Determination of arsenic in beer by dry ashing, hydride generation atomic absorption spectroscopy

A method has been developed for determination of arsenic in beer. Organic matter is destroyed by the dry-ashing technique, the ash is dissolved in HCl, and hydrides of arsenic are generated by addition of sodium borohydride prior to atomization in a flame-heated quartz cell and atomic absorption spectroscopy measurement. The analytical features of the method are detection limit 0.1 ng/g beer, precision 8%, and recovery 97 +/- 7%. The arsenic contents of different brands from Spain and other European countries were analyzed. In all samples, the arsenic levels found were well below maximum levels allowed in Spanish legislation (100 ng/g). The quantities of arsenic in Spanish beers do not differ from those found in foreign beers. No differences were found between bottled and canned beers, and no correlation exists between metal content and original specific gravity of the beers.