Toxic Lead Paint Still a Hazard in Many Buildings across California

Garden Grove, CA, November 11, 2013

Last month, the California HealthCare Foundation’s Center for Health Reporting published a report about lead paints hazards and vulnerable children. The article discusses an ongoing legal case that could require paint companies to pay up to a billion dollars to remove lead-based paints from homes in the state. According to the article, a Santa Clara Superior Court judge has until the end of the year to make a ruling.

Many homes across California have lead-based paints and the article states that in Oakland alone, 90% of houses have lead.  Nationwide, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) claims that there are, “Approximately 500,000 U.S. children aged 1-5 years with blood lead levels above 5 micrograms of lead per deciliter of blood, the reference level at which CDC recommends public health actions be initiated. Lead poisoning can affect nearly every system in the body. Because lead poisoning often occurs with no obvious symptoms, it frequently goes unrecognized. Lead poisoning can cause learning disabilities, behavioral problems, and, at very high levels, seizures, coma, and even death.”

According to the California Department of Public Health (CDPH), the most common way to treat lead poisoning in children is to find the lead source and remove it from their environment. Fortunately, there are professionals across California who offer lead testing services and property owners and renters can send samples to laboratories for a quick and inexpensive test. 

One of the leading lead testing facilities in the state is LA Testing, who has a network of laboratories that provide services to the public and environmental consultants. “There is no known safe level of lead in the human body,” reports Michael Chapman, Laboratory Manager of LA Testing’s Garden Grove facility. “LA Testing provides testing services that are quick and economical and we even offer a field test kit that can be used on painted surfaces to determine if lead is present.”

To learn more about testing services for lead or other indoor air quality (IAQ) and environmental issues, please visit www.LATesting.com, email info@LATesting.com or call (800) 755-1794. 

About LA Testing and EMSL Analytical, Inc.
LA Testing and EMSL Analytical are providers of environmental testing services and products to professionals and the general public. The companies have an extensive list of accreditations from leading organizations as well as state and federal regulating bodies. LA Testing has laboratories throughout California to service commercial clients and government agencies as well as the general public.

Contact Information

Joseph Frasca

Senior Vice President of Marketing

EMSL Analytical

(1) 1-800-303-0047

jfrasca@emsl.com