I just called my laboratory he will do it slow turnaround $15 and includes prep. he said his normal price is 35 bucks.
But this is a method that the detection limit is not all that great. so if you have very low (normal background levels) it may not show anything, if the sample is below the LOD of the method then the result would come back as none detected.
The fact that she was asking or suggesting soil or water samples proves she is [...] when it comes to industrial hygiene methodologies. The first problem is there is no way to use that data to determine the risk factors or even if the aluminum came from airplanes or from other sources.
is the aluminum in the soil or water sample native? what natural and man made factors, other than airplanes spraying it, are there?
Bottom line what is needed is air samples. the locations would be (if planes are spraying aluminum) Air samples in the OBZ of workers loading the material, some directly under (yet on the ground) from the plane. If there are any people here who would like the test done you need to do an air sample, do it on one of those days where there all LOTS of contrails. I will only charge $95.00 per air or soil sample analysis. (using the cheap methods - so beware beauce if the levels are really low you will likely get a none detected result from the lab.
When I asked the lab how much to check for just aluminum in a soil sample (method 6010) he was like huh? He had never had this request before. We had a good laugh after I told him why I was asking about that method. The EPA Permissible exposure limit for aluminum oxide is EPA 5 mg/m3 OSHA is 10 to 15 mg/m3.
"Most people take in very little aluminum from breathing. Levels of aluminum in the air generally range from 0.005 to 0.18 micrograms per cubic meter (ìg/m3), depending on location, weather conditions, and type and level of industrial activity in the area. Most of the aluminum in the air is in the form of small suspended particles of soil (dust)."
Link here
so the ambient air results (
as indictaed in this CDC publication - link) 0,004 - 0.17 ig/m3 = 0.000004 - 0.000017 mg/m3 Waaay below the PEL
That is why I was saying that I would recommend a method that is not so cheap. The limit of detection of method 6010b is 30 ug/L = 0.03 mg/m3. Here is another method below (with a LOD of 0.025 ppm ID-198SG that is used for air samples in the workplace it uses Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy (AAS). Method 6010b uses (ICP) INDUCTIVELY COUPLED PLASMA-ATOMIC EMISSION SPECTROMETRY. The Method I would recommend is XRF with TEM as being the most accurate and can detect aluminum at much lower levels than the other methods we have described above.
Aluminum Oxide in Workplace Atmospheres - (Inorganic Method #198sg)
Related Information: Chemical Sampling - Aluminum Oxide
Method no.: ID-198SG
Matrix: Air
OSHA Standard: 10.0 mg/m3
Collection Procedure: A known volume of air is drawn through a 0.80 µm AA filter.
Recommended Air Volume: 960 liters maximum
Recommended Sampling Rate: 2.0 liters per minute
Analytical Procedure: The filter is digested with acids using a microwave and is analyzed by Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy (AAS).
Quantitative Detection Limit: 0.025 ppm
Method Classification: PV
Aluminum Oxide in Workplace Atmospheres
-----------------------------------------------------------