Lead paint. Assume, test, then work safely
Before 1970, Australian house paint could be up to 50% lead, and 3.7 million of those homes are still standing. The danger isn’t the paint on the wall; it’s the weekend you sand it.
Do you actually need testing?
Pre-1970 home
Assume lead is present. The federal environment department says the vast majority of these homes contain it, often in undercoats below modern layers.
Painted before 1997
Treat lead as possible until tested. Limits only reached today’s trace levels in 2021.
About to renovate
Test before sanding, scraping or stripping. Hardware swab kits screen the surface; a NATA lab paint-chip analysis is the definitive answer.
What it should cost
lead content allowed in domestic paint before 1970. Official DCCEEW timeline
pre-1970 Australian homes, most containing lead paint
when limits dropped to near-modern levels. Pre-1997 paint deserves the question
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