Determination of lead in fish samples by slurry sampling electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry

Ultrasonic slurry sampling electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry (USS-ETAAS) was been applied to the determination of lead in several fish samples. The influences of instrument operating conditions and slurry preparation on the signal were examined. Palladium and ammonium nitrate were used as the modifier to improve the signal. Since the sensitivity to lead in various fish slurries and aqueous solutions was different, the standard additions method was used for the determination of lead in these fish samples. The method was applied to the determination of lead in dogfish muscle reference material (DORM-2) and a swordfish muscle sample purchased from the local market. The analysis results agreed with the reference value. The accuracy was better than 6%. The precision between sample replicates was better than 16% with the USS-ETAAS method. The detection limit of lead estimated from standard additions curve was about 0.053-0.058 mu g g(-1) in different samples.