Acc-U-Test  Many   0.05  Very easy to use.   7.00  Results in 5 minutes or less. 

Know Lead  4    0.5   Very easy to use.   15.00  Results in 5 minutes or less.  Can run check test. 

LeadCheck Swabs 8   0.5   Very easy to use.   18.00  Results in 5 minutes or less.  Can run check test. 

The Lead Detective Many  0.05  Very easy to use.   30.00  Results in 5 minutes or less.  Can run check test. 

Lead Solutions 5    5.0   More steps.    30.00  Longer wait than with others. 

Merck EM Quant Pb++ 100 5.0   Very easy to use.   73.00  Results in 5 minutes or less. 

  Note: Acc-U-Test's solution comes in a bottle with a dropper.  The number of uses varies.  Dark paint can mask results.  Alternate method for dark paint takes 24 hours.  LeadCheck Swabs can mask results of lead in red paint.  Not for gypsum (sheetrock), stucco, plaster dust.  The Lead Detective comes in a bottle with a dropper.  The number of uses varies.  Dark paint can mask results.  Lead Solutions must be used in 48 to 72 hours of preparing the solution. 

Ratings: Mail-Order Lab-Test Kits - 2 tested 

PRODUCT  TESTS  SENS  CONVENIENCE   PRICE 
Clean Water  1    0.05         $20.00  Turnaround time about 10 days. 
Home Diagnostics #402 1  NA         20.00  Unacceptably long turnaround time. 
Note: Clean Water and Home Diagnostics #402 prices do not include postage.  Home Diagnostics #402's sensitivity is not available, as results had not reached CR 5 weeks after samples had been sent. 

LEAD POISONING  Before the 1960s, doctors thought that most of the lead-poisoned children they were seeing had eaten paint chips off the woodwork and windowsills of run-down apartments.  They also believed that lead didn't hurt kids until it exceeded 60 micrograms per deciliter (mcg/dl) in the blood: The point at which it can cause severe anemia, permanent brain damage and other irreversible harm.  Today we know better. 

Many studies done in the U.S. and abroad have established that measurable cognitive and behavioral impairment in young children begins at a blood-lead level of about 10 mcg/dl, which is now the government's official "action" level.  "There is no other neurotoxin in the world for which we have more compelling data," says Dr. Herbert Needleman, a pediatrician and psychiatrist who has conducted important studies on lead and cognitive performance. 

Although lead can harm older children and adults, the threat is worst for children under six, and for fetuses exposed to lead through their mother's bloodstream, in part because their rapidly developing nervous systems are more susceptible to the metal's toxic effects.  Among children, excessive exposure is most common among the urban poor.  Malnutrition raises the risk of health damage.  But lead poisoning can make even well-nourished, middle-class, suburban children less smart than they would have been otherwise.  We now know that children can ingest too much lead without ever coming near a paint chip.  Microscopic particles of hard-to-clean-up lead dust also pose a real danger.  They get on hands and toys when young children play on the floor, in dirt contaminated by weathering house paint, or near windowsills covered with lead dust that sifts down every time the sash moves.  They go into mouths when kids chew on a plaything, suck their thumb or eat a peanut butter sandwich without washing their hands. 

Given lead paint's undisputed potential for harm, a natural impulse is to get it out of housing, and fast.  In the 1970s, crews attacked many run-down apartments with power sanders, scrapers and heat guns, raising lead-laden dust clouds that often left children more poisoned than before "abatement.”  The years have brought refinements in lead-removal techniques.  Abatement specialists now appreciate the importance of sealing off rooms, controlling dust and meticulously cleaning up. 
 More and more states have laws spelling out who can remove lead paint and how.  But those laws apply only to official abatement situations, when a child is found to have a dangerously high blood-lead level, say.  Regular home repairs and renovations, even if they involve disturbing massive quantities of lead paint, have never been covered by such laws. 

A new law should spur greater awareness about lead.  Starting this fall, an amendment to the Federal Lead-based Paint Poisoning Prevention Act will require the owner of any house built before 1978 to alert a would-be buyer or tenant to possible hazards from lead paint and to disclose any lead paint known to be in the house.  The buyer will get a 10-day grace period in which to have the house tested.  The law won't require that anything be done about the paint, but it will at least force homeowners and potential homeowners to think about the hazard. 

WHERE IS IT?  Among houses built before 1940, 90 % contain lead paint.  It was more durable than the unleaded paint of the day and was typically used on surfaces that take punishment, like kitchen cabinets, door and window trim, exterior siding, and porch floors.  It was used less often on interior walls and ceilings.  In each decade after 1940, the use of lead paint decreased, and in 1978, lead paint was banned completely.  Still, paint containing some lead was sold until the late 1970s, so only the newest housing can be presumed lead-free. 

If you live in, or are about to buy, a pre-1978 house and have young children, consider hiring a trained person to do a lead-hazard assessment.  This assessment involves testing paint surfaces with a portable X-ray fluorescence device that produces instant results.  It includes taking samples of dirt from outside the foundation, and dust samples from floors and windowsills, to be analyzed in a laboratory.  An assessment should cost $200 to $400 for an average-size house. 

Another way to tell whether your home has lead paint is to send paint chips to a lab listed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.  Or you can use one of the kits described in CR's Ratings.  If your house or apartment does contain lead paint, your next move depends on whether young children or pregnant women live there.  Even if they do, don't panic.  More than half the dwellings in the U.S. have lead paint, yet fewer than 1 preschooler in 10 has a blood-lead level higher than 10 mcg/dl. 

To find out whether your children have been exposed to lead, have your pediatrician test their blood-lead level.  Blood should be drawn directly from a vein, as the commonly used finger-prick method can give false readings.  If the results are too high, waste no time in locating and eliminating the source of the lead.  In many communities, the health department will search your home for lead if your child has an elevated blood-lead level. 

MAINTENANCE AND REPAIR  If you don't have young children, or if after blood tests your children's blood-lead levels and the condition of the lead paint aren't cause for concern, you needn't do anything right away.  But that doesn't mean you're home free.  Living safely with lead paint requires an ongoing commitment to proper maintenance and repair. 

If lead paint is in good shape, you may still want to cover it with wallpaper, paneling or a thick coat of new paint, to prevent dust from escaping in the first place.  Following are other ways to keep lead paint from sloughing off: A). Have a sticky door planed or rehung until it moves smoothly.  B). Wax balky window sashes.  C). Use glossy paint or polyurethane varnish on windowsills and bare floors, to make them easier to wash. 

If lead dust forms despite your best efforts, it still won't hurt children if it's cleaned up before they can get into it.  Many experts now believe that controlling dust works better than paint removal in preventing lead poisoning. 

Floors, windowsills and window troughs should be scrubbed with water plus a phosphate detergent.  If you live in a state that outlaws phosphate detergents, try a powdered dishwasher detergent.  Wring out the sponge, mop or rag in a separate bucket so you don't recycle lead into the cleaning solution, and change this rinse water frequently.  Dry sweeping and dusting simply stir up lead dust.  The safe way to vacuum lead dust is with a HEPA (high efficiency particle arresting) vacuum cleaner.  It contains an ultrafine filter that traps tiny dust particles.  Household-sized HEPA vacuums cost about $400 to $600 (very few companies rent HEPA vacuums, though some lead-poisoning prevention programs do).  That's more than most regular models, but the cost may be worth it: Some lead-control experts advise parents who have young children and who live in a house with a persistent lead-dust problem to use a HEPA vacuum as their usual cleaner.  CR has tested two HEPA models in recent years (both are still sold).  The Fantom F106100 has an optional HEPA filter.  The Nilfisk GS-90 comes with filter installed.  The filters made both vacuum cleaners very effective at controlling dust.  Once lead paint (or unleaded paint over lead paint) is in poor enough condition to require repainting, use special caution.  The last time you repainted a room, you probably prepared the surface by scraping off loose chips and sanding nicks and dents.  Maybe you used a torch or heat gun to remove several layers of paint.  All of those are bad ideas if you have lead paint.  A single square foot of lead-based paint, sanded into dust and distributed evenly in a 10 x 10-foot room, would create a lead-in-dust level 100 times higher than safe limits. 

The key to preparing lead-painted surfaces for repainting is dust control.  If you're doing the job yourself, take these steps: Cover the work area thoroughly with heavy plastic drop cloths.  Remove furniture or wrap it in plastic.  Tape plastic over doors and windows.  Rent or buy a HEPA respirator designed to filter lead dust.  Wear plastic booties over your shoes.  Wet the surface with a spray bottle before scraping or sanding with a wet/dry abrasive.  Instead of sanding to "rough up" a glossy surface, use a chemical etcher. 

If the surface is too far gone, you may want to remove the paint entirely using a chemical stripper.  CR's paint experts recommend one that is free of the toxic solvent methylene chloride.  Peel Away 1 works well.  After you've prepared the surface, carefully roll up chips and debris inside the drop cloths, wrap the bundle in plastic and throw it away.  Ideally, you should then use a HEPA vacuum, wash the room and vacuum again. 

If you hire a contractor, be sure to find one who will use the techniques for preparing lead-painted surfaces and dust control CR recommends.  That's not an easy task.  Look for a contractor who is certified or licensed in lead safety.  Otherwise, consult your local housing authority or health department, which may be able to provide some referrals.  Your choices are more limited, and more expensive, if the lead paint is in bad condition all over.  Nevertheless, full-scale lead removal should be a last resort: It may make the problem worse and can cost several thousand dollars for a single-family house.  One option is simply to replace the parts that have the worst paint, a practical choice for windows and doors.  Another option is to cover damaged paint.  Vinyl siding can cover peeling clapboard, for example.  For a demolition job, consider hiring a trained abatement contractor (see CR's July 1995 report "Finding Help for Home Hazards").  After the area has been cleared and cleaned, you or your regular contractor can take over. 

HOW LEAD-PAINT KITS WORK  To use the tested lead-paint kits, you cut, scrape or sand a small patch to expose all layers of paint.  Then you use a chemical reagent, either rhodizonate or sodium sulfide, which changes color if the paint contains lead.  With rhodizonate kits, the warning color is pink.  That's easy to see, unless the paint itself is red or pink.  Sodium sulfide kits indicate lead with a gray to black color, so it's hard to see a positive reaction on dark paint. 

With the most convenient kits, you drop a solution onto the surface of exposed paint and wait 5 minutes.  With the more complicated kits, you remove a chip of paint, grind it, apply a solution to leach the lead out, wait (as long as 24 hours, for one kit), add another chemical and watch for a color change.  Many kits have a way to let you verify the results.  Several will also detect lead in ceramics, crystal, plumbing, household dust and soil. 

The mail-in kits include a plastic bag, plastic gloves and a form to return with the paint sample.  The cost includes analysis of one sample by a government-certified lab.  Results are likely to be much more accurate than from home kits.  Lab reports from mail-in kits also say how much lead is present.  For test-at-home kits, you'll need to follow instructions to the letter.  Most kits clearly indicate paint with high lead levels.  But most won't detect levels slightly above the 0.06 % legal limit for lead in paint.  Although much lower than the lead levels in most old paint, the levels these kits can miss are still too high for safety. 

WHERE TO CALL  If you have trouble locating a brand, call the company.  Acc-U-Test: 617-337-5546, Clean Water: 704-251-6800, Home Diagnostics #402: 212-308-1222, Know Lead: 800-448-5323, The Lead Detective: 617-965-5653, Lead Solutions: 800 441-8228, Lead Zone: 800-448-0535, LeadCheck Swabs: 800-262-5323, Merck EM Quant Pb++   (Germany): (006151)720.  End Of Consumer Reports Article. 
 

LEAD TESTS AND LEAD REMOVAL  Lead concentrations can vary enormously.  The only way to be sure your water is lead-free is to have it tested.  That's especially important if a pregnant woman or young children drink the water.  Arrange for low-cost lead tests through: 
Clean Water Lead Test Inc. 
Asheville, NC   704-251-6800  $17.00. 
Environmental Law Foundation  Oakland, CA   510-208-4557  $16.50. 
SAVE, New York, NY  718-626-3936  $20.00. 
Or call your U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regional office for a list of local labs (see CR's July 1995 report "Finding Help for Home Hazards"). 

Avoid do-it-yourself kits for lead in water.  Those kits CR has tried in recent years haven't been reliable.  One kit tested for this report, LeadCheck Aqua, found lead (incorrectly) in distilled water, demineralized water and ultrapure bottled water.  If your home's lead levels are above 15 parts per billion (ppb) in first-draw water (water that has stood in the pipes for hours) or 5 ppb in purged-line water (water that has run for a minute or more), consider taking action. 

You can use bottled water for drinking and cooking, but that's costly.  It's best to buy a water-treatment device.  Here are the basic choices, along with some still-available models that worked well in CR's past tests: 
 Reverse-osmosis system.  It removes almost all the lead, but it's the most expensive option, requires professional installation and, in normal operation, wastes water. 
Model: Culligan Aquacleer H-83 (approx. $800). 

Distiller.  It's effective and is simply plugged in, but it processes water slowly and uses a lot of electricity. 

Filters.  Special lead-removing filters, and some carbon filters that also remove lead, are available in undersink and countertop models.  Both produce treated water on demand and can be installed by a do-it-yourselfer. 
Undersink models: Selecto Lead-Out 20 (approx. $85), 
Omni Total Plus OT-5 (approx. $150). 
Countertop model: Sterling Spring CTS (approx. $100). 

Carafe.  It works something like a drip coffee maker.  It requires no installation and is easy to use.  But one tested carafe, the Brita Water Filter System 0B01/0B03 (about $25), took 20 minutes to purify a gallon.  It's best use is to treat small amounts of drinking water. 

A TALE OF THREE CITIES  In 1991, the EPA required public water utilities to test for lead.  In areas where high lead levels were found, the utilities were then required to take steps to reduce contamination.  Water companies serving more than 50,000 people must install needed treatment by January 1997.  Smaller systems have an extra two years to comply.  In 1992, shortly after the EPA's rule was issued, but before most water companies had taken corrective action, we tested for lead in the water of 2,643 CR readers, focusing on eight cities.  We found worrisome levels in a few cities. 

Since the EPA's ruling, many cities, including some CR looked at, have been treating their water with chemicals that make lead less likely to leach from pipes.  The chemicals, generally phosphates or alkalies, don't affect the taste or safety of the water.  To see whether such measures have worked, we recently tested water from the homes of 715 readers in three cities where worrisome amounts of lead were found in 1992: Chicago, New York City and Boston. 

CR's table compares the percentage of Chicago, New York City and Boston households that were above the level of concern: 15 ppb for first-draw water and 5 ppb for purged-line water.  The first figure under each city is the percentage above the level of concern tested in 1992, and the second figure is the percentage above the level of concern we tested in 1994. 
First-Draw 
CHICAGO  NEW YORK  BOSTON  
17/6                   14/11             41/25 
Purged-Line 
CHICAGO  NEW YORK  BOSTON 
52/34                 14/11             19/14 

CR found some signs of progress: The steps taken by Chicago and New York City have begun to work, though there is still too much lead in the water in both cities.  Results from Boston show moderate improvement in lead levels since 1992, but the city still has a major lead problem.  One in four Boston households CR surveyed had first-draw levels higher than 15 ppb.  Although the city has been treating the water at its reservoir for years, it now plans to add a buffering agent closer to homeowners' taps.  End Of Consumer Reports Article. 

This report looks at radon detectors, and includes Ratings and sections on what radon is and where it is found, unsafe levels, fixing the problem, how radon detectors work, and where to call for more information. 

CONSUMER REPORTS RATINGS  
CR tested seven short-term radon detection kits and three long-term radon detection kits.  The CR Ratings list the tested PRODUCTs by type.  Within types, they are listed in order of increasing price.  TEST is the number of days it takes to do a test in your home, according to the manufacturer.  RESULTS is the amount of time it took to get results by mail, based on the turnaround time for between 3 and 7 separate tests.  Most will also provide results by fax or telephone.  PRICE is the price CR paid, and includes mailing.  Note: CR tested long-term kits for 3 months.  Manufacturers say monitoring can continue for up to 1 year. 

Since this report was originally published, Purisys, the maker of Home Diagnostics Radon 7-Day Test 102, has declared bankruptcy.  But the kits are still being tested, at a different address:  Purisys, 1 Research Circle, Waverly, NY 14892 
If you have had a Home Diagnostics kit go astray, call 607-565-7134 for a replacement kit.  (Do not reship the old kit, as you will need to retest.) 

CR judged the following model Not Acceptable, as its results averaged 48 % higher than actual levels in multiple tests. 

Radon Zone Radon Test Kit      4    10-35     $ 9 

Ratings: Long-Term Kits 3 tested 

PRODUCT              TEST   RESULTS   PRICE 
Key-Trac- Kit                 90       22-29     $19 
RadTrak Alpha-Track 90       16-23     $25 Radon Gas Detector 

CR judged the following model Not Acceptable, as results averaged 166 % higher than actual levels in multiple tests. 

First Alert Long-Term  90    32-35    $31 Radon Gas Detector RD2 
Note: First Alert will not provide results by fax or by telephone for the Long-Term Radon Gas Detector RD2. 

WHAT RADON IS AND WHERE IT'S FOUND  Radon is an invisible, odorless gas that seeps up through rock and soil from subterranean uranium deposits.  It quickly decays into minuscule radioactive particles that, if inhaled, can get stuck deep within the lungs, where they give off carcinogenic alpha particles.  The scientific case against radon is based mainly on studies of tens of thousands of uranium miners who were exposed to it on the job and who suffered greatly increased lung-cancer rates as a consequence.  Those studies also showed that smoking greatly multiplies the risk.  Extrapolating down from the miners' exposure, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that household exposure to radon is responsible for 5,000 to 20,000 lung-cancer deaths each year. 

Typically, radon enters a house through cracks in the foundation, around water and sewer pipes, or in well water.  Levels are almost always highest in a basement (or first floor), dropping off in the upper floors.  It is a significant concern for homeowners who use their finished basement often, and not a concern for most apartment-dwellers. 

High radon levels have been found in every state and in every type of house.  Do not assume your house has low levels just because it has not on rocky terrain or your neighbor's house had a low reading.  Moreover, radon levels can vary significantly from month to month or even day to day, influenced by everything from precipitation and barometric pressure to the use of kitchen and bathroom fans.  To measure levels in your home, call a qualified testing company or use one of the tested kits.  You will smooth out the peaks and valleys in radon levels with a long-term kit. 

UNSAFE LEVELS  Radon is measured in units called picocuries per liter (pCi/l).  The average U.S. house has 1.3 pCi/l of radon.  Although everyone agrees that too much radon is dangerous, policymakers are still wrangling over what is a "safe" household level.  The EPA has set 4 pCi/l as an "action level.”  This means that if your house has more than that in the lowest occupied space, you should act, the agency advises.  National surveys have shown that about 6 % of U.S. homes have average radon levels above 4 pCi/l. 

"There has never been a scientifically based method of saying what is and is not safe," says Jan Stolwijk, a Yale University epidemiologist overseeing a large study of residential radon risk.  "There is no magic number.  All we can say is that the excess risk at 1 picocurie per liter is one-fourth of what it is at 4.”  Still, policymakers have to draw a line somewhere, and CR thinks 4 pCi/l is a reasonable place.  A nonsmoker exposed to that much radon over a lifetime has about a 2-in-1,000 chance of developing lung cancer from it.  That is a greater risk than that of dying in a house fire or drowning, and worth eliminating. 

For homeowners with levels at or near 4 pCi/l, it can be hard to decide what to do.  If your measurement was short-term, your first act should be to get a long-term test.  If the level is still borderline, whether to act or not is a judgment call, unless you or any family members smoke.  For a smoker, 4 pCi/l carries not a 2-in-1,000 lifetime risk of lung cancer, but a 29-in-1,000 risk. 

Consider also how long you plan to stay in the house and the age of family members.  Young children are thought to be at greater risk than adults.  Also bear in mind that, unlike some other hazards, radon is gone for good once you have fixed the problem. 

FIXING THE PROBLEM  The radon-remediation industry is well regulated.  Finding competent help should be easy (see CR's July 1995 report "Finding Help With Home Hazards").  A first step is sealing large cracks that might let radon into the basement.  But that alone usually will not solve the problem: The gas can sneak through fissures too small to be seen, let alone repaired.  Therefore, more fixing is usually required. 

The most common method of solving a radon problem is to install a pipe through the foundation slab to suck radon away before it gets into the house.  A small fan pulls the gas up to the roof, where the radon dissipates harmlessly.  Unlike lead and asbestos cleanup, radon remediation usually involves only minor construction and requires no special containment or decontamination procedures.  According to the EPA, a typical radon problem can be solved for $1,000 to $1,500. 

HOW RADON DETECTORS WORK  You cannot guess whether a house has radon or not.  You have to test.  Testing is easy, yet most people do it only when they are planning to buy a house.  Moreover, people may be testing less often than they used to: The leading manufacturer of radon-detection devices, Key Technology, informed CR that sales of its kits have declined from nearly 150,000 in 1989 to 30,000 in 1994. 

There are two main types of detectors; The short-term type (commonly a charcoal-containing canister, envelope or tray) tracks radon levels for up to 7 days.  Longer-term detectors give an average concentration for periods of 90 days or more.  Both types are convenient and inexpensive, about $10 to $30, including lab analysis and a written report. 

The devices are left in the lowest occupied living area.  You open the short-term units to expose activated charcoal granules that trap the radon.  After the specified time, you reseal the device and send it to a lab for analysis.  It is much the same for the long-term detectors.  Instead of charcoal, alpha particles emitted when radon decays leave imprints on a small piece of specially formulated plastic.  Because radon levels are so variable over time, a detector does not have to be extremely precise.  In fact, the EPA allows readings to be off by up to 25 %.  What you are looking for with these devices is evidence of a serious problem. 

WHERE TO CALL  If you have trouble locating a brand, call the company.  Air Chek (mail-order only): 800-247-2435,  First Alert: 800-323-9005,  Key-Rad-Kit: 800-523-4964,  Key-Trac-Kit: 800-523-4964,  Radon Zone: 800-448-0535,  RadTrak: 708-755-7911,  RTCA: 800-457-2366,  Teledyne: 800-666-0222  End Of Consumer Reports Article. 

A growing number of brokers represent only the buyer, which is known as Exclusive Buyer Brokerage or Exclusive Buyer Representation.  Buyer’s Resource® is the nations oldest brokerage franchise system working only for buyers and never having a conflict of interest.  Exclusive Buyer Brokers will better protect the interests of buyers than dual agents, sub-agents, designated agents, or so called split agents.  They are more likely to negotiate a lower sale price on a home, for example. 

According to the  
Consumer Federation of America, 
when interviewing real estate agents or buyer brokers to buy a home, “Make certain at least one is a Buyer Broker that works exclusively with buyers.” 

The CFA recommends asking the following seven important questions: 
1).  Will you (the agent) represent my interests only or those of the seller? 
2).  Do you or your brokerage represent any sellers or builders? 
3).  Do you have full access to the Multiple Listing Service? 
4).  Will you show me for sale by owner properties? 
5).  Can you give me the names of several current and former clients? 
6).  What experience do you have as an agent or as a Buyer-Broker? 
7).  What other designations or credentials do you have? 
Finally, does your commission amount vary?  What about bonuses, inducements, or rebates (kickbacks)?  Do you give them back to me?  (After all, the buyer is paying it!)