Teledyne Leeman Labs Blog

Trace elemental analysis

Teledyne Leeman Labs has specialized in trace elemental analysis for over 40 years. With initial success in Inductively Coupled Plasma-Atomic Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-AES), also referred to as Inductively Coupled Plasma-Optical Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-OES), Teledyne Leeman Labs went on to develop innovative product lines. Those included branching out into various elemental analysis techniques, including DC Arc and Mercury Analysis. Our elemental analysis instruments can be found in laboratories across the world, providing service to a range of industries. From agriculture to aerospace and food to forensics, Teledyne Leeman Labs is dedicated to providing world-class instruments for trace elemental analysis.

Figure 1: Atomic Spectra for mercury (Hg), Copyright © Richard Pogge, All Rights Reserved

Atomic absorption spectroscopy

Atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) is one of the first commercially available elemental analysis techniques. This tried-and-true method remains a top choice for its simplicity and reliability.

The proliferation of mercury in fish is a well-documented environmental problem. Mercury accumulates in fish tissue from natural and anthropogenic source in bodies of water where the fish live. The microorganisms at the base of the aquatic food change convert the elemental mercury into organic methylmercury, which binds tightly to the proteins in fish tissue.

An abandoned ammo factory in Kings Mill, Ohio is on the EPA list as one of the most contaminated sites in the country. The site, once home to the Peter’s Cartridge Company, could be the new home to luxury apartments and commercial office space overseeing the Little Miami River. The $25 million plan, which includes 120-130 apartments and 23,000 square feet of commercial space, is dependent on whether the site can be remediated from the mercury, copper and lead that has contaminated the soil for more than a century.

Soil and dust in homes often become the primary resting places for environmental toxins such as metals and metalloids that come from vehicle traffic and a variety of industrial sources. Residents within urban settings have a higher rate of exposure to contaminated dust from inhalation, ingestion and dermal contact. As a result, dust ingestion is often regarded as the primary source of low-dose mercury in urban children who spend much of their time indoors.

Since the 1970s, scientists have analyzed lake sediment and ice cores to understand the levels of historical atmospheric mercury emissions from metal production and industrial activity. Much of the published ice core mercury record has come from a glacier in Wyoming.  While the record has been cited extensively in scientific literature, many modern day scientist argue that it does not truly represent the global trends in atmospheric mercury levels.

The Animas River is a 125-mile river in the western United States that feeds the Colorado River. On August 5, 2015, a crew from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was pumping out water from the abandoned Gold King Mine in Southern Colorado when heavy equipment used by the workers caused a leak.  

When researchers began analyzing fish off of the coasts of Hawaii for mercury contamination, they discovered an alarming trend. In a study published in the journal, Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry, researchers found that levels of mercury are rising at roughly 4 percent per year in commercially captured fish, particularly tuna. The data suggests that the mercury levels are rising because of human activity, and at this current rate, mercury concentrations off the coast of the North Pacific could double by 2050.

In a statement, the lead author of the study, Paul Drevnick, from the University of Michigan Biological Station and School of Natural Resources and Environment, said, “The take-home message is that mercury in tuna appears to be increasing in lock-step with data and model predictions for mercury concentrations in water in the North Pacific.”

Mercury is a naturally occurring metal that when it combines with other elements can create inorganic or organic compounds that may be harmful to humans. In water or soil, mercury may combine with microscopic organisms and convert to methymercury, which can accumulate in fish and shellfish. Mercury poisoning has long been associated with brain and kidney damage. New research in the February issue of Environmental Health Perspectives has uncovered that the mercury found in some seafood may pose additional threats, including autoimmune disorders among women during their childbearing years.

This is part three of the Onondaga Lake story. In part two, we outlined what happened once rescue efforts started in the 1970s with new laws and standards that helped to drive change in and around the lake. In this post, we want to focus on what happened after Onondaga Lake was declared a Superfund site in December 1994, and after the signing of an historic agreement in 1998 among the county and various government entities that helped reduce phosphorus and ammonium discharges from the city’s waste treatment plant. It was shortly after this agreement that the water quality started to improve, giving the community a reason for optimism.

This is part two of the Onondaga Lake story, one of prosperity, pollution and revival.  In part one, we documented the collapse of the lake, detailing the years of pollution from the municipal sewage plant and surrounding factories. In this post, we will focus on what happened once rescue efforts started in the 1970s until the 21^st century.

As we described in part one of this story, in the 1800s, Onondaga Lake was home to resorts, amusement parks and beaches. Over time, the lake became a dumping ground for waste. One of the company’s along the lake produced soda ash beginning in 1884. “Roughly 6 million pounds of salty wastes, made up of chloride, sodium and calcium were discharged daily to Onondaga Lake from the soda ash facility before it closed in 1986.”[i] And from 1946 to 190, experts estimate roughly 165,000 pounds of mercury were also dumped in the lake.