NITON LLC
urnpike, Building 8, Billerica, MA 07827
1 ""50 http^/www.niton.com
DESCRIPTION OF THE TECHNOLOGY
With support from the Environmental Protection Agency's
(EPA) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Pro-
gram, NITON LLC, has developed and commercialized a
unique instrument to detect lead in paint that solves the
problems encountered with x-ray fluorescent analyzers.
The NITON XL-309 Dual Detector is compact, lightweight,
and battery operated. It produces rapid, accurate mea-
surements of lead and can be equipped with the capabil-
ity to be used for the following applications:
+ Lead in paint, independent of the composition, thick-
ness, and substrate of the paint.
+ Lead in soil for site characterization, clearance screen-
ing, and remediation quality control.
+ Lead in dust wipes for lead inspection, risk assessment,
and site clearance.
+ Lead on filters for tracking workers' exposure to harm-
ful airborne lead.
The NITON analyzer uses a 109Cd source to measure the
concentration of lead in paint, even when covered by 15
or more layers of non-lead paint of unknown thickness
and composition. This results in no substrate correction
and simple, point-and-shoot operation on any surface.
Positive/negative classifications are displayed automati-
cally when 95 percent confidence is achieved, and the
results are continuously displayed and updated. In some
cases, results are obtained in as little as 1 second with no
inconclusive ranges. Equipped with a fully automated
data entry and onsite report generation capability, the
XL-309 is a powerful onsite package capable of solving
the most challenging lead-hazard problems.
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE TECHNOLOGY
Lead in paint has been associated with a number of envi-
ronmental and health risks. Exposure of pregnant women
to lead can result in premature birth, low birth weight, or
spontaneous abortion. Lead exposure in infants and young
children may lead to decreased intelligence scores, de-
celerated growth, and hearing problems. Also, exposure
of adults and children to high levels of lead may cause
brain and kidney damage. NITON's device helps detect
and subsequently eliminate the health risks associated
with lead-based paint (LBP).
Lead in soil contamination, at residential and industrial
sites, poses numerous environmental, safety, and reme-
diation problems. Depending on the source(s) of lead, the
contamination may be highly localized or distributed ex-
tensively about a property. For example, if the main source
of lead is due to external house paint, then the lead in soil
is expected to be highest near the dripline of the house
and decrease rapidly away from the structure. Conversely,
if the lead source is from a nearby industry or large lead
abatement project, the soil contamination may be perva-
sive throughout the property. Only a thorough site assess-
ment involving a detailed sampling pattern will produce
an accurate contamination profile of such sites.
The NITON 300 series analyzer, as part of a soil-testing
strategy, can reduce the cost and disruption of soil reme-
diation. The NITON analyzer is in full compliance with
U.S. EPA Method 6200, "Field Portable XRF Spectrom-
NITON has developed and commercialized the NITON XL-309 Dual Detector, which produces accurate
measurements of lead in paint independent of the composition, thickness, and substrate of the paint.
The analyzer uses a 109Cd source to measure the concentration of lead in paint, even when covered by
15 or more layers of non-lead paint of unknown thickness and composition.
The device also can be used for detecting lead in soil, dust wipes, and on filters.
Since receiving SBIR funding 6 years ago, the NITON XL-309 dual detector has become the industry
standard for lead in paint analyses and has evolved into a complete lead analyzer.
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The NITON XL-309 dual detector has become the industry standard for lead in paint
analyses and has evolved into a complete lead analyzer, capable of detecting lead in
soil, dust wipes, and on filters.
etry for the Determination of Elemental Concentrations
in Soils and Sediments" for lead analysis. When used as
part of a remediation project, it is expected to reduce off-
site analytical costs, reduce the amount of soil to be pro-
cessed, reduce the time required for remediation, and
reduce or perhaps eliminate the need to remove con-
taminated soil for storage at hazardous waste landfills.
It is expected that these benefits would greatly increase
the overall amount of soil remediation because costs
would be substantially lower for many sites.
Dust wipe analysis with the NITON 300 series analyzer is a
non-destructive method that provides real-time analytical
data that are invaluable when conducting a risk assessment
after abatement of a lead hazard. It conclusively determines
whether clearance criteria have been met while abatement
workers are still onsite, eliminating the remobilization and
re-cleaning associated with failed clearance tests while al-
lowing for re-occupancy of the dwelling in less time, at a
lower cost, and with less inconvenience to the occupants.
Filter analysis provides onsite screening of workers' exposure
for industrial hygiene and safety testing. Filter cassettes may
be tested immediately following collections, or at midpoints
throughout the sampling process, to rapidly determine if
the working environment is safe, or if workers are being
appropriately protected. Environmental and industrial fil-
ters also maybe checked during sampling, offering close-to-
real-time analysis and the ability to immediately correct
possibly erroneous procedures and environmental protec-
tion. NITON analyzers offer unprecedented speed-to-results
to ensure the safety of workers and are listed in National
Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Method 7702
for airborne lead monitoring.
COMMERCIALIZATION SUCCESS
Since receiving SBIR funding 6 years ago, the NITON XL-
309 dual detector has become the industry standard for
lead in paint analysis and has evolved into a complete
lead analyzer. From LBP to soil to dust wipes, it is an in-
valuable tool to ensure the safety of children and adults,
and the environment in which they live.
With thousands in use worldwide, NITON's award-win-
ning 300 series lead analyzer has become the instru-
ment of choice for the lead analysis industry. In No-
vember 2001, NITON participated with the 300 series
analyzer in the "Evaluation of Field Portable Mea-
surement Technologies for Lead in Dust Wipes" con-
ducted by EPA's Environmental Technology Verifica-
tion Program to evaluate the performance of
commercially available field analytical technologies
for analyzing dust wipes for lead. Data from the XL-
300 series showed excellent agreement with the esti-
mated lead value for the range of samples analyzed, with
very few false negative results.
AWARDS AND COMPANY HISTORY
In recognition of its technological innova-
tion, NITON was a finalist for the 1994 Dis-
covery Award and received the prestigious
R&D 100 Award in 1995. NITON also received
the Lead Tech Product of the Year Award in
1995. NITON's headquarters are located in
Billerica, MA, and the company has facilities in North
Kingstown, HI; Bend, OR; and Garchingbei Miinchen,
Germany. NITON also has satellite sales and service
offices in countries throughout the world.
EPA's Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program was created to assist small businesses in
transforming innovative ideas into commercial products. The SBIR Program has two phases—Phase I is
the feasibility study to determine the validity of the proposed concept and Phase II is the development of
the technology or product proven feasible in Phase I. EPA also offers Phase II Options to accelerate the
commercialization of SBIR technologies and to complete EPA's Environmental Technology Verification
(ETV) Program. For more information about EPA's SBIR Program and the National Center for Environmental
Research, visit http://www.epa.gov/ncer/sbir.
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