Instrument to Identify Hazardous Children's Products that Could Cause Lead Poison

描述(申请人提供)：第二阶段的目标是为消费者开发世界上第一个安全、廉价和易于操作的铅检测器，可以可靠地检测玩具和其他产品中危险的铅含量。它将基于RMD开发的一种高灵敏度但廉价的X射线荧光技术。拟议的计划将产生一种独特的产品，提供：(1)高灵敏度，以识别含有危险含量的铅的物体，(2)低成本，以鼓励消费者和其他最终用户进行广泛的测试，以及(3)无需培训或许可的方便操作。铅及其化合物被评为对人类健康构成巨大威胁的顶级化学品。尽管政府监管越来越严格，但受铅污染的零部件继续渗透到供应链中，出现在零售商的货架上。此外，在二手商店购买的二手物品或传递给年幼儿童的二手物品几乎不存在测试。问题不是由于现有铅检测技术的准确性或敏感性，而是现有测试设备的高昂费用、安全和许可障碍。我们建议将RMD先进的固态检测器与最近获得专利的铅检测技术相结合，开发一种面向消费者的铅检测器，该检测器将广泛使用，使用方便且价格低廉。我们提出了一种租赁/租赁模式，以保持低成本，并鼓励消费者在家里、学校和日托中心进行广泛的测试。第二阶段的主要影响将是对儿童更安全的家庭，因为父母终于有了一种负担得起的方法来识别潜在危险的含铅产品。在第一阶段，我们论证了设计这种装置的可行性。在第二阶段，我们将完善这项技术，最终制造出一台功能强大的铅检测仪器原型。RMD拥有开发供消费者使用的铅探测器的人员、设施和经验。虽然是一家小公司，但RMD现在为专业人士生产铅检测器，这些专业人员可以检测油漆和焊料中的铅。随着第二阶段提案中详细介绍的新传感器和测量技术，RMD相信现在有可能克服基于安全、低强度、未经许可的来源为消费者开发铅检测器的相关困难。 与公共健康相关：尽管对消费品中的铅含量有越来越严格的监管限制，但含有铅的玩具和家用产品继续进入消费者家庭。之所以很难识别和消除含铅量过高的物品，是因为目前的测试非常昂贵，需要训练有素的技术人员或全方位服务的测试实验室的参与。我们建议开发一种价格低廉、操作简单的仪器，供消费者广泛使用，以便在自己的家中测试物品。对公众健康的影响是，方便、广泛的检测将在儿童接触铅之前将受铅污染的物品从使用中移除。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The goal of Phase II is to develop the world's first safe, inexpensive, and easy to operate lead detector for consumers that can reliably detect dangerous levels of lead in toys and other products. It will be based on a high sensitivity yet inexpensive X-ray fluorescence technology developed by RMD. The proposed program will result in a unique product that offers: (1) high sensitivity, to identify objects containing dangerous amounts of lead, (2) low cost to encourage widespread testing by consumers and other end users and (3) convenient operation requiring no training or licensing. Lead and its compounds have been rated as top chemicals that pose a great threat to human health. Despite increasingly stringent government regulations, lead contaminated components continue to penetrate the supply chain and show up on retailer shelves. Furthermore, testing of second hand items, purchased in resale shops or handed down to younger children, is practically non-existent. The problem is not due to the accuracy or sensitivity of existing lead detection technology, but rather to the high expense, safety and licensing barriers of available test equipment. We propose to use RMD's advanced solid-state detectors combined with recently patented lead detection techniques to develop a consumer oriented lead detector that will be widely available and easy and inexpensive to use. We propose a rental/lease model to keep costs low and encourage widespread testing by consumers at home and in schools and daycare centers. The main impact of Phase II will be households that are safer for children because parents finally have an affordable way to identify potentially hazardous, lead-containing products. In Phase I, we demonstrated the feasibility of designing such a device. In Phase II we will perfect the technology, culminating in the fabrication of a highly functional prototype lead detection instrument. RMD has the personnel, facilities and experience to develop a lead detector for consumer use. Though a small company, RMD now manufactures lead detectors for professionals that detect lead in paint and in solder. With the new sensors and measurement technologies detailed in the Phase II proposal, RMD believes it is now possible to overcome the difficulties associated with developing a lead detector for consumers based on a safe, low intensity, unlicensed source. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: In spite of increasingly stringent regulatory limits for lead content in consumer products, toys and household products containing lead continue to find their way into the consumer household. The reason it is so hard to identify and eliminate items containing egregious amounts of lead is that current tests are very expensive to perform and require the involvement of a trained technician or a full service testing laboratory. We propose to develop an inexpensive, simple to operate instrument which can be made widely available to consumers to test items in their own homes. The public health impact is that convenient, widespread testing will remove lead contaminated items from use before children are exposed.