Standard reference materials (SRMs) for measurement of inorganic environmental contaminants.

NIST has developed an extensive collection of environmental SRMs, starting with fuel and biologically related materials in the late 1960s and now encompassing all sectors of environmental research. Advances in analytical methodology, including multi-element isotope-dilution mass spectrometry (IDMS) and expanded instrumental neutron-activation analysis (INAA) capabilities, enable value assignment based on fewer but better-characterized independent analytical techniques. The special advantages of IDMS for determination of S and Hg and for multi-element characterization of small-sample air particulate matter (SRM 2783) by IDMS and INAA are emphasized. Developments in materials production include the issuance of fresh-frozen biological materials and of jet-milled natural-matrix materials with improved homogeneity, including highly homogeneous air particulate matter and sediment SRMs for small-sample analytical techniques.