—Limit On Lead In Air To Be Tightened “” For the first time in 30 years, EPA has proposed to ratchet down the national air quality standard for lead. On May 1, the agency proposed a new standard of between 0.1 and 0.3 µg of lead per cubic meter of air. The existing standard for the neurotoxic metal is 1.5 µg/m3.
May 12, 2008
—NIST Issues Standard For Testing Lead “” The National Institute of Standards & Technology has developed a standard reference material for testing lead in paint on children’s toys. The material is intended to be used by manufacturers to confirm that their methods for quantifying lead levels in toys yield accurate results. Under the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008, children’s products can contain no more than 90 mg of lead per kg of paint. Manufacturers are required to demonstrate compliance with the law by using a method that relies on several X-ray beams with different energies. Measurements obtained with handheld X-ray fluorescence instruments are not accepted by the Consumer Product Safety Commission as evidence of compliance, but manufacturers can use such methods as a quick screening tool to determine whether more thorough testing is needed.
by Britt E. Erickson | October 22, 2012
At the ACS national meeting in San Diego last week, researchers revealed high levels of lead in seven gardens across Newark, New Jersey. Despite the widespread use of urban gardens in Newark, said Omanjana Goswami, a graduate student at Rutgers University–Newark who presented the data, there’s “no information on what’s in the soil.” Goswami and her coworkers teamed up with local schools and community groups to collect soil samples, then analyzed them for lead content. All the gardens had detectable lead in their soils; three gardens had at least one sample that exceeded the US Environmental Protection Agency’s lead limit. Most of the lead is due to the city’s legacy of industrialization, including leaded gasoline and factory emissions.
by Giuliana Viglione | August 30, 2019
—EPA Tightens Rules For Lead Smelters “” EPA is proposing stricter emissions standards for secondary lead smelters, one of the largest sources of industrial lead emissions. Secondary lead smelters use furnaces to remove and recycle lead from scrap material, mostly from automobile batteries. EPA says these facilities have already achieved significant emissions reductions as a result of the existing federal standards, which were issued in June 1997, as well as state and industry actions. The proposal would require smelters to cut their emissions of lead and arsenic by 63% from current levels, adding up to a total reduction of more than 95% over the past 15 years. Smelters would also need to meet new emissions limits for dioxins, which can cause cancer. EPA says fewer than 20 secondary smelters currently operate in the U.S.
by Glenn Hess | May 09, 2011
—Lead fallout from Notre-Dame fire more than originally reported “Analysis of soil samples near cathedral show high levels of toxic metal” Ever since a fire devastated the Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral in April 2019, locals and environmental groups have raised concerns about the fate of lead in the cathedral’s roof and spire.
by Laura Howes | July 18, 2020
—Dangers Of Lead “” As I belatedly thumbed through my foot-high stack of unread issues of Science and C&EN after a series of prolonged health crises, I was deeply gratified to see an updated retrospective on the effects of childhood lead exposure. The excellent article “The Crimes of Lead” is the first serious coverage of a small segment of this vast saga that I have seen to address the overall chemical community (C&EN, Feb. 3, page 27).
June 02, 2014
—Goodbye to lead in hair dyes “” The U.S. Food & Drug Administration has banned the use of lead acetate as a color additive in hair dyes sold in the U.S., according to a final rule published on Oct. 30. The action comes in response to a 2017 petition, filed by public health groups claiming that lead acetate is neurotoxic and carcinogenic.
by Britt E. Erickson | October 30, 2018
NEWS OF THE WEEK NEWS OF THE WEEK September 14, 1998 Volume 76, Number 37 CENEAR 76 37 1-80 ISSN 0009-2347 [Previous Story][Next Story] Lead in peat bog tells historic tales Maureen Rouhi Human activities have had a dramatic effect on levels of atmospheric lead. Not just recently, as might have been expected given the use of leaded gasoline, but ever since the dawn of agriculture 6,000 years ago.
by Maureen Rouhi | September 14, 1998