Radioisotopic X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (RXRFS) performed with an analyzer based on a 241Am excitation source was investigated as a potential field method for screening housewares for the presence of toxic elements. A compact system based on commercially available detection and multichannel analyzer components was used to measure surface concentrations of Au, Ba, Bi, Cd, Ce, Co, Cs, Cu, Fe, La, Pb, Sb, Sn, Sr, Zn, and Zr in a wide variety of housewares and other food-related items. Certified reference material solders, glasses, and paint films and well-characterized oven-fired test tile glazes, solders, and metal can seams were analyzed to determine element sensitivities and analytical limits and to demonstrate the accuracy of the instrument. With analysis times of 3-5 min, the analyzer demonstrated 3sigma limits of detection of < or = 100 microg/cm2 for elements with Z = 40-65 and Z > 70. Very good accuracy was demonstrated for glaze and thin-sample analyses, whereas analysis was possible for solders and metal can seams with greater uncertainties (20-40%). Two commercially available handheld RXRFS analyzers, evaluated as part of the study, yielded results that agreed well with those obtained with the 124Am-based RXRFS system.