East Greenbush, NY (PRWEB) January 8, 2009 — Today XOS introduces the HDX 1000 Lead Analyzer uniting the speed and ease-of-use of conventional XRF analyzers with the precision and accuracy of chemical techniques. The HDX 1000 is now ready to meet industry needs for both screening and certification to new federally mandated lead levels going into effect beginning February 2009. This new technology covers every base, from analyzing raw materials to checking finished product inventory. The HDX 1000 can reliably quantify the lead content in painted surfaces at low levels, even below the 40 ppm lead level recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

The HDX 1000 uses XOS’s recently developed High Definition X-Ray Fluorescence (HD XRF) technique to measure lead and other toxic metals in children’s products. This new analyzer represents the next-generation in rapid non-destructive analysis of trace lead levels in paint on children’s products. The HDX 1000 is introduced in response to the lower lead limits mandated by the US Congress in August 2008 as a part of the Consumer Products Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA). Demonstrations of the analyzer are currently taking place in the United States and China. Demonstration models are available immediately and orders can be placed for units to be delivered in the first quarter of 2009.

“Recent advances in our x-ray optics allow the HDX 1000 Analyzer to simultaneously report the lead level in the paint separately from the concentration in the base material,” says Berry Beumer, VP of Sales and Marketing at XOS, “This breakthrough technology was designed specifically to meet the challenging new regulations set forth by the CPSIA. The HDX 1000 Analyzer is the best option for screening a large number of toys for lead in a fast and cost-effective manner.”

Alternative chemical analytical techniques to measure trace levels of lead require careful scraping of surface paint, then digesting it in an acid at elevated temperature and having the liquid sample analyzed by an inductively coupled plasma analyzer. Portable “handheld” XRF, while faster and non-destructive, will not reliably detect the low lead levels in painted surfaces as required by new legislation.

Measurements made using the HDX 1000 are by nature non-destructive and require no sample preparation, avoiding paint removal or digestion steps that take valuable time, destroy the merchandise being tested, and degrade the audit trail. The HDX 1000 also uses proprietary optics to improve lead detection while separating the lead levels of the coating and base material.

“Industrialized nations are becoming very conscious of the impact of toxic elements such as lead on human health and the risks posed to the environment,” comments David Gibson, President of XOS, “The introduction of our new HD XRF platform equips industry and government agencies responsible for ensuring product safety with a truly unprecedented balance of speed, precision, and ease-of-use.”

Industry is fully behind the consumer and their desire to increase the number of products tested. Unfortunately, this comes at either great expense or high uncertainty using current test methods. Further, regulators are faced with a daunting task to uphold the regulatory standards with methods that are too slow, not reliable, or not reproducible enough to meet the needs. With the HDX 1000 Analyzer, industry compliance officers and government regulatory officials now have a much more reliable, repeatable, and cost-effective tool to assist them.

XOS has experience in solving challenging trace-element measurement problems. When the EPA made a bold move to radically reduce sulfur in diesel fuel (by 97%), it was a breakthrough XOS technique that allowed the petroleum industry to cost effectively and reliably meet the new standard with the SINDIE-7039® analyzer.