The traditional method of determining dust lead loading (mass per unit area) on surfaces is to send dust wipe samples to a laboratory for analysis, and typically it takes one or more days to obtain results. Field-portable techniques taking 10 to 15 min for dust wipe lead analysis have been developed but need to be further evaluated. Dust wipe samples (n = 878) collected from a nationally representative sample of child care centers were tested by means of x-ray fluorescence (XRF) analysis with two XRF analyzer instrument models and subsequently analyzed for lead using flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS). Samples were collected from floors and interior window sills and included blank and spiked quality control samples. Weighted linear regression was used to model the relationship between XRF and FAAS measurements. The correlations between FAAS and XRF measurements exceeded 0.80 (p

X-ray fluorescence analysis (XRF), atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS), and inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP) were used for the measurement of lead in samples for the Urban Soil Lead Abatement Demonstration Project (USLADP). This paper focuses on the examination of the results from multi-sample XRF lead determinations performed on soils and dusts for that project. The purpose is to establish some accuracy and precision baselines for the application of XRF analysis to "real world" samples using a prescribed protocol. The contributions to variance were identified and measured. Preparation of soil and dust samples is a very important parameter. Variance for the XRF instrument is a minor contribution compared to variance attributable to sample differences.

From a July 1993 conference in Boulder, Colorado, 28 papers review the latest results in research on monitoring and controlling environmental exposures to lead in paint, soil, and dust. They provide a multidisciplinary overview of research programs, the status of analytical methods, and certificatio