Determination of mercury in airborne particulate matter collected on glass fiber filters using high-resolution continuum source graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry and direct solid sampling

A study has been undertaken to assess the capability of high-resolution continuum source graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry for the determination of mercury in airborne particulate matter (APM) collected on glass fiber filters using direct solid sampling. The main Hg absorption line at 253.652 nm was used for all determinations. The certified reference material NIST SRM 1648 (Urban Particulate Matter) was used to check the accuracy of the method, and good agreement was obtained between published and determined values. The characteristic mass was 22 pg Hg. The limit of detection (3σ), based on ten atomizations of an unexposed filter, was 40 ng g^− 1, corresponding to 0.12 ng m^− 3 in the air for a typical air volume of 1440 m³ collected within 24 h. The limit of quantification was 150 ng g⁻¹, equivalent to 0.41 ng m⁻³ in the air. The repeatability of measurements was better than 17% RSD (n = 5). Mercury concentrations found in filter samples loaded with APM collected in Buenos Aires, Argentina, were between < 40 ng g⁻¹ and 381 ± 24 ng g⁻¹. These values correspond to a mercury concentration in the air between < 0.12 ng m⁻³ and 1.47 ± 0.09 ng m⁻³. The proposed procedure was found to be simple, fast and reliable, and suitable as a screening procedure for the determination of mercury in APM samples.