Calculating bone-lead measurement variance

The technique of Cd-109-based X-ray fluorescence (XRF) measurements of lead in bone is well established. A paper by some XRF researchers [Gordon CL, et al. The Reproducibility of Cd-109-based X-ray Fluorescence Measurements of Bone Lead. Environ Health Perspect 102:690-694 (1994)] presented the currently practiced method for calculating the variance of an in vivo measurement once a calibration line has been established. This paper corrects typographical errors in the method published by those authors; presents a crude estimate of the measurement error that can be acquired without computational peak fitting programs; and draws attention to the measurement error attributable to covariance, an important feature in the construct of the currently accepted method that is flawed under certain circumstances.