Kit Farcin'

Home lead-testing kits unreliable, says study

Posted at 2:19 PM on 23 Oct 2007

If you rushed out to buy a home lead-testing kit when all of Junior's toys were recalled, hope you saved the receipt: a new study says that over-the-counter kits, usually used to test paint, aren't reliable for playthings. The Consumer Product Safety Commission put 104 kits to the test and found that 56 failed to detect lead in toys, while two overachievers warned of the heavy metal where it didn't exist. Concludes the CPSC, "Based on the study, consumers should not use lead test kits to evaluate consumer products for potential lead hazards."

sources: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, CBC News, The News-Times

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	Read more about: green living \| news \| parenting \| toxics \| all of these topics Tools: print \| email \| write to the editor \| subscribe \| RSS Share: digg \| hugg \| stumbleupon \| reddit \| newsvine \| fark \| facebook Bookmark: del.icio.us \| google \| yahoo Kit Farcin' Home lead-testing kits unreliable, says study Posted at 2:19 PM on 23 Oct 2007 If you rushed out to buy a home lead-testing kit when all of Junior's toys were recalled, hope you saved the receipt: a new study says that over-the-counter kits, usually used to test paint, aren't reliable for playthings. The Consumer Product Safety Commission put 104 kits to the test and found that 56 failed to detect lead in toys, while two overachievers warned of the heavy metal where it didn't exist. Concludes the CPSC, "Based on the study, consumers should not use lead test kits to evaluate consumer products for potential lead hazards." sources: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, CBC News, The News-Times ADVERTISING POLICY < Previous \| Next > Comments: There are no comments. Be the first to post! You are not logged in. Thus, you cannot post a comment. If you have a Gristmill account, log in below. If you don't have a Gristmill account, well, by all means go make one! Meet you back here in five. Username: Password: Forgot your password? Enter your username and click: The comments of Grist users reflect the opinions of those individuals only, and do not necessarily reflect the viewpoints of Grist, its staff, its board members, their psychotherapists, or their aestheticians. Got it?	Also in Grist Toby ... or Not Toby Dixie Chicks not ready to make ~~nice~~ "we" campaign ad with Toby Keith. Meals on Wheels Chef Kurt bikes across Iowa, ending with a recipe for Danish pancakes. The Death of Environmentalist How to green your funeral. If By Clean You Mean Filthy Is clean coal an oxymoron? Umbra clears up the confusion. The Week's Most Popular Viewed Commented Emailed Ask Umbra on storing produce If you're going to eat meat, you can't shy away from the whole beast Ask Umbra on sea-level rise Blogosphere responds reservedly to Gore's call for 100 percent renewable electricity GOP leaders unveil new energy bill that calls for some of everything and lots of drilling Are biofuels a core solution? Time to stop using the phrase 'renewable energy' Animal rights group called out for repeatedly exploiting women A conversation with energy guru Amory Lovins Ask Umbra on storing produce New Nature Conservancy prez chats about jumping from Goldman Sachs to the green scene As summer heats up, a tasting of six 'natural' white wines How to green your day job From the Archives Char for the Course. California wildfires continue to rage. Did You Ever Know That You're My Hero? Time compiles list of environmental heroes. Waive Goodbye. Chertoff waives environmental laws to continue border-fence construction. News Archives