The short answer: with a handheld XRF analyser, pointed at the paint. XRF (X-ray fluorescence) is a non-destructive analytical technique used to determine the elemental composition of materials. The analyser reads the make-up of the paint in seconds, through every layer, without damaging the surface – and tells you on the spot whether lead is present. At Airsafe, lead-in-paint XRF screening is carried out on existing painted surfaces and paint flakes under our NATA accreditation (No. 2959).
Here’s how it works in practice, and what the result does – and doesn’t – tell you.
Why you can’t tell by looking
Lead paint looks like any other paint. Australian paint could legally contain high levels of lead for most of the twentieth century, and the definition of lead paint has tightened over time: since 2017, paint containing more than 0.1% lead by mass is classified as lead-containing. The limit used to be 1%, so paint that an older survey called lead-free may not pass today. If your building predates 1997 – and especially if it predates 1970 – the only way to know is to test.
On-site XRF testing, step by step
An Airsafe consultant brings one of our Olympus Vanta XRF analysers to your site. The instrument is held against the painted surface – a wall, a window frame, a ceiling, a column – and fires a low-energy X-ray beam at the paint. Each element responds by fluorescing at its own characteristic energy, and the analyser reads that response to report what the paint contains, including lead.
Three things make this the method of choice:
- It’s non-destructive. Nothing is scraped, drilled or removed – the paint and the surface are left exactly as they were.
- It reads through the layers. Lead paint is often buried under decades of newer coats. XRF picks it up anyway.
- Results are immediate. Readings come back in seconds, so we can test far more of a building in one visit than off-site sampling would allow, and walk the site with you as the picture builds.
Painted surfaces and paint flakes
Most testing happens in situ – on the existing painted surfaces of the building. Where paint is already coming away, or renovation work has left debris, collected paint flakes can be tested the same way. Both sit within Airsafe’s published NATA scope for lead-in-paint screening.
A screening test – and why that matters
Formally, XRF lead-paint testing is a screening test for the presence of lead. Airsafe was the first laboratory in Australia to achieve NATA accreditation for paint analysis for elevated levels of lead using portable XRF, under our validated in-house method – and a screening result answers the question most renovation, maintenance and property decisions actually ask: is there lead paint here, and where?
What a screening result is not: a hazardous-chemical classification or a waste classification. Where your project needs those – or where lead in soil, dust or other heavy-metal chemistry needs confirmatory numbers – we collect the samples and have them analysed by an appropriately NATA-accredited external laboratory. You get the speed of an on-site answer, with laboratory confirmation where the regulatory framework requires it.
What happens after the test
You get a clear report of what was tested and what was found. If no lead turns up, you can get on with the job. If lead paint is identified, we’ll talk you through what it means for your project: lead paint in good condition can often be managed in place, while paint that’s flaking, chalking or about to be disturbed by works needs a plan. Airsafe can manage the hazard side of lead paint removal – the specification, air and dust monitoring, and clearance – while a licensed or competent contractor does the removal itself.
For pricing, turnaround and everything else about the service, see our Lead & Heavy Metal Testing page – or just call Airsafe on 1300 888 338 and tell us what you’re working on.
