Metals tested:
Arsenic, Cadmium, Lead, Mercury
Price of the test:
$215 per analysis
Acceptable Matrices:
Food Products, Food Ingredients, Nutraceuticals, Beverages
Unacceptable Matrices:
Some classes of compounds are unsuitable for closed vessel microwave digestion as they are highly reactive with nitric acid and other oxidizers which may become nitrated and potentially explosive. These include: Animal fat (lard), glycerin and glycols, volatile flavoring agents, filter paper, packaging material, and alcoholic beverages. If you have a question regarding your matrix, please call customer service at 1-800-245-5615.
Limit of Quantitation:
10 ng/g (ppb) for Arsenic, Cadmium, and Lead
0.1ppb – 12,000 ppb for Mercury
Sample Size Requirements:
10 grams
Equipment:
Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectroscopy (ICP-MS) for Arsenic, Cadmium, and Lead.
For Mercury: Milestone DMA-80 Direct Mercury Analyzer. Samples are thermally combusted and mercury levels are measured using atomic absorption spectrophotometry.
Reportable Units:
ppb = ng/g
Turn Around Time:
7-9 Business Days
Is Rush Available?
Yes
Method Reference:
For Arsenic, Cadmium, and Lead assays:
AOAC 993.14- Trace Elements in Waters and Wastewaters by ICP-MS with modifications
AOAC 2006.03- As, Cd, Co, Cr, Pd, Mo, Ni, Se in Fertilizers by Microwave Digestion and ICP-OES Detection with modifications
EPA 7473 “Mercury in Solids and Solutions by Thermal Decomposition, Amalgamation, and Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry” for Mercury assay.
Method Description:
For Arsenic, Cadmium, and Lead: Samples are prepared by microwave closed vessel digestion with nitric acid. Solutions are infused into an ICP-MS instrument to perform identity and quantitation based on the linear response of the elements using calibration standards containing the elements with internal standards.
For Mercury: Solid or liquid samples are dried and thermally decomposed in a continuous flow of oxygen and the combustion products are passed over a hot catalyst bed. The remaining decomposition products are carried to a gold amalgamator that selectively traps mercury. After removal of any remaining gases or decomposition products, the amalgamator is rapidly heated to release the mercury in the vapor form. The vaporous mercury is analyzed using atomic absorption spectrophotometry at 245 nm with quantitation as compared to a calibration curve.
Information Required by Submitter:
Please supply estimates for solid matrices in ppb (ng/g)
Additional Information:
This test will only measure total Arsenic (both organic and inorganic). For a measurement of total Arsenic as well as a measurement of the organic and inorganic Arsenic please contact customer service at 1-800-245-5615.