Determination of some metals in water samples by slotted quartz tube and flame atomic absorption spectrometry

Lead is an element with toxic properties for living things. In high levels of lead exposure, the kidneys and brain are severely damaged and can result in death. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has found that inorganic lead compounds are likely carcinogenic in humans. For this reason, the amount of lead in the work is extremely important. Flammable Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (AAAS) is an important technique that is easy to implement and economical in detecting trace elements, although it has low sensitivity. In this study, it was aimed to increase the sensitivity by using Slotted Quartz Tube YKT - AAAS technique for lead in drinking water. In the first step measurements were made with the AAAS technique. In the second step, a sensitivity increase of about 3 times compared to AAAS was achieved using the YKT-AAAS technique in order to extend the residence time of the atoms in the measurement area. In the third step, the lead atoms are deposited on the inner wall of the YKT before re-atomizing, and then the atomization is accelerated by sputtering methylene isobutylketone (MIBK) to increase the sensitivity slightly. In this case, a sensitivity increase of 714 times compared to AAAS was obtained. Finally, this method has been applied to samples of drinking water taken from different points in Malatya province. Application results are compared with the legislative limit values permitted by the World Health Organization (WHO), American Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), European Union (EC) 1998 and Turkish Standards Institute (TSE) standards. It has been determined that the lead concentrations in all water samples analyzed are within the range permitted by the legislative limits.