The determination of lead in whole blood by laser enhanced ionization using a combination of electrothermal vaporizer and flame

A system for electrothermal vaporization — laser enhanced ionization spectrometry (ETV-LEIS), developed in this laboratory, was used for the determination of lead concentrations in whole blood. Blood standards from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) were diluted 21:1 with ultrapure water and analyzed. Good agreement was found between the CDC and NIST standards. A linear analytical curve was obtained with a detection limit (3σ) of 8.9 × 10−3 μg dl−1 (890 fg absolute) for lead in whole blood. This compares favorably with other current methods for blood-lead determinations including isotope dilution inductively coupled mass spectrometry (ID-ICP-MS) and graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GFAAS).