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How ICP-OES changed the face of trace element analysis: Review of the global application landscape
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This review celebrates 50 years of ICP-OES, a laboratory technique used to detect trace elements in many types of samples. Among its growing applications, ICP-OES is now being used to analyze microplastics, human tissues, and food for chemical contamination. The technology helps researchers measure tiny amounts of metals and other elements that may be carried by microplastics into the human body.
The 50th anniversary of Inductively Coupled Plasma-Optical Emission Spectrometry (ICP-OES) will be observed in 2024. ICP-OES was first commercially available in 1974, and since then, it has become one of the most widely used analytical techniques in the world. ICP-OES is a powerful tool for the determination of trace and ultratrace elemental concentrations in a wide variety of samples specifically for multielement analysis. It is used in a wide range of applications, including environmental monitoring, food analysis, and medical diagnostics. This review aims to explore recent applications of ICP-OES in areas such as food analysis, microplastics, materials, dietary supplements, human tissue, and bodily fluids. The utilization of ICP-OES in these fields has ignited the interest of prospective ICP-OES users and inspired current practitioners, as the 50th anniversary approaches, it is of value of providing an updated review. It is important to note that this work does not seek to encompass a comprehensive review of ICP-OES, given the vast number of published results in this field. Undertaking such a comprehensive task would be a daunting challenge. Consequently, an overview of the ICP-OES instrumental technique is provided, followed by a highlighting of recent significant applications in the aforementioned fields.
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