DETERMINATION OF TRACES OF SILVER IN HUMAN SCALP HAIR SLURRIES BY ELECTROTHERMAL ATOMIC-ABSORPTION SPECTROMETRY

A simple and rapid method for the determination of traces of silver in human hair by slurry sampling and electrothermal atomic absorption sp ectrometry was optimized. Hair pulverization and the particle size red uction were achieved using a vibrational zirconia mill ball for 20 min . Palladium nitrate, magnesium nitrate and palladium-magnesium nitrate were investigated as chemical modifiers to thermally stabilize silver . Glycerol was used as wetting agent to stabilize the hair slurries. A limit of detection of 21.61 mu gkg(-1) was obtained for the use of pa lladium nitrate as best chemical modifier. The repeatibility of the ov erall procedure (slurry preparation and atomic absorption spectrometri c determination) corresponding to eleven measurements was 14.3%. Matri x effect was significant and so, the standard addition method was used to determine silver in hair samples from healthy people. The levels f ound varied between 0.10 and 1.62 mg kg(-1).