Assessment of Inorganic Fibre Burden in Biological Samples by Scanning Electron Microscopy – Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy

A method based on cloud point extraction (CPE) separation/preconcentration of trace cadmium as a prior step to its determination by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GFAAS) has been developed. If the system temperature is higher than the cloud point temperature (CPT) of the nonionic surfactant of p-octyl polyethyleneglycolphenyether (Triton X-100), the complex of Cd²⁺ with 1-(2-pyridylazo)-2-naphthol (PAN) could be extracted into surfactant-rich phase. The chemical variables affecting CPE were evaluated and optimized. Under the optimum conditions, preconcentrating 10.0 mL of water samples permitted a limit of detection of 5.9 ng · L⁻¹ (3σ) for cadmium with an enhancement factor of 50 and a relative standard deviation of 2.1% (n = 11, c = 2.0 ng · mL⁻¹). The method was applied to the determination of cadmium in reference material and water samples with satisfactory results.