Verification of Qualitative Spot Test Kits for Lead in Paint
The EPA Lead Renovation Repair and Painting (RRP) rule (PDF) (79 pp, 847 KB) includes a two phase process for evaluating and recognizing test kits that can be used to determine the presence of regulated levels of lead in lead-based paint surfaces.
EPA’s Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics (OPPT) will begin accepting applications for the first phase of the evaluation and recognition process (the 5% false negative rate) on September 1, 2008. Test kits must be presently commercially available to go through this evaluation process. Test kits will be evaluated using a protocol developed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and used in the NIST report entitled, “Spot Test Kits for Detecting Lead in Household Paint: A Laboratory Evaluation.” If vendors have an existing test kit that is commercially available and would like to have it evaluated for the purpose of being recognized by EPA as meeting the 5% false negative rate, please go to http://www.epa.gov/lead/pubs/testkit.htm for the application process and requirements.
For additional information on Phase 1 testing, contact:
Sam Brown
U. S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics
Phone: 202-566-0490
The RRP rule also identifies the ETV Program for obtaining independent laboratory validation of test kit performance. ETV will verify test kits based on the criteria established for the second phase evaluation process (5% false negative and 10% false positive standards). For more information on the recognition process of the Phase 2 testing, please go to http://www.epa.gov/lead/pubs/testkit.htm. ETV expects to begin to solicit vendors for Phase 2 testing in April 2009. ETV will post additional information on the verification testing of the improved test kits on the ETV Web Site at www.epa.gov/etv/este.html in the near future.
For additional information on the ETV ESTE testing, contact:
Julius Enriquez
ETV Project Officer
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
(513) 569-7285
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