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In the United States, a building’s age can flag a possible lead risk, but neither age nor appearance can confirm whether a specific home contains lead or presents a current hazard. The reliable next step is testing by the right qualified professional: an inspector can locate lead-based paint, while a risk assessor evaluates hazards in paint, dust, and soil. Avoid disturbing suspect paint until you have a lead-safe work plan.
Why older buildings and nearby soil deserve attention
Federal screening guidance focuses on housing built before 1978, when lead-based paint was still in use. Risk rises with age, but these national estimates are not a diagnosis of any individual property: the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that lead-based paint is likely in 87% of homes built before 1940, 69% of homes built from 1940 to 1959, and 24% of homes built from 1960 to 1977. EPA also estimates that approximately three-quarters of U.S. homes built before 1978 still contain some lead-based paint. The year of the cited EPA page is not stated. EPA: Reduce the Risk of Lead Exposure at Home
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Paint condition and location matter. Peeling, chipping, cracking, or chalking paint can shed chips and dust. Paint on friction surfaces—such as windows and doors—can wear and create dust even when damage is not obvious. Intact paint is generally less likely to pose a hazard than deteriorating paint, but it should be monitored and can become a concern if disturbed.
Lead can also be present in soil around older painted buildings, particularly near the foundation’s dripline, where exterior paint particles may have fallen. Past leaded-gasoline use, industrial activity, and hazardous-waste sites are other potential sources. Contaminated soil can be swallowed directly or tracked indoors on shoes, clothing, pets, and objects, adding to household dust. EPA: Reduce the Risk of Lead Exposure at Home · EPA: Lead in Soil
#1 Best Overall
- 2-in-1 LEAD DETECTION: Safe Home provides the only LEAD COMBO-KIT on the market which includes 10 DIY surface swabs that issue results in 30-seconds to a detection of 5 ppm AND a sample-submission kit for optional in-depth Lead testing at our EPA-certified lab to a detection of 0.006 ppm. All of this…in ONE KIT!
- DIY LEAD SCREENING: Safe Home provides the only Do-It-Yourself Lead screening kit that uses ultra-sensitive ACS (American Chemical Society) Grade Reagents, in our test swabs. This minimizes background interferences and issues more reliable results, than competitive brands. Safe Home costs a bit more, but you can trust the quality of our products.
- OPTIONAL LEAD TESTING AT OUR CERTIFIED LAB: Contractors and discerning homeowners can also use our Lead Sample Submission Kit, for optional testing at our EPA-certified lab. Testing at our laboratory meets EPA, NLLAP, RRP, and PPE guidelines. Our lab results can also be used for disposing of remediated materials to hazardous vs. non-hazardous landfills. NOTE: Lab fees are required for optional testing at our EPA-certified laboratory.
- MULTI-PURPOSE APPLICATIONS: Test for Lead in paint, dust, soil, wood, toys, furniture, metal, plastic, and more. Includes simple instructions for DIY screening and for sample collection and submission to our EPA-certified lab, for testing. MADE in the USA with domestic and international components. *Please Note: If testing surfaces that are sealed like ceramics, only the outer surface will be tested.
- EXPERIENCED CUSTOMER SUPPORT: Before, during, and after DIY screening or LAB testing for Lead, Safe Home provides qualified personnel with 40+ years of experience in testing Lead, to guide you. Reach out any time. We are happy to assist!
What you can—and cannot—learn by looking
Look for deteriorating paint and high-wear painted surfaces, including windows, doors, porches, and fences. Consider whether renovation, sanding, scraping, demolition, or repeated friction may have generated dust. Outdoors, note bare soil near the building, roadways, or known industrial or waste sites, especially where children play or people garden.
These observations help identify where to investigate; they cannot establish that paint contains lead or measure whether a hazard is present. EPA says, “The only way to know for certain whether a building has lead-based paint or lead hazards is to have it tested.” A visual check or general consumer swab is not a substitute for an appropriate assessment. EPA: Lead Abatement, Inspection and Risk Assessment
Rank #2
- SLGi Home Test Kits includes sampling tools, a prepaid return shipping label, instructions, and analysis.
- We perform Lead FLAA analysis by EPA Method 7000B for (1) paint, dust, or soil sample.
- Your results will be ready within (5) business days of your kit arriving at our lab.
- Your sample takes 1–5 business days to reach our lab.
Choose testing for the question you need answered
| Test or service | What it answers | When it is useful |
|---|---|---|
| Lead-based paint inspection | Whether and where lead-based paint is present | When you need to locate lead paint, for example, before planning work |
| Lead risk assessment | Whether current hazards are present in paint, dust, or soil, and what actions are recommended | When you need to evaluate exposure hazards in a home or child-occupied building |
| Soil laboratory analysis | The lead concentration in the submitted soil sample | When you need a soil result; EPA identifies qualified laboratory analysis as the preferred approach |
An inspection and a risk assessment are not interchangeable: one locates paint, the other evaluates current hazards and recommends actions. A soil result describes the submitted sample; it does not, on its own, establish that a home is safe or replace a risk assessment. A certified risk assessor can evaluate soil hazards at pre-1978 homes or buildings frequented by children under six. EPA: Lead Abatement, Inspection and Risk Assessment · EPA: Lead in Soil
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- Confirm the building’s age and location. In the U.S., pre-1978 housing is the key federal screening context. State, Tribal, territorial, and local programs may have additional or different requirements.
- Match the professional to your question. Use a certified lead-based paint inspector to identify lead paint; use a certified risk assessor to evaluate current paint, dust, and soil hazards and recommend actions. EPA recommends certified professionals. Check the applicable federal or authorized-program requirements for your location.
- For soil, ask about qualified laboratory analysis. EPA points to laboratories recognized under the National Lead Laboratory Accreditation Program (NLLAP). Ask whether the lab accepts your sample type and reports lead concentration. A local extension office or some health departments may also offer soil testing.
- Ask how samples and results will be interpreted. Have the professional explain what was sampled, what the result does and does not establish, and whether further assessment or action is appropriate. Local requirements and the project context matter.
Online mail-in soil kits can provide a route for submitting samples to a laboratory, but use one only when the lab’s qualifications, accepted sample type, and result format are clear. A consumer kit is not a substitute for a certified risk assessor’s evaluation of a property. EPA: Lead in Soil
Rank #3
- Kit tests for the presence of lead in soil
- 0, 100, 200, 300, and 400ppm (mg/L) detection levels
- 1 to 10 minute test time
- Includes test strips, reagent, and sample container for five tests
Prevent renovation from creating lead dust
Renovation, repair, or painting that disturbs lead-based paint can create hazardous dust. For covered work in pre-1978 housing and child-occupied facilities, EPA’s Renovation, Repair and Painting (RRP) program requires lead-safe certified contractors when lead paint is disturbed. EPA’s current “Steps to Lead Safe Renovation, Repair and Painting” pamphlet was updated in March 2026. Requirements can depend on the work, property, and jurisdiction, so check federal and state, Tribal, or territorial program rules before hiring. EPA: Steps to Lead Safe Renovation, Repair and Painting
- Before work begins, tell contractors the building’s age and share any inspection or risk-assessment results.
- Ask whether the contractor has the certification required for the work and jurisdiction, and how the work area will be contained and cleaned.
- Do not sand, scrape, demolish, or otherwise disturb suspect paint casually. Do not treat a visual check or general consumer swab as proof that work can proceed safely.
- Ask whether post-work testing or independent clearance testing is appropriate for the project and local rules.
EPA’s October 2024 rule changed the reportable standard for lead in dust to any level measurable by an EPA-recognized laboratory and distinguishes reportable levels from action levels. At reportable levels below action levels, EPA describes HEPA vacuuming of furnishings and regular damp cleaning as best practices. Do not rely on older floor or window-sill figures as though they were the current dust hazard standard; consult EPA’s current program page for interpretation. EPA: Hazard Standards and Clearance Levels for Lead in Paint, Dust and Soil
Rank #4
- Lab fee and mailing fee included.
- This kit test for lead in paint, dust, or soil, and is sent to Schneider labs for accurate testing. All tests are done with EPA certified methods.
- This SLGI Home Test Kit is designed for the sample collection of multiple samples (Packs), either paint, dust, and/or soil, and analysis turn around time (Days) starts the moment the kit arrives at our lab.
- Results are sent out based on the turn around time purchased (Days), and by 6:00pm EST.
If a child may have been exposed
A building inspection or soil test does not measure a person’s exposure. If you think a child may have been exposed to lead, discuss blood lead testing with a health care provider. Lead exposure can occur through ingestion or inhalation; contaminated soil can also be tracked indoors and contribute to household dust. EPA: Reduce the Risk of Lead Exposure at Home
Quick Recap
Best Value
- SLGi Home Test Kits includes sampling tools, a prepaid return shipping label, instructions, and analysis.
- We perform Lead FLAA analysis by EPA Method 7000B for (10) paint, dust, and/or soil samples.
- Your results will be ready within (5) business days of your kit arriving at our lab.
- Your samples take 1–5 business days to reach our lab.
- Your samples must all be submitted together.
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