Air ; analysis ; Chromatography ; methods ; Ions ; analysis ; Metals, Alkali ; analysis ; Workplace

OBJECTIVEThis study attempts to test the total amount of 41 inorganic elements in traditional Chinese medicine materials (TCMM), to analyze to surpass the set standard of 5 toxic heavy metal elements and to explore possible method of modification.

METHODBy using microwave as digestion tool, ICP-MS and ICP-AES as detective instrument, 41 elements in 466 samples are tested. While the amount of elements Al, Ca, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, P, S, Sr are determined by ICP-AES, the amount of the rest 32 elements are determined by ICP-MS. SPSS 16.0 is used as the statistical tool for data analysis.

RESULTTesting of reference material Astragalus showed that the measurements of each element are within the reference range, and except for element I, RSD of determination for each element is less than 10%, thus the accuracy and precision of the study method is confirmed. Using above mentioned instruments and methods, general information of elements in 466 TCMM are obtained.

CONCLUSIONThe concentrations of each elements in TCMM varied a lot and are different among each TCMM. The over standard rate of 5 heavy metal elements are lower than previous results, however, the over standard rate is still descending in the order of Cd > Cu > Pb > As > Hg. The content of heavy metal elements in TCMM varies among different areas, especially, over standard of heavy metals are not detected in locality as Gansu, Qinghai, Shanxi, Xinjiang and Hainan provinces.

Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; analysis ; Metals, Heavy ; analysis ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry

OBJECTIVETo establish a method for determination of the levels of 24 metal elements and their compounds in the air of workplace by inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP- AES).

METHODSSampling filters were digested by microwave, and diluted to 25 ml. Twenty-four elements (Mg, Ni, K, Mo, Zn, Ca, Ba, Pb, Mn, Cd, Cr, Co, Cu, Sr, Bi, Tl, Sn, Li, Sb, Zr, In, V, Y, and Be) were simultaneously measured by ICP-AES.

RESULTSThe detection limits for 24 elements were 0.001∼0.029 mg/L; liner correlation coefficient r values were all equal to or above 0.9994; the relative standard derivations were less than 5%; the recovery rates were 91.2%∼103.9%; the degradation rates in 7 days were less than 9.7%.

CONCLUSIONICP-AES technique is a simple, rapid, accurate, and reliable method, which can be used to measure 24 metal elements and their compounds in the air of workplace.

Air ; analysis ; Metals ; analysis ; Spectrophotometry, Atomic ; methods ; Workplace

The effects of four natural organic soil amendments on the quality and pesticide residues of Panax notoginseng were investigated through field experiments and the suitable dosage ratio of each soil amendment was selected to provide a new idea for the pollution-free cultivation of P. notoginseng. The four natural organic soil amendments used in this study were Jishibao, Jihuo, Fudujing, and omnipotent nutrients, which were produced by mixed fermentation of aboveground parts of different plants, biological waste residue, and biochar. During the experiments, only four soil amendments were applied to P. notoginseng instead of any pesticides and fertilizers. The experiment was designed as four factors and three levels. There were three dosage gradients(low, medium, and high) for Jishibao(A), Jihuo(B), Fudujing(C), and omnipotent nutrients(D). When the dosage of one soil amendment changed, the do-sage of the other soil amendments remained medium. There were 10 groups in addition to the soil amendment-free group as control(CK). The results showed that the four soil amendments could significantly improve the growth environment of P. notoginseng and increase the seedling survival rate and saponin content of P. notoginseng. The seedling survival rates of the treatment groups increased by 8.24%-30.05% as compared with the control group. Furthermore, the content of pesticide residues in P. notoginseng was too low to be detected, and that of heavy metals in P. notoginseng was far lower than the specified content in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia(2020). The optimal effect was achieved at medium dosage for all the soil amendments with the highest content of saponins, high seedling survival rate, and significantly reduced heavy metals, such as lead, cadmium, arsenic, and mercury.
Arsenic ; Metals, Heavy/analysis* ; Panax notoginseng ; Soil ; Soil Pollutants/analysis*

OBJECTIVETo investigate the contents of poison in fishes in the Zhoushan Fishery and to analysis its relationship with the degree of ocean pollution.

METHODNine kinds of major fishes in the Zhoushan Fishery were sampled and tested. Canonical correlation was conducted to evaluate the correlation between contents of poison in fishes and the degree of ocean pollution.

RESULTSThe average contents of nickel among 9 kinds of fishes exceeded normal value by 1.177 times. No significantly statistical differences were found between the levels of poison contents in nine kinds of major fishes during 1997 to 2003 in the Zhoushan Fishery (the P values are all less than 0.05), except that the levels of cadmium and hydrargyrum in some fishes (the P values are all more than 0.05). The coefficient of fishes accumulated from different poisons ranged from 101.80 to 71 210.97. The canonical correlation coefficients of the variables of the contents of plumbum, arsenic and benzene hexachloride, chlorophennothane between fishes and ocean were 0.784 and 0.808 respectively. Positive correlation between them was shown (chi(2) = 20.994, P < 0.01; chi(2) = 38.017, P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONThe sanitary quality indexes of all poisons which had been tested fell in the normal ranges except for nickel. The degrees of poisons accumulated among distinct fishes varied, showing the relationship of medium positive correlation between the poison contents of fishes and the degree of the ocean pollution.

Animals ; China ; Fishes ; Food Contamination ; analysis ; Metals, Heavy ; analysis ; Nickel ; analysis ; Seawater ; analysis ; Water Pollutants ; analysis

OBJECTIVETo analyze the residues of heavy metals in Chinese crude drugs.

METHODThe SPSS 13.0 software was used to analyze the data of Cu, Pb, As, Cd, Hg collected in literatures. And, Green Trade Standards of Importing & Exporting Medicinal Plants & Preparations was used as the standard to evaluate the pollution condition of Cu, Pb, As, Cd, Hg in Chinese crude drugs.

RESULTChinese crude drugs were contaminated by heavy metals in different levels. The content of Cu, Pb, As, Cd, Hg exceeded the limit of the standard and the percentage was 21.0%, 12.0%, 9.7%, 28.5%, 6.9%, respectively; the phenomena of two, three and four metals exceeding limited standard simultaneity in a drug were also found and the percentage was 4.6%, 1.5%, 0.7%, respectively; the content of heavy metals in Radix Platycodi, Radix Asari and Rhizoma Coptidis was higher among the thirty-six Chinese crude drugs; All of the content of five heavy metals in Barbary Fructus Lycii Rhizoma Anemones Raddeanae, Radix Panacis Quiquefolii and Fructus Aurantii were below the limit; The pollution levels of heavy metals in different locality were different; The content of Cu, Pb in cultivated Chinese crude drugs was higher than that in wild Chinese crude drugs, while the content of As in wild Chinese crude drugs was higher than that in cultivated Chinese crude drugs.

CONCLUSIONThe pollution levels of heavy metals in Chinese crude drugs were detailed reported in this paper. And it provided ways for the further study of heavy metals in Chinese crude drugs.

Cadmium ; analysis ; Copper ; analysis ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; chemistry ; Lead ; analysis ; Mercury ; analysis ; Metals, Heavy ; analysis

The analytical method of trace toxic metals in livestock products was confirmed and validated through certified reference material (CRM) and the international proficiency tests. There are some difficulties to determine low levels of toxic metals in livestock products because of interferences due to the matrix. The recoveries of CRM (NIST 1577c) ranged from 73.9 to 119% for lead and from 86.4 to 111% for cadmium in bovine liver. The international proficiency tests were carried out with the milk powder and cocoa powder samples including metals provided by Food Analysis Performance Assessment Scheme (FAPAS(R), UK). The test samples were prepared by microwave digestion using solution of HNO3 : H2O2 : H2O (v/v/v = 5 : 2 : 4) and analyzed by ICP/MS. The analytical result of cadmium in milk powder was 121 microg/kg with -0.3 of the z-score compared to the assigned value of 131 microg/kg by FAPAS(R). The analytical results of lead and cadmium in cocoa powder were 29.2 microg/kg and 97.6 microg/kg, respectively, which satisfied the assigned values of 34.2 microg/kg for lead and 126 microg/kg for cadmium by FAPAS(R). It is verified that the analytical method is accurate and reliable to determine trace lead and cadmium in livestock products by microwave digestion and ICP/MS.
Cacao ; Cadmium ; Digestion ; Food Analysis ; Liver ; Livestock ; Metals ; Microwaves ; Milk

OBJECTIVETo find out the variation of 11 mental element contents in Dendrobium officinale with different germplasms and harvesting ages, the results can provide scientific basis for the quality evaluation and the breeding of D. officinale.

METHOD32 samples with 1-3 ages were collected from cultivated fields of Zhejiang and 11 samples were collected from markets. The 11 mental element contents of samples were determined by ICP-MS or AAS.

RESULTThe average contents of K, Ca, Mg, Mn, Zn, Cr, and Cu were 1,205.23, 766.82, 158.25, 31.06, 4.28, 8.28, and 0.97 mg x kg(-1), the contents of As, Hg, Pb, and Cd were all in limits except Cd content of one sample exceeded the standard limit 0.07 mg x kg(-1); germplasms and physiological ages impacted mental elements contents accumulation significantly.

CONCLUSIONThere were rich essential mental elements in D. officinale. D. officinale from Zhejiang province and medical materials from market were all safe; the breeding of D. officinale can increase the contents of essential mental elements and reduce contents of heavy mental elements; the effect of physiological age on metal elements contents was related to each element's physiological and biochemical function.

Dendrobium ; chemistry ; metabolism ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; chemistry ; metabolism ; Metals ; analysis

The rapidly increasing annual global volume of e-waste, and of its inherently valuable fraction, has created an opportunity for individuals in Agbogbloshie, Accra, Ghana to make a living by using unconventional, uncontrolled, primitive and crude procedures to recycle and recover valuable metals from this waste. The current form of recycling procedures releases hazardous fractions, such as heavy metals, into the soil, posing a significant risk to the environment and human health. Using a handheld global positioning system, 132 soil samples based on 100 m grid intervals were collected and analysed for cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), mercury (Hg), lead (Pb) and zinc (Zn). Using geostatistical techniques and sediment quality guidelines, this research seeks to assess the potential risk these heavy metals posed to the proposed Korle Ecological Restoration Zone by informal e-waste processing site in Agbogbloshie, Accra, Ghana. Analysis of heavy metals revealed concentrations exceeded the regulatory limits of both Dutch and Canadian soil quality and guidance values, and that the ecological risk posed by the heavy metals extended beyond the main burning and dismantling sites of the informal recyclers to the school, residential, recreational, clinic, farm and worship areas. The heavy metals Cr, Cu, Pb and Zn had normal distribution, spatial variability, and spatial autocorrelation. Further analysis revealed the decreasing order of toxicity, Hg>Cd>Pb> Cu>Zn>Cr, of contributing significantly to the potential ecological risk in the study area.
Agriculture ; Burns ; Cadmium ; Chromium ; Copper ; Geographic Information Systems ; Ghana ; Humans ; Metals ; Metals, Heavy ; Recycling ; Soil ; Spatial Analysis ; Zinc

OBJECTIVETo determine and evaluate the residuals of organochlorine pesticides and heavy metals in soil and in Pogostemon cablin in order to provide for GAP planting.

METHODGC method was applied to determine residuals of organochlorine pesticides, the contents of Pb, Cd, Cu, Cr, Hg and As were determined by IPC.

RESULTThe contents of residuals of organochlorine pesticides and heavy metals were different among three cultivars and planting bases clearly, but all of the residuals in soil from three planting bases were below the second standard of Environmental quality standard for soils (GB15618), and the residuals in P. cablin also meet the "Green standards of medicinal plants and preparations for foreign trade and economy".

CONCLUSIONResiduals of organochlorine pesticides and heavy metals in soil and P. cablin from three planting bases in Hainan province were conformed to GAP.

Hydrocarbons, Chlorinated ; analysis ; Lamiaceae ; growth & development ; Metals, Heavy ; analysis ; Pesticide Residues ; analysis ; Soil ; analysis ; Soil Pollutants ; analysis