Contract labs eliminate sample preparation and improves productivity thanks to DMA-80 evo

Founded in 1980, ACZ Laboratories, Inc. is a full-service analytical environmental testing laboratory with inorganic, organic and radiochemical capabilities, specializing in the analysis of trace level contaminants in water, soil, sediment, sludge, waste, biota and tissue. Located in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, USA, it performs analytical testing for clients worldwide.

Perform environmental mercury testing capabilities on solid and liquid matrices in a fast pace contract lab accurately, efficiently while keeping the cost per sample manageable.
Before implementing the DMA-80, their former method for analyzing mercury in solid matrices was EPA 7471A with CVAA. They typically receive 20-40 solid samples/week - primarily soil/sediment, but also sludge, fish tissue, animal, plants and filters. The main driver for switching to direct mercury analysis with EPA 7473 was to improve productivity by eliminating the sample prep step. They also hoped to lower method detection limits.

In fact with the DMA-80, they achieved a 40x reduction in our method detection limit. Their typical MDL for mercury (dry weight basis) using EPA 7471A is 40ppb. With the DMA-80 and EPA 7473 it is ≤ 1ppb. This is very advantageous for clients performing environmental assessments, since the ability to quantify at a lower level is a big advantage when making environmental decisions. Where it was rare to get measurable hits via 7471A, it is rare to not get a measurable hit using the DMA-80 and EPA 7473. The improved sensitivity of the mercury analysis using the DMA-80 is also a great help in securing new testing contracts for ACZ .