Investigation of metal-species (Ca, Mg, Zn, Fe, Cu, Pb, Cd, Sn) in urine by HPLC-AAS.

Urine is separated by reversed-phase HPLC and metal-species are detected on-line by flame-AAS (Ca, Mg, Zn, Cu and Fe) or by ETAAS in fractions (Pb, Cd, Sn). With the exception of lead, which is present in urine in two forms (bound to chloride and to sulfate), all the metals are present as chlorides or chloro-complexes. The same results are found for two control urines. It is shown that addition of some drugs to urine (Ca-EDTA, tetracycline and barbiturate) alters the distribution of metal-species by formation of coordination compounds.