Utilizing XRF technology to screen Aerially Deposited Lead and toxic metals in soil enables Caltrans to conduct soil screening quickly, efficiently, and economically on any project which involves soil disturbance to assess the toxicity of the soil, find the exact amount of each of the regulated metals it contains, and determine whether further soil investigations can be eliminated. This technology provides cost-effective solutions to costly and lengthy soil investigations by others.

Most Caltrans projects include the removal of paints from roadway traffic stipes and thermoplastic pavement markings. Lead-based paint and lead-contaminated dust are some of the most widespread and hazardous sources of lead exposure in the United States. In addition to hazardous metals in soil, the X-ray fluorescence (XRF) hand-held is capable of on-the-spot measuring of the lead in paint in less than 10 seconds delivering maximum productivity and optimum accuracy for lead-based paint (LBP) testing.

The power of XRF for elemental analysis is in its ability to report with extreme accuracy on the presence of a wide range of elements, its ease of use, and the non-destructive nature of the measurement.

Submitted by:
Paul Phan, Neil Azzu, Phong Hoang, Lisa Farzana, Carola Acurio, Christian Duran
Caltrans District 8 Environmental Engineering ‘A’ 

For more information, contact Neil Azzu at [email protected].