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Standard Operating Procedure for the Turbidimetric Determination of Lead in Paint Extracts
Citation:
Studabaker, W., K. Sorrell, M. McCombs, C. Salmons, AND W. Gutknecht. Standard Operating Procedure for the Turbidimetric Determination of Lead in Paint Extracts. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, EPA/600/R-10/067 (NTIS PB2010-112903), 2010.
Impact/Purpose:
The National Exposure Research Laboratory′s (NERL) Human Exposure and Atmospheric Sciences Division (HEASD) conducts research in support of EPA′s mission to protect human health and the environment. HEASD′s research program supports Goal 1 (Clean Air) and Goal 4 (Healthy People) of EPA′s strategic plan. More specifically, our division conducts research to characterize the movement of pollutants from the source to contact with humans. Our multidisciplinary research program produces Methods, Measurements, and Models to identify relationships between and characterize processes that link source emissions, environmental concentrations, human exposures, and target-tissue dose. The impact of these tools is improved regulatory programs and policies for EPA.
Description:
Exposure to lead (Pb) may adversely impact children's brains, nervous systems and many organs. An estimated 310,000 US children ages 1 to 5 have elevated blood leads. In the United States, the major exposure pathway for children to Pb is from deteriorated Pb-based paint (LBP), Pb-contaminated house dust and residential soil. Approximately 40% of all U.S. housing units (about 38 million homes) have some LBP. The Federal regulated Pb standard has been defined by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (Title X of the Housing & Community Development Act, 1992), as equal to or greater than 0.5% Pb by weight or 1.0 mg Pb/cm2. Homes built before 1978 are the most likely to contain LBP. Each year, more than 10 million renovation activities occur in homes, child-care facilities and schools potentially containing LBP. To reduce the exposures to Pb hazards during renovation, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)promulgated the "Lead; Renovation, Repair, and Painting Program; Final Rule" (RRP) in April 2008. The rule requires the use of inexpensive test kits. However, no currently available commercial test kit can meet the performance requirements of no more than 5% false negative results at levels greater than the Federal regulated level and no more than 10% false positive results at levels less than Federal regulated level. Additional goals for the test kit procedures are that they should be inexpensive, take less than an hour per sample, and be easy to perform.