Air handling in clean laboratory environments: the reason for anomalously high boron background levels

The isotopic analysis of boron from material that carries only trace amounts of boron requires low boron blank levels. Large efforts are taken to keep blank levels low by purifying reagents. We performed exposure experiments and determined procedure blanks before and after the air-handling system was modified from silicate glass filters to polyethylene/polystyrole and active carbon filters. Our investigations demonstrate that the air-handling system may be the major source of boron blank in many laboratories, as the widely used silicate glass filters, which contain boron as a major component, in the form of borax and boric acid, release significant amounts of boron to the air.