Heavy metals include the elements arsenic, cadmium, chromium, mercury, lead and thallium. They typically enter the body via the food chain, ambient air or drinking water. Unfortunately, since the beginning of the industrial revolution, waterways and coastal waters have been polluted with these elements and others. Contaminants have also been introduced into the soil with negative consequences not only for the food chain, but also for drinking water. To safeguard the environment, strict regulations have been drawn up in Europe and the United States as well as in many other countries around the world.

These new regulations specify the maximum amounts of toxic elements, notably heavy metals, that can be released into the environment. As a consequence, contamination levels in – for example - urban and industrial waste water need to be monitored as do levels in soil and sludge from sewage treatment plants.

SPECTRO provides unrivaled ICP and XRF spectrometers for the analysis of heavy metals in environmental samples such as water, soil, sludge and waste. These instruments are robust, reliable and sensitive analytical systems that are able to deal with diverse material types as well as wide spread in element concentrations in full compliance with the regulations.

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