Measuring lead health risks Free

Measuring lead health risks

Keywords Contamination,Lead, Palintest

Lead contamination in surface dust, airborne particulates, paint, water and soil can be quickly and accurately measured, in the workplace, the home or the outdoor environment, with the portable SA-5000 Scanning Analyzer claims Palintest Ltd.

Based on the anodic stripping voltammetry (ASV) analysis technique, particulate samples are firstly prepared as a solution. Extracting lead into solution simply involves agitating the sample with dilute nitric acid in a small ultrasonic bath. A disposable electrode is then immersed in the sample and the instrument guides the user through the test and range selection steps (Plate 5).

For dissolved particulate samples, lead concentration is displayed on an alphanumeric screen after 45 seconds; water samples take three minutes. Test identification and menu-driven prompts can be in English, Spanish or French and readouts can be in eitherµg/I, mg/cm², µg/sample or mg/sample, depending on the nature of the sample source.

Results of up to 300 tests can be stored in memory with time, date, job code and sample number data for later recall on the display, download to a PC, or printer output. Sample numbers cannot be duplicated and stored data are automatically coded with the instrument's identifier, the time and the date, which ensures data traceability.

According to Palintest the Scanning Analyzer is designed to deliver results with accuracy comparable to laboratory analysis based on graphite furnace atomic absorption spectroscopy. Sensitivity of the instrument meets or exceeds the requirements of occupational health protection regulations and the common environmental regulatory standards for lead.

 Plate 5 SA-5000 Scanning Analyzer

This instrument claims to measure lead over different ranges according to the sample source and the user can also select ranges with different detection limits and resolutions. Lead can be measured in paint from 0.04-50mg/cm², in dust and airborne particulates from 100-600µg/sample, in soil from 25-7,500µg/sample,and in water from 2-100µg/I. Operating on standard AA cells, the instrument weighs 375g and measures 170 x 130 x 55mm.

Details from Palintest Ltd, UK. Tel: +44 (0)191 491 0808; Fax: +44 (0)191 482 5372; E-mail: palintest@palintest.com