EPA 3050B-1996
ACID DIGESTION OF SEDIMENTS, SLUDGES, AND SOILS
- Standard No.
- EPA 3050B-1996
- Release Date
- 1996
- Published By
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA)
- Status
- Scope
- 1.1 This method has been written to provide two separate digestion procedures, one for the preparation of sediments, sludges, and soil samples for analysis by flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FLAA) or inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES) and one for the preparation of sediments, sludges, and soil samples for analysis of samples by Graphite Furnace AA (GFAA) or inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The extracts from these two procedures are not interchangeable and should only be used with the analytical determinations outlined in this section. Samples prepared by this method may be analyzed by ICP-AES or GFAA for all the listed metals as long as the detecion limits are adequate for the required end-use of the data. Alternative determinative techniques may be used if they are scientifically valid and the QC criteria of the method, including those dealing with interferences, can be achieved. Other elements and matrices may be analyzed by this method if performance is demonstrated for the analytes of interest, in the matrices of interest, at the concentration levels of interest (See Section 8.0). 1.2 This method is not a total digestion technique for most samples. It is a very strong acid digestion that will dissolve almost all elements that could become "environmentally available," By design, elements bound in silicate structures are not normally dissolved by this procedure as they are not usually mobile in the environment. If absolute total digestion is required use Method 3052.
