Pharmacopeial tests for heavy metals require comparisons between test solution's colour after addition of thioacetamide and a control solution containing a known quantity of Pb. As this test neither informs about the type of heavy metals, nor about the concentrations of each of them, there is a reason for more frequent employment of instrumental methods such as AAS and AES, as well as ICP, NAA, and X-ray fluorescence. These methods provide us with quick and exact elemental analyses of impurities, thus becoming more and more important in the quality control of drugs and medicinal plants.