Teledyne Leeman Labs Blog

Last month we introduced Jeff Forsberg, Mercury Product Line Manager for Teledyne Leeman Labs so this month we will spotlight Manny Almeida.

The post is meant to provide an opportunity to put a face to a name, as well as background details about our internal subject matter experts, and their perspective on lab technology and industry issues. In this post, we spotlight Manny Almeida, ICP/DCA Product Line Manager for Teledyne Leeman Labs

We are introducing members of the Teledyne team through Q&A sessions in our blog. The posts will provide an opportunity to put a face to a name, as well as background details about our internal subject matter experts, and their perspective on lab technology and industry issues.

Spotlight: Jeff Forsberg, Hg Product Line Manager, Teledyne Leeman Labs

The familiar Florida summertime clap of daily thunder signals to the kids playing ball outside that it is time to go inside for a bit.  Any U.S. Gulf Coast kid knows when the thunderstorm clouds roll overhead to get to shelter—fast--- because next to come are the threatening lightning strikes. While the lightning is a dangerous concern, the invisible pollution dangers from thunderstorms may be even worse than the lightning strikes. 

The Mercury Deposition Network has evaluated rainwater nationwide for twenty years.  It has puzzled analysts as to why the mercury levels were persistently so much higher in the southeast, especially in the Gulf Coast states of Florida and Louisiana, than those of northern states.  

Spearheading a global group of scientists, the U.S. Geological Survey chronicled the mercury pollutants in the air, soil, sediment, plants, fish and wildlife throughout western North America.  Ecologists complied decades of data and studies to assess groupings of mercury and methylmercury.

Mercury, a heavy metal, is organically found in the rock of the earth’s crust.  It can become problematic when people, fish, and wildlife are subjected to elevated levels of mercury in its harmful configuration, methylmercury. 

With millions of consumers reportedly getting sick each year from foodborne diseases, how do food analysts know the best methods to keep products safe, manage risk and protect the integrity of their brands?  With the variety of methods available in the battle of food defense, food safety experts have to carefully hone their choices. A recent article in Lab Manager magazine went into more detail about a few of these methods.

An abandoned ammo factory in Kings Mill, Ohio is on the EPA list as one of the most contaminated sites in the country. The site, once home to the Peter’s Cartridge Company, could be the new home to luxury apartments and commercial office space overseeing the Little Miami River. The $25 million plan, which includes 120-130 apartments and 23,000 square feet of commercial space, is dependent on whether the site can be remediated from the mercury, copper and lead that has contaminated the soil for more than a century.

When it comes to analytical testing, there is a single organization that sets the requirements and develops the methods for determining the purity of reagent chemicals, the American Chemical Society (ACS).

Teledyne Leeman Labs recently completed an analysis of reagent chemicals to determine their ultratrace elemental levels. The purpose of the analysis was to “demonstrate the ability of the Teledyne Leeman Lab’s Prodigy7 simultaneous ICP-OES, to quickly and accurately determine ultratrace elemental levels in selected reagent grade chemicals.” The company performed the analysis using procedures developed by the ACS. Results were then compared with ACS specifications.

Teledyne Leeman Labs recently used its Prodigy7 ICP-OES to analyze beverages for mineral and heavy metal content. The goal of the analysis was to demonstrate the effectiveness of the system and method in measuring mineral and heavy metal content in a variety of beverage samples. The results of the analysis were compared with the drinking water standards established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the World Health Organization.

Illegal gold mining operations in Peru have forced the Peruvian government to declare a state of emergency for the next two month. While the gold is valuable, the extracted process from surrounding areas has created a major health problem for local residents.

Leeman Labs is a pioneer in the ICP spectrometry industry, and we were the first to use an Echelle spectrometer for ICP-OES. Recently we added our new Prodigy Plus High Dispersion ICP Spectrometer to our family of ICP-OES instruments. The Prodigy Plus builds upon our legacy and experience, while incorporating new state-of-the-art technology.