SAN DIEGO -- A San Diego-based company has developed a breakthrough method to test for lead poisoning.

The company owners were determined to find a pain-free way to test for lead after watching their own toddler poked and prodded with needles.

A lead poisoning scare involving children's toys from China was enough to worry parents around the world.

"A few years ago he was younger and he was playing with these toys. He was putting them in his mouth," said Zeynep Ilgaz. "We're like, 'OK, we need to test him.'"

It is not easy to test toddlers, as Serhat Pala found out. Serhat Pala, Confirm Biosciences

Needles and two vials of blood had to be drawn from Pala's two-year-old son.

"He was crying, and he was crying a lot," said Pala.

Pala and Ilgaz, who own Confirm Biosciences in Kearny Mesa, set out to make testing for lead easier on children and their parents.

They developed a home testing kit to measure lead presence in the body through saliva instead of blood.

"We definitely wanted something painless for kids; that was a very important thing for us," said Ilgaz.

A cotton swab is placed inside the cheek, and it saturates for about 10 seconds. The swab is then placed into a tube, mailed to a laboratory in Michigan and results are available online about one week later.

The kit costs about $75 and it includes the test, the mailer and the results that users get back in about five to six days.

For now the test is not available at local drugstores -- those interested would have to get it online or go through a pediatrician.

Ilgaz told 10News that lead isn't just found in tainted toys, but can also be found in older paint and dust.

If parents are suspicious of that peeling paint or toy, Confirm Biosciences' test might just be the answer.

"No needles, no pain, no crying and you can find out in a few days," said Pala.

Confirm Biosciences said their test is accurate no matter the age of the person tested.

The company also develops home test kits for drug and steroid use.