Comparison of two cyclone-based collection devices for the evaluation of lead-containing residential dusts

Although lead-containing house dust is an important source of childhood lead exposure, methods for collection of house dust have not been standardized. Wipe and vacuum-based dust collection methods have been employed in past studies of lead exposure and for clearance purposes following remediation. Little is known about performance characteristics and potential biases of these sample collection methods, especially with respect to the influence of particle size on sampling and retention characteristics. This study compared performances of two portable cyclone devices via replicate samplings of three different and well-characterized dusts which covered the range of particle sizes expected in house dust (0.9-2000 /im). Significant differences in performance that were a function of particle size and dust loading were measured. The cyclone device with significantly higher dust recoveries also demonstrated a pattern of more consistent recoveries across particle sizes and dust loadings and higher precision across replicate samplings. Consistency in dust recoveries across a wide range of particle diameters and dust loadings and the precision of particulate recoveries within any given particle size class or loading are important considerations in the selection of a dust collection device. Given the lack of information on the particle size and loading distributions of residential dusts and lead-containing dusts in particular, it is important to select a sampler with minimal biases.