Ion chromatography system for multi-element speciation analysis

由于砷、硒和铬等元素的毒性取决于其化学形态，因此了解元素的总浓度不足以进行风险评估，这需要识别和测量存在的不同化学形态。事实上，就我们所吃的食物或我们呼吸的空气中包含的空气颗粒物而言，测量生物可获得的化学形态，即可溶于胃肠道或肺液中，是评估最坏情况的更好方法，即生物可获得的一切最终进入血液，并可能对人体产生毒性影响。拟议研究的变革性方面之一是开发可靠的方法，以确定环境中潜在有毒元素的生物可及性和并入机制。例如，测量金矿地区地下水、湖泊和溪流中的砷形态对于了解对人类和生态系统健康的风险以及设计最佳补救方法至关重要。这需要对这些元素进行量化，确定它们移动的过程，并确定特定的生物可及物种。在实验室和野外实验中对这些物种进行追踪所需的极低水平的测量只能通过所要求的仪器来完成，该仪器将取代不断分解且不再得到制造商支持的过时仪器。 这种设备和由此产生的研究对加拿大的预期好处在于我们的食品和空气的安全，我们的自然环境的健康，我国矿产资源的负责任的开发，以及我们的高科技产业的发展。这将包括每个人提高食品安全的简单方法，例如在烹调大米之前洗米，以降低其砷含量。了解人为金属在我们的生态系统中扩散的过程对我们的生活质量至关重要，只有使用所要求的能够分离元素物种的仪器才能做到这一点。要探测加拿大深层的矿藏，需要更好地了解元素迁移到地表，使其固定在土壤和特定植被器官中的阶段的过程。所要求的基础设施提供了证明金属如何在自然系统中移动以及如何测量这些元素的多样性和化学形态的唯一技术。该项目产生的新方案可以由服务于农业、采矿、环境和医疗保健部门的加拿大分析实验室进行商业化，因此这些改进也具有商业潜力。加拿大的另一个主要好处是在一个重要的新兴领域创造知识和专门知识。

Because the toxicity of elements, such as arsenic, selenium and chromium, depends on their chemical form, knowing the total concentration of elements is insufficient for risk assessment, which requires identification and measurement of the different chemical forms present. In fact, in the case of the food that we eat or the airborne particulate matter contained in the air that we breathe, measurement of the chemical forms that are bio-accessible, i.e. soluble in the gastro-intestinal tract or in lung fluid, is a better way to assess the worst case scenario when everything that is bio-accessible ends up in the blood stream and can exert its toxic effect on the human body. One of the transformative aspects of the proposed research is the development of reliable methods to determine the bio-accessibility and mechanism of incorporation of potentially toxic elements in the environment. For instance, measuring arsenic species in underground waters, lakes and streams in the area of gold mines is essential for understanding the risk to human and ecosystem health, as well as designing an optimal remediation method. This requires both quantifying these elements, determining the processes by which they move and identifying the specific bio-accessible species. The measurement of these species at the very low levels required for tracing them in both the laboratory and field experiments can only be accomplished through the instrument requested, which is to replace an outdated one that keeps breaking down and is no longer supported by the manufacturer. The anticipated benefits to Canada of this equipment and the research resulting therefrom are found in the safety of our food and air, in the health of our natural environment, in the responsible development of mineral resources of our country, and in the fostering of our high-tech industries. This will include simple ways for everyone to increase food safety, such as washing rice before cooking it to reduce its arsenic content. Understanding the processes involved in the dispersion of anthropogenic metals through our ecosystems is critical to our quality of life and will only be possible with the requested instrument that has the ability to separate element species. Detection of ore deposits at depth in Canada requires a much better understanding of the processes by which elements move to the surface to become fixed to phases in soil and specific vegetation organs. The requested infrastructure provides the only technique to prove how metals move in natural systems and how to measure the diversity and chemical form of these elements. The novel protocols resulting from this project can be commercialized by Canadian analytical laboratories who serve the agricultural, mining, environmental, and health care sectors, so that these improvements have commercial potential as well. Another major benefit to Canada is creation of knowledge and expertise in an important emerging field.