Abstract
The lead particle content of floor dust in a housing unit scheduled for interior lead paint hazard removal was characterised microscopically to identify the contributing source(s) of the lead. It was hypothesised that elevated levels of lead in the dust resulted from the deterioration of the lead-based paint on the indoor surfaces. The question of lead particle source attribution was addressed using a combination of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). SEM/EDS provided data on the size, shape, and composition of the individual lead-containing dust particles. The floor dusts which were analysed contained a variety of lead particle types and eight of these types from several rooms exhibited unique morphological and/or chemical characteristics. These were variously classified as lead paint particles. The lead levels in the floor dusts prior to the abatement were ≥ 100 μg·ft -2. The floor dust lead concentrations immediately following the abatement were all less than the pre-abatement levels, but a re-sampling 2 months after the abatement found that the amount of lead in two of the rooms was approximately 3 and 4.5 times higher than the levels prior to the abatement. SEM/EDS analysis of the floor dusts samples collected 2 months after the abatement showed that in these two rooms the constituent particulate lead differed from that in any of the pre-abatement dusts. Following attempts to identify possible sources of recontamination, it was found that this previously unidentified particulate lead was consistent in form with lead scraped from the interior of one of the radiators which had been removed from the complex some time after the abatement. Residual water spilling from the radiators during the course of removal was, in all likelihood, the cause of the unexpectedly elevated dust lead levels.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 32-46 |
| Number of pages | 15 |
| Journal | Indoor and Built Environment |
| Volume | 7 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| State | Published - 1998 |
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Keywords
- Electron microscopy
- Floor dust
- Lead exposure
- Lead paint abatement
- Source attribution
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Environmental Engineering
- Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
- Building and Construction
Cite this
A comparison of the lead particle content of indoor dust before and after a lead paint abatement : A new source of lead recontamination. / Hunt, A.; Hawkins, J.; Gilligan, E.; Bhatia, Shobha K.
In: Indoor and Built Environment, Vol. 7, No. 1, 1998, p. 32-46.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - A comparison of the lead particle content of indoor dust before and after a lead paint abatement
T2 - A new source of lead recontamination
AU - Hunt, A.
AU - Hawkins, J.
AU - Gilligan, E.
AU - Bhatia, Shobha K
PY - 1998
Y1 - 1998
N2 - The lead particle content of floor dust in a housing unit scheduled for interior lead paint hazard removal was characterised microscopically to identify the contributing source(s) of the lead. It was hypothesised that elevated levels of lead in the dust resulted from the deterioration of the lead-based paint on the indoor surfaces. The question of lead particle source attribution was addressed using a combination of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). SEM/EDS provided data on the size, shape, and composition of the individual lead-containing dust particles. The floor dusts which were analysed contained a variety of lead particle types and eight of these types from several rooms exhibited unique morphological and/or chemical characteristics. These were variously classified as lead paint particles. The lead levels in the floor dusts prior to the abatement were ≥ 100 μg·ft -2. The floor dust lead concentrations immediately following the abatement were all less than the pre-abatement levels, but a re-sampling 2 months after the abatement found that the amount of lead in two of the rooms was approximately 3 and 4.5 times higher than the levels prior to the abatement. SEM/EDS analysis of the floor dusts samples collected 2 months after the abatement showed that in these two rooms the constituent particulate lead differed from that in any of the pre-abatement dusts. Following attempts to identify possible sources of recontamination, it was found that this previously unidentified particulate lead was consistent in form with lead scraped from the interior of one of the radiators which had been removed from the complex some time after the abatement. Residual water spilling from the radiators during the course of removal was, in all likelihood, the cause of the unexpectedly elevated dust lead levels.
AB - The lead particle content of floor dust in a housing unit scheduled for interior lead paint hazard removal was characterised microscopically to identify the contributing source(s) of the lead. It was hypothesised that elevated levels of lead in the dust resulted from the deterioration of the lead-based paint on the indoor surfaces. The question of lead particle source attribution was addressed using a combination of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). SEM/EDS provided data on the size, shape, and composition of the individual lead-containing dust particles. The floor dusts which were analysed contained a variety of lead particle types and eight of these types from several rooms exhibited unique morphological and/or chemical characteristics. These were variously classified as lead paint particles. The lead levels in the floor dusts prior to the abatement were ≥ 100 μg·ft -2. The floor dust lead concentrations immediately following the abatement were all less than the pre-abatement levels, but a re-sampling 2 months after the abatement found that the amount of lead in two of the rooms was approximately 3 and 4.5 times higher than the levels prior to the abatement. SEM/EDS analysis of the floor dusts samples collected 2 months after the abatement showed that in these two rooms the constituent particulate lead differed from that in any of the pre-abatement dusts. Following attempts to identify possible sources of recontamination, it was found that this previously unidentified particulate lead was consistent in form with lead scraped from the interior of one of the radiators which had been removed from the complex some time after the abatement. Residual water spilling from the radiators during the course of removal was, in all likelihood, the cause of the unexpectedly elevated dust lead levels.
KW - Electron microscopy
KW - Floor dust
KW - Lead exposure
KW - Lead paint abatement
KW - Source attribution
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UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=0002428356&partnerID=8YFLogxK
M3 - Article
VL - 7
SP - 32
EP - 46
JO - Indoor and Built Environment
JF - Indoor and Built Environment
SN - 1420-326X
IS - 1
ER -