The United States government has responded to the existing hazard posed by the presence of lead-based paint in the nation's housing stock by enacting Title X (the Residential Lead-based Paint Hazard Reduction Act, of federal housing legislation). This Act of Congress also enacted Title IV of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). Title X directs the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and other agencies to develop programs that would ultimately reduce lead hazards in housing. It is envisioned that Title X and Title IV programs will result in increased dust sampling in residences across the country. One of the preferred methods for sampling residential dust for lead uses baby or hand wipes. 'Compositing' multiple wipes during sample collection has been suggested as a means to reduce the costs of both the sampling and analysis aspects of these activities. In fact, compositing of wipes is mentioned for clearance testing and risk assessment in the HUD Guidelines for the Evaluation and Control of Lead-Based Paint Hazards in Housing, and in various EPA documents. The term composite is used when two or more physical samples are combined for laboratory analysis. In the case of wipe sampling, two or more wipes collected from common components (e.g., floors or window sills) in a dwelling are combined in the field and then analyzed as a single sample. This study was undertaken to (1) investigate the feasibility of developing further the existing sample preparation methods to analyze composite wipe samples while meeting basic data quality objectives for accuracy and precision; and (2) determine whether compositing of wipes, if acceptable on a technical or performance basis, could reduce the cost of sample preparation and analysis relative to single-wipe methods.

Not distributed to depository libraries. "July 1996."