Frequently asked questions

The ingredients in the test react with lead to turn it into a semi-conducting crystalline mineral that fluoresces under UV light.

It's a kind of like changing coal into diamonds. Only these crystals are microscopic, the size of bacteria. They form instantly in most cases and you can see very small clusters of them glow bright green with the naked eye.

FluoroSpec is a lead test kit that helps you spot sources of lead using a UV light and FluoroSpec test liquid, so you can see where lead is including lead dust instead of guessing.

Pre-existing fluorescence is glow you see before applying FluoroSpec liquid. It’s usually blue (sometimes green) and is not lead,because you haven’t applied the test liquid yet.

Lead is a neurotoxic heavy metal. It was widely used through the 1900s (especially in paint and gasoline) and can still show up in products today, including some rubber items, pigments, furniture, and more.

We recommend using a UV Light that is 365nm. The glowing lead test works by ultraviolet fluorescence, the mineral formed by the liquid contacting lead on the surface of an object will glow when excited by ultraviolet light. Our kit relies on 365nm light, so if you have a flashlight of the correct wavelength you can use your own! However, be aware not all "black light" flashlights or bulbs will emit light at the correct wavelength. Our flashlight was designed specifically to output a lot of 365nm wavelength light with very little visible light.

Paint, paint dust, metal, glass and ceramics, rubber, vinyl and plastic can all be tested. You can also find debris from sanding or working with lead, gun shot residue, and most other common forms of lead. Don't forget your frosted glasses.

Remember to pump the bottle a few times to get the sprayer primed, if you skip this step you will have to re prime it by taking the spray ring out. Watch a tutorial video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-lqxhYk-1Wc&t=1s

Some objects glow naturally under UV light,this is called fluorescence. You always shine the light first to check for pre-existing fluorescence before applying the liquid.

1. Shine UV light on the area first.

2. Apply FluoroSpec liquid using the spray or drip bottle.

3. Shine UV light again.

4. Look for the lead glow,lead will not glow green until the liquid is applied.

Yes, while it will irritate your eyes if you get it in your eyes, taste terrible, and may irritate your skin, the chemicals in the test (methylammonium bromide, mandelic acid, isopropyl alcohol) are relatively non-toxic and will not poison you like lead will. But at the end of the day, you are using chemicals to create a reaction with the lead in order to find it, so use the same common sense you would with cleaning products like bleach. Clean up by washing with water (everything dissolves easily) or use a damp napkin to remove residue.

Clean the area or item with water, the chemicals in the test are water-soluble. If you find an object tests positive and wish to clean it off, use a damp napkin.

Wash hands thoroughly after handling lead-positive items and using our test kit. If you find an object that tests positive and wish to clean it off, use a damp napkin and be sure not to touch the napkin afterwards. If you do it by accident, promptly wash your hands since the colored residue on a lead-containing object will contain lead.

Only if they have lead on them, you will notice the green glowing color when you shine the light on the object but under normal lighting conditions, you may notice an orange color. This substance contains lead and should not be touched. If you do clean the item off use a damp napkin and be sure not to touch the napkin afterwards. The test does contain alcohol, some surface finishes may be damaged by it, clean off right away to ensure nothing happens.

Discard items or put them away! Items can be used as decor.

Knowing is safe!

We believe in what we make and we stand behind every Fluoro-Spec Kit we ship. If at any point you're not happy with your purchase, you can return it. Seriously. No deadline. No stress. Whether you opened it, used it, or just don’t want it,we’ll take it back. Or pass it along to the next person who could use it.

Just email us at info@detectlead.com and we’ll refund you 100% of your purchase price to your original payment method.

We want you to feel confident testing,not worried about commitment.

At FS, we use a 3rd party logistics provider, most orders go out the same day, if not the next business day.

We offer expedited shipping and standard is ground, delivery time depends on how far you are from New York.

Didn’t get a shipping confirmation email (or any order emails)? Contact us and we’ll look it up for you.

U.S.A. SHIPPING:

Free Shipping with orders $75 USD or More in USA

Flat Rate Shipping and Standard Shipping is $8.00 USD

INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING:

International shipping is available, we are actively working on offering lower shipping costs in the near future to improve access for everyone.

International shipping costs will vary based on your location. Once you enter your address and information, the checkout process will calculate your shipping costs. Please be aware that customs fees or additional charges may apply to international orders, depending on your country's import regulations.

Additionally, we often offer discounts on Detectlead.com and on @ericeverythinglead videos, so keep an eye out for those promo codes!

If you have any further questions regarding shipping, feel free to contact us/me(Eric)!

The shelf life of a bottle of Fluoro-Spec is at least 3 years, I have conducted accelerated aging of the liquid and found that it doesn't degrade even when subjected to extreme conditions.

check out videos on @ericeverythinglead

If you need a replacement or received a damaged product, contact us at info@detectlead.com.

No, but they are very close cousins. Both products use the same active chemistry, methylammonium bromide (MABr) dissolved in isopropanol, which forms a green-fluorescing perovskite when it contacts lead. That detection method was published open-access in peer-reviewed scientific literature in 2018, and both products are consumer applications of it.

The practical differences are price, total reagent volume per kit, US EPA TSCA Low Volume Exemption registration status, form factor (drip + spray vs. spray only), and whether a matched 365 nm UV flashlight is in the box. See the full breakdown on our FluoroSpec vs Lumetallix comparison page.

Yes. FluoroSpec is registered with the US Environmental Protection Agency under TSCA Low Volume Exemption No. L-25-0206. A TSCA LVE is the EPA's formal approval, under the Toxic Substances Control Act, to manufacture or import a new chemical substance in low volumes in the United States after a risk-screening review. To our knowledge, FluoroSpec is the only consumer methylammonium-bromide lead-test reagent legally manufactured in the US under an EPA TSCA LVE.

It comes down to volume per kit. A FluoroSpec kit ships with 60 ml of reagent total, a 30 ml precision drip bottle plus a 30 ml fine-mist spray. At roughly 30 microliters per drop, that's about 1,800 tests per kit. At the $75 list price, the per-drop cost is about $0.04 per test.

A typical Lumetallix bottle ships with roughly 30 ml of reagent at about $40. That's roughly half the volume at slightly more than half the price, so the per-test cost ends up higher, before you factor in the UV flashlight (included in the FluoroSpec kit, sold separately for Lumetallix).

Yes. Because both products rely on the same MABr perovskite-fluorescence chemistry, FluoroSpec is suitable for the same range of surface targets: painted ceramics and china decorations, glaze edges, vintage toys, brass and bronze fittings, leaded crystal, painted wood, dust, and many soils. Both are surface tests, so they tell you whether lead is present on a specific spot you've sprayed or dropped. Neither replaces a certified lab for soil, water, or blood lead, and neither replaces an XRF analyzer for layered materials.

The underlying detection chemistry is not. The method, using methylammonium bromide to form a green-fluorescing perovskite when it meets lead, was published in 2023 in peer-reviewed, open-access literature (Helmbrecht et al., on perovskite-based lead detection). That is in the public scientific record and forms the basis of every consumer perovskite-fluorescence lead test on the market today.

Specific commercial formulations, bottle designs, application methods, or packaging can carry their own intellectual property and trademarks, but the core MABr-meets-lead-makes-perovskite chemistry is published, citable, and freely usable as a scientific method.