Quality of Microelement Measurements in Natural Environments under the Integrated Background Monitoring Program and Macroelement Measurements in the Atmosphere under the «Cooperative Programme for Monitoring and Evaluation of the Long-range Transmission o

• L.V. Burtseva

  Yu.A. Izrael Institute of Global Climate and Ecology, 20B, Glebovskaya Str., Moscow, 107258, Russian Federation

  Автор

• I.M. Bruskina

  Yu.A. Izrael Institute of Global Climate and Ecology, 20B, Glebovskaya Str., Moscow, 107258, Russian Federation

  Автор

• M.S. Aleksandrova

  Yu.A. Izrael Institute of Global Climate and Ecology, 20B, Glebovskaya Str., Moscow, 107258, Russian Federation

  Автор

• Б.В. Пастухов

  Yu.A. Izrael Institute of Global Climate and Ecology, 20B, Glebovskaya Str., Moscow, 107258, Russian Federation

  Автор

• M.S. Alekhina

  Yu.A. Izrael Institute of Global Climate and Ecology, 20B, Glebovskaya Str., Moscow, 107258, Russian Federation

  Автор

This article presents the results of quality control (QC) measurements
of mercury, lead, cadmium, sulfur, and nitrogen compounds in ambient air; mercury,
lead, cadmium, copper, and macroions in atmospheric precipitation; mercury, lead,
cadmium, and copper in surface waters; and lead, cadmium, and copper in soils within
specially protected natural areas of Russia. Continuous monitoring has been conducted
for over 30 years as a part of the Integrated Background Monitoring program and the
International Cooperative Programme for Monitoring and Evaluation of the Long-
Range Transmission of Air Pollutants (EMEP). Quality control is implemented at
three key stages: during sampling at monitoring stations, through internal laboratory
control at the analytical measurement stage, and via long-term participation in
international interlaboratory comparisons to assess the comparability of control sample
analyses. The paper demonstrates that the use of natural sampling technologies,
combined with the systematic application and recording of blank samples, minimizes
the potential for distortion of the original sample composition at monitoring stations.
The presented internal laboratory QC data confirm that concentration measurements of
the target components in network samples are performed using stable calibration
curves, and that long-term average values for repeatability, reproducibility, and
accuracy do not exceed the limits established in the relevant analytical methods. The
standard deviation for single indicator values ranged from 1.5% to 3.6% across all
repeatability arrays and from 2.8% to 13.5% for reproducibility arrays. Analysis of
external QC data over a 12-year period demonstrated high reproducibility of the
results. In the vast majority of cases (87-91%), the relative error in determining trace
elements did not exceed 25%, with the highest accuracy achieved for copper (91%)  and the lowest for cadmium (82%). No results with an error exceeding 50% were
recorded, while the proportion of measurements with errors ranging from 25% to 50%
varied between 13% and 27%, depending on the element. The macroion determination
results from the Russian EMEP stations show close agreement with the reference
values, with deviations in the vast majority of cases not exceeding 5-10%. Such low
error rates and low variability among replicate samples confirm the absence of
significant systematic error component and demonstrate the reliability and
reproducibility of precipitation analysis.

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