A new flow injection method coupled to an electrochemical hydride generator with atomic absorption spectrometry was proposed for determination of cadmium. The influence of the experimental parameters such as cathode material, catholyte type, sample volume, catholyte flow rate, temperature of the atomizer, catholyte concentration, carrier gas flow rate, electrolytic current and cathode surface area on the analytical response was studied. Under the optimized conditions, the calibration curve was linear in the range of 2–50 ng mL−1 of Cd. A concentration detection limit (3σb, n=9) of 0.61 ng mL−1 Cd and a relative standard deviation of 5.1% (RSD, n=9) for 20 ng mL−1 Cd were obtained. The potential interferences from various ions were also evaluated. The accuracy of the method was verified by the determination of cadmium in a certified reference material. The calculated concentration of Cd in CRM was found to be in good agreement with the certified value.

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