Determination of Lead and Cadmium in Hen Eggs by Graphite France Electrothermal Atomic Absorption Spectrometry and Estimation of the Daily Intake

A total of 54 hen eggs were procured from nine poultry farms of Sindh, Pakistan in different batches to determine lead and cadmium toxicity. The quantitative analysis of lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) in egg samples were performed on electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometer (ETAAS), with Zeeman effects background correction. Lead concentrations in hen egg samples ranged from 0.027 to 1.056 [micro]g/g with a mean value of 0.283 [micro]g/g [+ or -] 0.86, whereas cadmium concentrations ranged from 0.001 to 0.012 [micro]g/g with a mean value of 0.003 [micro]g/g [+ or -] 0.002. Lead concentrations exceeded the normal levels of 0.020 but cadmium was found lower than the normal levels of 0.005 [micro]g/g. Keywords: hen eggs, lead, cadmium, atomic absorption, spectrometry