Short description
This standard standardises a method for the determination of particulate lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), arsenic (As) and nickel (Ni) in ambient air that can be used in the framework of the European Council Directive on Ambient Air Quality Assessment and Management and the 1st and 4th Daughter Directives. A method for sampling of Pb, Cd, As and Ni as part of the PM10 aerosol, microwave digestion of the samples and analysis by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry or by quadropole inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry are described and performance requirements with which the reference method has to comply are specified. The performance characteristics of the described method were determined in comparative field validation tests carried out at four European locations.