Arsenic

Detection and Site Characterization

This section is not meant to be comprehensive, but rather provides links for characterization approaches, field analytical equipment evaluations, and analytical methods that are, for the most part, readily available on the Internet. When choosing analytical techniques for water samples, it should be remembered that the new MCL for arsenic has dropped the required quantification limit to 10 µg/L.

Check the National Environmental Methods Index (NEMI) to identify methods for arsenic not cited on this page. NEMI is a free, searchable clearinghouse of methods and procedures for regulatory and non-regulatory analyses.

Field Analysis

Evaluation of Two Commercial Field Test Kits Used for Screening of Groundwater for Arsenic in Northern India
N. Sankararamakrishnana, D. Chauhan, R.T. Nickson, R.M. Tripathi, and L. Iyengar.
Science of the Total Environment 401(1-3):162-167(2008)

Two relatively new arsenic field kits, the Wagtech Digital Arsenator and the Chem-In Corp field test kit, were evaluated using known standards for As[III] and As[V] and applied to 157 arsenic-contaminated field samples. The test results were compared with the laboratory-based colorimetric method, i.e., SDDC. WFTK was suitable for measuring arsenic concentrations less than 5 to 100 µg/L. CFTK was not able to detect As(V), and its usage is cautioned in areas where As(V) is known to occur in appreciable concentrations. Longer abstract.

Field Demonstration and Validation of a New Device for Measuring Water and Solute Fluxes, NASA LC-34 Site
Environmental Security Technology Certification Program (ESTCP), 172 pp, 2006

ESTCP passive flux meter (PFM) demonstration and validation projects include MTBE flux measurement at Port Hueneme, perchlorate flux at the Naval Surface Warfare Center at Indianhead, and TCE flux at NASA Launch Complex 34 at Cape Canaveral.

Field Measurement Methods for Arsenic in Drinking Water
Laurie S. McNeill, et al.
American Water Works Association. ISBN: 1583213201, 75 pp., 2004.

Field Speciation Method for Arsenic Inorganic Species
D.A. Clifford, S. Karori, G. Ghurye, and G. Samanta.
IWA Pub., London. AwwaRF Report 91014F, ISBN:1843399075, 112 pp, Apr 2005.

This report presents a new and reliable field-speciation method for the inorganic arsenic species As(III) and As(V) and compares the new method with a recently developed U.S. EPA preservation method. The EDTA-HAc method will be submitted to the Standard Methods Committee for adoption as a Standard Method for Water Analysis. The method is universal in that it allows immediate field speciation and 30-day preservation of arsenic species by the addition of appropriate amounts of EDTA and acetic acid.

Mass Flux Toolkit to Evaluate Groundwater Impacts, Attenuation, and Remediation Alternatives
Environmental Security Technology Certification Program (ESTCP), 2006

To help site managers and site consultants estimate mass flux and understand the uncertainty in those estimates, ESTCP has funded the development of a computerized Mass Flux Toolkit, free software that gives site personnel the capability to compare different mass flux approaches, calculate mass flux from transect data, and apply mass flux to manage ground-water plumes. The toolkit spreadsheet and associated documentation are available on the ESTCP contractor's website in a zipped file.

Monitoring Arsenic in Water, Technical Bulletin No. 8
United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), Supply Division, 2004.

Monitoring Arsenic in the Environment: A Review of Science and Technologies for Field Measurements and Sensors
U.S. EPA, Office of Superfund Remediation and Technology Innovation, Technology Innovation Program
EPA 542-R-04-002, 29 pp, 2004
Contact: Dan Melamed, dan.melamed@em.doe.gov

Superfund X-Ray Fluorescence Field Operations Guide
U.S. EPA, Region 4 Superfund Division, Atlanta, GA.
SFDGUID-001-R0, 23 pp, 19 Jul 2017

This guide was developed for consideration by Region 4 OSCs and RPMs to provide them with a methodology to collect defensible XRF data for lead and arsenic (and possibly other metals) in soil samples. The purpose of the guide is to aid in the collection of high-quality soil data for select contaminants that can be used in risk assessments.

Tech Data Sheet: Rapid Characterization of Metals in Sediments Using X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) Technology, Field-Portable XRF: A Rapid Sediment Characterization (RSC) Tool
Naval Facilities Engineering Command, 2 pp, 2000
Contact: Victoria Kirtay, kirtay@spawar.navy.mil

Whole-Cell Bacterial Biosensors and the Detection of Bioavailable Arsenic
H. Strosnider
U.S. EPA, Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response, 23 pp, 2003

Laboratory Analysis

Analytical Methods Support Document for Arsenic in Drinking Water
U.S. EPA, Office of Water, Targeting and Analysis Branch
EPA-815-R-00-010, 52 pp, 1999
Contact: Safe Drinking Water Hotline, hotline-sdwa@epa.gov

Method 1632A: Chemical Speciation of Arsenic in Water and Tissue by Hydride Generation Quartz Furnace Atomic Absorption Spectrometry
EPA-821-R-01-006, 35 pp, 2001
Contact: William A. Telliard, telliard.william@epa.gov

Method 1632: Inorganic Arsenic in Water by Hydride Generation Quartz Furnace Atomic Absorption
EPA-821-R-96-013, 34 pp, 1996
Contact: William A. Telliard, telliard.william@epa.gov

Methods of Analysis by the U.S. Geological Survey National Water Quality Laboratory: Arsenic Speciation in Natural-Water Samples Using Laboratory and Field Methods
Garbarino, John R., Anthony J. Bednar, M.R Burkhardt
U.S. Geological Survey Water-Resources Investigations Report 02-4144, 41 pp, 2002
Contact: John Garbarino, jrgarb@usgs.gov

Methods of Analysis by the U.S. Geological Survey National Water Quality Laboratory: Determination of Dissolved Arsenic, Boron, Lithium, Selenium, Strontium, Thallium, and Vanadium Using Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry
J.R. Garbarino
U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 99-093, 31 pp, 1999
Contact: John Garbarino, jrgarb@usgs.gov

Methods of Analysis by the U.S. Geological Survey National Water Quality Laboratory: Determination of Whole-Water Recoverable Arsenic, Boron, and Vanadium Using Inductively Coupled Plasma-mass Spectrometry
J.R. Garbarino
U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 99-464, 22 pp, 2000
Contact: John Garbarino, jrgarb@usgs.gov

New Method and Detection of High Concentrations of Monomethylarsonous Acid Detected in Contaminated Groundwater
McKnight-Whitford, A., B. Chen, H. Naranmandura, C. Zhu, and X.C. Le.
Environmental Science & Technology 44(15):5875-5880(2010)

One of the most toxic arsenic species, monomethylarsonous acid (MMAIII), often defies detection by mass spectroscopy because the acid is too stable and does not ionize under normal conditions. Addition of dimercaptosuccinic acid to samples to add negative charge to MMAIII followed by tandem mass spectroscopy for definitive characterization of the toxic arsenic compound provides a sensitive new technique. Measurement of MMAIII levels near a plant in Wisconsin that produced arsenic-containing herbicides for 20 years revealed MMAIII concentrations in groundwater ranging from 3.9 mg/L to 274 mg/L, 1,000 times greater than EPA's arsenic drinking water guidelines. While the MMAIII concentrations detected at this particular site likely are at the extremely high end of what is possible, the data make the case for closer scrutiny of methylated arsenic chemicals in the environment. Longer abstract. Additional information is available in McKnight-Whitford's 2010 Ph.D. dissertation, Arsenic Binding to Thiols and Applications to Electrospray Mass Spectrometry Detection.

NIOSH Manual of Analytical Methods (NMAM), 4th Edition
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, DHHS (NIOSH) Publication 94-113, 1994

Method 5022 Arsenic, organo
Method 7900 Arsenic and compounds, as As (except AsH₃ and As₂O₃)
Method 7300 Elements by ICP (Nitric/Perchloric Acid Ashing)
Method 7901 Arsenic trioxide, as As
Method 6001 Arsine

Standard Operating Procedure for an In Vitro Bioaccessibility Assay for Lead and Arsenic in Soil
U.S. EPA, Office of Land and Emergency Management, Washington, DC.
OLEM 9200.2-164, 33 pp, 20 Apr 2017

The purpose of this SOP is to define the proper analytical procedure for the validated in vitro bioaccessibility (IVBA) assay for lead and arsenic in soil, to describe the typical working range and limits of the assay and quality assurance factors, and to indicate potential interferences. The method has been validated only for Pb and As in soil, not for other contaminants or matrices (e.g., water, air, amended soils, dust, food). The SOP is intended to be used as a reference for developing site-specific quality assurance project plans and sampling and analysis plans.

Test Methods for Evaluating Solid Wastes: Physical/Chemical Methods, 3rd Edition
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, SW-846.

Method 6010B: Inductively Coupled Plasma-Atomic Emission Spectrometry (estimated instrument detection limits 35 µg/l)
Method 6020: Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry (estimated detection limits 0.02 µg/l)
Method 7061A: Arsenic-Atomic Absorption, Gaseous Hydride (estimated detection limits 0.002 mg/l)
Method 7063: Arsenic in Aqueous Samples and Extracts by Anodic Stripping Voltammetry (estimated detection limits 0.1 µg/l)

Validation Assessment of In Vitro Arsenic Bioaccessibility Assay for Predicting Relative Bioavailability of Arsenic in Soils and Soil-Like Materials at Superfund Sites
OLEM 9355.4-29, 25 pp, 20 Apr 2017

This report summarizes the basis for EPA's determination that the in vitro bioaccessibility (IVBA) method for arsenic has satisfied the validation and regulatory acceptance criteria for application of the method in an appropriate regulatory context. The arsenic method estimates site-specific relative bioavailability (RBA) of arsenic in soils quickly and inexpensively relative to in vivo methods and is well suited for regulatory use in arsenic risk assessment.

U.S. EPA Environmental Technology Verification (ETV) Program Verifications

Contact: Teresa Harten, harten.teresa@epa.gov

Other Reports

Abandoned Mine Site Characterization and Cleanup Handbook
U.S. EPA Headquarters and Regions 8, 9, and 10. EPA 910-B-00-001, 409 pp, 2000.

This general overview of mine sites characterization and cleanup also contains information on the potential for encountering arsenic problems and how to deal with them.

Demonstration/Validation of the Snap Sampler Passive Ground Water Sampling Device for Sampling Inorganic Analytes at the Former Pease Air Force Base
L. Parker, N. Mulherin, G. Gooch, W. Major, R. Willey, T. Imbrigiotta, J. Gibs, and D. Gronstal. ESTCP Project ER-0630, ERDC/CRREL TR-09-12, 116 pp, 2009

Lab studies and a field demonstration were conducted to determine the ability of the Snap Sampler to recover representative concentrations of several types of inorganic analytes (including perchlorate, arsenic, and chromium) from groundwater. Samples taken using a Snap Sampler were compared with samples collected using conventional low-flow purging and sampling and a regenerated cellulose passive diffusion sampler, and analyte concentrations were found to be equivalent to those in the low-flow samples with the exception of unfiltered iron, where concentrations were significantly higher in the Snap Sampler samples.

Environmental Forensics: Contaminant-Specific Guide
Robert D. Morrison and Brian Murphy.
Elsevier Academic Press, Boston. ISBN: 0125077513, 576 pp, 2006

Environmental forensics is the application of scientific techniques for the purpose of identifying the source and age of a contaminant. This book discusses the following contaminants and contaminant groups: mercury, asbestos, lead, chromium, methane, radioactive compounds, pesticides, perchlorate, polychlorinated biphenyls, arsenic, chlorinated solvents, polyaromatic hydrocarbons, crude oil, gasoline, microbes, and compounds found in sewage.

Locating and Estimating Air Emissions from Sources of Arsenic and Arsenic Compounds
U.S. EPA, Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards
EPA-454-R-98-013, 132 pp, Jun 1998
Contact: Info CHIEF, info.chief@epa.gov

This document describes the properties of arsenic and arsenic compounds as air pollutants, defines production and use patterns, identifies source categories of air emissions, and provides emission factors. Arsenic is emitted as an air pollutant from external combustion boilers, municipal and hazardous waste incineration, primary copper and zinc smelting, glass manufacturing, copper ore mining, primary and secondary lead smelting, and agricultural chemical production and application.

Literature References

Measurement and Monitoring Technologies for the 21st Century Initiative (21M²) Literature Search

Literature search conducted under EPA's Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response Measurement and Monitoring Technologies for the 21st Century Initiative (21M²) for arsenic detection and analysis in soil, groundwater, and drinking water.

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