You should ask a few questions to ensure that your potential lead removal professional is experienced and qualified to handle lead-paint abatement safely, legally, and properly.

• What are your qualifications and experience removing lead-based paint?

• Are you licensed and certified to remove lead-based paint?

• How do you test for lead paint?

• What methods do you use for lead-based paint abatement?

• What do you plan to do with the hazardous material when you remove it from the home?

• Do you do replacement and painting work or removal only?

Some of the signs that could mean your water is contaminated, such as cloudiness or bubbliness, could also be non-problems that don’t affect your water’s potability. However, if your water smells or tastes strange, it’s a good idea to stop drinking it and test it immediately. If your well water is contaminated, the best way to discover that is to test it.

Lead paint test kits are not always accurate. Several factors can play into why a test kit provides an inaccurate result such as user error, sample viability, the age and condition of the paint, or difficulty interpreting the final result. If you are looking for 100% accuracy, hiring a professional lead paint test is the only way to get that piece of mind.

You can expect to pay between $200 and $400 for a lead inspection, where your local lead testing pro will scan surfaces and items with an X-ray fluorescent analyzer. Lead risk assessments are slightly different and run around $800 to $2,000. A pro may find lead during an evaluation, and create a removal strategy.