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June 2020 Newsletter
Determination of Uranium Isotopes using ICP-QQQ-MS
Determination of Uranium Isotopes using ICP-QQQ-MS
Naturally-occurring uranium has three isotopes: 234U, 235U, and 238U. 238U has the highest abundance at 99.3%. On the other hand, due to the uranium enrichment process, enriched uranium contains more 234U than natural uranium. Uranium enrichment is aimed at obtaining 235U; however, the process results in the concentration of the lighter isotopes. Uranium activity in waters is often determined by alpha spectrometry measuring 234U and 238U. Alpha spectrometry requires chemical separation before analysis, making sample preparation difficult and, therefore, increasing the total time per analysis.
Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry with triple quadrupole technology (ICP-QQQ-MS) is a very powerful analytical technique for the determination of uranium concentrations. It is not uncommon to achieve sub-parts-per-trillion detection limits for total uranium analysis, but more importantly, it is also an alternative to alpha spectrometry for the analysis of uranium isotopes.
Brooks Applied Labs has developed a new method for the determination of very low 234U, 235U, and 238U concentrations in most water samples. The sensitivity of the Agilent 8800 ICP-QQQ-MS, coupled with a front-end preconcentration system, allows us to determine even the lowest abundance isotope (234U at 0.005%) at sub-parts-per-quadrillion levels, corresponding to an activity level far below 1 mBq (0.027 pCi).
Chromatogram for the analysis of a 4 parts-per-quadrillion 234U standard (equivalent to 27 fCi)
Chromatogram for the analysis of 234U in an open-ocean seawater certified reference material
Dietary Selenium and COVID-19 Outcomes
Dietary Selenium and COVID-19 Outcomes
A recent epidemiological study showed a strong correlation between selenium intake and COVID-19 mortality. Statistical analyses conducted on cure rates in various regions in China showed significantly lower cure rates in regions where the populations are known to have selenium deficiency, whereas the opposite trend was observed in populations known to have higher dietary selenium intake. Although selenium deficiency and infectious disease resistance is not a new topic, a great deal more research will be needed to further investigate this correlation. To learn more about Brooks Applied Labs’ expert selenium analysis capabilities, as well as extensive experience supporting clinical trials and other biomonitoring research projects, contact us.
May 2020 Newsletter
Protecting our Future: Inorganic Arsenic in Baby Food
Protecting our Future: Inorganic Arsenic in Baby Food
Brooks Applied Lab’s own, Hakan Gürleyük and Ben Wozniak, recently co-authored a publication with scientists from around the world that supported the development of a new certified reference material (CRM) for arsenic species and toxic trace elements in rice flour. Rice is one of the most produced grains in the world and is a major component of many infants’ diets due to its high carbohydrate content, palatability, and low allergenic potential. In 2019, a Canadian Broadcasting Company reported on elevated concentrations of inorganic arsenic in some baby foods sold in Canada. As a result, a team of experts was brought together to swiftly respond to the demand for a new CRM to assist the analytical testing community in validating the quality of their methodology. Using a “rapid response approach” for this CRM (NRCC BARI-1), the new material was certified in a few months instead of the typical 2–3 years. Brooks Applied Labs was the only commercial laboratory that participated in this certification process.New Clean Water Act Ruling
New Clean Water Act Ruling
In 1972, the Clean Water Act (CWA) was amended to make it unlawful to discharge any pollutant directly from a point source into navigable waters unless a permit was obtained. Last month, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that discharge of pollutants indirectly introduced to navigable bodies of water should also be subject to the same CWA regulations to meet water quality criteria. The ruling was made against the County of Maui’s Wastewater Reclamation Facility in Hawaii, but it will likely have national implications. Individual states and the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) may now have permitting authority when there is the functional equivalent of direct discharge. Factors that will be considered for permitting purposes will include time, distance, the material through which the discharge travels, and what chemical transformations take place during transit.
April 2020 Newsletter
BAL: NOT Currently on the Road
BAL: NOT Currently on the Road
Many of you may be accustomed to seeing our monthly “On the Road Again” updates describing the various conferences that our staff were presenting at and attending. Of course, in the COVID-19 era, that’s all changed. All scheduled conferences have either been cancelled, postponed, or converted to “on-line conferences”. Virtual events have been around for over a decade, but their current relevance and necessity is unparalleled. Everyone is responding to the global pandemic right now and our life/work styles have had to evolve to keep meeting new challenges as they emerge. We’ve all felt the effects of shelter-in-place orders. Long lines at essential stores to maintain appropriate social distance, virtual happy hours with friends and family, and live-streamed concerts are our new normal. In this climate, where we stay away from each other because we care, creative solutions to fill the social, educational, and business development voids are critical.
Annual conferences such as the National Environmental Monitoring Conference (NEMC), Parental Drug Association (PDA) Annual Meeting, and the Society for Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry’s (SETAC) European Meeting, now known as SciCon, have gone virtual. The question on the forefront of our minds as we approach this new experience is whether virtual events can replace in-person events. Regardless of the answer, with reduced emissions from travel, savings on fees for conference centers and catering, as well as broader accessibility, virtual conferences will likely become more of a core practice as the technology increasingly facilitates today’s dynamically changing needs.
We miss seeing all of you out there and look forward to connecting any way we can! Feel free to reach out any time.
Brooks Applied Labs Teams Up with Local Food Banks to Fight Hunger
Brooks Applied Labs Teams Up with Local Food Banks to Fight Hunger
In early March, Brooks Applied Labs committed to compete in the Hopelink Can Madness 2020 tournament supporting Hopelink food banks. BAL “competed” in a March Madness style tournament against other businesses in the community to help raise $30,000 to support Hopelink’s community programs. Employees got in on the action with some friendly competition between departments to see who could collect the most non-perishable food donations. By the end of the first week, COVID-19 had unfortunately brought this important and fun food drive to a screeching halt. Although Hopelink was not able to accept our food donations, BAL made a cash donation to Hopelink instead. The 284 pounds of food that employees of BAL had collected was donated to Seattle’s University District Food Bank. This is a tough time for many in our community and BAL is proud to be able to provide support to these organizations.