Future of atomic spectrometry for environmental analysis

Abstract

Environmental analyses for trace metals are currently being driven by three major factors: the demand for more elements at lower concentration levels; the increasing interest in elemental speciation due to the issues of bioavailability and toxicity; and the greater need to minimize contamination and sample work-up as a consequence of enhanced instrumental limits of detection. These three ‘tenets’ are themselves tempered by the growing cost of analyses which requires reduced sample consumption and waste generation (disposal concerns). Multielemental optical and mass spectrometric techniques coupled to on-line sample preparation and direct solids analysis approaches will play a dominant role in future commercial environmental laboratories. Few, if any, cost effective alternatives are available to conduct inorganic environmental analyses, thereby assuring the continued reliance on atomic spectroscopic techniques. Prediction of specific sources and detection systems likely to be in use is less straight-forward, but it is not inconceivable that new approaches will be fostered by evolutionary rather than evolutionary processes; todays' ‘research’ prototypes will form the basis of tomorrows' work-horse instrumentation. The current state-of-the-art is reviewed and examples of future technologies presented.