Recent advances in particle-induced X-ray emission analysis applied to biological samples

Papers reporting the application of particle induced X-ray emission (PIXE) analysis to biological samples continue to appear regularly in the literature. The majority of these papers deal with blood, hair, and other common body organs while a few deal with biological samples from the environnment. A variety of sample preparation methods have been demonstrated, a number of which are improvements, refinements and extensions of the thick- and thin-sample preparation methods reported in the early development of PIXE. While many papers describe the development of PIXE techniques some papers are now describing applications of the methods to serious biological problems. The following two factors may help to stimulate more consistant use of the PIXE method. First, each PIXE facility should be organized to give rapid sample processing and should have available several sample preparation and handling methods. Second, those with the skill to use PIXE methods need to become closely associated with researches knowledge able in medical and biological sciences and they also need to become more involved in project planning and sample handling. (orig.)