Simultaneous determination of trace cadmium and lead in single human hair by tungsten electrothermal vaporization-flame atomic fluorescence spectrometry

Abstract A new method was proposed for simultaneous determination of ultratrace cadmium and lead in a single string of human hair by coupling of a tungsten coil electrothermal vaporizer (W-coil ETV) and an argon–hydrogen flame for atomic fluorescence spectrometry (Ar–H 2 flame AFS). The sample digestion and experimental conditions for the determination of cadmium and lead in a single hair were investigated in detail. Under the optimal conditions, the limits of detection (LODs, 3σ) were 0.05 pg and 3 pg for Cd and Pb, respectively. The accuracy of the proposed method was demonstrated by analyzing a certified reference hair sample and several adult hair samples for trace Cd and Pb. By use of its high sensitivity and low sample consumption (typically 10 μL), it is potentially useful for determination of trace elements in a single string of hair from career and crime scenes for forensic purpose.