Electrothermal atomization atomic absorption spectrometry for the determination of lead in urine: results of an interlaboratory study

Abstract

Results of an interlaboratory study are reported for the determination of lead in urine. Two levels of a lyophilized material containing biologically-bound lead were prepared using pooled urine obtained from lead-poisoned children undergoing the CaNa 2EDTA mobilization test. The materials were circulated to a group of reference laboratories that participate in the `New York State Proficiency Testing Program for Blood Lead'. Results of the initial round-robin gave all-method consensus target values of 145±22 μg/l (S.D.) for lot 17 and 449±43 μg/l (S.D.) for lot 20. The interlaboratory exercise was repeated some 5 years later and consensus target values were re-calculated using the grand mean (excluding outliers) of results reported by laboratories using electrothermal atomization atomic absorption spectrometry (ETAAS). The re-calculated target values were 139±10 μg/l (S.D.) and 433±12 μg/l (S.D.). The urine reference materials were also analyzed for lead by several laboratories using other instrumental techniques including isotope dilution (ID), inductively coupled plasma (ICP) mass spectrometry (MS), flame atomic absorption with extraction, ICP-atomic emission spectrometry, ID-gas chromatography MS and flow injection-hydride generation AAS, thus providing a rich source of analytical data with which to characterize them. The materials were also used in a long-term validation study of an ETAAS method developed originally for blood lead determinations that has since been used unmodified for the determination of lead in urine also. Recently, urine lead method performance has been tracked in a proficiency testing program specifically for this analysis. In addition, a number of commercial control materials have been analyzed and evaluated.