Lead Paint Situation

[Zack Pirulli]

Hey everyone,

The beginning of this year a Section 8 tenant of mine adopted her new born nephew. She texted me recently to let me know he had tested positive for lead. The doctor told her he will be tested again and the test could come back negative. But she has asked me to test the house for lead. What are my next steps from here and how should I go about this? Thanks in advance.

[Bjorn Ahlblad]

@Zack Pirulli older homes have lead paint; as do older cribs and toys etc. The sale was banned in 1978 but it's use continued well into the '80's. If the child chews on a surface with lead paint (even under the present surface) that could be a source. You can buy a test kit at a hardware store but it will generally only tell you what is on the top layer and most lead paint has been painted over many, many times. A professional tester can be more definitive. House dust can also expose people to lead but less likely. 

Go to a browser and key in something like "lead testing near me" to get you started. All the best!