Plastic pollution has become a high-priority area of study in recent years due to the increasing prevalence of plastics in the environment. Currently, researchers have a limited understanding of the impact of plastic pollution on human health, how it affects wildlife and their habitats, and its long-term effects on the environment. An important step in overcoming this pressing global environmental issue is the advancement of research relating to the identification of plastic waste and microplastic particles.
Enhancing Trace Element Analysis with Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry
May 15th 2025Elemental analysis is crucial in a wide variety of applications from detecting toxic elements within the environment, to ensuring drinking water is safe for human consumption, to food product safety. ICP-MS—able to measure an atom’s mass—offers low detection limits in the range of parts per trillion (ppt), making it a widely used method that can detect toxic elements well below regulatory limits. This paper expands upon how new ICP-MS technology can meet the challenges associated with heightened demands for element analysis and the hurdles laboratories face when analyzing high-matrix samples.