Lead in Paint and Dust – now IANZ Accredited
We are proud to announce that we have recently gained IANZ accreditation for the analysis of lead in paint and dust, having provided high quality testing services for lead in paint and dust for many years. With on-going interest in lead as a contaminant in New Zealand dwellings, it was important to both our clients and to us, that our lead results for paint and dust were recognized with IANZ accreditation.
Lead is a known environmental contaminant that has been shown to affect human health. In residential New Zealand houses, lead may be present due to residues from lead-based paint, which was widely used on properties prior to 1965 and was still found in paint used up until the 1980’s. Children are particularly sensitive to elevated lead exposure with their cognitive abilities suffering, so understanding the lead status of paint, especially that present in residential dwellings is very important. When renovating properties that have been painted, recently, layers of old lead-based paint may still be present covered with modern paint.
The Hill Labs report for lead in paint allows clients to easily identify whether a submitted sample is lead paint or not. Our report format classifies samples as either ‘Lead Paint’ or ‘Lead-free Paint’ as defined by AS/NZS 4361.2:2017.1 This enables you to see immediately whether paint samples are of concern, allowing important decisions regarding hazardous paint management to be made as soon as possible. AS/NZS 4361.2:2017 ‘Guide to hazardous paint management, Part 2: Lead paint in residential, public and commercial buildings’ identifies lead paint as paint containing greater than 0.1% lead by mass in the dry film.
An example of how this classification is reported on a Hill Labs report is below:
Lead in household dust can be present due to lead-based paint in a home, especially deteriorating lead-based paint. Repair and renovation activities in older homes can contribute to lead being present in indoor dust, additionally lead-contaminated particles in outdoor soil or due to outdoor activities such as painting and sanding, can contribute to lead in household dust.
Due to the range of factors that can impact lead in household dust, such as the amount of painted wood present, property age, property condition, along with the hobbies and occupations of those living in a dwelling, Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora suggests that seeking professional advice before undertaking dust sampling may be useful to ensure sampling is effective and results are meaningful.
Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora provides information and Guidelines for the Management of Lead-based Paint here.
We have useful guidance notes available to assist with sampling for paint and dust for lead analysis, see links below. These technical notes are also available here.
For any further information or assistance, please contact our Environmental Client Services team.
Ph: 0508 HILL LAB (44 555 22)
Email: env.csm@hill-labs.co.nz
Notes:
1 AS/NZS 4361.2:2017 ‘Guide to hazardous paint management, Part 2: Lead paint in residential, public and commercial buildings’ identifies lead paint as paint containing greater than 0.1% lead by mass in the dry film.
