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Validity of a portable X-ray fluorescence device for analyzing field dust wipe samples for lead

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Abstract

Interior dust lead loadings on floors and windowsills are reliable predictors of a child’s blood lead level and an important predictor in “clearance testing” of residences. The portable X-ray fluorescence device is an alternate technique that can provide fast, accurate, and precise results regarding the presence of dust lead hazards in residences. In this paper, we tested the comparability of the portable X-ray fluorescence device against Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry, using the newer lead hazard standards for dust wipe samples. Dust wipe samples (n = 109) collected from floors and interior windowsills of 13 homes were tested by means of a portable X-ray fluorescence device and subsequently analyzed for lead using Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry. Considering Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry as the “gold standard,” the portable X-ray fluorescence device produced an average false negative rate of 27.3% at the new dust lead hazard standards of 10 μg/ft2 for floors, and 100 μg/ft2 for windowsills. There were no false positive results from the portable X-ray fluorescence device at the new dust lead hazard standards. A Bland Altman analysis showed that 96.3% of the data points were within the lower and upper acceptable limits of agreement. The results of the study suggested that the portable X-ray fluorescence device has a good agreement with the Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry method at lower lead concentrations and is appropriate for measuring lead concentrations in field dust wipe samples from homes where lead concentrations are in a lower range.

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Acknowledgements

The financial support from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences of the National Institutes of Health (Award Numbers RL5GM118969, TL4GM118971, and UL1GM118970); Center for Clinical and Translational Science, The Rockefeller University; Paso del Norte Health Foundation, El Paso, Texas; and J. Edward and Helen M. C. Stern Professorship in Neuroscience (CS), University of Texas, El Paso, and by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (SF424) is gratefully acknowledged. We would like to thank Elizabeth Navarro and Dr. Gabriel Ibarra-Mejia from the Department of Public Health Sciences of the University of Texas at El Paso for their contribution to the project.

Funding

This work was supported by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences of the National Institutes of Health (Award Numbers RL5GM118969, TL4GM118971, and UL1GM118970); Center for Clinical and Translational Science, The Rockefeller University; Paso del Norte Health Foundation, El Paso, Texas; and J. Edward and Helen M. C. Stern Professorship in Neuroscience (CS), University of Texas, El Paso, and by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (SF424). The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health or HUD. The funding agencies had no involvement in study design; in the collection, analysis and interpretation of data; in the writing of the report; or in the decision to submit the article for publication.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Public Health Sciences, The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), 500 W University Ave, El Paso, TX, 79968, USA

    A. B. Obeng, M. Del Rio, C. Costa, C. Chavarria, C. Rodriguez & C. Sobin

  2. Department of Agronomy, Kansas State University (KSU), 1712 Claflin Road, Throckmorton Hall, Manhattan, KS, 66506-0110, USA

    M. B. Galkaduwa, C. Wekumbura, K. Gamage & G. M. Hettiarachchi

  3. Center for Environmental Resource Management (CERM), The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), 500 W University Ave, El Paso, TX, 79968, USA

    W. Hargrove

  4. Texas A&M School of Public Health, 212 Adriance Lab Rd, College Station, TX, 77843, USA

    A. B. Obeng

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  1. A. B. Obeng
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  2. M. Del Rio
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  3. C. Costa
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  4. C. Chavarria
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  5. C. Rodriguez
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  6. M. B. Galkaduwa
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  7. C. Wekumbura
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  8. K. Gamage
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  9. G. M. Hettiarachchi
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  10. W. Hargrove
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  11. C. Sobin
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Contributions

Conceptualization and methodology: Obeng A. B., Sobin C., Hettiarachchi G., Hargrove W. Investigation: Obeng A. B, Del Rio M., Costa C., Chavarria C., Galkaduwa B. M., Rodriguez C., Wekumbre C. W., Kasuni G. Supervision: Hettiarachchi G., Hargrove W., Sobin C. Formal analysis: Obeng A. B. Writing—original draft: Obeng A. B. Writing—review and editing: Del Rio M., Sobin C., Hargrove W., Hettiarachchi G., Costa C., Chavarria C. Funding acquisition: Costa C., Del Rio M., Sobin C., Hettiarachchi G: Hargrove W, Obeng A. B.

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Correspondence to A. B. Obeng.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Data Available upon request.

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Editorial responsibility: Dibyendu Sarkar.

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Obeng, A.B., Del Rio, M., Costa, C. et al. Validity of a portable X-ray fluorescence device for analyzing field dust wipe samples for lead. Int. J. Environ. Sci. Technol. 19, 10625–10636 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13762-021-03898-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13762-021-03898-8

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