QUALITY ASSURANCE OF ENVIRONMENTAL PIXE ANALYSIS IN PRAGUE

The paper describes calibration, laboratory Quality Assurance/Quality Control (QA/QC) program, and environmental applications of the Prague PIXE system. To detect, correct, and prevent problems in the measureme nt process, an intercalibration between the Ion Beam Laboratory of the Czech Technical University and the Aerosol Group at the Lund Institut e of Technology has been carried out. Seventy-eight rural fine fractio n air particulate samples collected on Nuclepore filters were analyzed first in Lund and then in Prague. In case of the most abundant trace elements like S, K, Ca, Fe, Zn, the comparison of elemental concentrat ions measured by the two laboratories revealed small random error and bias, which stayed below 10% of magnitude. The limits of detection obt ained in Prague and in Lund were comparable and differed only slightly at extremes of low and high Z. Further applications of PIXE in Prague in environmental science are mentioned including characterizations of trace elements in lichens by an external beam. (C) 1998 Elsevier Scie nce B.V.