There is a chance (small) that a long time ago, my apartment may have been painted with a paint containing lead.
How do I test for this?
There are test kits available online for fairly cheap.
There is one example
http://www.healthgoods.com/shopping/home_test_kits/lead_paint_testing.asp
I would say those are you best bet.
There are lead paint inspectors everywhere. You can look them up in the Yellow Pages. Is there a reason you really want to know? As long as the top coat of paint is stable and not chipping, there isn’t much to worry about. Removing lead paint can cost a lot of money and hassle. Many people don’t even bother unless they have small children around and the paint is peeling.
I was told when I was in a similar situation that a simple thing you can do if you suspect lead paint is to flake off a bit of the paint in question, then put it on a piece of white paper on a hard surface. Use the back of your fingernail to smash/drag the paint flake across the paper. Lead paint will leave a grayish smear, it looks like a graphite pencil mark.
I did that, got a smear, and sure enough, it was lead paint.
Chew on some of the paint, see if it makes you sick.
Would kits be available from hardware store? Pharmacies?
Hardware stores have test kits. They are semi-reliable. The pros use an x-ray device.
#1, lead paint is generally not considered a major risk for adults, it’s children who are most at risk.
#2, lead paint is turned into dust by friction/impact surfaces like the tracks of windows and the casing of doors. Flaking paint is bad as well, and is a lot more obvious.
#3 removing lead paint is very expensive.
#4 are you doing any renovations that involve sanding the paint? If you are, I would spend the $20 on a test. If you’re not, I don’t think I’d bother, just keep the house clean and the paint in good condition.
I hope this is a rented apartment, and not owned. If you own it, whatever you do, do NOT have it tested by an outsider. (So a real estate agent friend told me with my old house) If they find it to be lead, you are liable for giving that info out if you ever want to sell, and for any damages caused by that lead in the future.
True.
False, at least in my state. YMMV. Speaking as a Realtor here, if a residential structure was (or might have been) constructed before 1978, we must have the seller sign a Lead Based Paint Disclosure form, describing what the seller knows about it (which might be nothing). The buyer must be given the form and has the right to request testing or waive that right. Either way, if lead becomes known after the transaction closes, the seller is off the hook – he disclosed it and the buyer accepted it.
This is similar to other defects. The seller provides a list of known defects to the buyer who has no legal leg to stand on if he tries to complain about one of those defects later – he was told about it and he accepted it as part of the purchase price.
Where it gets sticky is if the buyer thinks the seller knows, but didn’t disclose, or a problem is greater than what was disclosed. Therefore, we always counsel the seller – if you know it, disclose it, and your ass is covered.
Same here in Indiana, Musicat. I bought my 1920 house this June. The seller was trying to be coy during the closing with the lead paint disclosure form. Everything that day was leaning in my favor, and let’s face it - the house was built in 1920. There is going to be lead paint somewhere! The wood exterior has been covered up with siding in the last 10 years, and everything was original hardwood inside (since painted over). My only question is when the interior had been painted over.
Then did you request lead testing as part of your purchase offer and have the seller pay for it?
You don’t even have to wait - lead tastes sweet, that’s why kids eat it.