Abstract

The direct analysis of mercury in sediment samples from Minamata Bay, Kumamoto, Japan was studied using laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS). Two sediment and one soil certified reference material were analysed and used to construct the calibration curve. Direct analysis of sediment samples without internal standardization yielded satisfactory results. Elemental speciation and particle size within the studied range did not appear to significantly affect the measurements. With the LA-ICP-MS system, a sample throughput of 10 per h and a detection limit of 0.02 mg kg⁻¹ was achieved. Analytical results of 14 sediment samples using the present system were in good agreement with those obtained by isotope dilution cold vapour generation ICP-MS.