An improved impaction-graphite furnace system for the direct and near real-time determination of cadmium, chromium, lead and manganese in aerosols and cigarette smoke by simultaneous multielement atomic absorption spectrometry

The design, operating characteristics, and preliminary evaluation of an improved impaction-graphite furnace system, based on a theoretical study of particle size collected, are presented. After direct collection, the graphite furnace from the system is inserted in an atomic absorption spectrometer for analysis by simultaneous multielement atomic absorption spectrometry. This system has the potential for the direct and near real-time (few minutes) determination of metals in aerosols. The system has been preliminarily evaluated using aqueous solutions of chromium, and has then been applied to the determination of cadmium, chromium, lead, and manganese in cigarette smoke. Results show an increase ranging from almost five (lead) to sixteen (cadmium) over background levels.