DOE recently lowered the beryllium exposure action limit to one-tenth of its former level, from 2 micrograms per cubic meter to 0.2 micrograms. The new portable monitor can reach a detection limit for beryllium air samples of 0.12 micrograms per cubic meter. In solution, the monitor possesses a beryllium detection limit as low as 9 trillionths of a gram per milliliter. The new monitor is easier to use and can detect and quantify multiple elements simultaneously. These include better tolerance to air particulate sampling, lower power and gas consumption, and smaller size.
Researchers pump an airborne sample through a tube into the heart of the microwave plasma source.
Argon and helium are most frequently used as plasma gases for analyzing metal and nonmetal elements. Samples in solution are analyzed in the same way. The operator simply changes the initial air sampling pump to one suited for handling solution samples. Results are virtually instantaneous, requiring about 100 milliseconds. The monitor weighs about 55 pounds and is about the size of a milk crate.