Home test kits for lead are unreliable: agency

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Consumers should not use home test kits to detect lead in paint and other products because nearly half of those sampled gave inaccurate readings, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said on Monday.

The safety agency said it analyzed 104 lead test results and found 56 gave false negative results while two gave false positives.

"None of the kits consistently detected lead in products if the lead was covered with a non-leaded coating," the agency said in a statement. "Based on the study, consumers should not use lead test kits to evaluate consumer products for potential lead hazards."

Millions of Chinese-made toys, including some Sesame Street characters sold by Mattel and wooden Thomas trains sold by RC2 Corp, have been recalled this year because they contain high levels of lead.

High levels of lead have been linked to brain damage in children.

The safety agency's staff studied two common types of home lead test kits that are based on chemical reactions involving rhodizonate ion or sulfide ion.

Because most test kits were developed to detect levels of lead in household paint that are usually much higher than the agency's maximum allowed content of 0.06 percent, the kits are not reliable to spot lower concentrations in paint or lead in metal jewelry or vinyl products, the agency said.

Testing by a qualified laboratory is the only way to accurately assess the risk of lead in a consumer product, it said.