Core B: Research Support Core

微量元素分析（TEA）核心（核心B）的主要目标是提供特定的分析服务 和分析专业知识，以达特茅斯SBRP的研究人员，使他们能够成功地完成的目标， 他们的个人项目。此外，TEA核心努力走在（与任务相关的）方法的最前沿 通过以下方式增强达特茅斯SBRP项目的主题并推进这些项目的发展 提供了分析方面的进步，例如较低的检测限、对尚未测量的金属的定量 物种，或分析方法的新应用。TEA Core采用最先进的技术 基于电感耦合等离子体质谱（ICP-MS）的分析仪器， 各种生物和环境基质中微量元素的水平测定。TEA核心 还提供了砷和汞的液相色谱和气相色谱形态分析 分别与ICP-MS联用。样品中砷或汞的化学形式（种类）最终 决定了该元素的毒性，因此，物种信息在评估人类 这些无处不在的污染元素对健康的影响。TEA Core提供趾甲和毛发分析， 评估个人对微量金属的暴露。已经开发了定量六种化学物质的方法， 人类尿液中砷的种类;这些种类包括砷甜菜碱，一种无毒形式的砷， 人们经常通过海产品接触到一甲基亚胂酸，MMA（III），一种剧毒的 砷的化学形式TEA核心还提供了在极低的温度下对汞进行形态分析的方法。 水平和非常小的样品质量。我们的GC-ICP-MS方法可以检测不到1皮克的 汞，并可以确定亚毫克样品重量的汞物种。甲基汞是一种 汞是一种剧毒的汞，通过食物链进行生物积累，因此必须能够 以确定这种汞的种类在非常低的水平。TEA核心继续推动低 水平的微量元素检测，以开发和验证用于测定微量元素的方法，或 生物样品中的元素物种，目的是为达特茅斯SRBP研究人员提供 他们需要的信息来做出更好的关于人类和生态系统健康的预测决策。

The primary goal of the Trace Element Analysis (TEA) Core (Core B) is to provide specific analytical services and analytical expertise to Dartmouth SBRP researchers to allow them to successfully complete the aims of their individual projects. Additionally, the TEA Core strives to be at the forefront of (mission-related) method development that augments the themes of the Dartmouth SBRP projects and advances these projects by providing analytical advances such as lower detection limits, quantification of an as yet unmeasured metal species, or the novel application of an analytical methodology. The TEA Core utilizes state of the art analytical instrumentation based on inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) to provide low level determinations of trace elements in a variety of biological and environmental matrices. The TEA Core also provides speciation analysis for arsenic and mercury by liquid chromatography and gas chromatography coupled to ICP-MS, respectively. The chemical form (species) of arsenic or mercury in a sample ultimately determines the toxicity of that element, hence speciation information is essential in assessing the human health effects of these ubiquitous contaminant elements. The TEA Core provides toenail and hair analysis to assess the exposure of an individual to trace metals. Methods have been developed to quantify six chemical species of arsenic in human urine; these species range from arsenobetaine, a non-toxic form of arsenic that people are routinely exposed to through seafood, to monomethlarsenous acid, MMA(III), an extremely toxic chemical form of arsenic. The TEA Core also provides methodology to speciate mercury at extremely low levels and in very small sample masses. Our GC-ICP-MS methods can detect less than 1 picogram of mercury and can determine mercury species in sub milligram sample weights. Methylmercury is an extremely toxic form of mercury that bioaccumulates through the food chain, hence it is essential to be able to determine this mercury species at very low levels. The TEA Core continues to push the boundary of low level trace element detection to develop and validate methods for the determination of trace elements or elemental species in biological samples with the goal of providing Dartmouth SRBP researchers the information they need to make better predictive decisions about human and ecosystem health.