Self Absorption Corrections for X-Ray Fluorescence Analysis of Aerosols

A procedure is described for making self absorption corrections for x-ray fluorescence analysis of ambient air aerosols which are collected in two size ranges with a dichotomous sampler. Calculations for fine particles are based on the assumption of a uniform layer of accumulated deposit which has an exponentially decreasing depth profile within a membrane filter. Coarse particles are treated as spheres with a log normal mass distribution which is subject to modification by the sampling device. An average attenuation and the associated uncertainty is deduced for coarse particles by considering a wide variety of possible chemical compositions.