New at-home lead tests that promise to "help end lead poisoning" are hitting the market. They are inexpensive and easy to use, but do they work? Denver7 Investigates put them to the test.
Lead concerns, detection
Headlines about lead found in everything from faucets to formula are all over the internet, and lead poisoning continues to be a serious issue in Colorado. A 2021 study showed that an estimated 72% of Colorado children under age 6 had lead detected in their blood.
At a time when lead poisoning is a serious concern, at-home test kits are using new technology and touting more reliable results than previous swab tests.
The basic idea is simple: pick a surface, shine the included UV flashlight, and spray the reagent.
"If you see green, you know that there's lead," said Xander Terpstra, the CEO of Lumetallix, which created the first test of its kind.
Terpstra said chemists in the Netherlands accidentally discovered that a salt called methylammonium bromide bonds with lead crystals. After a chemical reaction, the compound turned fluorescent under ultraviolet light if lead was present.
"This is a complete new technology," said Terpstra. "It's about 1,000 times more sensitive than the common swabs that you find in the market. So, we think it's the best thing available right now."
The new technology is not yet approved by federal regulators, including the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Consumer Product Safety Commission.
In a statement to Denver7 Investigates, the Consumer Product Safety Commission wrote, “Lead screening should be done with an X-ray fluorescence (XRF) machine. Lead testing kits sold commercially are generally unreliable and should not be used.”
- Lead exposure can lead to serious health effects in kids, ranging from developmental delays, learning difficulties and behavioral issues. Óscar Contreras breaks down the signs to watch for in the story below:
Health News
When it comes to lead poisoning, CDPHE has tips on the things to watch out for
Colorado's solutions: Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program
Alison Barbee with the Colorado Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program uses an XRF machine to perform lead assessments for homes in the state.
"Lead, when ingested or inhaled, can cause behavioral learning and cognitive disabilities, as well as other health symptoms, if it stays in the system for a long time," said Barbee, who added that the primary source of lead in homes is lead-based paint.
But the state also offers to test everything from water to dishes to spices for families with children who test positive for lead poisoning.
The state does not use the new at-home tests, but Barbee said raising awareness about lead poisoning could be a net positive.
"We appreciate the innovation that industry has done, and we applaud that it allows Coloradans to do these tests in the home," said Barbee. "But if they are concerned, especially if they have kids, we do recommend having their children tested and at a minimum, talking to their healthcare provider."
If you want to know if your child could be at risk of lead poisoning, the state has a one-minute quiz here.
Limitations of at-home tests
Even the makers of the new lead test kits acknowledge there are limitations to what the tests can detect.
Eric Ritter, known on social media as EricEverythingLead, owns Flouro-Spec Inc., the second test kit on the market using this technology, following Lumetallix. Ritter said the tests don't work on the type of lead in food and spices, can't be used to test water, and don't tell you how much lead is in the object.
"Obviously, you can't detect all lead, especially if it's buried," said Ritter. "So, if there's lead below the surface, you won't be able to know anything about it until you actually touch the chemical to that lead, so that could give people a false sense of security."
Tamara Rubine, known on social media as Lead Safe Mama, agreed that the tests may give a false sense of security. She has seen false negatives on products she knew contained lead.
"The problem is that they give false negatives on a lot of consumer goods," said Rubin, who said the best use of the new tests is to determine if paint is leaded, but not for consumer goods. "It's great for people to have a home test kit option to help kind of pin things down, but it's gotten a little bit out of control given the limitations, and people don't take the time to understand or read about or comprehend the limitations of these different home test kit technologies. If the spray kit gives a false negative, then somebody has a sense of security."
Denver7 Investigates: Informal test of the lead tests
Denver7 Investigates wanted to put the new kits to the test. Barbee went to consumer investigator Jaclyn Allen's home and tested everything from the walls to the doors to her favorite tea saucers. We then re-test everything with the at-home testing kits.
For the most part, the kits had the same results as the state's XRF test: No lead was found on the walls, doors, or other painted surfaces. However, the state's XRF test found Allen's favorite tea saucer had high levels of lead, but the saucer did not react with the at-home tests.
"I cannot tell you whether or not the lead is in the glaze of the ceramic or it's actually in the clay of the ceramic," said Barbee. "Commonly, we see in clay products that use Bentonite clay, there's naturally more lead content in that type of clay than in other types. So sometimes you can see that ceramics or other uses of clay."
Terpstra, CEO of Lumatallix, said no test is perfect, but this technology is the best affordable commercial testing to date.
"Of course, this is not the answer to everything. We do understand that there may be some surfaces where just a spectrometer test may be the best. And just a consumer test may not be what you want," said Terpstra. "But in order to make sure that a lot of people around the world start testing in their environment, we believe that the Lumetallix test kit is the best there is at the moment."
So, what should be done with an item that tests positive for lead? What about that tea saucer that contains high lead levels?
Barbee said as long as it's not damaged, it could be kept and used. But probably don't microwave it or eat something acidic off of it.
Denver7 Investigates also found several glasses and mugs with painted lettering and logos that tested positive for lead, but Barbee said those may also be safe to continue to use.
"If it's chipping, peeling, or kids are touching and eating in it, that can be concerning," said Barbee. "I would presume this logo had some sort of lead content in it when it was created. But the actual glassware itself is safe."
