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CHEMICAL SPOT TEST KITS FOR TESTING FOR LEAD-BASED PAINT
Impact/Purpose:
A series of three reports, all related to evaluating the use of chemical spot test kits for testing for lead-based paint when used by trained professionals, were produced by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). OPPT/NPCD was asked to jointly release these reports with HUD. In accordance with Agency policy, OPPT/NPCD conducted a peer review of the reports. OPPT/NPCD will determine based on response to the peer review comments if it will jointly release the reports with HUD. If the reports are released, they would be regarded by the lead-based paint testing industry as the federal government's current position on the use of test kits for testing for lead-based paint by lead professionals. Professional testers would likely use the kits in the manner described in the reports to test painted housing components in pre-1978 housing.
Description:
The product is a series of three reports on the evaluation of the use of chemical spot test kits for testing for lead-based paint. The first report provides guidelines for conducting an evaluation of chemical test kits for testing for lead in paint. The second provides an analysis of data from applications of the kits at selected samples in an archive of painted building components. The third is a summary of key features of each of the test kits examined, and includes a bottom line recommendation as to whether each of the kits can be used to reliably test for lead-based paint. Chemical spot test kits detect the presence of lead in paint by a chemical reaction that may occur when chemicals in the kit are exposed to lead. This reaction may cause a color change to occur if lead reacts with the chemicals in the kit. There are basically two types of kits at this time, based on the primary chemical in the kit: rhodizonate kits and sodium sulfide kits. Rhodizonate kits indicate the presence of lead by turning red or pink. Sodium sulfide kits indicate the presence of lead by turning black or grey. Certain elements in paint or the material below the paint, such as sulfates in plaster, may interfere with the functioning of a kit. The kits were tested on painted building components collected from housing units. The second report compares the results on these components to laboratory results on manufactured paint films. The manufactured paint films contained either white lead (basic lead carbonate) or lead chromate. White lead was chosen because it dissolves easily. Lead chromate was chosen because it does not dissolve easily. Hence these two types of lead were chosen for the manufactured paint films with the goal of providing easy and difficult cases for the test kits. The white lead paint films were tinted beige and the lead chromate films were tinted yellow. An important point in the study is the degree to which results from the real world paints in the archive are consistent with the results for the white lead and lead chromate paint films.
