A method to determine Pb and Cu in drinking water using a robust, portable, battery-powered instrument and disposable electrochem. sensors, the Scanning Analyzer SA-1000, is described.The anal. method, based on differential pulse anodic stripping voltammetry, takes only 3 min.The system was thoroughly evaluated for >1 yr.It was free from interference from other metals, water additives, and usual potable water constituents.A comparative study, using water collected from different sources and split and spiked to various levels was conducted, comparing th SA-1000 with graphite-furnace at. absorption spectroscopy.Results showed excellent correlation for both standards and real samples.The SA-1000 gave 108, 96 and 94% Pb recovery at 5,50, and 80 μg/L, and 95% Cu recovery at 1,000 μg/L, resp.