Internet, at Home Depot, Lowes etc. reliable? Should we invest in getting an abatement company to inspect, or just try and do some of this on our own? Anyone have experience with this?
We recently bought a brownstone and had it tested by Steven Rosenbaum at Accredited Lead Inspection, Inc – he gave a a great report listing all the painted surfaces in the house and noting areas of concern.
We recently bought a brownstone and had it tested by Steven Rosenbaum at Accredited Lead Inspection, Inc – he gave a a great report listing all the painted surfaces in the house and noting areas of concern.
The name of the company that I used is called House Helpers. They’re based in NJ but will travel to Brooklyn. The number is 201-704-4821 and the guy’s name is Ron. You can tell him that Dahlia gave you the number. He’s very nice and will come out to give you a free estimate.
I don’t know for sure that it’s a capital improvement- that is what he told me. It’s not just a regular cleaning…they cleaned decades of dust, grime, nicotine build-up from a previous owner, etc.
There’s an interesting article about lead paint in oldhousejournal.com. Somewhere near the end, the author mentions that plants take up very little lead so that growing vegetables, etc. in lead contaminated soil is okay, but I’d still like to know how the study was done. When you live in an old house or apt. it’s a good idea to invest in a true HEPA filter vacuum cleaner. Also, once your baby starts crawling and mouthing toys, you will want to engage in lots of wet mopping, baby hand washing and toy washing.
The company we used is Lead Inspections (really one guy – Chauncey Sage). See:
http://www.qed.net/cjsre/leadinspections.htm
Anonymous at 7:44 — please post the name of the company you used! I would love this info. Thanks so much.
What is the name of the cleaning company? This is helpful for future reference.
Also, did your accountant say this was a capital improvement? Doesn’t seem to me that it would be – not like installing bathroom fixtures.
The kits you buy over the counter only test for presence of lead. The place you must be concerned with is your friction surfaces window jambs,doors and floors etc. . As far as the exterior you always have a chance of lead more lead was used in the few years of gas than in paint and pigment since the begining of time. Email me ill send you a pdf from the epa which is a start on information
Be very careful with renovation, avoid dust and dust production, strictly limit spread of dust & clean often (your hands & your living space), don’t wear renovation clothes in your living space, HEPA vacuum. I personally wouldn’t eat the fruit.
ASAP Buy and read Maintaining a Lead Safe Home by Dennis Livingston. I bought it from
http://eco-strip.com/Access.html#Book
Perhaps also available from
http://www.preservationbooks.org/showBook.asp?key=174
I haven’t read it but Lead Is a Silent Hazard (Paperback) by Richard M. Stapleton from Amazon looks decent.
Get a professional (licensed) lead testing to test as the home kits are apparently not that reliable.
There is lots of info on the web about the dangers of lead if you search for it. Don’t panic but act quickly to protect your family.