Simultaneous Heavy Metal Determination in Mussels by Anodic Stripping Voltammetry (ASV) Using Thick Film Modified Graphite Electrodes

Heavy metals are potent polluters of marine ecosystems. Consumption of contaminated seafood may lead to adverse health effects. In this work, thick film modified graphite sensors are used as working electrodes for the simultaneous determination of copper, lead, cadmium and zinc in mussel tissue from the Sea of Japan. The samples were prepared by HNO3 wet mineralization and analyzed in pH 4 acetate buffer by anodic stripping voltammetry. The analytical signal was studied as a function of accumulation potential, accumulation time, and sweep rate to determine the optimal electrolysis conditions. Standard addition method was used to evaluate the heavy metal concentrations to minimize matrix effects. The developed procedure is rapid, inexpensive, and reproducible, and has high selectivity and low limits of detection for the analytes. The relative standard deviations for the concentrations of Cu, Pb, Cd, and Zn are 13%, 21%, 7.7%, and 15%, respectively. The accuracy was confirmed by comparing the results with those obtained by inductively coupled plasma - optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) and inductively coupled plasma - mass spectrometry (ICP-MS).