Electron Spectroscopic Analysis of the Atomic Content of Samples of Occupational Health Interest. Final Report

摘要

Induced electron emission was used to study 25 samples of dried lung tissue from miners, coal dusts from Pennsylvania and Utah, different minerals containing silicon-dioxide (14808607), a cement powder, and porous filters which had been used to trap dust particles. In order to determine whether there were significant binding energies between minerals, measurements were made of the binding energies of the Si(2p) and Si(2s) levels of the silicon-dioxide containing minerals. A tabulation of detection limits for the current spectrometer was prepared for 33 elements. The strong feature of the analytical method was that it was sensitive to elements in a very thin surface layer. It was not, however, competitive with other techniques such as emission spectroscopy for the detection of parts per million or lower levels in a bulk sample. The value of induced electron emission for studying dust collected on filters was that no special chemical preparation or treatment of the sample was required. It could prove useful for the analysis of surface wipe samples.