Diagnosis of Metal Poisoning and Evaluation of Chelation Therapy by Differential Pulse Anodic Stripping Voltammetry Coupled to a Novel Digestion Procedure

Abstract

Differential pulse anodic stripping voltammetry, coupled to a closed acid digestion system, has been proven to be an efficient tool for rapid diagnosis of metal poisoning and for evaluating the progress of chelation therapy. This technique and system has been used to determine total zinc, cadmium, lead, bismuth, copper, and thallium in urine, blood, hair, teeth, feces, bone and other tissue for medical management and post-mortem studies. The technique lends itself to determining minute changes in metal concentrations, while its low detection limits provide for the analysis of liquid samples as small as 10 μl. A procedure for rapidly removing metal contaminants from reagents and electrolyte systems was tested and found to be effective for this highly sensitive technique.