DIRECT DETERMINATION OF SOME HEAVY-METALS IN URBAN AIR PARTICULATES BY ELECTROTHERMAL ATOMIC-ABSORPTION SPECTROMETRY USING ZEEMAN BACKGROUND CORRECTION AFTER SIMPLE ACID DECOMPOSITION .4. APPLICATION TO CALCUTTA AIR PARTICULATES

Some heavy metals in the air particulates of Calcutta city collected on Millipore membrane filter by a low volume sampler during Spring 1987 have been reported. The results have been compared with other cities of the world. For determination of heavy metals collected on Millipore membrane filter a simple digestion with nitric acid - hydrogen peroxide in small Teflon Bomb has been described. The heavy metals Fe, Mn, Ni, Co, Cu, Cd, Pb, & As in the particulates were determined by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry with L'vov Platform & Zeeman correction. Matrix modifiers were used for Cd, Pb & As. The performance of the procedure was confirmed by analysing NBS-SRM 1648 'Urban Particulates'.