Rapid, Quantitative, Trace Element Measurement of Toxins in Consumer Products

快速、定量、痕量元素测量消费品中的毒素

• 批准号: 7998991
• 负责人: Danhong Li
• 金额: $ 10万
• 依托单位: X-RAY OPTICAL SYSTEMS, INC.
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 财政年份: 2011
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2011-01-01 至 2011-06-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/7998991
• 关键词: Address; Antimony; Architecture; Barium; Beryllium; Cadmium; Characteristics; Child; Complex; Computer software; Consumer Product Safety; Coupled; Detection; Diagnostic radiologic examination; Disease; Electronics; Elements; Energy-Generating Resources; Environment; Environmental Exposure; Epidemiologist; Evaluation; Exposure to; Floor; Fluorescence; Food; Government; Hazardous Substances; Health; Health Care Costs; Home environment; Impaired cognition; Indium; Intervention; Laboratories; Lead; Malignant Neoplasms; Manufacturer Name; Marketing; Measurement; Measures; Medical; Metals; Methodology; Methods; Neurologic; Optics; Paint; Persons; Phase; Plastics; Positioning Attribute; Public Health; Regulation; Research Personnel; Resistance; Risk; Roentgen Rays; Sampling; Scanning; Schools; Shipping; Ships; Solutions; Source; Spottings; Symptoms; System; Techniques; Technology; Testing; Time; Toxin; Toy; Trace Elements; Training; Transportation; Work; Workplace; absorption; base; consumer product; cost; design; improved; instrument; instrumentation; interest; landfill; manufacturing process; meetings; remediation; respiratory; software development; toxic metal; wasting

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The objective of this project is to demonstrate the feasibility of a nondestructive, compact, reliable, easy-to-operate X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analyzer for measurement of toxic elements in electronics and other related consumer products at their point of manufacture. The intervention at the manufacturing or distribution center will substantially eliminate the exposure to the consumer at home, school, work, or from the product that ends up in a landfill. This electronics manufacturing analyzer will be fit for purpose on the factory floor, enabled by new, powerful, proprietary, monochromatic doubly curved crystal (DCC) X-ray optics, source configurations, and associated software that greatly increases the efficiency and sensitivity for this elemental analysis. These toxins occur naturally in the environment, but also are included in manufacturing processes for purposes such as UV resistance, durability, and strength. Abnormal levels of these toxic elements in the body are known to be associated with many health disorders such as cancer, cognitive impairment, as well as respiratory, cardiological, and other neurological symptoms. In spite of their recognized importance, only recently have these toxic metals been regulated at levels exceeding current practical measurement techniques (i.e. Restriction of Hazardous Substances Directive of 2002, and Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008). Current field-portable instrumentation does not meet the quantitative needs of manufacturers or regulatory agencies. This has caused a significant shift to laboratory-based measurements which are accurate, but they are also complex, time-consuming, and expensive. That approach requires sample transportation, handling, delays, and highly trained operators. The laboratories certified for such measurements are also limited in number and regional in distribution. As a result, neither solution is fit for purpose. The toxic element analyzer proposed in this project is based on advancing the X-ray optics and software capability for use in electronics and toys, while simultaneously making it simple-to-use for any operator with minimal training. The new system will allow unprecedented X-ray fluorescence of sensitivity for simultaneously measuring most regulated elemental toxins, including traditionally difficult to measure elements such as cadmium, antimony, and barium. The proposed new analyzer changes the public-health situation dramatically by offering an inexpensive, reliable elemental toxin analyzer that is fit for purpose on the factory floor. By intervening at the source, this instrument will reduce or eliminate the risk of unknowing direct exposure from our consumer products as well as indirect exposure in the environment from disposal of these items in a landfill. This will reduce health-care costs, and simultaneously improve regulatory compliance capabilities. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: The proposed electronics and manufacturing analyzer has the potential to substantially mitigate or even eliminate many toxic element exposures by intervening at the source with a quantitative, simple-to-use, substantially matrix independent, and nondestructive instrument to identify problems at the factory or distribution center before the toxins reach the home, school, or work place. The positive impacts to public health include decreased toxic element exposure, which leads to reduced public-health effects, reduced remediation costs, and reduced health-care costs. The applicability for such an instrument is vast and includes testing for the regulated toxic elements (i.e. Restriction of Hazardous Substances Directive of 2002, or Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008) in electronics, other related consumer products, and products intended for children.

描述（由申请人提供）：本项目的目的是证明一种非破坏性，紧凑，可靠，易于操作的X射线荧光（XRF）分析仪的可行性，用于测量电子产品和其他相关消费品中的有毒元素。在制造或配送中心的干预将大大消除消费者在家中、学校、工作场所或最终进入垃圾填埋场的产品中的暴露。这款电子制造分析仪将适用于工厂车间，采用新型、功能强大、专有的单色双曲晶体（DCC）X射线光学器件、源配置和相关软件，大大提高了元素分析的效率和灵敏度。这些毒素自然存在于环境中，但也包含在制造过程中，用于抗紫外线，耐用性和强度等目的。已知体内这些有毒元素的异常水平与许多健康障碍有关，如癌症、认知障碍以及呼吸、心脏和其他神经系统症状。尽管这些有毒金属的重要性得到了公认，但直到最近才对它们进行了管制，使其水平超过了目前的实际测量技术（即2002年《有害物质限制指令》和2008年《消费品安全改进法》）。目前的现场便携式仪器不满足制造商或监管机构的定量需求。这导致了一个重大转变，以实验室为基础的测量是准确的，但他们也是复杂的，耗时的，昂贵的。这种方法需要样品运输、处理、延迟和训练有素的操作人员。获得此类测量认证的实验室在数量和区域分布上也有限。因此，这两种解决方案都不适合目的。该项目中提出的有毒元素分析仪基于改进用于电子产品和玩具的X射线光学和软件功能，同时使其易于使用，适合任何只需最少培训的操作员。新系统将允许前所未有的灵敏度X射线荧光同时测量大多数受管制的元素毒素，包括传统上难以测量的元素，如镉，锑和钡。拟议的新分析仪通过提供适合工厂车间的廉价、可靠的元素毒素分析仪，极大地改变了公共卫生状况。通过在源头进行干预，该工具将减少或消除我们的消费品在不知情的情况下直接暴露的风险，以及在垃圾填埋场处置这些物品时间接暴露于环境中的风险。这将降低医疗保健成本，同时提高监管合规能力。 公共卫生相关性：所提出的电子和制造分析仪具有通过在源头处用定量的、使用简单的、基本上不依赖于基质的和非破坏性的仪器进行干预以在毒素到达家庭、学校或工作场所之前识别工厂或配送中心处的问题来基本上减轻或甚至消除许多有毒元素暴露的潜力。对公众健康的积极影响包括减少有毒元素的接触，从而减少对公众健康的影响，减少补救费用和减少保健费用。这种仪器的适用性非常广泛，包括测试电子产品、其他相关消费品和儿童产品中受管制的有毒元素（即2002年《有害物质限制指令》或2008年《消费品安全改进法》）。