Determination of Cd, Pb, Zn and Cu in Sediment Compartments by Sequential Extraction and Isotope Dilution Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ID-ICP-MS)

Trace concentrations of Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn in four different sediment fractions extracted in sequence were determined by isotope dilution inductively coupled mass spectrometry (IDICPMS). The metals from each fraction were extracted following the sequential extraction procedure recommended by the Bureau Commun de Référence (BCR) of the Commission of the European Communities. As an alternative to external calibration, the elements were quantified by spiking the extracted solutions with 112Cd, 63Cu, 208Pb and 66Zn and application of isotope dilution. The proposed approach was applied to a sample collected from a lake and two standard reference materials, NIST2704 river sediment from the National Institute of Standards & Technology and the BCR-277 estuarine sediment. Detection limits, for each extracted solution, varied from 0.31 to 0.53 mug L¹ for Cd, 0.92 to 2.9 mug L¹ for Cu, 0.22 to 1.1 mug L¹ for Pb and 1.3 to 7.6 mug L¹ for Zn. The sum of the metals concentration in the different fractions was compatible with 95% confidence level found amounts obtained with complete digestion of the samples and with the certified values of the standard reference materials

Determination of Cd, Pb, Zn and Cu in Sediment Compartments by Sequential Extraction and Isotope Dilution Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ID-ICP-MS)

Trace concentrations of Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn in four different sediment fractions extracted in sequence were determined by isotope dilution inductively coupled mass spectrometry (IDICPMS). The metals from each fraction were extracted following the sequential extraction procedure recommended by the Bureau Commun de Référence (BCR) of the Commission of the European Communities. As an alternative to external calibration, the elements were quantified by spiking the extracted solutions with 112Cd, 63Cu, 208Pb and 66Zn and application of isotope dilution. The proposed approach was applied to a sample collected from a lake and two standard reference materials, NIST2704 river sediment from the National Institute of Standards & Technology and the BCR-277 estuarine sediment. Detection limits, for each extracted solution, varied from 0.31 to 0.53 mug L¹ for Cd, 0.92 to 2.9 mug L¹ for Cu, 0.22 to 1.1 mug L¹ for Pb and 1.3 to 7.6 mug L¹ for Zn. The sum of the metals concentration in the different fractions was compatible with 95% confidence level found amounts obtained with complete digestion of the samples and with the certified values of the standard reference materials

Emerging organic contaminants in groundwater

Emerging organic contaminants (ECs) are compounds now being found in groundwater from agricultural, urban sources that were previously not detectable, or thought to be significant. ECs include pesticides and degradates, pharmaceuticals, industrial compounds, personal care products, fragrances, water treatment by-products, flame retardants and surfactants, as well as ‘life-style’ compounds such as caffeine and nicotine. ECs may have adverse effects on aquatic ecosystems and human health. Frequently detected ECs include the anti-epileptic drug carbamazepine, the antibiotic sulfamethoxazole, the anti-inflammatories ibuprofen and diclofenac, and caffeine, as well as pesticide degradates. This means there will be challenges in the future in order to address these ECs and to minimise their impact on drinking water and ecosystems. In the coming decades, more ECs are likely to have environmental standards defined, and therefore a better understanding of environmental behaviour remains a priority