Standard Practice for Ammonium Bifluoride and Nitric Acid Digestion of Airborne Dust and Dust-Wipe Samples for the Determination of Metals and Metalloids

Abstract

5.1 This practice is intended for the digestion of metals and metalloids in airborne dust and dust wipe samples collected during various activities performed in and around workplaces, buildings, and related structures. 5.2 This practice is applicable to the digestion of airborne dust and dust wipe samples collected in accordance with Test Method D4532, Guide D6062, Practice D7144, or Guide E1370 for airborne dust, and Practices D6966, D7296, D7822, or E1728/E1728M using wipes that may or may not conform to Specifications D7707 or E1792. 5.2.1 This practice is applicable to the digestion of airborne dust sample filters that have been removed from their sampling cassettes which have been wiped to collect all dust adhering to the side walls and included in the hard-walled containers as part of the collected samples as in Guide D8358. 5.2.2 This practice is applicable to the digestion of airborne dust samples that use acid-soluble cellulosic air sampling capsules with the entire contents of the cassettes transferred to hard-walled containers. 5.2.3 This practice is applicable to the digestion of settled dust samples collected using wipe materials in hard-walled containers. 5.3 Digestates prepared according to this practice are intended to be analyzed for metal and metalloid concentrations using spectrometric techniques such as inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES), graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GFAAS), and flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS) (see Test Methods D4185, D6785, D7035, D7439, E1613, E3193, and E3203), or for lead using electrochemical techniques such as anodic stripping voltammetry (see Practice E2051), or for beryllium using optical fluorescence detection (see Test Method D7202). 5.4 Laboratories developing in-house test methods using this procedure shall determine precision and bias in accordance with the principles laid down by their accrediting agency.