08.20.07
Testing for lead
Lead is a terrible poison, and nowadays various regulations keep most of it out of our environment—out of gasoline, out of paints for the home or toys, and the like. But in older places, it still may be present, and of course we’ve recently found that toys from China may contain lead. The problem for the very young are the long-term effects of lead.
So if you live in a older home or have old toys for your children (from a thrift shop, for example), you may want to test for lead. This kit (via James Fallows) offers a cheap and easy test for lead.
