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July 2017 Moms
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Testing Your Home for Lead?

oheliza44oheliza44 member
in July 2017 Moms
I did a global search on this topic and found posts from BMB in 2009/2010, but nothing recently. I thought this may be something of interest to everyone since (most unfortunately) lead exposure in children has been in the news this past year.

DH and I bought our home last December. Our home was originally built in the 1950's, flooded then abandoned during Hurricane Katrina, then purchased by developer and completely remodeled. One of the things that we love about our home is the old character and charm; the contractor really took the effort to preserve these details and it makes our house so unique. With that said, I am worried about possible lead sources in the house, specifically in our guest bath (soon to be LO's bathroom.) The tub is a beautiful old cast iron tub that is finished with a ceramic coating. We don't use this bathroom regularly. This morning, I noticed that the ceramic was lifting, exposing old paint underneath. A friend of mine recently found out her bathtub had high levels of lead. She also bought a remodeled old home. I was wondering if anyone had experience with this and if so, what is the best way to test for the presence of lead and remediate the issue? Anyone else live in an older home that may have hidden sources of lead?
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Re: Testing Your Home for Lead?

  • glitterfish-2glitterfish-2 member
    I think you can buy test kits at home depot. 
    However, if you have to de-lead a home that is a HUGE expense. I would never do it.
    You can refinish a bathtub with an epoxy coating.
    Here we have high levels of lead in our water, too.
    Pregnancy Ticker

    Highly monitored internet and no cell service in the office, so I'm postin' and ghostin' while I'm workin' 
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  • oheliza44oheliza44 member
    I am only really concerned about the tub. I didn't know they had in home test kits, so I'll definitely check that out. Thanks!
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  • glitterfish-2glitterfish-2 member
    Oh and now I'm super curious where you live because I wrote my thesis on a 1950s subdivision in NOLA! (pontchartrain park)
    Pregnancy Ticker

    Highly monitored internet and no cell service in the office, so I'm postin' and ghostin' while I'm workin' 
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  • morgaritamorgarita member
    Maybe the doctor only asked about it but I felt there was something the doctor did a shot or test dealing with lead. I cannot remember and I don't think it was a test bc ds was less than one. But I thought we got something extra bc our house was built before a certain time. This was absolutely no help to you but maybe someone else remembers. 

    I did however pay to get a test from the city or someone to test our water for lead bc we have our own well. I mailed in to get it. 
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  • CallMeMrsChaosCallMeMrsChaos member
    I don't post much, but I did want to chime in that if you have knowledge of lead in your home, some state laws will require removal or encapsulation and it is not always as easy as "i'll just replace it". You may be required to have a lead safe contractor do the work and the cost for disposal because it is deemed to be a "hazardous waste" could be higher. Plus, if you find there to be lead in the home and choose not to do anything about it, state laws may require you to disclose this information to buyer's in the future. I live in a 1950's style cape and we choose to be blissfully unaware what lurks behind our walls. My DD is 2.5 and has never had unsafe lead levels come back from her lead tests, so I think we are safe and we aren't the type to let her lick,eat or ingest flaking paint chips. 

    My Ovulation Chart: http://www.fertilityfriend.com/home/CallMeMrsChaos/

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  • star_beaglestar_beagle member
    You might want to test your water. If they didn't replace the pipes, there's always a chance. Also, as long as they completely stripped the old paint before painting over it, you should be fine.
    Married: 10/13/2013
    TTC #1: Mirena removed 5/26/2015; DH - normal SA, me - diagnosed with PCOS 8/4/2016 - on Metformin; BFP - 10/29/2016!!!, EDD - 7/8/2017; DD born 6/29/2017
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  • oheliza44oheliza44 member
    Thanks for the info, everyone. All our pipes and paint are new, so I am mostly worried about the tub. I think I'm going to do the test kit and reseal, if necessary. 
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