Aluminium Determination in Bottled Mineral Waters by Electrothermal Atomic Absorption Spectrometry

Over one hundred samples of natural mineral waters corresponding to 43 domestic and foreign brands were analyzed for the aluminium content by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry. Good reproducibility, sensitivity, and rapidity make the method convenient for routine aluminium determination. The calibration curve was linear from 1.9 to 80 ng/ml and the detection limit was 1.9 ng/ml (characteristic mass 38 pg Al, with 20-μl injections). The levels of aluminium in the waters examined were very low, and none of the samples tested exceeded the EEC guideline of 50 μg/liter.