Towards low-cost lead screening with transmission XRF
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arXiv
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| Hauptverfasser: | , , , |
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| Format: | Preprint |
| Veröffentlicht: |
2025
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| _version_ | 1866917076061388800 |
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| author | Gaßner, Christoph Reisewitz, Juliane Forsyth, Jenna E. Shaker, Kian |
| author_facet | Gaßner, Christoph Reisewitz, Juliane Forsyth, Jenna E. Shaker, Kian |
| contents | Human exposure to lead (Pb) is a global health concern, yet existing technologies for detecting lead in our environment remain prohibitively expensive for widespread deployment. Here we present a new concept towards lead screening using X-ray fluorescence (XRF) in an unconventional geometry we coin transmission XRF in which the sample is placed between the source and detector. For cost reduction, we then show that $^{241}$Am found in ionizing smoke detectors is spectrally suitable for Pb L-shell XRF generation and can thus replace X-ray tubes used in conventional XRF devices. Exploring soil screening as the first application, we demonstrate with Monte Carlo simulations that a configuration with 7$\times$ $^{241}$Am sources and a standard silicon drift detector can enable screening-relevant detection limits (100 ppm Pb) in soil within practical measurement times (<30 min). We believe this concept opens a route toward low-cost and scalable XRF instrumentation for democratizing lead screening across a wide range of samples. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2511_09110 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | Towards low-cost lead screening with transmission XRF Gaßner, Christoph Reisewitz, Juliane Forsyth, Jenna E. Shaker, Kian Instrumentation and Detectors Human exposure to lead (Pb) is a global health concern, yet existing technologies for detecting lead in our environment remain prohibitively expensive for widespread deployment. Here we present a new concept towards lead screening using X-ray fluorescence (XRF) in an unconventional geometry we coin transmission XRF in which the sample is placed between the source and detector. For cost reduction, we then show that $^{241}$Am found in ionizing smoke detectors is spectrally suitable for Pb L-shell XRF generation and can thus replace X-ray tubes used in conventional XRF devices. Exploring soil screening as the first application, we demonstrate with Monte Carlo simulations that a configuration with 7$\times$ $^{241}$Am sources and a standard silicon drift detector can enable screening-relevant detection limits (100 ppm Pb) in soil within practical measurement times (<30 min). We believe this concept opens a route toward low-cost and scalable XRF instrumentation for democratizing lead screening across a wide range of samples. |
| title | Towards low-cost lead screening with transmission XRF |
| topic | Instrumentation and Detectors |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2511.09110 |