As part of dealing with the great lead paint scare of aught seven, we fell into the warm, comforting cocoon of the basic lead tests purchased at any hardware store — if that little strip didn’t turn pink after dabbing on our children’s toys, we were home free. Well, according to a recent CPSC staff study, you shouldn’t relax just yet as the test kits are generally unreliable:

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) today announced the results of a special evaluation of consumer lead test kits. CPSC staff used commonly available test kits on a variety of paints and other products containing different levels of lead. Many of the tests performed using the kits did not detect lead when it was there (false negatives); some indicated lead was present when it was not (false positives). Of 104 total test results, more than half (56) were false negatives, and two were false positives. None of the kits consistently detected lead in products if the lead was covered with a non-leaded coating. Based on the study consumers should not use lead test kits to evaluate consumer products for potential lead hazards. These findings are consistent with previous CPSC staff test results.

Yikes. Seems like the best option is still to go for the safer alternative — “handcrafted, locally made, organic, fair trade” toys.

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