Lead Testing Services in the Tacoma Area
According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), lead is a natural element that can have negative effects on animal and human health. It’s estimated that more than 1 million homes in Washington alone have lead-based paint.
For this reason, getting professional lead testing in Tacoma is the best way to ensure you’re creating a healthy environment for your family.
At Environix, our Tacoma team of environmental experts is equipped with the knowledge to test indoor lead levels, discuss the risks associated with high concentrations, and provide recommendations that help create a safe home in all senses of the word.
The Effects of Lead on Our Health
Lead is absorbed through either inhalation or ingestion, and it’s stored in different parts of our bodies. As time goes by, our bodies release the accumulated lead and mistake it with essential nutrients like calcium.
Major health complications occur when our bodies try to use lead to make muscle tissue, strengthen bones, or create new brain connections. Known as lead poisoning, this condition can develop gradually and may cause a series of severe symptoms that are not always easy to identify. Some of these include:
- Hearing problems
- Anemia
- Stunted growth
- Behavioral, attention, and learning problems
- Increased blood pressure and other cardiovascular complications
- Inhibited kidney function
- Fertility problems for both men and women
- Problems with the nervous system
Lead Testing and Inspections in Tacoma
Every member of our lead inspection Tacoma team is required to pass the Lead Risk Assessor certification. This means that all of our lead inspectors can carry out a full inspection and provide recommendations as well, so you’ll identify potential issues and receive guidance on what to do at the same time.
Soil Testing
It’s normal for your children to spend a significant amount of time playing in the backyard and other outdoor areas. Unfortunately, lead levels in the soil can become a huge problem if left unchecked. Children below the age of 6 are in more danger due to the higher risk of ingestion, so you have to make sure the soil in your backyard doesn’t have high lead concentrations.
Common reasons for high soil lead levels include:
Paint Contamination: Lead-based paint can chip, peel, or otherwise contaminate the soil around your house. Different studies suggest that soil lead concentration is higher within 2 to 3 feet of a building, which is largely attributed to lead-rich paint.
Leaded Gasoline: Leaded gasoline was banned in the mid-1980s because its emissions landed on the exposed soil, which in turn increased lead levels. Today, soil lead concentrations still tend to be higher in homes or areas that are within a few feet of major highways and busy roads.
Factories and Industrial Facilities: Smelter operation and other industrial processes release huge amounts of pollution into the atmosphere, which can skyrocket soil lead concentration in surrounding areas.
Lead Paint Inspections
Walls and other surfaces may feature a variety of substances that include varnishes, wallpapers, and of course, lead-based paints. Lead paint inspections examine all of the surfaces found inside and outside of a house in order to determine whether any of the layers feature lead paint.
Lead Paint Testing Techniques
The three most common techniques used to test lead paint are:
Swab-Style and Other DIY Kits: Often found in hardware stores, these kits use a swab stick and a liquid that changes color to determine if lead is present in the paint. However, these are usually unreliable as they often result in either false positives and false negatives.
Paint Chip Sampling: Once a standard technique for lead testing in Tacoma, paint chip sampling is now considered a destructive method that is only suitable for small areas that require one to two samples. Paint is sanded or scraped off the surfaces and sent to a lab for testing, which may potentially pause any remodeling projects for at least several days.
XRF Testing: X-ray fluorescence testing, known simply as XRF testing, relies on exposing a surface to ultra-powerful augmented x-rays. The device then measures the secondary x-rays that are emitted by the material in order to deduce its contents, resulting in immediate, super accurate results without having to destroy or expose the potential source of lead.
Find a Reliable Lead Testing and Inspection Company Today
At Environix, we provide a full range of lead testing and inspection services for your home. Our team of seasoned lead testing Tacoma experts can help you examine different areas including your ceiling, walls, doors, outdoor areas, and many more.
Get in touch with us by giving our Tacoma team a call, and we’ll be glad to help you create a safer home for your loved ones!