title: Childhood lead poisoning investigations: evaluating a portable instrument for testing soil lead.
abstract: The Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Branch of the California Department of Health Services evaluated a portable X-ray fluorescence (XRF) instrument for use as a soil lead-testing tool during environmental investigations of lead-poisoned children's homes. A Niton XRF was used to test soil at 119 sampling locations in the yards of 11 San Francisco Bay Area houses. Niton XRF readings were highly correlated with laboratory results and met the study criteria for an acceptable screening method. The data suggest that the most health-protective and time-efficient approach to testing for soil lead above regulatory levels is to take either surface readings or readings of a test cup of soil prepared by grinding with a mortar and pestle. The advantage of the test cup method is that the test cup with soil may be submitted to a laboratory for confirmatory analysis.
authors.affiliation: California Department of Health Services, Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Branch, 1515 Clay Street, Suite 1801, Oakland, CA 94612, USA. greames@dhs.ca.gov
authors.forename: Ginger
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Reames
authors.forename: Larrie L
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Lance
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002669:Child Welfare; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000295:instrumentation*; D004867:Equipment Design; D006801:Humans; D007855:Lead Poisoning; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012989:Soil Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*; D013048:Specimen Handling; D013052:Spectrometry, X-Ray Emission / Q000295:instrumentation*
chemical_list: D012989:Soil Pollutants