title: Quality control materials for the determination of trace elements in airborne particulate matter.
abstract: The development of quality control materials for the determination of selected trace elements in air pollution studies is described. Three types of test samples were prepared for proficiency testing: (1) filters loaded with PM10 fraction of urban air particulate matter (APM) using high-volume air samplers, which were subsequently divided into smaller sections, (2) a bulk sample of APM collected in an automobile tunnel in Prague, and (3) simulated air filters loaded with APM using a wet deposition process. Homogeneity of the test samples was studied using instrumental neutron activation analysis, proton induced X-ray emission and atomic absorption spectrometry, and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry and mass spectrometry. Sufficiently homogeneous samples were prepared by all three procedures. The simulated air filters appeared to be the most suitable test samples for proficiency testing.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Analytical Chemistry, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Vídenská 1083, 142 20 Prague 4, Czech Republic. sysalova@cgu.cz
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sysalová
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kucera
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Kotlík
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Havránek