ON-SITE ENVIRONMENTAL WATER ANALYSES BY ICP-MS

ICP-MS analyses on drinking and vadose waters were performed on-site a t a disused industrial/mining site in the former DDR. The results indi cate the viability of performing on-site analyses of matrix samples fo r heavy metals while maintaining precision and accuracy better than ot her conventional techniques such as potentiometric stripping analysis (PSA). The precision, on a NIST 1643c water standard run frequently du ring the campaign, is better than 2% in most cases. Duplicate and trip licate runs performed on three samples prove precision comparable with , if not better, than conventional techniques and home-based laborator ies. 'Hot spot' identification of heavy metal anomalies were located q uickly and the environmental assessment report was accomplished within hours of the first sample being analysed. Polluted water samples are notable for their high Zn (maximum 12 000 ppb), Mn (maximum 656 ppb), Ni (maximum 126 ppb), Co (29.8 ppb), As (maximum 22.5 ppb), Sb (maximu m 54.9 ppb) and Pb (maximum 184 ppb).