A portable X-ray fluorescence instrument for analyzing dust wipe samples for lead: Evaluation with field samples

David A. Sterling, Roger D. Lewis, Douglas A. Luke, Brooke N. Shadel

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

29 Scopus citations

Abstract

Dust wipe samples collected in the field were tested by nondestructive X-ray fluorescence (XRF) followed by laboratory analysis with flame atomic absorption spectrophotometry (FAAS). Data were analyzed for precision and accuracy of measurement. Replicate samples with the XRF show high precision with an intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) of 0.97 (P<0.0001) and an overall coefficient of variation of 11.6%. Paired comparison indicates no statistical difference (P = 0.272) between XRF and FAAS analysis. Paired samples are highly correlated with an R2 ranging between 0.89 for samples that contain paint chips and 0.93 for samples that do not contain paint chips. The ICC for absolute agreement between XRF and laboratory results was 0.95 (P<0.0001). The relative error over the concentration range of 25 to 14,200 μg Pb is -12% (95% CI, -18 to -5). The XRF appears to be an excellent method for rapid on-site evaluation of dust wipes for clearance and risk assessment purposes, although there are indications of some confounding when paint chips are present. (C) 2000 Academic Press.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)174-179
Number of pages6
JournalEnvironmental Research
Volume83
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - Jun 2000

Keywords

  • Field sampling and analysis
  • House dust
  • Laboratory analysis
  • Lead
  • Wipe sampling

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'A portable X-ray fluorescence instrument for analyzing dust wipe samples for lead: Evaluation with field samples'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this