Laboratory dust manganese

Contamination is a problem one always faces in trace analysis. Mercury is ubiquitous in many laboratories, as is fluoride. Lead is present in dust, particularly in laboratories located close to heavy automobile traffic. Extreme caution must always be exercised as contamination on the trace level may come from unexpected sources. Table I shows that using manganese steel in the jaws used to crush the coal increased the manganese content of the crushed coal more than twofold. 

---