ELECTROTHERMAL ATOMIC-ABSORPTION SPECTROMETRY IN OCCUPATIONAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL-HEALTH PRACTICE - A DECADE OF PROGRESS AND ESTABLISHMENT

Electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry (ETAAS) is today an esta blished technique in the vast application area of occupational and env ironmental health practice. Up to 52 elements have so far been determi ned in biological matrices such as body fluids and tissues, food and r elated samples with a view to the assessment of occupational and envir onmental exposure. For at least a third of these analytes ETAAS is the current technique of choice. The progress in this field over the last decade is critically reviewed and discussed. Emphasis is given to the development of direct procedures and simple pre-treatment techniques, the selection of suitable chemical modifiers and appropriate reaction media, some practical problems, as well as the rational combination o f the graphite atomizer with preconcentration and speciation technique s.