The accurate measurement of toxic metals at trace levels in biological and environmental samples is vitally important to human health. However, existing analytical methods for trace metals in complex samples, such as blood, hair, food, sediments, etc., require elaborate sample preparation, very expensive instruments, highly trained personnel, sample storage, and transfer. Therefore, the conventional analysis takes huge labor and analytical costs or time delays. This proposal concerns a portable, microfluidic device for rapid analysis of heavy metals in blood samples. The analyzer incorporates a unique wet digestion, which facilitates sample preparation, eliminating a separate sample preparation step and potential sample contamination problems. Using an innovative stripping electrochemical technique, the analyzer can simultaneously analyze a wide range of heavy metals (e.g., lead, cadmium, etc.) as well as different states of valence in a metal species. The analyzer will be compact and completely automated which will allow it to be used at the point of need by personnel with little training.
