Get matched with top lead testing and removal specialists in Columbus, PA

Professional testing for lead paint costs about $300, ranging from about $250 to $700, depending on the square footage, accessibility, and location. However, testing for lead paint with a DIY home-testing kit costs about $25, but doesn’t guarantee accurate results. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recommends using a lead test kit that complies with the Lead Renovation, Repair, and Painting (RRP) Rule, which has strict criteria for ensuring a more accurate reading.

Common home surfaces to test for lead include:

• Walls

• Windows

• Doors

• Molding and trim

• Railings

A lead paint inspection is a thorough examination and assessment of a building or structure to determine the presence of lead-based paint. Lead-based paint was commonly used in buildings before 1978 when its health hazards were fully understood. Lead is toxic and can pose health risks, particularly to young children and pregnant women. Getting a lead paint inspection means finding a lead paint inspector to examine the surfaces of the building—such as walls, ceilings, doors, windows, and other painted areas—and identify the presence of lead-based paint.

Lead removal services typically cost between $1,000 and $5,000, depending on the extent of lead presence, the property size, and the complexity of the abatement process.

Lead toxicity comes from inhaling lead or consuming it. Before the 1980s, when the government banned lead from consumer use, it could be found in paint, plumbing, pipes, ceramics, and even gasoline. Lead paint is toxic for the same reason lead itself is toxic, which is why lead poisoning from paint presents the same as lead poisoning from water or food sources, with a slight increase in respiratory symptoms vs. digestive symptoms. Lead paint is most dangerous when it’s old and peeling, cracking, or otherwise disturbed. This increases the concentration in the air and, therefore, in breathable air.