In a recent exposé on a Denver TV show, the Lumetallix lead testing product was pitted against an XRF gun to demonstrate that the XRF is a far superior tool for identifying lead hazards, essentially attempting to discredit our instant lead test by highlighting false negatives compared to an XRF.

What the heck is a false negative? (A false negative means that our product showed no lead when lead was present by XRF.) Sadly, the exposé revealed nothing out of the ordinary.  The Lumetallix reagent must come in contact with the lead to react. XRF sees lead beneath the surface, so is it a health risk if the lead is buried?

The two tools do test for lead, but they each have a place in the toolbox of lead testing.

Ignorance Is Bliss

Without a good understanding of the differences between the tools, an ignorant person could come to the same conclusion, but nothing could be further from the truth.

XRF is an X-ray machine that does spot tests through a 1 CM2 window. The beam shoots out when you pull the trigger, and it excites the elements which is being tested. The rebound of the beam is caught in buckets that quickly quantify the results and, based upon known reactions, can tell you what elements are present. Lead is one of the easiest elements for XRF to detect. The test goes deep into the surface that it is testing. How deep? it depends. This can be problematic. It can shoot through walls in some cases. There are several types of X-ray sources. Some are more powerful than others. There are several settings that an XRF can use, including RoHS/WEEE mode, which tests electric and electronic equipment components mostly used in Europe.

The XRF does not say how deep the lead is.

Are we looking for lead hazards or what is deep within a ceramic tile. not normally but if you are going to be cutting the tile without water then you could cause a serious contamination.

There is a time and place to test for lead with XRF. The same goes for the Lumetallix instant lead test.

XRF Like Everything Has Limitations

XRF cannot see lead dust. If there is less that 1Mg per Cm2 it will show negative. Is that a false Negative? There could be lead hazards present an the XRF will be blind to it. Lead dust particles are the very thing that causes lead poisoning in children and the XRF says nope, no lead here. There can be lead in abundance 3 layers of paint in  and the XRF says AH HA I found lead. We used to try to screen dust wipes by putting them in a rare coin container and shoot them but the results were not reliable.

The EPA says that if you paint over lead paint with latex paint then it is stabilized. If you are not disturbing that paint then Is that a false positive? I think one could argue this case.

You have to be a certified Risk Assessor to use the XRF for lead testing. I own one but I allowed my certification to lapse. Now although I own one I can’t use it officially. Silly but it is true. During a Risk Assessment often done when a child is found to have an EBLL dust sampling is collected on site and those wipes are sent to a certified NLLAP lab for testing. Wouldn’t it be cool if you could know instantly what surfaces are contaminated with lead dust. That is what Lumetallix instant lead test offers.

Clear and Present Danger

If you want to see a clear and present danger use the Lumetallix Instant Lead Test. It will always show you what will reach out and hurt you. The area that it sees with one spray vs a shot with the XRF is 25 times wider at least.

XRF Testing Reality

The tool is actually a scientific instrument. I love them, newer ones will even photograph the thing which is is testing and alert you instantly if it is above or below a threshold say if it were told to look for lead.

In the big picture however, most owners of these devices are government agencies and they tend to sit in the box more than they ae being used. The people certified to use them are busy doing other things.

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