Atomic spectrometry update. Environmental analysis

This is the eighteenth annual review published in JAAS of the application of atomic spectroscopy to the chemical analysis of environmental samples. The review follows on directly from last year's (J. Anal. At. Spectrom., 2002, 17, 284-317), and once again uses the revised format which includes less tabulated material. It was recognized by the review group that some of the tables were becoming less comprehensive and that this form of information was better and more easily obtained using electronic searches. We therefore critically report on the most important developments in environmental analysis during the review period, and tend to focus on improvements to existing techniques that provide more reliable and robust analytical methods. Comments on these changes and possible improvements for future reviews will be welcomed by the review coordinator.