Determination of Metal Elements in Workplace Air by ICP-MS

Abstract

It was important to assess workplace air quality in factory where the air quality has a significant impact on the health of workers. This study aimed to determine the concentrations of metal elements in workplace air of factory. In this article, an easy and quick method based on microwave assisted acid digestion technique prior to quantification using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) for measuring contents of 7 metal (Cr, Mn, Ni, Cu, Pb, Cd and Sn) elements in workplace air. The air samples were collected by quartz filter membrane. The samples were respectively prepared by microwave digestion system and nitric acid. Under the optimum condition of method, the calibration curves were obtained with correlation correlation coefficients were above 0.9994, the limits of detection of the method were 0.004-0.072 mg/L. The average recoveries of the 7 metal elements at three levels were in the range of 93.8%-102.3%. The proposed method has some advantages of simple operation, high sensitivity and good accutacy.