LOW COST SYSTEM FOR LEAD DETECTION IN LEAD PAINT

LEAD POISONING IN THE UNITED STATED IS A SERIOUS HEALTH PROBLEM, ESTIMATED TO AFFECT SOME 3 TO 4 MILLION CHILDREN UNDER THE AGE OF SIX YEARS OLD. TO PREVENT THIS NUMBER FROM GROWING, EPA HAS UNDERTAKEN THE ROLE OF ENCOURAGING THE DEVELOPMENT OF TECHNIQUES TO MEASURE THE AMOUNT OF LEAD IN LEAD PAINT. RADIATION MONITORING DEVICES, INC. PROPOSES TO DEVELOP A MUCH IMPROVED, PORTABLE, X-RAY FLUORESCENCE INSTRUMENT WHICH WILL BE ABLE TO RAPIDLY AND NON- DESTRUCTIVELY MEASURE THE CONCENTRATION OF LEAD IN LEAD PAINT ON THE INTERIOR AND EXTERIOR SURFACES OF BUILDINGS. THE DEVICE WILL BE VERY EASY TO USE AND HAVE A VERY LOW COST OF OPERATION. BY BEING MUCH LIGHTER THAT EXISTING INSTRUMENTS, AND BY HAVING MUCH HIGHER SENSITIVITY, THE PRODUCTIVITY OF INSPECTORS USING THE NEW INSTRUMENT WILL BE GREATLY ENHANCED, DRAMATICALLY LOWERING THE COST OF CONDUCTING LARGE SCALE INSPECTIONS. PRESENT LEAD X-RAY SYSTEMS ARE CUMBERSOME AND EXPENSIVE, IN PART BECAUSE OF THE DIFFICULTY IN CORRECTING THE LEAD SIGNAL CAUSED BY DIFFERENCES IN THE UNDERLYING SUBSTRATES. IN PHASE I, RESEARCH WILL BE DONE TO DEVELOP A NEW METHOD TO AUTOMATICALLY IDENTIFY THE SUBSTRATE (PLASTER, WOOD, ETC.) AND TO INCORPORATE IT INTO A PORTABLE, LABORATORY PROTOTYPE INSTRUMENT.