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In fact, the Environmental Protection Agency allowed it to be on the shelves of paint stores until 1980. The older your home is, the greater the chance that lead-based paint was used on or in it.

Lead is particularly harmful to children. An elevated lead blood level is harmful to developing brains, kidneys, and can mean lower IQ, as well as behavior and learning problems.

Lead is very harmful to expectant Mothers. Lead can cause miscarrages.

The advisory committee on Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention has recommended that lead blood levels in children be lowered from 10 micrograms of lead per deciliter to 5 micrograms per deciliter. The Centers for Disease Control and prevention (CDC) has accepted the recommendations of the panel. It is estimated that 1 in 38 children age six and under in the United States has elevated levels of lead in their blood.

Lead is also found in the soil around homes. It comes from paint chips, dust, leaded gasoline, tile, as well as renovations to a home or bussiness.

I specialize in Lead-Based Paint Testing in Santa Cruz County as well as in the surrounding Bay Area.

I can test for lead in and around your home using non-invasive Niton XRF technology. A process that will determine if any lead is present. You will receive a report that will identify if lead was found, and if so where it is located.

Lead in Tile

Whether it is your tile floor, your tile shower, or your tile countertops, it is very possible there was Lead used in the glaze to make them shine.

Undisturbed it is safe, locked in the glaze.

Lead in tiles was banned in the United States in 1978 along with Lead in paint.

Many tiles that come from outside the United States still use Lead in the glaze.

If Leaded tiles are disturbed or chipped, they will release Leaded dust which is easily ingested by children as well as pets and people.

If a mild acid is spilled on the glaze it will leech Lead to the surface where it could be ingested.

Citric Acid in lemon juice, orange juice, or canned tomatoes is a mild acid as well as vinegar.

If replacing a shower, counter, or floor, precautions should be taken.

A licensed Lead Inspector/Assessor can test for Lead in tiles using noninvasive XRF Technology.

Lead Standards

• CDC - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

• EPA - Environmental Protection Agency

• CDPH - California Department of Public Health

Lead-Based Paint - 1 milligram per square centimeter

Lead in Dust - 10 micrograms of lead in dust per square foot for interior floor surfaces

100 micrograms of lead in dust per square foot for interior horizontal surfaces

250 micrograms of lead in dust per square foot on interior window sills

400 micrograms of lead in dust per square foot for exterior floor and exterior horizontal surfaces

Lead in Soil - 400 ppm (parts per million) in the child's principal play area, as well as bare soil

CDPH: 1,000 ppm in all other areas

EPA: 1,200 ppm in all other areas

Lead in drinking water - 15 ppb (parts per billion)

Although there are no safe levels of lead, the Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention recommends that public health actions be initiated when lead in a child's blood is five micrograms per deciliter or more.

On January 4th, 2011, Congress enacted the Reduction of Lead in Drinking Water Act to ban the use of lead pipes, plumbing fittings or fixtures, solder, and flux. See http://www.epa.gov/ogwdw/lead/. Water sampling is available upon request.

Call me today to set up an inspection to keep you and your family safe from lead poisoning.