Date: Mon, 14 Jun 1999 11:53:15 -0600 To: chiefs.97, chiefs.91, chiefs.94 From: Dennis Helsel Subject: TE News v.6 Elements in Sch 2703 Cc: nst, test, telab, nlt, wqspecs, wlapham, lshelton, zszabo Trace Element Synthesis News v.6 Previous TE news blurbs: v.1 Trace Element Synthesis Staffing and plans 2/10/99 v.2 Changes to TE lab methods for bed sediments 2/19/99 v.3 Well Selection for Subunit Surveys 2/26/99 v.4 Mercury in Streambed Sediments 3/04/99 v.5 Radium in Ground Water 4/08/99 Elements in Schedule 2703 The Trace Element Planning Team identified in FY98 a list of dissolved trace elements they considered important for studying in ground water. Six elements were not available in Schedule 2703 at the appropriate reporting limits. A request was made to the NWQL to include five additional elements in Schedule 2703 if the cost were not greatly increased. (The sixth, radium, is done by contract labs and Schedules 1262 and 1263 were created.) The additional analyses were to be done by ICP-MS, and arsenic and selenium would be switched from their current procedure to ICP-MS, cutting out preparation steps (time, $$). So the net additional cost was expected to be small, perhaps zero. The NWQL has completed its methods development for these elements, but the operational "prove-out" has not yet been completed. So at this time the additional elements are not in 2703 and must be requested, and paid for, seperately. This is a study-unit option -- there is no requirement to do so by Trace Element Synthesis. The required analyses for 1997 study (or sub)-unit surveys for trace elements: Schedule 2703 LC1369 radon The radium schedules for the radchem SUS being done by most 97 study units: Schedule 1262 Cost $277 Schedule 1263 Cost $509 Ra-226 by emanation Ra-224 by alpha spec Ra-228 by beta counting Ra-226 by alpha spec Ra-228 by beta counting Gross Alpha Gross Beta 2703 contains these elements / reprting limits (along with pH and Sp. Cond.): silver 1 ug/L cobalt 1 ug/L lead 1 ug/L barium 1 ug/L uranium 1 ug/L chromium 1 ug/L manganese 1 ug/L cadmium 1 ug/L copper 1 ug/L beryllium 1 ug/L selenium 1 ug/L molybdenum 1 ug/L nickel 1 ug/L arsenic 1 ug/L zinc 1 ug/L antimony 1 ug/L aluminum 1 ug/L The five additional elements NOT in 2703 are available as seperate lab codes: boron LC2110 16 ug/L $ 6 (will report as E down to 8 ug/L) thallium LC492 1 ug/L $42 lithium LC664 6 ug/L $ 6 strontium LC652 1 ug/L $ 6 vanadium LC653 10 ug/L $ 6 -------------------------------------------------------------- Dennis R. Helsel Ph: (303) 236-2101 x227 Trace Element National Synthesis Fax: (303) 236-4912 U.S. Geological Survey PO Box 25046, MS-415 dhelsel@usgs.gov Denver, CO 80225