Determination and speciation of arsenic in human urine by ion-exchange chromatography/flow injection analysis with hydride generation/atomic absorption spectroscopy

A flow injection-hydride generation/atomic absorption spectroscopic method for the measurement of total urinary arsenic and for the selective determination of inorganic arsenic, monomethylarsonic acid (MMAA), and dimethylarsinic acid (DMAA) was developed. Destruction of the organic matrix is necessary to measure total arsenic content of urine samples. Digestion of this matrix with HNO3-H2SO4-H2O2 is described. The separation of inorganic, monomethylated, and dimethylated arsenic compounds in urine was performed with ion-exchange chromatography on AG 50 W-X8 resin. Detection limits of 2 ppb for each arsenic form and of 3 ppb for total arsenic in urine analyzed after mineralization were found. Recoveries in triplicate urine samples spiked with 10 ppb inorganic arsenic, 20 ppb MMAA, and 40 ppb DMAA were 93, 91, and 85%, respectively. The precision (relative standard deviation) of the method obtained in 10 replicate analyses of urine samples spiked with arsenic metabolites varied from 3.2 to 4.6%. This method is applicable to urine samples in studies relating to arsenic exposure and its monitoring.