Abstract
Dry ashing and microwave digestion procedures used for dissolution of biological tissue samples were compared as well as determining the heavy metals Cd, Cu, Pb, and Zn by ICP-AES and FAAS/GFAAS methods. Marine reference samples from an inter-laboratory exercise and natural mussel samples (Mytilus edulis) collected in the Atlantic Region were used. The results indicate that microwave digestion in a closed system accompanied by the low detection limit graphite furnace AAS method is the preferred combination for obtaining good quality results especially for those metals which are present at very low concentrations.