 Larger | Homax 5250 Household Lead Test KitBuy from www.amazon.com | |
| List Price: www.amazon.com's Price: $11.99 Condition: New Average Customer Rating: 3.5 Lowest New Price: $4.77 | Features• It's a simple, fast and and economical way to check for lead paint in homes• LeadCheck instantly detects lead on any surface and can be helpful in preventing toxic lead accumulations and lead poisoning • Not used for lead testing in water • Simple swap tests for lead on any household surface • 2 swabs for up to 4 tests Quick answer as to whether or not lead is presentThis requires that you read the directions first. How it is used/applied varies on what type of surface you're testing. I ordered this kit over others after its good consumer report review. I'm not 100% confident that I did it correctly, but my results that I didn't have lead present. I would use the second test to confirm but I already applied that to the affected area without reading the directions (saying that I need to use water) so I'd already botched that one. Thanks amazon for carrying this as none of the big boxed stores in my area had lead testing kits. Good luck and I hope you're lead-free!I was glad to have these on hand when I need them to check a toy.I was about to give my grandchild a dishware set when there was a lot of press about toys with lead. I had just ordered this and it came in time for us to check the toy before we gave it to her.This product worked well for us. FALSE POSITIVESWe rented an older home (built 1940) and we were concerned about lead paint as I was deciding to refinish some interior doors. The latex coating on the "impact areas" of the home (chair rail, trim, moulding, doors) was flaking exposing the old PASTEL paint underneath. (Most lead-based paints from earlier decades are pastel...as that was en vogue and a dead giveaway of what we were up against!) So I trek off to my big-chain home improvement store to find this test since I was a concerned parent and renter. Holy Crap! Nearly everything I tested...the paint underneath to the latex on top, the doors, the exposed stucco on the wall lit up! So I became more and more freaked out. Another trip to afore mentioned store and armed with eight tests I began meticulously testing every surface. Window sills, the bathtub, fixtures...our banister turned to the danger colors from pale pink (it IS obvious whether it is the control orange or the lead pink-red range) to crimson. To make a long story short my very kind Landlady shelled-out BIG bucks for a lead tester to survey the house and provide a report but also a risk assessment. At the very end of this very long ordeal we find out that yes the house has lead paint, but very little of it. Now there may be some of you who would say that ANY lead paint is a deal-breaker, but that is simply NOT realistic in an older home or major city. The detectable levels were WAY below the EPA threshold and many of the things I tested that were "positive" according to the kit were completely undetectable. Maybe these kits are hyper-sensitive...I don't know. The reality is that if your house has lead paint that is in good condition and undisturbed (like under eighteen layers of paint on the walls or trim work that has been repainted correctly) then you are in no harm. The areas of concern in his report were around the outside sills and trims of the exterior doors and our covered porch. Our soil was fine, water fine...not just below "the danger zone" but WAY below or completely nonexistant to the EPA guidelines. Our tester -- who was recommended by our capitol's hazardous waste/lead safety office -- was a little shocked when we talked about the tests I did, these were considered the most accurate, I THINK even given a stamp of approval by Consumer Reports and the EPA, itself. It would be very beneficial if a ppm range were given and not just a yes/no color change as what it was at the time. Yes I felt better after the surveyor cleared our house and property, but I also felt very swindled by homax. Hopefully this is helpful, if you have the money and time, there is no better definitive test than a professional. Maybe this test would be better for toys or things put in the mouth of babes (I did not test my children's toys, btw) as any lead there would be unsafe and unwanted. Just be careful with this before you call the abatement crew to come in and demo your house!Not sensitive enoughI used this test to check for lead in a variety of inexpensive Mexican ceramics that I knew contained lead in the glaze. At no point was there any color change. However, I next tested the same ceramics with a acid leach test from Abotex, and received a positive result. (The Abotex Instant Results swab test was also a false negative.)With this test's inability to register unsafe lead levels at around 5 ppm, I have to wonder, why take a test if you can't trust the results? A false negative is a false sense of security. Great, but needs better instructions.Like a previous reviewer, I received an "orange" result after testing a vintage (late 1960s) enamelware pot. I searched around and found out that means it likely contains barium. Since Barium is a lead substitute in enamelware, I am fairly confident that the inside of the pot is lead free. Tested the outside of the pot where there is a bright orange stripe, and the swab came back immediately pink, indicating lead. I felt happy with the clarity of the positive result. I wish the instructions had explained about the possibility of an orange result, though.Product DescriptionLead check test swabs detect lead on any surface within 1 minute. To use the test swab just squeeze the test swab firmly at the 2 points indicated, shake and then continue to squeeze until yellow liquid appears on the brush end. Rub the surface to be tested with the wet swab. The lead check swab will turn pink if leachable lead is present. Lead check swabs can be used to check for lead in paint, ceramics, dinnerware, crystal, solder, toys, dust, soil, etc. Lead check swabs are packed 2 per blister card.Read more... Similar Products:First Alert LT1 Premium Lead Test KitFirst Alert WT1 Drinking Water Test Kit Watersafe WS425B Drinking Water Test Kit Pro-Lab MO109 Household Mold Test Kit First Alert RD1 Radon Gas Test Kit | |