Inductively Coupled Plasma - Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS)

ICP-MS is an analytical technique that introduces a liquid sample into an argon plasma at high temperatures.  The atoms present in the sample are ionized and travel through an ion path to a mass spectrometer. This allows for trace level analysis of metals such as lead, uranium, arsenic, selenium, and many others.  The NWQL uses ICP-MS to achieve detection limits in the parts per billion range and lower for many trace metals.