In the past few days there has been a good deal of media attention, and some controversy, surrounding reports by “GoodGuide.com” about the alleged presence of toxins in the popular “Zhu Zhu” toy hamster. In response to those reports, the effectiveness and reliability of XRF (X-ray Fluorescence) technology to quantify various substances in toys and other consumer products has come under scrutiny. XOS’ HDXRF technology answers this scrutiny.

XOS manufactures instruments that utilize next generation X-ray technology (High Definition Spectroscopy – HDS). This technology detects and quantifies the amount of lead and other elements and substances in surface coatings (like paint on toys) separately from their underlying substrates. XOS’ High Definition XRF technology (HDXRF) is dramatically more reliable and precise for the detection of many substances than the legacy “handheld” XRF technology used by GoodGuide for its product testing. The ability to separately quantify toxins in paint layers is one of many improvements offered by HDXRF over these legacy XRF techniques. Moreover, HDXRF is designed to be used by manufacturers, distributors, importers, and retailers, to stop problems at their source, rather than catching violations later, after potential consumer exposure.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission is now engaged in the process of reviewing all types of testing methods and technologies available to detect toxins, like lead and antimony, in toys and other products. In fact, XOS’ HDXRF technology was prominently mentioned in CPSC’s August 2009 report as a promising new technology under review at CPSC and NIST; and the CPSC has also recently approved such XRF techniques for measuring lead in polymers and plastics (Fed. Reg. Oct 29, 2009). As this federal review continues, XOS’ state-of-the-art HDXRF technology can and should be considered an accurate, reliable, and repeatable instrument for separately testing both the paint on, and the substrates of, components and products at their source. This ensures that the final products are safe for children and other consumers.