1 Department of Pediatrics, University of Rochester, School of Dentistry, 260 Crittendon Boulevard, Rochester, New York 14620
2 Department of Chemistry, University of Rochester, School of Dentistry, 260 Crittendon Boulevard, Rochester, New York 14620
Lead poisoning is one of the most important environmental health hazards in inner-city children today. The disorder almost always results from the child eating chips of paint, putty, or plaster containing toxic quantities of lead. Identification of painted surfaces which contain dangerous quantities of lead is an extremely important part of the household investigation in any case of lead poisoning. Furthermore, paint testing is a valuable means of locating potentially dangerous areas in homes where there are small children. Window sills, walls, and other interior surfaces are pointed out as particularly common sources of lead.1,2 Heretofore, testing of paint samples by spectroscopic methods has been tedious, expensive, and required that specimens be submitted to a laboratory.