Funded by US Department of Housing and Urban Development

Principal Investigator: Roger D. Lewis, Ph.D., CIH

Carpets and other textiles are major reservoirs for environmental contaminants in homes. Samples of lead-contaminated dust in residential carpets has been correlated to blood lead concentrations in children and some preliminary studies suggest that specific characteristics of carpets, dust loading, cleaning time, and cleaning methods may affect removal of lead-contaminated dust from carpets. Upholstery may also contain lead-contaminated dust in homes but few to no studies have been performed to evaluate the removal from these textiles. Recent studies by the principal investigator on dust mite allergen retention on carpets has determined that carpet-surface area and fluorocarbon coating of fibers have significant effects on the recovery of allergen as measured by a vacuum samples. Findings from these allergen retention studies may suggest mechanisms for lead contaminated dust retention and removal from carpets and cloth-upholstery.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate cleaning methods for removal of lead-contaminated dust in carpets and upholstery. The primary hypothesis to be tested is that removal of lead-contaminated dust in carpets and upholstery is governed by fabric surface area and cleaning method. Findings from this study will be used toward advancing HUD's goal of developing cost-effective cleaning techniques for lead abatement and remediation in residential and commercial buildings.