recommendations for certified lead inspection and assessment companies/people?

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recommendations for certified lead inspection and assessment companies/people?

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skribe00
getting it
Joined: Apr '09
Posts: 73

Can anyone recommend us a certified lead inspection and assessment company or person you actually used and had a good experience with? "Good," meaning the professional inspection and assessment they gave you seemed accurate, but also their advice on remediation or recommendations they gave you post-assessment made you feel confident about the post-evaluation actions you took?

Background:

We live in the parlor floor of an area brownstone built in 1899. Because of its age, it's nearly guaranteed to have lead paint in it. The paint is pealing in our bedroom. A home kit showed barely positive levels of lead, but it was a (pink/red) color test that gave no measurable nor definitive conclusions.

Anyway, since we're planning on having a baby, it seems to me the most precautionary action to take would be to move, and move to some new condo-type place built from the ground up after 1978 (no lead). But we'd rather not move if possible. Meaning, if we can assure ourselves that by taking certain actions we can guarantee absolutely no adverse exposure to lead for our baby.

That's why we're taking the first step of getting the apartment tested; to know what we're dealing with.

So besides a recommendation on lead inspection/assessment folks; what's your advice/experience on this lead-baby issue?

It's our understanding that direct ingestion of paint chips is not the only way to get lead poisoning re: lead dust: Babies crawl on the floor and lead dust gets on their toys, fingers and hence their mouths. We have dust that's white but no way of telling if it's lead dust. But what's your knowledge on this? and many thanks for advising.

Like I said, we're first going to determine whether there are significant levels. and then decide. so any certified lead tester recommendations you've experienced and trusted, that are affordable too is greatly appreciated. (no shills of course, please).

I've read most everything on this and of course nothing's quite definitive. remains a mystery and a risk. and THAT makes us anxious. trying to reason this out. thanks in advance for your help/input.

# Posted 10 mos ago
PragmaticGuy
above average
Joined: Apr '11
Posts: 391

I don't have a recommendation for you but the worst places to find lead are the window sills and the door jabs. Covering up old lead paint does not mitigate it so if lead is found most likely they'll have to be replaced. By the way, you should also check the plumbing. Lots of copper pipes that were replaced in the 1960s or so were joined with lead solder. All told, I do not think that this will be an inexpensive undertaking.

# Posted 10 mos ago
dpr492
rookie newb
Joined: Dec '11
Posts: 13

Lead dust is a big hazard but is only produced if the lead paint has been agitated (scraped, broken, moved, fallen off of the wall/ceiling). So the dust is less of a worry than the paint chips.

There is a paint that encapsulates the lead paint successfully and is way less expensive than having it removed.

I am a contractor that is lead certified and all I would be able to do is tell you whether or not lead is present but I would say that any level of lead is bad. (90PPM or below is the federal standard for "safe level" and the test you used indicates lead when there is 600ppm or more)

I hope this was helpful.

# Posted 10 mos ago
PragmaticGuy
above average
Joined: Apr '11
Posts: 391

By the way, depending on how much you like or don't like your landlord you could call the city housing department and complain about lead. They will come and test and issue a violation to the landlord so that he/she will have to pay for the remediation. Also, if you have real plaster instead of sheet rock that's also a big source of lead.

# Posted 10 mos ago
JennaGal
what am I, new?
Joined: Jul '12
Posts: 1

RTK Environmental Group headquartered in Stamford, CT is great. They only do testing and not remediation so there is no conflict of interest and they have nothing to gain by telling you anything but the truth. I lived in a 100 year old building in Greenwich Village during my first pregnancy and there was chipping paint everywhere. Sometimes you only need an encapsulator paint rather than full remediation. Also, pregnant women are also very susceptible to lead poisoning. You have to watch yourself because it can get to your baby before they are even born. There is some good advice at http://www.BustLeadDust.com. Good luck!

# Posted 10 mos ago
OMARELSUDANI
what am I, new?
Joined: Jul '12
Posts: 4

I am glad you are thinking about this a head of time because this is very serious I had to learn it the hard way.
It took us 3 years of very hard work, to bring the lead level of my lovely daughter's blood down to the normal level, abate the lead from the whole prospect heights brown stone.
Facts:-
1) all lead testing companies are certified by NYC department of health, testing companies are actually labs, what they do they send somebody out to take samples, they call it wet sticker sample test or something like that, also they come with a device to test the lead level on the air.
2) safe lead levels are different for adults and for kids, if you call a lead testing company and they found the level is not safe for kids, they will report it immediately to the health department which will handle this matter with your landlord, if there is any kids living in the house.
3) After testing if you find out there is any level of lead where you going to have the baby you must do something immediately, and consider moving because if you have to abate the lead you must not be around that house anyway, since there will be a major lead dust which can affect your child before he or she is born.
4) If you find that the level is very high and the health department will involve, your land lord will pay serious money to abate the lead, and normally landlords hate tenants who
start a lead problem in their buildings.
5) Testing companies will charge you around $500 any time they come to do a new test
so if you test now, another test is is mandatory after the lead abatement, normally lead removal contractors will sign a contract with the landlord or you if you decide to do it yourself that they will remove the lead up to the end, and normally they do, and you have to know some lead companies they charge close to $20 K and more.
Lead testing companies will send any lead testing result to the health department, by law.
6) you can find all the information you need about lead in the nyc department of health website, including the certified testing companies I think, any way here is the link
http://www.health.ny.gov/environmental/lead/programs_plans/index.htm
7) I know my testing company was in staten island and it was one of the bests I found it
after a very heavy internet search.
Finally if you do not find testing companies in the health department site you can e-mail me or you can post here, I will make sure to find my lead testing company in this big yellow envelope which has any thing to do with my happy ending experience with the lead abatement from my home and lead level reduction on my daughter's blood.

Note: Although most of the lead abatement companies charge you an arm and a leg , but through heavy research and home work I was able to abate a three level brown stone for less than $4000 and and that includes two testings ($1000), we had estimates
for $8K, $18K, $ 22K and $25K from other companies.

Finally Good luck

One last advice, if this whole thing is too much for you, please consider moving because
lead can be your nightmare if you let have access to your baby's blood.

Omer

# Posted 10 mos ago
OMARELSUDANI
what am I, new?
Joined: Jul '12
Posts: 4

OK here is name of the testing company we used in 2004

Safety Environmental Inc
(718)390-0914

http://www.safetyenvironmentalinc.net

I am very sure testing was not more than $500 and that was 8 years ago (2004).

Good Luck

Omer

# Posted 10 mos ago

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