Paint and dust samples were collected from a children′s nursery in
a London school. After chemical digestion using an available lead
extraction method, lead concentrations were determined by atomic
absorption spectrophotometry. Most samples analysed were considered to
pose no hazard to the children. However, a few samples contained
available concentrations in excess of 2,500ppm and were considered
potentially hazardous. Such high concentrations were thought to be due
to remnants of old paint applied prior to the introduction of
regulations to limit the content of lead in paint. Although the
lead‐in‐paint hazard has diminished in recent years, the possibility of
old lead paint still being a hazard should not be ignored.