Adventures in lead paint

I recently bought an apartment in a building from the 1960s. From the moment I first saw it, I immediately sensed its potential, although the space had the typical flaws associated with an old apartment, such as lots of layers of poorly applied paint on the walls.
So I bought a power sander, ready to tackle the job of preparing a fresh surface for the new paint I would properly apply myself. However, within seconds of starting to sand, I had a flashback of the lead paint disclaimer I had signed as part of the sales contract.

How frustrating! Do I have lead paint? Rather than removing paint, I've been scouring Google for information on lead paint detection and removal (and eager to find some way to keep this project doable by me and not expensive). Below are my findings:

QUESTION 1: Can I determine whether I have lead paint myself (e.g., by using a home kit)?

The EPA does not currently recommend home test kits to detect lead in paint. (Studies show that these kits are not reliable enough to tell the difference between high and low levels of lead.)

There are currently two methods recognized by EPA for testing paint: portable X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) analyzers and paint chip sampling followed by analysis by a laboratory recognized by EPA’s National Lead Laboratory Accreditation Program
(NLLAP).

Paint chip sampling followed by laboratory analysis is generally more accurate than XRF testing. This is good news because I got quotes of $400 to $700 for the XRF analysis, and as you'll see below, paint chip sampling is cheap!!

You can get a list of NLLAP laboratories by calling 1-800-424-LEAD.

New York City labs recommended by EPA:
-EMSL Analytical - 1 800 220 3675 (left message for lead department, 1/8/2008; never called back)
-JLC Environmental - 212 420 8119 (left message for Stephanie, 1/8/2008)
30 West 26th (b/t Broadway and 6th), 4th floor (8-6, weekdays).
JLC told me to bring at least a 1x1 square inch chip, ideally for each color and each layer of paint, in separate plastic bags. You have to fill out some paperwork when you're there.
Charge would be:
$30 (same day)
$25 (next day)
$22 (2 days)
$20 (3 days)
$15 (4 days)
I should have asked about acceptable forms of payment...
-ATC Associates Inc. - 212 353 8280 ext. 247 104
East 25th b/t Park and Lexington, 10th floor (8-7, weekdays) .
ATC told me to bring up to 2 square inches in a ziplock bag; try not to include any substrate; $25 (cash); email address to which results need to be sent!

QUESTION 2: If I do have lead paint, can I safely remove it myself?

Not surprisingly, the EPA does not recommend that you do the work yourself and says you should hire a certified lead-based paint contractor (a certified professional who can do lead-based paint related abatement). They also recommend having one firm conduct all testing for lead-based paint hazards and another firm conduct the abatement work to avoid conflicts of interest.

source: http://www.epa.gov/lead/pubs/leadtest.pdf

But I want to deal with this myself!

I wonder if the EPA has a position on SoyGel? This is an exciting product for lead paint removal....See http://www.franmar.com/ I ordered some from this site and it arrived recently.

In any case, just because you have lead paint, doesn't mean you have to remove the lead paint...more on this later....