We hope you enjoyed your 4 ^th of July! While watching those vivid colors explode against the dark sky, have you ever thought about what fireworks are made of? Many of the bright colors that make fireworks so exciting are actually derived from metals. For example, Paris Green has a picturesque name and provides fireworks with a vibrant blue-green hue; however, it is really copper acetoarsenite, a toxic chemical. By law in the US, "fireworks must not contain arsenic sulfide, arsenate, and arsenite". Generally, fireworks with more than 100 ppm of total arsenic (As) may be flagged for a sales ban in the US.

Brooks Applied Labs tests a wide variety of sample types! When we recently tested fireworks for As using the state-of-art Agilent 8800 ICP-QQQ-MS, we were able to show that historical results from another laboratory using older ICP-OES technology significantly over-estimated the As concentrations. Contact us for any type of specialty metals testing you might need!

While the standard technique for detecting hexavalent chromium, or Cr(VI), has improved over the years with the addition of ion chromatography (IC) coupled to UV/visible spectrophotometry, the EPA published methods still rely upon reaction-based chemistry which are prone to interferences and varying reaction kinetics in complex matrices. Any experienced analytical chemist will tell you that direct measurement of a contaminant is always preferable to relying upon the reaction of the target analyte with another chemical for accurate quantitation. Since there is no EPA method that utilizes direct measurement for Cr(VI), most environmental professionals believe that UV-Vis is the best the labs can do, however this is simply not true.

Accurate data is essential for effective decision-making. Whether evaluating if food or water is safe for consumption, a site requires environmental cleanup, an industrial wastewater meets a discharge requirement, or a pharmaceutical ingredient is of sufficient purity, high quality representative data must be collected to ensure that appropriate decisions are made and costly mistakes are avoided.

While applying an appropriate analytical method to samples is necessary for generating accurate results, by itself it is not sufficient. Collecting and storing samples appropriately, in a manner to prevent inadvertent contamination, is just as essential. After all, even state-of-the-art analytical techniques cannot correct for random biases introduced during sample collection. Brooks Applied Labs (BAL) has extensive experience consulting with clients on proper sample collection techniques for trace metals and offering ultra-clean, pre-tested sampling equipment to support your project needs.