Grantee Research Project Results
Rapid Immunochromatographic Strip Tests Detecting Lead-Based Paint
EPA Contract Number: EPD06056Title: Rapid Immunochromatographic Strip Tests Detecting Lead-Based Paint
Investigators: Geisberg, Mark
Small Business: Silver Lake Research Corporation
EPA Contact: Richards, April
Phase: I
Project Period: March 1, 2006 through August 31, 2006
Project Amount: $69,990
RFA: Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) - Phase I (2006) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Hazardous Waste/Remediation , SBIR - Lead Paint Detection and Removal , Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR)
Description:
Exposure to lead-based paint (LBP) is the major source of potentially dangerous levels of lead in children and adults in the United States. This project aims to develop rapid, onsite test kits for the detection of harmful levels of LBP. The proposed test kits will be calibrated to current regulatory standards, will require no user training or instrumentation, and will resemble a home pregnancy test. The proposed test kits will produce a yes/no result, with the negative result providing extremely high confidence that the sample does not contain lead in excess of the regulatory limit and the positive results informing the user that further testing may be warranted. The test kits will be designed to replace current instrument-based assay methods for screening purposes. The successful product will: (1) increase the effectiveness and reduce the cost of large-scale screening and mapping of LBP contamination, and (2) enable nontechnical users to quickly and accurately detect or rule out LBP contamination at home or onsite. In Phase I, Silver Lake Research Corporation will attempt to develop a laboratory-format immunoassay for detecting lead extracted from paint chips. At the successful conclusion of Phase I, Silver Lake Research will have demonstrated an extraction-immunoassay procedure capable of discerning whether a given sample of paint contains lead in excess of the regulatory limit. In Phase II, Silver Lake Research will transfer the immunoassay capability developed in Phase I into a rapid immunochromatographic test strip format. Silver Lake Research has been producing test strips of this type since 1998, and possesses considerable expertise in the design, development, and manufacturing of immunoassay test strips. All of these products share the principle of replacing costly, time-consuming, and labor-intensive analyses with a rapid and accurate screening test; the proposed LBP test kit will provide the same capabilities to address a serious public health threat.
Supplemental Keywords:
small business, SBIR, children’s health, public health, lead-based paint, lead, lead detection, lead contamination, lead screening, immunoassay, rapid immunochromatographic test strips, EPA,, RFA, Ecosystem Protection/Environmental Exposure & Risk, Scientific Discipline, POLLUTANTS/TOXICS, Health Risk Assessment, Environmental Chemistry, Analytical Chemistry, Monitoring/Modeling, Chemicals, Environmental Monitoring, heavy metals, immunochromatographic test strip, analyzer, assays, environmental measurementProgress and Final Reports:
The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.