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PubMed · 10462778

Lead-based paint testing technologies: summary of an EPA/HUD field study.

R L Schmehl·D C Cox·F G Dewalt·M M Haugen·R A Koyak·J G Schwemberger·J V Scalera
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Abstract

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development sponsored a field study of portable technologies for testing for lead in paint in three U.S. cities in 1993. Six chemical test kits and six X-ray fluorescence instruments, which represented the two main types of portable technologies available for residential lead testing at that time, were evaluated. Painted building components in single-family and multifamily housing units were selected to assess the performance of these products under real-world conditions. The study found that the chemical test kits were not effective in distinguishing lead-based paint, as defined by federal standards, from nonlead based paint. The X-ray fluorescence instruments were, under certain circumstances, found to be effective. The study filled an informational gap about the accuracy and precision of the portable lead-testing technologies. This article describes the design of the study and its major findings.

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Environmental MonitoringEquipment DesignHousingHumansLeadPaintSpectrometry, X-Ray EmissionUnited StatesUnited States Environmental Protection AgencyUrban HealthJournal ArticleMulticenter Study

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R L Schmehl, D C Cox, F G Dewalt, M M Haugen, R A Koyak, J G Schwemberger, J V Scalera. Lead-based paint testing technologies: summary of an EPA/HUD field study.. https://doi.org/10.1080/00028899908984463

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