Lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) are non-essential but extremely noxious metallic elements, and the study of their impact on environmental pollution is of utmost importance. In this report, an economical and environmentally friendly matrix modifier, fluorescent carbon nanoparticles (FCNs), is utilized for the electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry (ETAAS) determination of trace Pb and Cd in edible salt and soy sauce. FCNs have been characterized for use with UV-Vis spectroscopy, ?uorescence (FL), Fourier transform infrared spectrum (FT-IR) and transmission electronic microscopy (TEM). In comparison to traditional matrix modifiers, FCNs can effectively eliminate matrix interference. Using the proposed FCNs, the ETAAS method achieved a linearity of 10–50.0 μg L-1 for Pb and 0.4–4.0 μg L-1 for Cd; a limit of detection (LOD) for Pb in edible salt of 0.0140 mg kg-1 and in soy sauce of 0.0470 mg kg-1, and for Cd in edible salt of 0.0015 mg kg-1 and in soy sauce of 0.0005 mg kg-1. The method of additions chemical matrix modifier was used for Pb and Cd detection in this study. Excellent accuracy (93.0–101.0% recovery) and precision (0.19–0.85 %) of this procedure were obtained for soy sauce and edible salt. This work provides a new and economical strategy for the determination of trace Pb and Cd and is expected to facilitate future studies in the use of FCNs as a matrix modifier.