In recent years, the spotlight on the safety of baby food has intensified, driven by growing concerns about toxic heavy metals like arsenic, cadmium, lead, and mercury. These elements, even in low concentrations, pose significant health risks to infants and toddlers, whose developing bodies are particularly vulnerable. As regulatory standards tighten, advanced analytical techniques such as inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) have emerged as crucial tools in ensuring baby food meets stringent safety and nutritional benchmarks.<h4>The importance of monitoring heavy metals in baby food</h4>Heavy metals can make their way into baby food through environmental contamination, agricultural practices, or industrial processes. For instance:<ul><li>Lead can leach from soil into crops.</li><li>Arsenic is often present in rice and rice-based products due to its natural occurrence in water and soil.</li><li>Mercury can accumulate in fish and seafood.</li><li>Cadmium is introduced via contaminated soil or fertilizers.</li></ul>Even trace amounts of these metals can lead to neurological damage, developmental delays, and other long-term health issues. Regulatory bodies like the FDA and the European Union have established maximum permissible levels for these toxic elements. For example, the Baby Food Safety Act of 2021 in the U.S. mandates maximum limits such as 10 µg/kg for inorganic arsenic and 5 µg/kg for lead in baby food products.<img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/labrulez-bucket-strapi-h3hsga3/Thermo_Fisher_Scientific_Ensuring_Baby_Food_Safety_Tackling_Toxic_Metals_with_Advanced_Technology_275fac6f68.jpg" alt="Thermo Fisher Scientific: Ensuring Baby Food Safety - Tackling Toxic Metals with Advanced Technology" srcset="https://storage.googleapis.com/labrulez-bucket-strapi-h3hsga3/thumbnail_Thermo_Fisher_Scientific_Ensuring_Baby_Food_Safety_Tackling_Toxic_Metals_with_Advanced_Technology_275fac6f68.jpg 239w," sizes="100vw" width="1536" height="1006"><h4>The role of ICP-MS in baby food safety</h4>To comply with these regulations, manufacturers require robust analytical methods that offer high sensitivity, precision, and reproducibility. ICP-MS, particularly when paired with advanced sample preparation techniques, has become the gold standard for detecting and quantifying both toxic and essential trace elements in baby food.<h4>A streamlined workflow</h4>A recent study showcased a comprehensive workflow using the <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://icpms.labrulez.com/products/1488">Thermo Scientific™ iCAP™ MTX ICP-MS</a> system:<ul><li>Sample preparation: Baby food samples, ranging from dry powders to high-fat and high-moisture items, were processed using microwave-assisted acid digestion. This method ensures uniform preparation and minimizes manual handling.</li><li>Automated dilution: The system’s argon gas dilution (AGD) capability allowed for a consistent five-fold dilution of all samples, accommodating a wide variety of matrices without compromising detection sensitivity.</li><li>Interference management: By leveraging triple quadrupole modes with reactive gases, the ICP-MS effectively suppressed polyatomic and isobaric interferences, ensuring accurate results even for challenging elements like arsenic and mercury.</li><li>Quality control: Calibration curves and internal standard checks maintained accuracy throughout the analysis, with all results aligning within regulatory limits.</li></ul><h4>Key findings</h4>The study analyzed six baby food products, including fruit purees, cereal, yogurt, and fish-based meals. While most samples adhered to safety standards, certain findings highlighted areas for further attention:<ul><li>Arsenic: Elevated levels were detected in salmon-based purees, attributed to organic arsenic compounds naturally present in fish.</li><li>Cadmium and lead: Slightly elevated levels in carrot-based products underscore the need for rigorous soil testing and monitoring.</li></ul><h4>Benefits of advanced ICP-MS analysis</h4>Beyond regulatory compliance, ICP-MS offers additional advantages:<ul><li>Nutritional assessment: Simultaneous analysis of essential nutrients like calcium, iron, and zinc ensures baby food supports healthy growth.</li><li>Efficiency and productivity: The automated workflow minimizes operator intervention, making it suitable for high-throughput laboratories.</li><li>Reliability: Consistent results across diverse sample types build confidence in food safety and quality.</li></ul><h4>Conclusion</h4>Ensuring the safety of baby food is not just a regulatory requirement—it’s a responsibility to protect the youngest and most vulnerable members of our society. By harnessing the power of ICP-MS, manufacturers can confidently address both safety concerns and nutritional needs, delivering products that parents can trust. As technology continues to evolve, such advancements promise a future where baby food safety is guaranteed, one analysis at a time.<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.thermofisher.com/cz/en/home/industrial/mass-spectrometry/inductively-coupled-plasma-mass-spectrometry-icp-ms/quadrupole-icp-ms-systems.html">Explore more</a>: Learn how the Thermo Scientific iCAP MTX ICP-MS system is setting new standards in trace metals analysis for food safety.

Ensuring Baby Food Safety: Tackling Toxic Metals with Advanced Technology

Reactivity and fluxes of antimony in a macrotidal estuarine salinity gradient: Insights from single and triple quadrupole ICP-MS performances

As countries across the world accelerate their efforts to move away from fossil fuels, lithium-ion batteries have rapidly become established as a key component in the drive to greener energy alternatives. But lithium is only part of the story. In this blog post, I’ll review the role that lithium and other elements play in battery technology, discuss how these elements can be quantified and assess what potential options there are for future developments in this area.<h3>Lithium ion batteries – their promise and their problems</h3>Lithium ion battery cathodes are typically made from a mixed metal oxide base to which lithium is added and, usually, nickel, cobalt and manganese oxides are used for this purpose. To maintain optimum performance and to slow degradation of cathode materials over multiple charging and discharging cycles as much as possible, these materials need to be highly purified. In particular, they must be free of metal impurities (particularly iron and vanadium) and sulphur, as these elements disrupt battery performance and accelerate degradation processes. Lithium ion batteries have become a central focus for power generation for electric vehicles and portable devices because they offer high-power storage capacity for their size and good charge/discharge cycling stability over a relatively long time period. However, there are safety concerns surrounding lithium ion batteries, as they can spontaneously ignite and subsequently explode as a result of overheating.This overheating can be caused by factors such as electrical shorting, rapid discharge, overcharging or mechanical damage, so considerable research and development in recent years has been focused on making them as safe as possible. Safety is not the only problem for batteries based on lithium. Although the price of lithium batteries has decreased significantly (by almost 90% between 2010 and 2020, according to some estimates1), since January this year, the price of lithium raw materials (primarily lithium carbonate and lithium hydroxide) has been rising steadily. Lithium is not a limitless resource on Earth — it’s present at levels of only between 0.002 – 0.006 wt% in the Earth’s crust — so as demand ramps up, supply will diminish and costs will rise. The cost is not only a financial one. Mining activities will need to sharply increase if dependence on lithium is maintained, which will significantly impact the environment in areas where lithium deposits are rich enough for mining to be viable. This, however, also means that recycling and reprocessing of spent batteries will become an essential part of the lithium battery cycle.<h3>Are there alternative metal ion technologies to lithium?</h3>In the initial stages of lithium ion battery research in the 1970s and early 1980s, the potential of sodium ion batteries was also investigated.2 Sodium has the considerable benefit of being much more widely available than lithium — it’s the seventh most abundant element, with an average concentration of 2.27% by weight in the Earth’s crust — and so cheaper and more viable to extract from almost anywhere. However, it soon became clear at the time that the power density and charge/discharge cycling stability of sodium ion batteries was not as good, in part because the larger ionic radius of sodium means that the graphite anodes that are efficiently used with lithium ion batteries cannot be used with sodium batteries. As a result, sodium battery research languished for many years until, in the early 2010s, interest in this area resurged because of increasing battery demand and the discovery that hard carbon3 provided better anode performance with sodium ions. There is still a long way to go with sodium ion battery development, but promising advances are happening now. In June 2020, researchers from Washington State University (WSU) and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) announced that they had developed a viable sodium ion battery4, and Stanford University is spearheading research into new sodium ion-based battery materials.5<h3>Measuring lithium and other metals involved in battery technology</h3>It’s clear that accurate determination and quantification of both the cathode metal oxide elements and trace impurities in the cathode material are of key importance for advancing and scaling up battery production, research and development. The techniques that are available for this analysis include <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://icpms.labrulez.com/products?category=251&amp;manufacturerItems=3">inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES)</a> and <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://icpms.labrulez.com/products?category=232&amp;manufacturerItems=3">inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS)</a>, and recently, the applications team at Thermo Fisher Scientific’s Bremen, Germany, facility have produced an application note on <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://icpms.labrulez.com/labrulez-bucket-strapi-h3hsga3/an_73872_icp_oes_elements_lithium_batteries_an73872_en_691a4c3f8a.pdf">analysis of trace elements in lithium batteries</a> using the <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.thermofisher.com/order/catalog/product/BRE0020758#/BRE0020758">Thermo Scientific™ iCAP™ PRO XP ICP-OES</a>. If you’d like to learn more about how these and other technologies that can support battery technology advancements, take a look at our batteries resources page <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.thermofisher.com/batteries">here</a>.

Is Battery Technology Just All About Lithium?

Life is often about making a choice or the best possible compromise between two aspects that seem to stand diametrically opposed to each other. For example, staying out late for dinner with friends while planning a long hike the following day with an early start. Either of these activities provides great pleasure, but combining both on the same weekend may not be the best idea. I come across many similar challenges almost every week, and each time I need to make a choice that seems to be the most promising in a given situation.The same is true in some cases for analysis using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). While many questions about removing interferences were answered by my colleague <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.analyteguru.com/t5/user/viewprofilepage/user-id/58">Simon Nelms</a> in his blogs, I would like to state here that most laboratories performing applied analytical testing of, for example, water samples or foodstuffs, mostly rely on single quadrupole-based ICP-MS, such as the <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.thermofisher.com/order/catalog/product/IQLAAGGAAQFAQKMBIT#/IQLAAGGAAQFAQKMBIT">Thermo Scientific™ iCAP™ RQ ICP-MS</a>, due to their robustness, ease of use and speed of analysis.Single quadrupole-based instruments remove all interferences using inert helium as a collision gas and kinetic energy discrimination (KED). The QCell collision/reaction cell (CRC) has two important advantages for this setup: High ion transmission across the full mass range (so that light elements such as lithium and beryllium can also be measured with the lowest detection limits), and an automatically adjusted low mass cutoff to further suppress backgrounds. More information on how KED removes interferences can be found <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.thermofisher.com/document-connect/document-connect.html?url=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.thermofisher.com%2FTFS-Assets%2FCMD%2Fbrochures%2Fsn-44415-icp-ms-single-quadrupole-sn44415-en.pdf&amp;title=U21hcnQgTm90ZTogVHJhY2UgRWxlbWVudHMgaW4gUm91dGluZSBTYW1wbGUgTWF0cmljZXMgVXNpbmcgU2luZ2xlIFF1YWRydXBvbGUgaUNBUCBSUSBJQ1AtTVM=">here</a>. Using a single collision gas for all analytes means that the time required for fill/flush cycle in the CRC can be cut from the method, and sample turnover times as low as 45 seconds for a multi-element analysis are feasible.In turn, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.thermofisher.com/us/en/home/industrial/mass-spectrometry/liquid-chromatography-mass-spectrometry-lc-ms/lc-ms-systems/triple-quadrupole-lc-ms.html">triple quadrupole</a> ICP-MS systems, like the <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.thermofisher.com/order/catalog/product/731546#/731546">Thermo Scientific™ iCAP™ TQ ICP-MS</a>, may use a larger variety of gases for interference removal, among them helium, oxygen, hydrogen or ammonia. With dedicated measurement modes set up for specific analytes, superior interference removal is accomplished, allowing you to tackle challenging sample matrices and eliminating difficult interferences (such as doubly charged or isobaric interferences). However, each mode and each gas switch adds a few seconds to the method, so that a fully blown method using all available options may end up with extended sample turnover times, which may not be acceptable in a busy laboratory.<img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/labrulez-bucket-strapi-h3hsga3/Thermo_Fisher_Scientific_Is_There_a_Way_to_Improve_Both_Data_Quality_and_Productivity_in_2_8079c12318.jpg" alt="Thermo Fisher Scientific: Is There a Way to Improve Both Data Quality and Productivity in." srcset="https://storage.googleapis.com/labrulez-bucket-strapi-h3hsga3/thumbnail_Thermo_Fisher_Scientific_Is_There_a_Way_to_Improve_Both_Data_Quality_and_Productivity_in_2_8079c12318.jpg 245w," sizes="100vw" width="815" height="324">Thermo Scientific™ iCAP™ TQe ICP-MSWhile the inherent complexity of setting up a method has been reduced by innovative software tools, like the Reaction Finder method development assistant available in the <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://icpms.labrulez.com/products/1489">Thermo Scientific™ Qtegra™ Intelligent Scientific Data Solution™ Software</a>, complex installation requirements and analysis times have been a barrier for adoption of triple quadrupole ICP-MS systems in applied testing laboratories.So is there again only a choice between two aspects of technology that seem to be incompatible with each other? Well, there is a new way to combine the superior interference removal of a triple quadrupole with the speed of a single quadrupole.The application experts in the Thermo Fisher Scientific Center of Excellence for Mass Spectrometry in Bremen, Germany, have recently developed a new method based on the use of oxygen as the only reactive gas in a method designed for a triple quadrupole ICP-MS system. Oxygen provides a wealth of chemical reactions to fully eliminate all interferences on common contaminants (such as chromium, arsenic, cadmium and mercury), but also provides comparable performance for elements not immediately benefitting from this reactive gas (e.g., typical matrix elements such as sodium, potassium, calcium or iron).At the same time, sample turnover times of just a little more than 1 minute are possible, so that several hundreds of samples can be analyzed during a shift, with no concerns about sample re-runs or data quality. The team has used a<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.thermofisher.com/order/catalog/product/BRE731556#/BRE731556"> Thermo Scientific™ iCAP™ TQe ICP-MS</a>, an instrument designed specifically for laboratories looking to improve both interference removal and productivity. Independent of the matrix, this instrument allows you to overcome all current challenges, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://icpms.labrulez.com/labrulez-bucket-strapi-h3hsga3/AN_43446_TQ_ICP_MS_Food_Apple_Tomato_Leaves_AN_43446_EN_9674d8e0c0.pdf">for example in the analysis of foodstuffs</a>, and sets the lab up for increased sample loads or <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.thermofisher.com/document-connect/document-connect.html?url=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.thermofisher.com%2FTFS-Assets%2FCMD%2FApplication-Notes%2Fan-44479-icp-ms-rare-earth-elements-contaminants-an44479-en.pdf&amp;title=QXBwbGljYXRpb24gTm90ZTogSW50ZWdyYXRpb24gb2YgUmFyZSBFYXJ0aCBFbGVtZW50cyAoUkVFKSBpbnRvIGEgTm92ZWwgSUNQLU1TIE1ldGhvZCBmb3IgRW52aXJvbm1lbnRhbCBBbmFseXNpcw==">new sets of analytes</a> waiting to be taken on.If you would like to know more about how to overcome the seemingly impregnable gap between superior interference removal and productivity in the busy laboratory, please check out the <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.thermofisher.com/order/catalog/product/BRE731556#/BRE731556">iCAP TQe ICP-MS</a>.

Is There a Way to Improve Both Data Quality and Productivity in

Valentines Day is an opportunity to show your partner (or your crush) how much they matter to you. Beyond flowers, chocolates or restaurant invites, jewelry is a popular gift for Valentines day. However, a well meant gift may turn out to even be a hazard to the giftee.<img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/labrulez-bucket-strapi-h3hsga3/Thermo_Fisher_Scientific_Cheap_Trendy_and_Toxic_High_Levels_of_Cadmium_in_Necklaces_Have_Been_Reported_Lately_93d25a7757.jpg" alt="Thermo Fisher Scientific: Cheap, Trendy – and Toxic? High Levels of Cadmium in Necklaces Have Been Reported Lately" srcset="https://storage.googleapis.com/labrulez-bucket-strapi-h3hsga3/thumbnail_Thermo_Fisher_Scientific_Cheap_Trendy_and_Toxic_High_Levels_of_Cadmium_in_Necklaces_Have_Been_Reported_Lately_93d25a7757.jpg 245w," sizes="100vw" width="1024" height="512">Heavy metals in jewelry, harmful chemicals in baby products: the product range offered by online marketplaces frequently fails to meet European Union safety standards. That is the alarming conclusion of recent investigations by <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.spiegel.de/wirtschaft/stiftung-warentest-findet-giftige-schwermetalle-in-angeboten-von-temu-und-shein-a-efb2057b-2377-4ce4-b2e0-07be01d00df0">Stiftung Warentest</a>, Germany’s leading consumer protection organization.<h3>A reputation under scrutiny</h3>Low prices, fast fashion, and endless product choices have made online platforms hugely popular across Europe. With just a few clicks, shoppers can order clothes, accessories, toys, and electronics at prices that seem almost too good to be true.In a large-scale product test, consumer advocates found serious safety deficiencies in many popular items sold on these platforms.The advice to consumers is equally clear: buyers should dispose of affected products immediately and think carefully about what they order in the future.<h3>Shockingly high levels of toxic metals</h3>One of the most concerning findings involved fashion jewelry. In the test, the cadmium concentration in two necklaces exceeded the <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://de.euronews.com/2025/10/31/stiftung-warentest-giftige-schwermetalle-in-shein-und-temu-produkten">EU’s legal limit by 8,500 times.</a> It´s a cheaper alternative to safer metals like silver, zinc alloys, or stainless steel, is easy to work with, and looks good at first glance.However, cadmium is classified as carcinogenic and can cause serious kidney and bone damage. Because of its toxicity, it is subject to <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.bvl.bund.de/SharedDocs/Pressemitteilungen/03_verbraucherprodukte/2020/2020_02_11_PI_Modeschmuck.html">strict limits</a> in the EU. Products that exceed these limits are considered unsafe and illegal to sell.Experts strongly warn against simply throwing such items into the household trash. Jewelry contaminated with cadmium or other heavy metals should be taken to a hazardous waste collection point.The <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.euroconsumers.org/systemic-failures-in-product-compliance-on-temu-and-shein/">investigation</a> covered 162 products in total of which 54 were necklaces.The products were purchased online and tested in cooperation with consumer organizations from Denmark and Belgium.The results were sobering:<ul><li>110 of the 162 products failed to meet EU safety standards</li><li>Around 25% were rated “potentially dangerous”</li></ul><h3>A broader EU problem</h3>EU authorities regularly find toxic heavy metals such as <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33757252/">cadmium</a>, lead, and nickel in cheap imported jewelry. These substances can trigger severe allergies, damage organs like the liver and kidneys, and increase cancer risk.Although the EU’s rapid alert system (RAPEX) removes thousands of unsafe products from the market every year, experts warn that the number of untested items is far higher than what authorities can realistically monitor.In some laboratory tests, individual jewelry items were found to consist of up to 70% cadmium, making them legally “not marketable” in Germany and the EU.The takeaway for shoppers should be clear:<ul><li>Extremely low prices can come with hidden health and safety risks</li><li>Jewelry, children’s products, and electronics deserve extra caution</li><li>When in doubt, it’s safer to buy from sellers that clearly comply with EU regulations</li></ul><h3>How can we detect Cadmium in necklaces?</h3>Consumer product/jewelry guidance explicitly notes that cadmium in jewelry extracts can be measured by ICP-OES or ICP-MS after an extraction step.Cadmium in jewelry is often regulated at low levels (either as total content after digestion or as extractable/migratable Cd in simulated-use leaches). <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://icpms.labrulez.com/products?category=232&amp;instrumentationItems=83&amp;manufacturerItems=3">ICP-MS</a> is routinely chosen because it can quantify Cd at trace / ultra-trace levels with strong precision and accuracy.Using a Thermo Scientific iCAP MX Series ICP-MS for Cadmium (Cd) determination in necklaces/ jewellery makes sense because jewelry testing typically needs very low detection limits, high confidence in complex matrices, and defensible compliance data.<ul><li>Better interference control for Cd isotopes</li></ul>Cadmium has a range of isotopes available for analysis, but interferences need to be considered. Most isotopes are isobarically interfered by Tin (meaning that a given m/z range would be responding to both elements), the isotope typically monitored (111Cd) may be interfered by molybdenum (95Mo16O+). Since both elements can be found as well in jewelry, removing these interferences is critical to avoid false positives. The iCAP MX Series ICP-MS come with the powerful QCell collision/reaction cell to overcome interferences. The <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://icpms.labrulez.com/products/1487">Thermo Scientific iCAP MSX ICP-MS</a> uses kinetic energy discrimination (KED) with helium gas, a generic way for reducing polyatomic interferences broadly across the mass range. The <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://icpms.labrulez.com/products/1487">Thermo Scientific iCAP MTX ICP-MS</a> can utilize reactive gases (in many applications O2) to further improve detectability and sensitivity – a powerful asset for laboratories analysing a wide range of sample types, which on top may “messy” – i.e. containing platings, alloys, pigments, fillers, and adhesives.<ul><li>Works with recognized jewelry test workflows</li></ul>Because necklaces and other consumer products often arrive as multiple distinct batches, repeats, blanks, spikes, and QC checks must be performed. All iCAP MX &nbsp;Series ICP-MS systems are positioned for high-throughput routine trace elemental analysis, helping labs to simplify workflows and keeping uptime high—useful in contract/compliance labs.<h3>Conclusion</h3>The findings underscore a troubling reality: many ultra-cheap products sold via online marketplaces pose real health and safety risks and routinely fail to meet EU standards. From toxic heavy metals in jewelry to hazardous chemicals in baby products, the consequences for consumers can be severe. Addressing this challenge requires both stronger regulatory oversight and reliable analytical testing. Advanced techniques such as ICP-MS play a critical role by enabling laboratories to accurately detect trace contaminants like cadmium across complex samples, helping authorities and manufacturers ensure compliance. Until safeguards improve, consumers are urged to remain vigilant—because when safety is compromised, a low price is no bargain at all.<h3>Additional resources</h3><ul><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.thermofisher.com/content/lifetech/global/en/home/industrial/mass-spectrometry/inductively-coupled-plasma-mass-spectrometry-icp-ms/quadrupole-icp-ms-systems.html">Quadrupole ICP-MS Systems</a></li><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://icpms.labrulez.com/labrulez-bucket-strapi-h3hsga3/br_003092_tea_icp_ms_icap_mtx_discovery_br003092_em_en_e92e76f052.pdf">Ignite your confidence: iCAP MTX triple quadrupole ICP-MS</a></li><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://icpms.labrulez.com/products/1489">Qtegra ISDS software</a></li></ul><h3>Join us for free local language webinars in 2026</h3><h5>English</h5><ul><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://icpms.labrulez.com/webinar/5795">Lunch and Learn Tips and Tricks Series: Qtegra Part 1</a></li><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://icpms.labrulez.com/webinar/5976">Lunch and Learn Tips and Tricks Series: Qtegra Part 2</a></li><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://icpms.labrulez.com/webinar/5977">Lunch and Learn Tips and Tricks Series: Trace Elemental Analysis (ICP-OES &amp; ICP-MS)</a></li><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://icpms.labrulez.com/webinar/5978">Trace Elemental Analysis: Ask the Expert</a></li></ul><h5>Deutsch</h5><ul><li>19. März 2026 <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://event.on24.com/wcc/r/5179134/393E071E3B501943730958BA6203F477">Interne Standards in der ICP-OES: Ein Praxisguide für zuverlässige Qualitätssicherung im Labor</a></li><li>18. Juni 2026 <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://event.on24.com/wcc/r/5179292/AE4C576B6A54D1AC182F7F77573D380F">Fehler reduzieren, Durchsatz steigern: Autoverdünnung mit PrepFast am ICP-MS</a></li><li>17. September 2026 <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://event.on24.com/wcc/r/5179423/B5019C560431BADCA2A76E54E4EFE56F">ICP-OES smarter nutzen: Probendurchsatz erhöhen, Ressourcen sparen</a></li><li>17. Dezember 2026 <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://event.on24.com/wcc/r/5179530/94EEDD1F56138F5EEE2AF24E29E6C12A">Qtegra ISDS Software Unlocked – Live im Expertengespräch</a></li></ul>Visit us on&nbsp;<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/72003132/admin/dashboard/">LinkedIn:</a>&nbsp;#ICP-MS #ElementalAnalysis #cadmium #TraceElementalAnalysis<section><blockquote><h5>Petra Gerhards</h5>Petra Gerhards, Dipl-Ing, is Regional Marketing Manager of GC and GC-MS for EMEA at Thermo Fisher Scientific. She has more than 29 years of experience in the fields of GC-MS, SPE and LC-MS. Since joining the regional team she has contributed to workflow solutions combining vials and closures with SPE solutions, GC-MS and LC-MS. She works with KOL's on data for regional specific marketing campaigns, organizes in-house seminars and works on customer specific solutions. Her main expertise is in the field of doping and drugs-of-abuse analysis.</blockquote></section>

Cheap, Trendy – and Toxic? High Levels of Cadmium in Necklaces Have Been Reported Lately

<h3>Lunch &amp; learn tips &amp; tricks series 2026 – part 1</h3>In modern analytical laboratories, efficiency, consistency, and data confidence are essential. Whether you are operating an ICP-OES or ICP-MS system, the way you use your software can significantly influence productivity and analytical performance. In the first session of our Lunch &amp; Learn Tips &amp; Tricks Series, we focused on one of the most common themes raised by users: how to navigate <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://icpms.labrulez.com/products/1489">Qtegra </a>software more effectively and optimize everyday workflows.<img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/labrulez-bucket-strapi-h3hsga3/Thermo_Fisher_Scientific_Mastering_Qtegra_Software_Practical_Strategies_to_Improve_Your_Daily_Lab_Workflow_3d35454782.jpg" alt="Thermo Fisher Scientific: Mastering Qtegra Software: Practical Strategies to Improve Your Daily Lab Workflow" srcset="https://storage.googleapis.com/labrulez-bucket-strapi-h3hsga3/thumbnail_Thermo_Fisher_Scientific_Mastering_Qtegra_Software_Practical_Strategies_to_Improve_Your_Daily_Lab_Workflow_3d35454782.jpg 245w," sizes="100vw" width="1024" height="512">This session explored three key areas in detail: understanding the structure of Qtegra and the Configurator, using the Dashboard as your operational control center, and building smarter, more efficient LabBooks. Below is a structured recap of the key insights shared during Part 1.<h3>Understanding the structure of Qtegra</h3>One of the most valuable features of Qtegra software is its consistency across multiple instrument platforms. Whether you are working with the <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://icpms.labrulez.com/products?category=227&amp;instrumentationItems=84&amp;manufacturerItems=3&amp;search=icap+pro">iCAP PRO ICP-OES</a>, the <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://icpms.labrulez.com/products?category=232&amp;instrumentationItems=83&amp;manufacturerItems=3">iCAP MX ICP-MS</a>, the iCAP 7000 OES, or Qnova ICP-MS systems, the interface and workflow logic remain familiar. This consistency reduces the learning curve when transitioning between instruments and supports standardised training across laboratories.Qtegra consists of two primary components: the Qtegra application itself and the Configurator.<ul><li>The Qtegra application is where you directly interact with your instrument. It is used to create LabBooks, control the instrument, execute analyses, and review results.</li><li>The Configurator, in contrast, defines how your system behaves at a deeper level. It controls system-level settings that underpin daily operation. Within the Configurator, users can manage features such as Fast Uptake setup, drain sensor configuration, wavelength libraries for ICP-OES systems, the Reaction Database for ICP-MS systems, and user access permissions.</li></ul>Understanding the distinction between these two components helps users troubleshoot more effectively and ensures that system configuration aligns with laboratory requirements.<h3>Using the dashboard as your central hub</h3>When Qtegra is opened, the first screen presented is the Dashboard. The Dashboard functions as the central hub for instrument monitoring and control. From this location, users can view instrument status, monitor live operating parameters, access tuning tools, review performance checks, and identify error or interlock notifications.<ul><li>For ICP-OES users, the Dashboard provides access to tune sets, source settings, AutoPeak alignment, autotuning functions, and live views such as Plasma TV. These tools allow users to confirm that the plasma and optical system are performing as expected before analysis begins.</li><li>For ICP-MS users, the Instrument tab within the Dashboard provides access to autotune routines, performance report summaries, gas flow settings, nebuliser adjustments, operating mode selection such as Standard, KED, or CCT modes, IntelliLens control, and real-time data streams.</li></ul>The Dashboard should be used as a structured checkpoint before running any analysis. Confirming that all parameters are within acceptable ranges reduces the likelihood of interruptions and supports consistent performance throughout the run.<h3>The get ready workflow: structured instrument preparation</h3><ul><li>The Get Ready function, which is launched directly from the Dashboard, provides a guided preparation workflow. This feature is designed to ensure that the instrument is fully configured and operating correctly for the selected method before analysis begins.</li><li>Within Get Ready, users can access scheduling tools that automate warmups, standby routines, shutdowns, and maintenance checks. These tools are particularly beneficial for laboratories operating multiple shifts or managing variable workloads.</li></ul>For ICP-MS systems, the Get Ready workflow includes automated performance checks, autotune routines, and controlled warm-up conditions. These routines verify that the instrument is operating within its expected performance range.By following the structured steps within Get Ready, laboratories can reduce the risk of missed preparation tasks and maintain day-to-day analytical consistency.<h3>Building smarter LabBooks</h3>The LabBook forms the foundation of every analytical sequence in Qtegra. A carefully constructed LabBook improves efficiency, reduces setup errors, and simplifies data review.Users can create a LabBook from scratch or begin with a template. Templates are particularly useful for laboratories that integrate with LIMS systems or import sample lists via CSV files, as they promote standardisation and consistency.<h4>Defining analytes</h4><ul><li>For ICP-OES methods, users must select appropriate wavelengths and evaluate potential spectral interferences.&nbsp;</li><li>For ICP-MS methods, users select the required masses, consider isobaric and polyatomic interferences, and use the Reaction Database to support reaction mode selection.</li></ul>Careful analyte selection at this stage helps prevent complications later in the analytical workflow.<h4>Configuring acquisition parameters</h4>Acquisition parameters define how the instrument collects data.<ul><li>For ICP-OES systems, this includes selecting viewing modes, choosing wavelength ranges such as iFR or eUV, and defining integration times.</li><li>For ICP-MS systems, this includes selecting operating modes such as Standard, KED, or CCT, configuring Reaction Finder options, enabling Intelligent Matrix Handling, and defining digital trigger settings.</li></ul>Thoughtful parameter configuration ensures that data quality objectives are met without unnecessary reanalysis.<h4>Using intelligent uptake and rinse</h4>The Intelligent Uptake and Rinse feature detects when the sample or rinse solution reaches the nebuliser. This ensures consistent timing across samples and improves overall throughput. In high-throughput environments, this feature contributes to both efficiency and reproducibility.<h4>Calibration and quantification strategy</h4>Calibration design is central to reliable quantification. Qtegra allows users to manage global standards, configure dilution tools, select calibration fit types, assign internal standards, and establish quality control samples.For ICP-OES systems, users can define standard ranges and switch points. For SemiQuant workflows, Relative Sensitivity Factors can be applied.Establishing these parameters during LabBook creation ensures that data validation is straightforward once analysis is complete.<h4>Autosampler and sample list setup</h4>For laboratories using the <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://icpms.labrulez.com/products/1715">iSC-65 autosampler</a>, features such as StepAhead, custom rack definitions, colour-coded sample views, and visual integrity checks support efficient sequence management.When constructing the sample list, users should clearly define sample types, establish a logical sequence order, and configure column layouts appropriately. Setting flags and limits during initial setup simplifies the data review process and supports quality assurance.<h3>Why workflow optimisation matters</h3>Optimising Qtegra usage does not require learning new software features. Instead, it involves using existing tools more strategically. By treating the Dashboard as a pre-run checkpoint, using Get Ready consistently, and constructing LabBooks with long-term efficiency in mind, laboratories can reduce downtime, improve reproducibility, and strengthen confidence in analytical results.<h3>Looking ahead to part 2</h3><blockquote>In Part 2 of the Qtegra Tips &amp; Tricks series, we will focus on post-analysis best practices. Topics will include interpreting signal intensities, reviewing calibration performance, evaluating recoveries and readbacks, applying flags effectively, exporting data, and implementing practical workflow improvements discussed in Part 1.</blockquote>By building a structured approach to both preparation and data review, laboratories can transform routine analysis into a streamlined, reliable, and repeatable process.We look forward to continuing the discussion in Part 2.<h5>Acknowledgement</h5>I would like to thank Matthew Gregory Field Applications Scientist, North EMEA, Trace Elemental Analysis and David Fishwick Field Applications Scientist, North EMEA, Trace Elemental Analysis for the support on this blog and the webinars<h4>Sign up for our webinars live and on demand.</h4>English<ul><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://icpms.labrulez.com/webinar/5795">Lunch and Learn Tips and Tricks Series: Qtegra Part 1</a></li><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://icpms.labrulez.com/webinar/5976">Lunch and Learn Tips and Tricks Series: Qtegra Part 2</a></li><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://icpms.labrulez.com/webinar/5977">Lunch and Learn Tips and Tricks Series: Trace Elemental Analysis (ICP-OES &amp; ICP-MS)</a></li><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://icpms.labrulez.com/webinar/5978">Trace Elemental Analysis: Ask the Expert</a></li></ul>Deutsch<ul><li>19. März 2026 <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://event.on24.com/wcc/r/5179134/393E071E3B501943730958BA6203F477">Interne Standards in der ICP-OES: Ein Praxisguide für zuverlässige Qualitätssicherung im Labor</a></li><li>18. Juni 2026 <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://event.on24.com/wcc/r/5179292/AE4C576B6A54D1AC182F7F77573D380F">Fehler reduzieren, Durchsatz steigern: Autoverdünnung mit PrepFast am ICP-MS</a></li><li>17. September 2026 <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://event.on24.com/wcc/r/5179423/B5019C560431BADCA2A76E54E4EFE56F">ICP-OES smarter nutzen: Probendurchsatz erhöhen, Ressourcen sparen</a></li><li>17. Dezember 2026 <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://event.on24.com/wcc/r/5179530/94EEDD1F56138F5EEE2AF24E29E6C12A">Qtegra ISDS Software Unlocked – Live im Expertengespräch</a></li></ul>Visit us on&nbsp;<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/72003132/admin/dashboard/">LinkedIn:</a>&nbsp;#Qtegra, #ICPMS, #ICPOES, #TraceElementalAnalysis<blockquote><h5>Petra Gerhards</h5>Petra Gerhards, Dipl-Ing, is Regional Marketing Manager of GC and GC-MS for EMEA at Thermo Fisher Scientific. She has more than 29 years of experience in the fields of GC-MS, SPE and LC-MS. Since joining the regional team she has contributed to workflow solutions combining vials and closures with SPE solutions, GC-MS and LC-MS. She works with KOL's on data for regional specific marketing campaigns, organizes in-house seminars and works on customer specific solutions. Her main expertise is in the field of doping and drugs-of-abuse analysis.</blockquote>

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