Dryer lint snares more than just fuzz.

Analyzing laundry dryer lint appears to be an easy way to screen homes for elevated lead levels, according to a new study.

Peter G. Mahaffy of the King's University College in Edmonton, Alberta, and his colleagues tested dryer lint in an effort to determine the exposure of radiator-repair shop workers and their family members. The researchers compared dryer lint samples from homes with no known sources of lead exposure, a public laundry, and the homes of people working in auto and truck radiator shops.

In 1994, the Edmonton Board of Health became concerned after one radiator mechanic showed symptoms of lead poisoning and his child was found to have elevated blood lead concentrations.

Dryer lint from the homes of the radiator-shop employees showed much higher amounts of lead than the other samples. "The highest level measured was 70 to 80 times" that of the others, Mahaffy says. The scientists determined that bits of lead solder stuck to the mechanics' work clothes and showed up on fabric fibers in the lint. Using X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy, the researchers determined that the metal flecks in the lint were composed of lead and tin (the elements of solder). "It was a nice piece of detective work," Mahaffy says.

The researchers report their findings in the Aug. 15 Environmental Science and Technology.

Examining dryer lint may be a good screening test for finding persons exposed to large amounts of lead, says Mahaffy. Definitive tests for lead are "quite intrusive," requiring blood tests and X rays of the shin bone. Having participants collect lint for the study had the added benefit of increasing their awareness of the issue, he notes.