Determination of cadmium in human urine using electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry with probe atomization and deuterium background correction

Abstract

A procedure for the determination of cadmium in human urine using electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry with probe atomization and deuterium background correction is described. The human urine samples were diluted 1 + 3 with ultrapure water and no chemical modifier or sample pre-treatment was necessary, thus reducing the risk of contamination. The concentration of cadmium in human urine was evaluated directly by aqueous standard calibration (avoiding the time-consuming technique of standard additions). The precision at a cadmium level of 3.5 ppb was ± 2%. The detection limit observed (using the ‘three times the standard deviation of the blanks’ criterion) was 0.3 µg dm^–3 of cadmium. The recovery of cadmium obtained from urine was 100 ± 5%. The method is especially suitable for biological monitoring of cadmium in occupationally exposed persons.