Adams Lori, Agrawal Anoop, Cronin John P, Ashley Kevin
AJJER LLC / Berylliant, Inc., 4541 East Fort Lowell Road, Tucson, Arizona 85712, USA.
US Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, 1090 Tusculum Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio 45226, USA.
Int J Environ Anal Chem. 2017;97(3):264-275. doi: 10.1080/03067319.2017.1302582. Epub 2017 Mar 14.
Exposures to beryllium (Be), even at extremely low levels, can cause severe health effects in a percentage of those exposed; consequently, occupational exposure limits (OELs) promulgated for this element are the lowest established for any element. This work describes the advantages of using highly alkaline dye solutions for determination of Be in occupational hygiene and environmental samples by means of an optical molecular fluorescence technique after sample extraction in 1-3% (w˖w) aqueous ammonium bifluoride (NHHF). Improved attributes include the ability to further enhance the detection limits of Be in extraction solutions of high acidity with minimal dilution, which is particularly beneficial when NHHF solutions of higher concentration are used for extraction of Be from soil samples. Significant improvements in Be method detection limits (MDLs) are obtained at levels many-fold below those reported previously for this methodology. Notably, MDLs for Be of <0.01 ng l / 0.1 ng per sample have been attained, which are superior to MDLs routinely reported for this element by means of the most widely used ultra-trace elemental measurement technique, inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Very low MDLs for Be are essential in consideration of reductions in OELs for this element in workplace air by health organizations and regulatory agencies in the USA and internationally. Applications of enhanced Be measurements to air filter samples, surface wipe samples, soils and newly-designed occupational air sampler inserts are illustrated.
即使是极低水平的铍（Be）暴露，也会使一定比例的暴露者产生严重的健康影响；因此，针对该元素颁布的职业接触限值（OELs）是所有元素中设定得最低的。这项工作描述了在1-3%（w˖w）的氟化氢铵（NH₄HF₂）水溶液中进行样品萃取后，通过光学分子荧光技术，使用高碱性染料溶液测定职业卫生和环境样品中铍的优势。改进的特性包括能够在最小稀释的情况下进一步提高高酸度萃取溶液中铍的检测限，当使用更高浓度的NH₄HF₂溶液从土壤样品中萃取铍时，这一点尤为有益。铍方法检测限（MDLs）得到了显著改善，达到了比此前该方法报道的水平低许多倍的程度。值得注意的是，铍的MDLs已达到<0.01 ng/l / 每个样品0.1 ng，优于通过最广泛使用的超痕量元素测量技术电感耦合等离子体质谱法（ICP-MS）常规报道的该元素的MDLs。鉴于美国和国际上的卫生组织及监管机构降低了工作场所空气中该元素的OELs，极低的铍MDLs至关重要。文中展示了增强型铍测量在空气过滤器样品、表面擦拭样品、土壤以及新设计的职业空气采样器插入物中的应用。
