I am sorry that this is so long ... but I have had it. Simply had it. A few weeks ago, a friend of mine found out that BOTH of her kids were damned near poisoned with lead! Apparently, it was being tracked into the house from the front door frame. This got me thinking ..."hmmmm, I know we tested the major stuff when we moved in our current house (walls, window ledges, baseboards etc) and it all came up negative ... but the backdoor started peeling this winter, (stupid cold-ass winter) maybe I should go test that white shit paint that is now visible. Can't have my Lyddle Speyshel Snawflaykes getting more Speyshul because of chronic high lead in their blood..." So I goes and buys the stupid little test tonight ... dab it on the door -- the stick just about jumped out of my hand it turned red so fast ... yup, the old white paint UNDER the newer, 'safe' green paint, is SCREAMING with lead. GREAT ... gotta strip the DOOR IN ALL MY SPARE TIME! So I panic, and proceed to run around the house testing.everything.in.sight. Then I look at the back of the box, to see what all they suggest should be tested, because GOD KNOWS THERE HAD TO BE SOMEHTING LEFT THAT I HAD NOT SWABBED DOWN ... and lo and behold, it says "bathtub". Huh? really? Well, I was intrigued. I had to try this out ... went in, swiped the inside .. AND THE FUCKING SWAB TURNED RED. THE TUB HAS LEAD IN THE GLAZE!!!
We have bearly enough $$$ to feed ourselves, pay our debits AND keep our heads above water. I will be shot-up-the-ass-the-a-lead-test if we are going to stop bathing ON TOP of being broke. Seriously, what now? There is no replacing the tub anytime within the next 5 years!
After I calmed down (barely, but a little) we thought it through, and reasoned that
a) lead is not soluble in normal pH water.
b) we have ALWAYS stayed strict about the kids not drinking the bathwater -- you know, elusive Brown Trouts can appear at any time...
c) I am not the best housekeeper (I like to call myself BEING GREEN) and therefore, the tub does not get scrubbed with harsh abrasives hardly ever.
Have any of you EVER been through this? If so, short of tearing out the bathroom, what did you do?!?!? I am thinking that we will just be taking showers from now on, since that way, the water runs right down the drain, and does not linger long enough to be consumed in anyway.
