Determination of lead and cadmium in whole blood of mothers and their babies

An improved method for the determination of lead and cadmium in whole blood of mothers and their babies by stripping potentiometry (SP) has been developed. The studied SP method was validated using graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GFAAS) for the simultaneous determination of lead and cadmium. The concentration of lead and cadmium in the whole blood of Polish mothers and their babies are about three times higher than their Swedish counterparts. This may be the result of accumulation of lead and cadmium from polluted environment.