ICP-MS Analysis of Low-Level Beryllium in Urine

Fremont, CA, USA. May 28, 2013.

An article examining the application of ICP-MS for the detection of low level beryllium within urine using the aurora M90 Bruker ICP-MS is now available. Entitled “ICP-MS Analysis of Low-Level Beryllium in Urine,” the article has been published in the May 2013 issue of Spectroscopy Online. Authored by Bruker ICP-MS specialist Pierre-Emmanuel Riss it details how the aurora M90 ICP-MS enables beryllium quantitation within urine rather than blood, allowing for faster and more sensitive analysis. The full article can be downloaded at http://bit.ly/BCA535. 

With applications ranging from ceramics and mirrors through to satellite structures, refined beryllium finds use in a wide range of manufactured products. However around 5% of those working with beryllium are expected to develop chronic beryllium disease, an incurable affliction that manifests as breathing difficulties, weakness, and joint pain. ICP-MS is well suited to the detection and determination of trace beryllium within body fluids with high sensitivity, low sample consumption and minimal sample preparation.

The article, part of the “Atomic Perspective” series, details an investigation carried out to demonstrate the aurora M90’s capability for low-level Beryllium quantitation within urine. From a stock beryllium solution a calibration curve of 5, 10, 20, 50 and 100 ng/L was created. Using the M90 ICP-MS, optimized for beryllium analysis, a correlation coefficient of 0.999753 was achieved, demonstrating excellent linearity over the entire calibration range. Furthermore a method limit of detection (LOD) of 0.3 ppt beryllium was obtained in 10-fold diluted human urine without the need for sample digestion or running a collision reaction interface.

While ICP-MS is an established technique for trace metal analysis its use for beryllium quantitation in urine is a relatively recent application. “Traditionally beryllium has been measured within blood”, commented Bruker Director ICP-MS Global Market Development and Product Management Meike Hamester. “However with the aurora M90’s capacity for extremely low detection our research has proven that the analysis of urine delivers a faster and more sensitive method. The exceptional sensitivity of the aurora range also makes these instruments ideal for applications including environmental testing, materials science and forensics.”

About Bruker Corporation

For over 50 years Bruker Daltonics has embodied innovation with integrity as demonstrated by its development of world-class scientific instruments. Bruker’s Chemical and Applied Markets (CAM) division, headquartered in Fremont, California was established in April 2010. Its formation was in response to the dynamic and ever significant separation and analysis market, providing fundamentally new instruments and solutions for customers in a range of applied industrial areas including: food testing, environmental analysis, toxicology testing, forensic analysis, quality control and pharmacokinetics. Today, Bruker’s CAM division serves all of these industry areas, pioneering the migration of technology from research to the commercial laboratory. For more information, please visit www.bruker.com.