Determination of lead and cadmium in wines by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry

The lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) content of various wines on the Korean market were determined by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry using Zeeman background correction and peak area mode. All wine samples were microwave-digested in concentrated HNO3. Ammonium dihydrogen phosphate and magnesium nitrate were used as matrix modifiers for both Pb and Cd analyses. The mean Pb content of the wines was about 29 mug l(-1) ranging from 5 to 87 mug l(-1). Also, the means of Cd were about 0.5 mug l(-1) ranging from < 0.1 to 3.0 mug l(-1). The mean recoveries of Pb and Cd were 92.8 and 101.3% and their analytical detection limits were 1.0 and 0.1 mug l(-1), respectively. Sixty brands of wine were classified into red and white, but no statistically significant difference in Pb and Cd content was observed.