The particular behavior of trace metals in the environment is determined by their specific physico-chemical form rather than by their total concentration. The introduction of atomic absorption spectrometry has lead to a plethora of scientific papers and reports in which metal concentrations in the environment are only reported as total concentrations. Only recently has the need for improved knowledge on the various forms and bioavailability of metals been realised. Considerable research effort is now devoted to measuring the concentrations of trace metals in surface waters. Efforts are made to couple chemical analytical techniques to process-related biological problems. The proceedings of the workshop on The Speciation of Metals in Water, Sediment and Soil Systems held in Sunne, Sweden, comprise these efforts and show aspects for further cooperation between analytical chemists and biologists.

The metal conference in Athens, 1985 : A growing interest in metal speciation.- Metal speciation in solid wastes - Factors affecting mobility.- Analytical techniques in speciation studies.- Approaches to metal speciation analysis in natural waters.- Metal fractionation by dialysis - Problems and possibilities.- Trace element speciation in natural waters using hollow-fiber ultrafiltration.- The importance of sorption phenomena in relation to trace element speciation and mobility.- Testing the bioavailability of metals in natural waters.- Case studies on metal distribution and uptake in biota.- Effects of pH on the uptake of copper and cadmium by tubificid worms (oligochaeta) in two different types of sediment.- Aluminium impact on freshwater invertebrates at low pH: A review.- Summary of working group reports.