Objective To establish a method for determining 22 elements in atmospheric PM2.5 simultaneously by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS).
Methods Particulate matters in air were sampled with TH-150 air sampler in Nanming District and Huaxi District of Guiyang. Samples were extracted using ultrasound from divided sample filters and measured by ICP-MS.
Results The correlation coefficients for the 22 elements measured with varied concentration ranges were all>0.998. Within a total sampling volume of 144 m3, the detection concentrations of elements including lithium, stibium, arsenic, beryllium, cadmium, chromium, nickel, selenium, thallium, vanadium, cobalt, strontium, molybdenum, silver, tin, barium, uranium, aluminum, iron, lead, manganese, and mercury were 0.03, 0.09, 0.38, 0.03, 0.03, 0.63, 1.05, 0.39, 0.04, 0.05, 0.03, 0.03, 0.05, 0.06, 0.09, 1.16, 0.05, 2.36, 1.94, 0.85, 0.72, and 0.04 ng/m3, respectively. After the blank membranes were spiked with mixed standards of aluminum, iron, and barium at 25.0, 50.0, and 75.0 μg/L, mercury at 0.5, 2.0, and 8.0 μg/L, and the other elements at 5.0, 20.0, and 40.0 μg/L, the recoveries were between 74.3%-98.5%. The determination results for the two groups of quality control membranes met the requirements on uncertainty. Moreover, the relative standard deviations ranged from 2.3% to 9.9%.
Conclusion The method is highly sensitive, precise, and accurate for determining the 22 elements in atmospheric PM2.5.
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