ABSTRACT
Despite the great strides forward in analytical instrumentation that have been made in recent years, the analyst working in the fields of potable water analysis and environmental analysis of non-saline and saline waters finds that, frequently, the equipment has insufficient sensitivity to be able to detect the low concentrations of substances present in his samples with the consequence that he has to report less than the detection limit of the method. Consequently, trends upwards or downwards in the levels of background concentrations of these substances in the environment cannot be followed. This is a very unsatisfactory situation which is being made worse by the extremely low detection limits being set in new directives on levels of pollution, issued by the European Community and other international bodies. To overcome the problem, there has been a move in recent years, to apply preconcentration to the sample prior to analysis so that, effectively, the detection limit of the method is considerably reduced to the point that actual results can be reported and trends followed.
