Portable Technologies for Measuring Lead in Dust 

The U.S. EPA Environmental Technology Verification 

(ETV) Program’s Site Characterization and Monitoring 

Technologies (SCMT) Pilot, which was operated by Oak 

Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) under an interagency 

agreement with EPA, and was an element of the Advanced 

Monitoring Systems (AMS) Center, has verified the performance of six field screening analyzers for lead in dust.1

A technical panel of experts in lead testing, which 

included representation from the U.S. Department of 

Housing and Urban Development (HUD), National 

Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, National 

Institute of Standards and Technology, American 

Industrial Hygiene Association, Massachusetts Childhood 

Lead Poisoning and Prevention Program, and several EPA 

offices, including the Office of Pollution Prevention and 

Toxics, assisted with the design of the verification test and 

the reporting of results. These portable analyzers allow 

quick identification of lead levels in dust onsite and enable 

the user to react to potential health risks in a timely 

manner. 

Technology Description and Verification Testing

The technologies verified by the ETV Program are 

portable and designed to be used to analyze dust samples 

in the field. The verified technologies use either X-ray 

fluorescence (XRF) or anodic stripping voltammetry 

(ASV). XRF allows for non-destructive analysis of a 

sample. This technique uses a radioisotope source or X-ray 

tube to excite lead atoms in the sample. The atoms, in turn, 

emit characteristic X-rays that are detected, quantified, and 

identified by the spectrometer. ASV is a destructive 

analysis method. A test sample is contacted with acid to 

bring lead into solution. The solution is subsequently 

mixed with a buffer salt solution. Lead in the solution is 

plated on and then stripped off an electrode. Each metal 

will strip from the electrode at a different potential, 

allowing for its identification, while the amount of current 

produced is quantified and correlated to sample 

concentration. Table 1 identifies the six ETV-verified 

technologies and the technique used by each. 

A primary objective of the ETV test was to assess whether 

the participating 

field portable 

technologies 

produced results 

that were 

comparable to 

National Lead 

Laboratory 

Accreditation 

Program (NLLAP) 

recognized data. 

During verification 

testing, 160 dust 

wipe samples were 

analyzed. These 

Environmental, Health, and Regulatory 

Background of Lead at a Glance

Lead is a highly toxic metal that was used for 

many years in products (e.g., as a pigment in 

paint products) found in and around homes. 

Lead may cause a range of health effects, such 

as behavioral problems and learning 

disabilities, and, at high levels of exposure, can 

result in brain damage or death. Research 

suggests that the primary sources of lead 

exposure for most children are deteriorating 

lead-based paint, lead contaminated dust, and 

lead contaminated residential soil. Children six 

years old and under are most at risk because 

their bodies are growing quickly. 

The Centers for Disease Control and 

Prevention have determined in children 

elevated blood lead levels (BLLs) of 10 

micrograms per deciliter or higher are 

associated with adverse health effects. To 

address the hazards of lead poisoning, the U.S. 

Consumer Product Safety Commission banned 

lead-based paint in 1978. However, homes built 

prior to 1978 are still in use and may have 

interior or exterior paint containing lead. In 

1992, the U.S. Congress enacted the 

Residential Lead-Based Paint Hazard 

Reduction Act. Under this act, EPA and other 

federal agencies such as HUD established 

numerical standards for hazardous levels of 

lead in dust for pre-1978 housing and childoccupied facilities, required disclosure of 

known lead-based paint and lead-based paint 

hazards to buyers and tenants, and provided 

grants for low-income families who occupy 

lead-based-paint hazards in private housing. 

The grants include clean-up, control, testing, 

awareness, and training.

wipes contained between 2 and 1,500 micrograms 

of lead per dust wipe, which is representative of 

levels found in house dust wipe samples collected 

using ASTM methods. The ETV Program 

evaluated the technologies on the following 

performance parameters: precision, accuracy, 

comparability to NLLAP recognized laboratory 

results, detectable blanks, false positive results, 

false negative results and other parameters. Table 

2 summarizes some of the performance data for 

the individual verified technologies. Additional 

information is available in the full verification 

reports and verification summary statements which 

can be found at http://www.epa.gov/etv/

verifications/vcenter1-22.html. A verified lead in dust analyzer 

1

The ETV Program operates largely as a public-private partnership through competitive cooperative agreements with non-profit research institutes. The 

program provides objective quality-assured data on the performance of commercial-ready technologies. Verification does not imply product approval or 

effectiveness. ETV does not endorse the purchase or sale of any products and services mentioned in this document. 
Selected Outcomes of Verified Portable Technologies for Measuring Lead in Dust 

• Based on a hypothetical projection of 25% market penetration, the ETV-verified portable 

measurement technologies could be deployed at up to approximately 9.5 million housing units out of an 

estimated potential market of 38 million (Jacobs et al. 2002) that were built before 1978 to: 

− screen for lead hazards (e.g., as part of a lead hazard screen) and assess potential risks (e.g., during a risk 

assessment). 

− temporarily clear residences for occupation following abatement or lead hazard control activities 

followed by final clearance based on fixed site laboratory analysis. 

− develop a focused and cost-effective sampling and analysis strategy provided the technology is used by a 

portable laboratory or field service and measurement organization that has been accredited by NLLAP1

. 

• The information provided by these technologies can assist in the reduction of lead exposure, with 

associated human health and economic benefits, particularly for children. These technologies can be used to 

investigate instances of elevated BLLs in children. 

• ETV verification also can potentially increase acceptance and use of the portable measurement 

technologies. ETV reports have been cited as a resource for promoting the use of the lead monitoring 

technologies such as the XRF instruments for residential lead soil and dust testing. Previous ETV 

verifications of similar technologies have assisted in the development of approved EPA methods for using 

field portable measurement technologies. 

EPA/600/S-07/028 

August 2007 

ETV Advanced Monitoring 

Systems Center 

Robert Fuerst, EPA, 

fuerst.robert@epa.gov Tel: (919) 541-2220 

Amy Dindal, Battelle 

dindala@battelle.org Tel: (561) 422-0113 

Table 2. Performance of Verified Portable Technologies for Measuring Lead in Dust

Vendora

Average 

relative

accuracyb,%

Average 

relative

precisionc,%

Rate of 

false

positives

Rate of false 

negatives

Comparabilityd

slope intercept r2

A 168 to 189 15 to 18 26 of 50 15 of 50 0.662 to 1.060 66 to 121 0.967 to 0.989 

B 88 to 93 21 to 22 7 of 41 19 of 57 0.885 to 1.074 –14.345 to 15.633 0.988 to 0.999 

C 91 to 97 7 to 8 0 of 42 36 of 58 0.849 to 0.936 7.495 to 11.262 0. 999 

D 107 to 119 8 27 of 46 4 of 54 1.112 to 1.206 –3.29 to 13.283 0.999 

E 80 to 91 5 to 8 0 of 50 39 of 50 0.839 to 0.926 5.539 to 6.506 0.995 to 1.000 

F 97 to 101 11 9 of 49 18 of 51 0.977 to 0.995 3.076 to 4.775 0.999 

a Because the ETV Program does not compare technologies, the performance results shown in this table do not identify the technologies 

associated with each result and are not in the same order as the list of technologies in Table 1. 

b A result of 100% indicates perfect accuracy relative to the tested lead concentration. 

c A result of 0% indicates perfect precision. 

d Comparability of the technologies to the standard test method was evaluated using linear regression analysis. 

 Table 1. Verified Portable Technologies for Measuring Lead in Dust 

Vendor Verified Technology Technology Type

KeyMaster Technologies X-Ray Fluorescence Instrument Pb-Test XRF 

Monitoring Technologies International PDV 5000 Trace Element Analyzer ASV 

Thermo Electron Corporation, 

NITON Analyzers Business Unit 

(Formerly NITON LLC) 

X-Ray Fluorescence Spectrum Analyzer XLt 700 Series XRF 

X-Ray Fluorescence Spectrum Analyzer XL 700 Series XRF 

X-Ray Fluorescence Spectrum Analyzer XL 300 Series XRF 

Palintest Scanning Analyzer SA-5000 System ASV 

References: 

U.S. EPA, ETV Case Studies: Demonstrating Program Outcomes. EPA/600/

R-06/001. January 2006 (primary source). http://www.epa.gov/etv/pdfs/

publications/600r06001/600r06001pv.pdf. 

U.S. EPA, ETV. http://www.epa.gov/etv. 

U.S. EPA, Lead in Paint, Dust, and Soil. 06 Feb. 2007. http://www.epa.gov/

lead/index.html. 

Jacobs DE, Clickner RP, Zhou JY, Viet SM, Marker DA, Rogers JW, et al. 

2002. The Prevalence of Lead-Based Paint Hazards in U.S. housing. Environmental Health Perspectives 110(10):A599–A606. October.

1 The limitations to this assumption is explained on p. 48 of the ETV Case Studies: Demonstrating Program Outcomes. EPA/600/R-06/001. January 2006