Sector field ICP-mass spectrometry for the routine determination of uranium in urine
- Author
- Frank Vanhaecke (UGent) , Geert Stevens, Günther De Wannemacker and Luc Moens (UGent)
- Organization
- Abstract
- A method was developed for the quantification of U in urine by means of sector field ICP-mass spectrometry. To make the method suitable for epidemiological studies, reliability had to be combined with a high sample throughput. As a result, the sample pre-treatment was limited to 10-fold dilution with 0.14 M HNO3, while external standardisation was preferred over standard additions or isotope dilution for calibration. Use of a properly selected internal standard (Re) and optimisation of the carrier gas flow rate, aiming at a minimisation of the effect of the matrix on the signal ratio of the U-238(+), signal intensity to that of the internal standard Re-187(+), permitted accurate results to be obtained. The reliability of the method developed was demonstrated by the successful analysis of a certified reference material (BCR-668 Mussel Tissue) and a consequent near to 100% recovery for a 50 ng/L spike added to urine. The result for non-spiked pooled urine (U content of 1.6 ng/L) only varied within narrow and acceptable boundaries (+/- 10%). The limit of detection was established to be 0.2 ng/L, while the sensitivity amounted to 2000 counts/s per ng/L. At a level of 10 ng/L, the precision is typically 5% relative standard deviation. Per sample, the acquisition time is less than three minutes, permitting the analysis of approximately 100 samples in an 8h-working day. A pilot study showed that selection of the vessel material is not without importance, as some materials were shown to give rise to an unacceptably high blank level. Urinary U concentrations of approximately 3-4 ng/L, corresponding to 2-3 ng / g creatinine, seem to be typical for non-exposed individuals in Belgium and the Netherlands, although some values (<5%) exceeded 10 ng/L.
- Keywords
- urine, uranium, sector field ICP-mass spectrometry, ultra-trace element, analysis, ISOTOPIC COMPOSITION, DEPLETED URANIUM, MS, EXCRETION
Citation
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication: http://hdl.handle.net/1854/LU-211463
- MLA
- Vanhaecke, Frank, et al. “Sector Field ICP-Mass Spectrometry for the Routine Determination of Uranium in Urine.” CANADIAN JOURNAL OF ANALYTICAL SCIENCES AND SPECTROSCOPY, vol. 48, no. 5, 2003, pp. 251–57.
- APA
- Vanhaecke, F., Stevens, G., De Wannemacker, G., & Moens, L. (2003). Sector field ICP-mass spectrometry for the routine determination of uranium in urine. CANADIAN JOURNAL OF ANALYTICAL SCIENCES AND SPECTROSCOPY, 48(5), 251–257.
- Chicago author-date
- Vanhaecke, Frank, Geert Stevens, Günther De Wannemacker, and Luc Moens. 2003. “Sector Field ICP-Mass Spectrometry for the Routine Determination of Uranium in Urine.” CANADIAN JOURNAL OF ANALYTICAL SCIENCES AND SPECTROSCOPY 48 (5): 251–57.
- Chicago author-date (all authors)
- Vanhaecke, Frank, Geert Stevens, Günther De Wannemacker, and Luc Moens. 2003. “Sector Field ICP-Mass Spectrometry for the Routine Determination of Uranium in Urine.” CANADIAN JOURNAL OF ANALYTICAL SCIENCES AND SPECTROSCOPY 48 (5): 251–257.
- Vancouver
- 1.Vanhaecke F, Stevens G, De Wannemacker G, Moens L. Sector field ICP-mass spectrometry for the routine determination of uranium in urine. CANADIAN JOURNAL OF ANALYTICAL SCIENCES AND SPECTROSCOPY. 2003;48(5):251–7.
- IEEE
- [1]F. Vanhaecke, G. Stevens, G. De Wannemacker, and L. Moens, “Sector field ICP-mass spectrometry for the routine determination of uranium in urine,” CANADIAN JOURNAL OF ANALYTICAL SCIENCES AND SPECTROSCOPY, vol. 48, no. 5, pp. 251–257, 2003.
@article{211463, abstract = {{A method was developed for the quantification of U in urine by means of sector field ICP-mass spectrometry. To make the method suitable for epidemiological studies, reliability had to be combined with a high sample throughput. As a result, the sample pre-treatment was limited to 10-fold dilution with 0.14 M HNO3, while external standardisation was preferred over standard additions or isotope dilution for calibration. Use of a properly selected internal standard (Re) and optimisation of the carrier gas flow rate, aiming at a minimisation of the effect of the matrix on the signal ratio of the U-238(+), signal intensity to that of the internal standard Re-187(+), permitted accurate results to be obtained. The reliability of the method developed was demonstrated by the successful analysis of a certified reference material (BCR-668 Mussel Tissue) and a consequent near to 100% recovery for a 50 ng/L spike added to urine. The result for non-spiked pooled urine (U content of 1.6 ng/L) only varied within narrow and acceptable boundaries (+/- 10%). The limit of detection was established to be 0.2 ng/L, while the sensitivity amounted to 2000 counts/s per ng/L. At a level of 10 ng/L, the precision is typically 5% relative standard deviation. Per sample, the acquisition time is less than three minutes, permitting the analysis of approximately 100 samples in an 8h-working day. A pilot study showed that selection of the vessel material is not without importance, as some materials were shown to give rise to an unacceptably high blank level. Urinary U concentrations of approximately 3-4 ng/L, corresponding to 2-3 ng / g creatinine, seem to be typical for non-exposed individuals in Belgium and the Netherlands, although some values (<5%) exceeded 10 ng/L.}}, author = {{Vanhaecke, Frank and Stevens, Geert and De Wannemacker, Günther and Moens, Luc}}, issn = {{1205-6685}}, journal = {{CANADIAN JOURNAL OF ANALYTICAL SCIENCES AND SPECTROSCOPY}}, keywords = {{urine,uranium,sector field ICP-mass spectrometry,ultra-trace element,analysis,ISOTOPIC COMPOSITION,DEPLETED URANIUM,MS,EXCRETION}}, language = {{eng}}, number = {{5}}, pages = {{251--257}}, title = {{Sector field ICP-mass spectrometry for the routine determination of uranium in urine}}, volume = {{48}}, year = {{2003}}, }