After Delay, NYC Has Started Using a New Tool to Test NYCHA Units for Lead Paint: X-Rays
After a 10-month delay, New York City has begun using a new tool to test public housing units for lead paint: X-rays.
Speaking at a news conference Monday, Mayor Bill de Blasio showed off portable X-ray fluorescence (XRF) devices, which contractors will use in about 135,000 York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) apartments.
Here's how it works: Take the machine and hold it up against a wall for about 10 seconds, sometimes more. The x-ray technology then tells the user whether lead paint lies in the layers underneath.