Potential lead on play surfaces: Evaluation of the “PLOPS” sampler as a new tool for primary lead prevention

Abstract

This New Orleans study tested the “potential lead on play surfaces” (PLOPS) sampler, as a tool for measuring the potential lead (Pb) surface loading per area (e.g., μg/ft 2) of the soil. The PLOPS is a cylindrical vinyl envelope filled with 1 kg (2.2 lbs) water. A wet wipe, the same type as used for floor wipes, is clipped to the bottom of the cylindrical vinyl envelope and placed on the soil and turned one quarter of a turn and back to obtain a sample. PLOPS samples paired with one conventional soil lead (SL) sample (amount of Pb per mass) up to 2.5 cm (1 in) deep were collected from 25 properties and 67–69 field sites before and after covering them with clean Mississippi River alluvial soil from the Bonnet Carré Spillway (BCS). Permutation methods were used to evaluate results. The correlation was 0.85 between Plops 1 and 2 and the agreement was 0.79 ( P-values⪡0.0000001, i.e., extreme). The averages of PLOPS duplicates were used to correlate PLOPS and SL. The simplest mathematical expressions are in the forms y = a + b x c and x = d + e y f , where x is PLOPS and y is SL. The results were: y=−7.42+0.408 x 0.97 and x=−43.74+24.85 y 0.69. The agreements were 0.61 and 0.62, respectively ( P-value⪡0.0000001). According to the relationship, when the PLOPS measure 40 μg/ft 2, the predicted SL is 7.2 mg/kg. Also, when SL measures 400 mg/kg, 1508 μg/ft 2 is predicted for PLOPS; therefore, SL concentration underestimates the potential for Pb exposure from the soil surface. The PLOPS tool provides a measurement that is comparable with interior floor wipes because it measures the amount of Pb per area a child is likely to encounter while at play on the soil surface.