Nowadays,
there are legal restrictions concerning the lead release to
the environment. Nevertheless, it is used as a raw material in the
manufacturing industry such as automotive batteries, ceramic
and ink [3]. Furthermore, lead is a leftover of some industrial
processes in the production of fertilizers and pesticides. In
both cases, it could be either delivered to the environment by
0039-9140/$ – see front matter © 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.talanta.2007.10.029M.T. Naseri et al. / Talanta 75 (2008) 56–62 57
inadequate manufacturing process or caused by accident [4].
The environmental and health problems arise fundamentally
from the use of gasoline antiknock products and paint pigments
[5]. As a consequence, the World Health Organization (WHO)
has established the maximum allowable limit of 10 g L−1 for
lead in drinking water [6]. It is, therefore, important to monitor
the lead level in the environmental samples.