Analytical problems related to the preparation of samples used in studies on metallobiochemistry of heavy metals pollution using neutron activation analysis

Severe analytical problems are associated with the analysis of heavy metals at very low levels in biological samples. This impose a high degree of sophistication of the NAA involving treatment of the sample before irradiation such as chemical separations, physical treatments and biochemical fractionation, the experimental evaluation of interfering nuclear reaction as well as the development of post-irradiation radiochemical separation. This paper treats of the problem related to the NAA of trace elements in environmental biochemical toxicology focussing attention of the sources of the elements during the analysis. Typical results and short discussion for every step of the analysis are reported.