What exactly does the new method measure?
Spain’s Madrid-based Instituto Nacional de Seguridad y Salud en el Trabajo (INSST) has published a new measurement method for assessing occupational exposure to metals and their compounds. The method, registered under the code MTA/MA-073/A26, combines collecting dust particles on a filter with analysis by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP/MS). According to the title of the method document, the procedure determines metals and their ionic compounds in workplace air. The institute published the method on 1 October 2026 as part of its Métodos de Toma de Muestras y Análisis (MTA) collection, the series of sampling and analysis protocols the institute issues for exposure assessment by occupational hygienists and laboratories.
Which metals does the method cover?
The new procedure applies to twelve metallic elements: aluminium, arsenic, beryllium, cadmium, zinc, cobalt, copper, chromium, iron, lead, manganese and nickel. INSST justifies the need for the method by noting that these substances are “widely used in industry” and at the same time “highly toxic,” which can lead to “significant adverse health effects for workers.” It is precisely this combination of widespread industrial use and proven health risks that makes a reliable, validated analytical method relevant for companies working with these metals, from metalworking and battery production to welding and surface treatment.
Context
Several of these twelve metals are already subject to binding exposure limit values in the European Union. Directive (EU) 2017/2398, which amended Directive 2004/37/EC on carcinogens and mutagens at work, introduced, among other things, a binding limit value for chromium(VI) compounds and entered into force on 16 January 2018, with a transposition deadline for EU member states of 17 January 2020. An accurate measurement method such as INSST’s is needed to demonstrate compliance with such European limit values in practice.
Relevance for occupational hygiene worldwide
For HSE professionals worldwide, a standardised ICP/MS method offers a practical tool for assessing exposure to multiple metals in a single analysis, rather than following a separate procedure for each element. This is relevant for sectors such as metal foundries, electronics manufacturing, mining and recycling, where workers are often exposed to combinations of these elements. Because MTA/MA-073/A26 comes from a national scientific-technical institute for occupational safety, laboratories and occupational hygienists outside Spain can also use it as a reference when setting up their own sampling programmes, alongside existing international standards such as ISO 30011 for determining metals in workplace air by ICP/MS. The full method document can be downloaded via the INSST portal under the reference MA_073_A26.
Source: Nuevo método para determinar la exposición laboral a metales y sus compuestos, 1 October 2026
Additional research: Directive (EU) 2017/2398, Directive 2017/2398: new European occupational exposure limit values
