- 9
- Lab markers
- 10
- Days until results
Heavy Metals Soil Test
Soil lab test kit
Price
$183
What heavy metals are in the soil your children play in and your vegetables grow in — lead first among them.
- 30-day money-back guarantee
- Free shipping in 3-5 business days
What’s included
- All sampling materials
- Easy-to-follow instructions
- Full contaminant details for your address
- Prepaid 2-day return shipping
- Accredited lab network
- Regulatory analytical methods
- Per-location results
- Scored against EPA + CDC standards
- HSA/FSA eligible via TrueMed
It’s worth testing for if…
- You are starting a vegetable bed in existing ground
- Your house predates 1978 and has shed exterior paint
- You are near a busy road, a rail line or old industry
What are Metals?
9 measurements
Heavy metals do not break down. Whatever was deposited in a yard — lead from decades of exterior paint weathering off the walls and from leaded petrol settling out along roads, arsenic from old orchard pesticides, cadmium and chromium from industry — is still there, concentrated in the top few inches where children play and vegetable roots grow. Soil contamination is patchy rather than uniform, which is why the sample is a blend from several spots rather than one hole.
How to Test
Take small scoops from a few spots across the area you care about, mix them in the bag provided, and seal it. A blend beats a single hole, because contamination in soil is patchy.
Supports concern around
The brain and nervous system, fertility and reproduction, short-term toxic effects at high doses, allergies and skin irritation, cancer.
All 9 substances this kit measures have a hazard classification on file.
Every measurement, explained
At Nestwell, we provide science backed ranges for all the exposures in your home, allowing for personalized suggestions of in home remediation.
9 measures, every one written up by our advisors. Scroll the cards to read each one.
Lead, arsenic, copper and their neighbours on the periodic table. Some arrive with the water from the ground it came out of, some dissolve out of your own plumbing on the way to the tap, and some settle into soil and house dust and stay there.
“Detects to” is the method detection limit — the lowest concentration this kit's method can distinguish from zero. The lab may substitute an equivalent or updated method, in which case its limit may differ from the one shown.
What these substances are linked to
Health effects that researchers have associated with the substances on this panel, from the EPA's CompTox database. This describes the substances themselves — not your home. Whether any of them are present, and at what level, is what the test is for.
- The brain and nervous system8 of the 9 classified substances on this panel — including Arsenic, Cadmium and Copper
- Fertility and reproduction6 of the 9 classified substances on this panel — including Arsenic, Cadmium and Lead
- Short-term toxic effects at high doses6 of the 9 classified substances on this panel — including Arsenic, Cadmium and Copper
- Allergies and skin irritation4 of the 9 classified substances on this panel — including Copper, Mercury and Nickel
- Cancer4 of the 9 classified substances on this panel — including Arsenic, Cadmium and Lead
All 9 substances this kit measures have a hazard classification on file. A classification means a substance has been associated with an effect in published research — usually at doses well above what a home test would find. It is not a diagnosis, and it is not a prediction.
Designed To Understand Your Whole House
A single kit answers one question properly rather than several vaguely. Whichever you start with, it is the same lab, the same methods, and the same reporting — so results from one kit sit beside results from the next, in one place, on the same scale.
Accredited labs, regulatory methods
Every sample is analyzed by an accredited environmental lab with the same methods regulatory testing uses.
Numbers with regulatory context
Results come back as a measured value next to the standard it is judged against, not just a "detected".
One box, no home visit
Everything arrives at once and we tell you both where and how to sample, no outside home inspection needed.
How Nestwell Testing Works
How Collection Works
Collect
Take small scoops from a few spots across the area you care about, mix them in the bag provided, and seal it. A blend beats a single hole, because contamination in soil is patchy.
Mail
Everything goes back in the same box with the prepaid return label. No appointment, nobody in your house, and easy to send back when convenient for you.
Read
Results land in your Nestwell dashboard in about 10 days, each scored against the standard that applies to it.
Why Nestwell?
| Capability | Nestwell | Hardware Store Strips | In Person Inspector |
|---|---|---|---|
| Samples from across your home | Yes | One sample, one place | Yes |
| Real exposure concentrations | Yes | Paper colour key | Sometimes |
| Accredited lab, regulatory methods | Yes | No | Sometimes |
| Nobody has to come into your home | Yes | Yes | No |
| Results tracked over time in one place | Yes | No | One time result |
A number is only useful next to its limit.
At Nestwell, we provide science backed ranges for all the exposures in your home, allowing for personalized suggestions of in home remediation.
Accredited labs only
Samples are analysed by accredited environmental laboratories using the analytical methods used for regulatory compliance work: the same reading a professional consultant would order.
Each result has a standard
A number on its own is not an answer. The EPA action level for lead in water is 15 ppb; the CDC states there is no safe level of lead exposure for children. Each finding is shown against the limit that applies to it.
Where there is no limit, we say so
The EPA sets no numeric limit for mold, and moisture control is the real remedy. Mold results are reported as what is growing and at what relative level, never as just a pass or a fail.
Built with leading medical experts
Dr. Malathi Srinivasan
Clinical Professor of Medicine, Primary Care and Population Health
Stanford University
“Our physical & home environment is a direct determinant of our health, and is immunoregulatory. In a year, we breathe about 6 million times, drink 250 gallons of liquid, and eat almost 2 tons of food, with hundreds of compounds interacting on our skin and immune systems. Small environmental changes make a big difference, especially in early childhood development and for vulnerable adults.”
Frequently Asked Questions
Have questions? Find answers to common customer concerns below.
What does the Heavy Metals Soil Test actually measure?
The panel runs 9 measures, covering Metals. Every one is listed on this page with its detection limit, so you can check for a specific substance before you buy.
How do I take the sample?
Take small scoops from a few spots across the area you care about, mix them in the bag provided, and seal it. A blend beats a single hole, because contamination in soil is patchy. It takes about 10 minutes, and everything you need comes in the box.
How long until I get results?
The kit reaches you in about 3 days. Once the lab receives your sample, results appear in your Nestwell account in about 10 days. Return shipping is prepaid and included.
Who analyses the sample?
An accredited environmental laboratory, using published analytical methods — the same methods and the same labs used for regulatory and commercial testing. Nestwell does not run the analysis itself.
What happens if something comes back high?
Your results are shown against the relevant reference values rather than as a bare number, so you can see which measures stand out and by how much. The lab reports what it measured; it does not diagnose, and a lab result is not medical advice.
Can I pay with an HSA or FSA?
Most Nestwell kits are HSA/FSA eligible through Truemed. Eligibility is shown on the kit page at checkout, and where it applies you can pay with pre-tax dollars.
