HealthGoods

Features

• Used as a screening tool for the presence of lead in painted surfaces.
• Includes an extensive manual with instructions on testing for lead, information on lead poisoning, guidelines for removing lead from the home, discussion on lead ad the law and a list of reference materials and resource information.
• Allows you to perform up to 100 tests which should cover an average size home.
• Includes all the necessary solution and tools - one 15 ml bottle of sodium sulfide, one 15 ml bottle of water, magnifier, razor blades, chemically resistant tweezers, applicator tip and gloves.
• Can be used to test pottery.
• Accurately detects lead to 1%.
• Includes a reference lead paint sample.

How the Test Works

The water solution is added to the sulfide compound to produce 15 mL of testing solution of the correct concentration. After dissolution (4 minutes), this solution will provide approximately 100 tests, enough to screen the average home. Solution is dropped onto a paint chip on a painted surface and if the paint contains lead (down to 1% by weight) a black color change is observed. Tools are provided to examine the chip (the magnifier), make a cut in the surface (the razor blades), hold the paint chip (forceps), and apply the solution (gloves and applicator tip).

This test is based on the test mandated by Massachusetts state statute. The technology has been recommended by the Environmental Protection Agency on a national level. It is the same test a state inspector may use when inspecting a home.

A. The Lead Detective™ is a kit for detecting lead in paint. A solution is applied to painted surfaces or paint chips and a color change occurs. The average consumer can use the kit without supervision. It is a screening test, if lead is

Q. What does the kit contain?

A. Packaged in a black opaque plastic box 7"x5"x1.875" with a two color silver mylar label. The kit includes two 15 mL bottles, one with a measured sodium sulfide compound and the other a water solution. The kit also contains useful tools including disposable gloves, a three power magnifying glass, chemically resistant forceps (tweezers), razor blades, and an applicator tip for the test solution. An extensive 36 page manual is provided with instruction on testing, information on lead poisoning and exposure, guidelines on removing lead from a home, a discussion on lead and the law, and a list of reference materials and resource information. Included with the kit is a sample of leaded paint so that the user can see how the test works. All components of the kit are provided in attractive cut black foam packaging.

A.The water solution is added to the sulfide compound to produce 15 mL of testing solution of the correct concentration. After dissolution (ca. 4 minutes), this solution will provide approximately 100 tests, enough to screen the average home. Solution is dropped onto a paint chip or a painted surface and if the paint contains lead (down to 1% by weight) a black color change is observed. Tools are provided to examine the chip (the magnifier), make a cut in the surface (the razor blades), hold the paint chip (forceps), and apply the solution (gloves and applicator tip).

A. Target marketing groups include young families with children, those expecting to have children, rehabers, people involved in a property transfer such as the buying or selling of a home, and home inspectors. Lead poisoning was once a disease of the poor or the occupationally exposed. Now with urban renewal and gentrification it has become a disease of middle and upper class families as well.

A. Based on current information we believe the market for a lead paint detection kit to be widely dispersed throughout the entire USA. Certain areas have very high percentages of homes that fall in this category. Urban metropolitan areas such as Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Washington / Baltimore, New Orleans, Denver, San Francisco / East Bay, and Seattle with older housing stock are known to be prime locations. Rural areas also fit the profile. For perspective, radon test kits currently being sold address a market that is 3 to 8 times smaller.

About lead paint and the law.

Certain states and cities have model lead laws that may soon be adopted federally. Massachusetts law currently penalizes home owners for homes with lead paint. Both fines and criminal penalties are mandated for failure to delead. Disclosure is required upon property transfer and a bank may withhold mortgage money from a home deemed to be hazard. To encourage deleading a tax credit is given for lead abatement.

About lead poisoning.

Lead poisoning is a difficult disease to diagnose. There are currently two million children in the US that are lead poisoned, most (about 75%) are poisoned by lead paint. Lead paint is consumed either through pica (eating), or through dust. Children can be born with high levels of lead from their mother. Lead poisoning can lead to reduced IQ, fatigue, irritability, growth disturbance or in severe cases mental retardation or death. Screening is by blood test normally done for children under 3 years old. Therapy is by a series of chelation injections.

Product safety information.

Sodium Sulfide is a slight poison and mild irritant. The kit contains less than 1 gram of compound, an amount well under the lethal dose for people in the event of consumption. There are no incidents of poisoning on file at the poison control centers we contacted for this chemical other than bulk industrial exposure. Lead sulfide formed in the test is poisonous, as is the leaded paint chip supplied. Warnings regarding these dangers are located on the box label, in the manual, on the bottle label, and on the label containing the leaded paint chip. We recommend storage under 100deg F, and no exposure to acid. Shelf life of the product is generally over 1 year. Once the solution is made up by the consumer it has a 4-6 week useful lifetime.

Lead was a component of paint prior to 1978 when it was banned by the Consumer Product Safety Commission for use in residences, furniture and children's toys. The EPA has estimated that some 47 million homes in the USA contain some lead paint. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) estimates 83% of private housing and 86% of public housing built prior to 1980 contain lead based paint. Manufacturers would put as much as 20 - 50% lead (by weight) into paint to make the paint last longer and adhere to surfaces better. Lead based paint has been used on everything from interior to exteriors of homes, furniture, toys and many other surfaces. Lead has also been used in plumbing fixtures, pipes and pipe soldering which can leach into water that flows through pipes. In 1996 & 1998, the U.S. Congress restricted the use of lead in pipes, solder and other components used in drinking water systems.

It is important to determine if lead paint exists in your home and where it is located. With this information you can determine what steps are necessary to reduce your exposure to this environmental pollutant. The greatest exposures will come from improperly removing lead based paint from surfaces through scraping, open-flame burning and sanding which will produce high concentrations of airborne lead dust. Lead particles can be tracked into the home by stepping on lead contaminated soil from the degradation of exterior lead based paint. If you have children in a home with peeling and chipping paint, or painted surfaces such as window sashes that wear down, it is important to know if lead is present in the paint to prevent ingestion and inhalation of lead dust.

Lead poisoning through ingestion or inhalation can cause severe health effects including damage to the liver, kidneys, brain, nerves, bones and blood. Children are especially at high-risk because they routinely ingest non-food items contaminated with lead. Toxic levels of lead can cause permanent learning disabilities, retardation and even brain damage in young children. Documentation reveals that serious behavioral problems and learning disabilities are seven times more likely to occur in children exposed to low-levels of lead over an extended period of time (New England Journal of Medicine- Jan. 11, 1990). More recent studies indicate that there is no threshold for the toxic effects of lead. (New England Journal of Medicine April 17, 2003) In adults, lead poisoning can cause high blood pressure and reproductive problems. In pregnant women, the fetus is particularly vulnerable to lead's toxic effects.

• Nervous system and kidney damage.
• Learning disabilities, attention disorder and decreased intelligence.
• Poor muscle coordination.
• Hearing damage.
• Decreased muscle and bone growth.
• Speech, language and behavior problems

• Pregnancy problems including illness, harm to fetus and fertility problems.
• High blood pressure.
• Digestive problems.
• Nerve disorders.
• Muscle and joint pain.
• Memory and concentration problems.

Lead Dust and Paint Chips from Painted Woodwork, Walls, Furniture and Toys - Breathing or swallowing of lead dust and paint chips formed from the disturbance and decomposition of lead painted materials. Particles of lead can be removed from painted surfaces during opening/closing windows and doors painted with lead based paint and scraping, sanding or anyplace where abrasion occurs with lead based paint. Peeling, chipping, chalking or cracking lead-based paint need immediate attention. Although lead paint was banned in 1978, supply of this type paint was available into the early 1980's.

Water - Water can be a source of lead leaching from lead piping in water distribution lines, lead solder used to join water pipes and plumbing fixtures that use brass with lead content.

Soil - Soil can pick up lead from exterior paints and particles that are deposited from airborne sources such as industrial plants and smelters. Lead was a major component of gasoline until reduced in 1978 by the U.S. EPA and lead particles were a part of vehicle emissions.

Miscellaneous - Porcelain tubs, Dishware and Mini-Blinds. For over 100 years, lead has been added to porcelain enameling material. Both new and old fixtures may leach the lead; however, older bathtubs that have repeatedly been cleaned with abrasive cleansers leach the highest amounts of lead. Ceramic glazes and pottery may have lead content. FDA set limits for lead in pottery in the U.S. in 1969, but may foreign countries may still be using lead as a component of their products. Many vinyl mini-blinds made in China, Indonesia, Mexico and Taiwan contained high concentrations of lead. Lead used to stabilize the vinyl becomes a dust on the surface, especially when exposed to heat and the sun. New vinyl mini-blind products on the market are available without lead.