The presence of elements even at trace levels can significantly modify the biological/toxicological properties of environmental materials. Among the most sensitive techniques for elemental analysis, ICP-atomic emission spectrometry and ICP-mass spectrometry are commonly used. They have been applied to environmental samples such as air, water, soils and sediments, biological materials, and radionuclides. When coupled with separation methods, they can also be used for the speciation of elements such as As and Se, because the toxicity of these elements depend on their chemical form. Moreover, ICP-AES can be used as an on-line technique for volatile species, e.g. stack monitoring, coal gasification and Be in plant atmosphere, and for liquid streams and solids.

Date Published: 21 December 1999
PDF: 11 pages
Proc. SPIE 3853, Environmental Monitoring and Remediation Technologies II, (21 December 1999); doi: 10.1117/12.372842

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 3853:
Environmental Monitoring and Remediation Technologies II
Tuan Vo-Dinh; Robert L. Spellicy, Editor(s)