A system and corresponding method for detecting one or more high-atomic-number elements in a patient includes a Bremsstrahlung x-ray source that produces x-rays in an energy spectrum including an energy of at least 160 kiloelectron-volts (keV), a filter configured to absorb the x-rays in a region of the energy spectrum, and a collimator configured to receive the x-rays and output a collimated x-ray beam to be incident on a patient. The system and method can also include one or more collimated, energy-resolving x-ray detectors to detect fluorescent radiation emitted from the one or more high-atomic-number elements in the patient in response to the collimated x-ray beam incident on the patient. An alternative x-ray source can include a radioactive isotope. Scanning of the x-ray beam may also be performed. Embodiments enable practical clinical, in vivo measurements of lead in bone.

An X-ray fluorescence spectrometer according to the present invention includes a calculation unit (10) configured to calculate a content of each element in a sample (13) using an FP method, wherein the calculation unit (10) is configured to: in order to take into consideration an influence of unmeasured elements for which the fluorescent X-rays are not measured, use shorter-wavelength scattered X-rays of primary X-rays having a wavelength of 0.05 nm or more and 0.075 nm or less, and longer-wavelength scattered X-rays of the primary X-rays having a wavelength of 0.11 nm or more and 0.23 nm or less as scattered X-rays whose intensities are measured by a detection unit (9), assume a mean atomic number for elements other than hydrogen included in the unmeasured elements, and assume a content for hydrogen.

An X-ray fluorescence spectrometer according to the present invention includes a calculation unit (10) configured to calculate a content of each element in a sample (13) using an FP method, wherein the calculation unit (10) is configured to: in order to take into consideration an influence of unmeasured elements for which the fluorescent X-rays are not measured, use shorter-wavelength scattered X-rays of primary X-rays having a wavelength of 0.05 nm or more and 0.075 nm or less, and longer-wavelength scattered X-rays of the primary X-rays having a wavelength of 0.11 nm or more and 0.23 nm or less as scattered X-rays whose intensities are measured by a detection unit (9), assume a mean atomic number for elements other than hydrogen included in the unmeasured elements, and assume a content for hydrogen.

System, method and computer program product for determining mass fractions of one or more elements in a test sample based on a measurement with a wave-length dispersive x-ray fluorescence (WDX) spectrometer measuring gross intensities associated with respective elements with to-be-determined mass fractions (MFi) in the test sample. A mass fraction module determines mass fractions (MFi) by using a calibration equation (CE1) with the respective measured gross intensity and a respective calculated scattering efficiency as inputs. The calibration equation (CE1) associates net intensities of characteristic fluorescence lines of the sample elements with respective mass fractions. The net intensity for a particular peak is obtained by subtracting a respective calculated scattering efficiency times a scaling factor from the calibration equation (CE1) from the measured gross intensity of the particular peak. The elemental composition of the test sample is determined either via an iteration module or via an EDX quantification module.