5.1 This practice provides procedures to generate and document QC data for ensuring that an XRF is operating within acceptable tolerances throughout the testing period when being used to collect lead results during a lead-based pain (LBP) inspection for the purposes of generating lead classification results.

5.2 This practice is intended to supplement XRF instrument manufacturer protocols and Performance Characteristic Sheets (PCSs)4 through the use of QA and QC procedures to provide uniform lead testing practices among the wide variety of available field-portable XRF instruments.

5.3 While the QC results collected using this practice can provide assurances that an XRF instrument is operating within acceptable tolerances, this practice does not determine an actual level of confidence for a classification result obtained from an XRF measurement.

5.4 This practice does not address selection of test locations or representative sampling for leaded paint. Additional information on conducting measurements of lead in leaded paint or other coatings may be found in the HUD Guidelines, Chapter 7.

5.5 This practice involves the use of field-portable XRF instruments that may contain radioactive materials that emit X rays and gamma rays. These instruments are intended for use only by qualified, trained personnel.

5.6 The use of field-portable XRF instruments for measurement of lead may not accurately reveal low but still potentially hazardous levels of lead.

1.1 This practice covers the collection and documentation of quality control (QC) measurements for determining acceptable levels of instrumental performance when using field-portable energy-dispersive x-ray fluorescence spectrometry devices (XRFs) for the purposes of generating lead classification results from measurements on paint and other coating films within buildings and related structures.

1.2 QC procedures covered in this provisional practice include the performance of calibration checks, substrate bias checks, and specific instructions for documenting the collected data for later use in reporting the results.

1.3 No detailed operating instructions are provided because of differences among the various makes and models of suitable instruments. Instead, the analyst is to follow the instructions provided by the manufacturer of the particular XRF device or other relevant sources of information on XRF operation.

1.4 This practice contains notes which are explanatory and are not part of the mandatory requirements of this provisional practice.

1.5 The values stated in SI units are to be regarded as standard. No other units of measurement are included in this standard.

1.6 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety and health practices and determine the applicability of regulatory requirements prior to use.