Finding the Lead-Based Paint Hazards in and Around Your Home

Table of Contents

You should assume that all of the paint, stain or other coatings in your home contain lead unless you live in a home built after 1978. Look for paint, stain or other coatings that are: 

A person wearing gray work gloves and a plaid shirt scrapes peeling white paint from wooden siding with a metal scraper. Paint flakes fall as bare wood shows beneath. A red ladder and green foliage appear blurred in the background.
  • Loose
  • Cracked or chipping
  • Peeling or flaking
  • Rubbing off
  • Deteriorating in any way 

These are HAZARDS that can cause lead poisoning. 

When paint chips off these surfaces, all layers of paint usually come off together. This is a HAZARD that can cause lead poisoning because the bottom layers of paint may contain lead, even if the surface has been repainted with lead-free paint. 

Paint that has an “alligator” cracking pattern or rubs off on your hands (chalks) is usually lead-based paint. Cracked or chalking paint is a HAZARD that can cause lead poisoning. 

Chipped and peeling gray paint reveals aged wood beneath; texture shows deep cracks and uneven surfaces.

Old varnish that looks cloudy may contain lead. Lead-based paint was often mixed with varnish to give it a deeper, richer color. If the finish is cracked or peeling, old varnish is a HAZARD that can cause lead poisoning. 

Use pages 16 to 23 to look for lead hazards in your home. Mark the HAZARD box when you find a problem.