Determination of Trace Elements in Waters and Wastes by Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry. Ultra-trace level analysis for environmental samples including drinking water and wastewater.
EPA 200.8 requires samples for dissolved metals to be filtered (0.45 µm) at the point of collection and preserved to pH < 2 with nitric acid.
Total-recoverable samples are acidified at collection. Hold times and preservation conditions match those of EPA 200.7.
Dissolved metals: direct ICP-MS analysis of the acidified filtrate.
Total recoverable metals: hot-block digestion with HNO₃ + HCl following the EPA 200.8 preparation procedure.
Use internal standards (e.g. Sc, Y, In, Tb, Bi) to correct for drift and matrix effects.
Analysis is by quadrupole ICP-MS with collision/reaction cell where required.
The EPA method requires:
