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U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Determination of Ultratrace Levels of Mercury in SRM 2781 Domestic Sludge by Combustion RNAA

Conference ·
OSTI ID:787549

The domestic sludge SRM 2781 was collected from Denver, Colorado, sewage disposal district 1 (DMSDD) in the early 1990s. The DMSDD calls this material 'domestic' because only light industry is present in this district. The term 'domestic' differs from an 'industrial' label by the amount of heavy industry present in the area. The determination of mercury and other toxic elements in these sludges is important to monitor the sources and pathways of environmental exposure to these materials. Analytical results for the determination of total mercury in SRM 2781, domestic sludge, by radiochemical neutron activation analysis (RNAA) are listed in Table I. These analyses were made to measure the total mercury for use in the certification process of this reference material. The control sample data agreed well with the certified values and confirm the methods, procedures, and corrections used. This RNAA combustion procedure is effective in producing high-quality analytical data at the microgram/kilogram concentration level in both the organic and inorganic matrices of these samples. The procedure has both high sensitivity and freedom from significant reagent blanks when properly performed.

Research Organization:
National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD (US); U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Rockville, MD (US)
Sponsoring Organization:
none (US)
OSTI ID:
787549
Report Number(s):
none; ISSN 0003-018X; CODEN TANSAO; ISSN 0003-018X; CODEN TANSAO
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English