Core B: Research Support Core

微量元素分析核心(核心B)的主要目标是提供具体的分析服务 向达特茅斯SBRP研究人员提供分析专业知识，使他们能够成功实现 他们的个人项目。此外，TEA核心努力走在(与任务相关的)方法的前沿 加强达特茅斯SBRP项目的主题并推动这些项目的发展 提供分析方面的进展，如较低的检测下限，尚未测量的金属的量化 物种，或分析方法的新应用。茶芯利用最先进的技术 基于电感耦合等离子体质谱(ICPMS)的分析仪器提供低 多种生物和环境基质中微量元素的水平测定。茶的核心 还提供了用液相色谱和气相色谱分析砷和汞的形态。 分别与电感耦合等离子体质谱联用。最终样品中砷或汞的化学形态(形态) 决定了该元素的毒性，因此形态信息在评估人类 这些无处不在的污染物对健康的影响。TEA Core提供脚趾甲和毛发分析 评估个人对痕量金属的暴露程度。已开发出对六种化学物质进行定量的方法 人体尿液中砷的种类；这些种类从砷甜菜碱，一种无毒的砷形式， 人们经常通过海鲜接触到一种剧毒的甲基亚砷酸MMA(III) 砷的化学形态。TEA核心还提供了以极低的汞形态存在的方法 水平和非常小的样本质量。我们的GC-ICP-MS方法可以检测到不到1皮克的 汞，并可测定亚毫克样品重量中汞的形态。甲基汞是一种 通过食物链生物累积的剧毒形式的汞，因此必须能够 在非常低的水平下确定这种汞的形态。茶芯继续推进低位边界 水平的微量元素检测，以开发和验证确定微量元素或 生物样品中的元素物种，目标是为达特茅斯SRBP研究人员提供 他们需要的信息，以更好地做出关于人类和生态系统健康的预测性决策。

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.