What does a lead dust wipe measure?

What does a lead dust wipe measure?

• A. Total lead dust on a surface (lead loading)
• B. Lead concentration in air
• C. Lead in soil
• D. Lead in drinking water

Answer: (A)

Lead dust wipe testing focuses on surface contamination. A wipe collects dust from a defined surface area and the lab measures how much lead is present in that collected dust. The result is a lead loading value, typically expressed as micrograms of lead per square foot (or per square meter). This tells you how contaminated a surface is and is used to determine if cleaning meets the required clearance levels. It does not assess how much lead is in the air (air sampling measures airborne lead), nor does it assess lead in soil or lead in drinking water, which require soil or water samples and different analyses. So the lead dust wipe specifically measures the total amount of lead dust on a surface, i.e., surface lead loading.

Lead dust wipe testing focuses on surface contamination. A wipe collects dust from a defined surface area and the lab measures how much lead is present in that collected dust. The result is a lead loading value, typically expressed as micrograms of lead per square foot (or per square meter). This tells you how contaminated a surface is and is used to determine if cleaning meets the required clearance levels. It does not assess how much lead is in the air (air sampling measures airborne lead), nor does it assess lead in soil or lead in drinking water, which require soil or water samples and different analyses. So the lead dust wipe specifically measures the total amount of lead dust on a surface, i.e., surface lead loading.