MOSS AS MONITOR OF HEAVY-METAL DEPOSITION - COMPARISON OF DIFFERENT MULTIELEMENT ANALYTICAL TECHNIQUES

Instrumental activation analysis (INAA) based on irradiations in a nuclear reactor with particularly high relative fluxes of resonance and fast neutrons has been shown to open new possibilities for multi-element surveys of mosses used as monitors of atmospheric deposition. Comparison is made with data obtained by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and conventional INAA. Data for 15 elements not previously investigated in routine moss studies are presented, e.g.,Zr, Sn, I-if, Ta, W, Au, Th, and the rare earth elements Ce, Nd, Eu, Gd, Tb, Tm, Yb, Lu. Other elements particularly well determined by this approach are Sc, Co, As, Ag, Sb, Cs, La, Sm, Th, and the non-metallic trace elements Se, Br, and I. Advantages and drawbacks with the high fast neutron component are discussed.