Hand-held XRF Gun for Lead Testing

Hand-held XRF Analyzers provide real-time estimates of the concentration of lead and other metals in solid materials without the need for scraping, sample collection, or lab analysis.

Risks Addressed:

Exposure to lead can cause a variety of health problems.  Although it has systemic effects throughout the body, some of the most dangerous outcomes are neurological.  In adults, overexposure to lead can cause memory loss, headache, irritability, cognitive dysfunction, kidney damage, joint pain, and digestive issues.  Even low-level chronic exposure (blood lead levels as low as 5 μg/dL) can cause hypertension and increased risk of heart attack and stroke.  The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has described inorganic lead compounds as “probably carcinogenic to humans,” (WHO, 2006).  Lead can enter the body by inhalation, by mouth, or through skin contact.    
 
Although lead is hazardous to people of all ages, it is especially dangerous to children and women who are or may become pregnant.  Lead’s neurological effects are most pronounced in children under 6, who absorb 4-5 times more lead than adults (WHO, 2017).  Relatively low levels in children can cause stomach pain, headaches, developmental delays, behavioral problems, and seizures.  Lead exposure in pregnant women has also been associated with miscarriage, stillbirth, and mental retardation.  Lead can cause infertility in both men and women.  Research indicates that children living in households where at least one parent is exposed to lead at work have blood lead levels about three times as high as children in the general population (Roscoe et al, 1999).  This is most likely due to workers unintentionally bringing home lead dust on their shoes and clothing.
 
Many activities in the construction industry have the potential to expose workers to high levels of lead.  The current OSHA PEL for lead in construction is 50 µg/m3, averaged over an 8-hour period.  OSHA also has an Action Level (AL) of 30 µg/m3, which triggers air monitoring, training, and medical surveillance requirements.  However, it is important to remember that there can be health effects even if workers are exposed to lead concentrations below the PEL or AL.  Some of the most dangerous activities likely to result in the highest airborne lead concentrations include welding, abrasive blasting, and scraping or sanding lead-based paint (OSHA Technical Manual, Chapter 3).

How Risks are Reduced:

In order to know if there is a potential for lead exposure, workers must first know if the material they are working with contains lead.  Using a hXRF gun is a quick and accurate way to determine the lead content of the material you are going to be sanding, scraping, welding, or blasting.  Once workers know if lead is present, their employers can take steps to substitute a different material, use an engineering control like local exhaust ventilation or a water spray, or provide personal protective equipment that prevents lead exposure.

Availability

Bruker
To obtain information, visit S1 Titan 600 or contact +1 (978) 663-3660 ms.sales.bdal.us@bruker.com

Thermo Scientific
To obtain information, visit Niton™ XL5 Handheld XRF Analyzer or contact 1 (800) 875 1578

Olympus
To obtain information, visit Vanta Handheld XRF or contact 1 (800) 225-8330