ABSTRACT
The vast majority of plastic materials are based on organic polymers. Inorganic elements/compounds are part of the plastic’s composition, either as additives (stabilizers, fillers, etc.) or as trace element contaminants. In the case of additives, one may expect significant amounts of inorganic elements (up to percent levels) when analyzing such materials (silicone levels in glass-filled polymers, for example). However, trace-level metal (element) contaminants are present at much lower levels of concentration (ppm to ppt), which imposes certain requirements related to handling/preparation.
