• Product: LeadConfirm Professional saliva lead screening kit, $79.99, at cvs.com, amazon.com and drugstore.com.

• The pitch: With ``99.9 percent accuracy,'' the easiest way to check if you and your family have been exposed to dangerous lead levels.

• How it works: Place the sponge applicator in your mouth and saturate it with saliva. Then place the applicator in the testing device and send it with the pre-paid mailer to the lab. Results are available in five to six days.

• Pros: Record numbers of Chinese-made toys have been recalled for containing toxic lead paint, causing many parents to wonder about the safety of their kids' toys. Cheaper home tests are available for testing lead levels in the actual toy, but the reliability of these kits has been questioned. Using saliva to check for the presence of lead is fairly new, but a 2008 Brazilian study published in the journal Science of the Total Environment suggests that saliva may be a valid biomarker for lead exposure, particularly in children.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says about 250,000 U.S. children, ages 1 to 5, have blood lead levels that require follow-up with a doctor. It recommends that children who live in homes built before 1978 (when lead in residential paint was banned) and homes being renovated be tested at the ages of 1 and 2, or at 3 to 6 if they have not been previously tested by a local health department or physician. This test is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

• Cons: The CDC warns that do-it-yourself kits do not indicate how much lead is present and their reliability at detecting low levels of lead has not been determined. Most children with elevated blood lead levels have no symptoms. The only way to tell is to have a blood lead test, which a health care provider must administer. Blood lead tests are free and required for all Medicaid-eligible children. Consumer Reports suggests that most tests ordered by a doctor are covered by insurance, so it might be cheaper to have your doctor do the test.

• Bottom line: The best advice may be to just dispose of any questionable toys or items. (Photos and descriptions of recalled toys can be found at www.cpsc.gov; 800-638-2772.) If you still have doubts, see a doctor.

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