[NHCOLL-L:667] Arsenic Testing

[RWhite at safariclub.org]

The EM Quant Arsenic test kit is a quantitative tool for mesuring the amount
of arsenic in a liquid sample.  Because the volume of the sample is known,
quantitative results are possible, but those results are only the amount of
arsenic present in the solution.  Have any of you out there worked out a way
to relate those measurements to the taxidermy mounts you are testing?  I
have a background in industrial hygiene, and normally, for essentially
impervious surfaces such as a table top or floor, we would use a moistened
piece of filter paper, and wipe a 10 square centimeter area.  We could then
relate the results to the surface area.

It is my suspicion that what we can do with this test is essentially
semi-quantitative:  presence or absence of arsenic, and maybe a
"high-medium-low" type concentration.  Of course, with parts per million,
the amount of the specimen that is sampled, that is, how much area is wiped,
can cause order of magnitude differences.

Has anyone worked out a sampling protocol?  The procedures I've seen (CAS)
talk about handling the specimens after it has been determined that they
contain arsenic, either by testing, or by assumption in the absence of
testing.

Thanks!