Estimation of the Expanded Uncertainty of an Analytical Method to Quantify Aluminum in Tissue of Sprague Dawley Rats by FAAS and ETAAS.

The soluble forms of aluminum are now considered toxic or potentially toxic and they have been associated or related with neurological alterations, liver, bone, hematological disorders and breast cancer. To estimate the expanded uncertainty of a previously validated analytical method to quantify aluminum in tissues of Sprague Dawley rats through flame atomic absorption spectroscopy (FAAS) and electrothermal (ETAAS). The sources of uncertainty through an Ishikawa diagram have been established and the relative and combined standard uncertainty of the concentration of aluminum was determined from the curves of calibration, volumetric material and the dilution factor, repeatability, the purity of a standard aluminium and the concentration of aluminium in two certified reference materials (SRM-S-B and NIST 1566b). The estimates of each source of uncertainty were determined following the Eurachem/Citac Guide. It was possible to estimate the expanded uncertainty ( U) with a factor k = 2, and the results were of 3.709 mgL and 3.717 µgL of aluminium in tissues of Sprague Dawley rats with FAAS and ETAAS, respectively. There are few works in which the expanded uncertainty of an analytical method has been found to determine aluminum in tissue, however the results are acceptable and comparable against the results obtained with other methods that estimate the uncertainty of other metals and different matrix or tissue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]