A study of six elements daily dietary intake of Chinese people

Neutron activation analysis (NAA) was used to determine the concentrations of 6 elements Cr, Co, Rb, Cl, Br and I in 12 kinds of Chinese diets. The daily dietary intakes of these elements in 4 areas groups of China were investigated and the analytical results were compared with other countries and WHO recommended dietary intakes.     

Study on essential and toxic elements intake from drinking of Chinese tea

Twenty different brands of Chinese tea were analyzed for multiple trace elements, including some essential and toxic elements, by neutron activation analysis (NAA). A comparison among tea brands from China, India, US and other countries was made for the ranges and averages of concentrations for Na, K, Mn, Cu, and Br. It has been observed that the trace element contents in tea leaves are largely dependent upon the soil and the environment where the tea grows. Chinese tea is rich in Mn and Cu comparing with those of other counties surveyed, but is indigent in Na. The transference ratio for each element determined (i.e., the fraction of an element in tea leave transferred into solution when tea is leached by percolation) is also reported. Adult daily intakes of some essential and toxic elements from tea drinking were also estimated.     

Evaluation of some essential and trace elements in diets from 3 nurseries from Juiz de Fora, M.G., Brazil, by neutron activation analysis

A study was made in diets offered to a group of pre-school children,whose mean age was 67 months and remained the whole day in three day carecenters from Juiz de Fora, M.G., Brazil. For sampling, the duplicate portiontechnique was used, and the diets were collected and analyzed separately eachday in the 3 nurseries. Instrumental neutron activation analysis was appliedto the determination of 16 elements. The daily dietary intake values werecompared to the RDA (children 4–6 years old). Based on this reference,Ca, Fe, Se and Zn were found to be deficient, Mg and Mn were comparable tothe RDA and the Cl and Na concentrations were higher compared to their RDA.For the other elements measured, there are no RDA's for children.     

Determination of trace elements in hair from Tanzanian children: Effect of dietary factors

The objective of this study was to evaluate the concentrations of essential and toxic elements in hair of children in Tanzania in order to assess their nutritional status. 141 samples of hair from boys and girls living in Tanzania were analyzed using instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA). The mean concentration levels of Zn and Cu were lower whilst those of other elements were in the same range as the hair elemental concentrations reported in the literature. The lower concentrations of Zn might be related to the diet of mainly cereals with low animal proteins consumed by most of the Tanzanian population.     

Daily dietary intake of minor and trace elements by upper social groups in Taiwan

Sixteen minor and trace element contents of diet samples from three different social population groups in Taiwan were determined. Samples were prepared using duplicate portion technique by collecting the 15 subjects ate and drank during a 3-day period. Samples were homogenized, freeze-dried, and elemental concentration of minor and trace elements were determined by instrumental neutron activation analysis. Elemental concentrations and daily dietary intake of the elements were compared with those in the other nations, and possible origins were discussed.     

Concentrations of Al in food sold in Montreal, Canada, and its daily dietary intake

The concentration of Al in 440 food samples, measured with neutron activation analysis, varies from 0.1 to 40.7 ppm. A typical Canadian absorbs 6.17 mg of Al daily due to his diet. Aluminum in food contributes from 12 to 20% of the total Al intake.     

Daily dietary intake of elements of nutritional and radiological importance by adult Koreans

A one day representative mixed diet of an adult Korean was collectedfrom the data based on the food intake of 108 healthy subjects between theages 20 and 50. Sampling for the Korean total diet was carried out by usinga market basket study based on the Korean standard food consumption schemereported by the Korean Nutrition Society. Average consumption frequency ofdifferent food items for a one day representative mixed diet of an adult Koreanand the amount of each item to prepare a one day Korean representative totaldiet are surveyed. The analytical methods involve both instrumental and radiochemicalneutron activation techniques developed for the determination of the elementsCs, I, Sr, Th and U in various kinds of food samples. Concentrations of traceelements including 5 important elements for radiological protection, U, Th,Cs, Sr and I in the Korean total diet and the 4 most frequently consumed Koreanfoodstuffs have been analyzed by neutron activation analysis. Detection limitsfor U, Th, Sr and I were improved to ppb levels by radiochemical separationafter neutron irradiation. Five biological NIST reference materials were alsoanalyzed for quality control of the analysis. Seventeen trace elements inthe Korean total diet and four Korean representative foodstuffs were alsoanalyzed quantitatively by instrumental neutron activation analysis.     

Daily dietary intake of trace elements of radiological and nutritional importance by the adult Indian population

The concentrations of eleven trace elements: Ca, Co, Cr, Cs, Fe, I,K, Se, Sr, Th and Zn were determined in total diet samples and also in individualfood materials which constitute the typical Indian diet. Instrumental neutronactivation analysis (INAA) and radiochemical neutron activation analysis (RNAA)were employed for the analysis. Whereas the elements Fe, Co, Cr, Se and Znare important from the view point of their role in nutrition, the elementsCs, K, Sr and Th are of importance in radiation protection, and Ca and I havedual importance: both in nutrition as well as in radiation protection. Basedon the analysis of twenty total diet samples, prepared as per the data onthe dietary intake pattern of four provinces of India and the data on intakepattern of an average adult Indian, the geometric mean (GM) intake of variouselements was estimated to be 0.33 g (0.2–0.67) for Ca, 16.5 µg(8.3–31.1) for Co, 52.3 µg (35.1–131) for Cr, 4.7 µg(2.79–11.8) for Cs, 94.6 µg (60.6–201) for I, 1.90 g (1.25–3.54)for K, 1.13 mg (0.78–2.97) for Sr, 0.76 µg (0.45–1.66) forTh, 15.9 mg (10.2–34.3) for Fe, 56.3 µg (27.6–105.3) forSe and 8.6 mg (5.1–16.7) for Zn. Some of the important individual foodmaterials, such as cereals, pulses, milk, vegetables etc., were also analysedfor these elements to observe the contributions of the individual food materialsto their daily dietary intake. The results of the analysis showed that inthe case of Cs, K, Sr, Th, Fe, Zn and Co, almost 50% of the daily dietaryintake of the above stated elements is contributed by cereals and pulses.In the case of Ca however, significant amount is contributed by milk and incase of I, iodised salt could make significant contribution. The data collectedso far, for Se and Cr, was not sufficient to draw any definite conclusion.     

Lead contamination in selected foods from Riyadh city market and estimation of the daily intake

This study was carried out to determine lead contamination in 104 of the representative food items in the Saudi diet and to estimate the dietary lead intake of Saudi Arabians. Three samples of each selected food items were purchased from the local markets of Riyadh city, the capital of Saudi Arabia. Each pooled sample was analyzed in triplicate by ICP-AES after thorough homogenization. Sweets (0.011-0.199 μg/g), vegetables (0.002-0.195 μg/g), legumes (0.014-0.094 μg/g), eggs (0.079 μg/g), meat and meat products (0.013-0.068 μg/g) were the richest sources of lead. Considering the amounts of each food consumed, the major food sources of lead intake for Saudi can be arranged as follows: vegetables (25.4%), cereal and cereal products (24.2%), beverages (9.7%) sweets (8.2%), legumes (7.4%), fruits (5.4%) milk and milk products (5.1%). The daily intake of lead was calculated taking into account the concentration of this element in the edible part of the daily consumption data which were derived from two sources, (a) the KSA food sheet provided by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and (b) from questionnaires distributed among 300 families in Riyadh city. The results showed that the daily intakes of lead according to the two sources are 22.7 and 24.5 μg/person/day respectively, which are lower than that mentioned by The Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA), whereas it is comprabale with that of other countries.     

Selenium content in selected foods from the Saudi Arabia market and estimation of the daily intake

This study was conducted to create a selenium database for the representative food items in Saudi diet and to estimate the dietary selenium intake of Saudi Arabians. Three samples for each food item selected were purchased from the markets. Each pooled sample was analyzed in triplicate by ICP–MS after thorough homogenization. The rich sources of selenium were meats (0.216–0.658 μg/g), eggs (0.226 μg/g) and cereals and cereals products (0.043–0.165 μg/g). Vegetables and fruits contained trace amounts of selenium (0.001–0.067 μg/g). The major food sources of selenium intake were cereals and cereals products (30.2%), legumes (24.7%) and meats (20%). The daily intake of Se was calculated taking into account the concentration of this element in the edible part and the daily consumption data which were derived from two sources, (a) the food balance sheet of KSA given by Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and (b) from questionnaires distributed among 200 families in Jeddah. The results showed that the daily intake of Se according to the two sources is 75.00–121.65 μg/person/day.     

Estimation of total as well as bioaccessible levels and average daily dietary intake of iodine from Japanese edible seaweeds by epithermal neutron activation analysis

An epi-thermal instrumental neutron activation analysis (EINAA) method in conjunction with Compton suppression spectrometry (EINAA-CSS) was used for the determination of total iodine in eight different species of edible seaweeds from Japan. This method gave an absolute detection limit of about 2 μg. The accuracy of the method was evaluated using various reference materials and found to be generally in agreement within ±6% of the certified values. The longitudinal distributions of iodine at different growing stages in Japanese sea mustard and tangle seaweeds were investigated. For a 150-cm-high tangle, the highest concentration (5,360 mg/kg) of iodine was found at the root, then decreased slowly to 780 mg/kg in the middle portion (60–75 cm), and increased to 2,300 mg/kg at the apex. On the other hand, for a 190-cm-high sea mustard the highest levels of iodine were found both at the roots (164 mg/kg) and apex (152 mg/kg) with lower values (98 mg/kg) in the middle section. In order to estimate the bioaccessible fraction of iodine, seaweeds were digested by an in vitro enzymolysis method, dietary fibre separated from residue, and both fractions analyzed by EINAA-CSS. The average daily dietary intakes of total (0.14 mg) as well as bioaccessible fraction (0.12 mg) of iodine from the consumption of sea mustards were estimated.     

Simulation of Iranian total mixed diets and their analysis for essential and toxic trace elements using nuclear and complementary analytical techniques

Neutron activation analysis, inductively coupled plasma emission spectrometry(ICP-ES) and atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) have been used to determineactual daily dietary intakes of minerals and trace elements in the Iranianpopulation. This article deals with the trace elemental analysis of dailydiets of the Iranian population differentiated with respect to food habits,geographical variability, literacy and income. Three study groups in fiveregions were defined. Thirty total daily diet samples were prepared basedon the method of dietary records. Also a few samples representing the intakesof two other study groups, males and females, were prepared by the duplicatediet method. Therefore, this study not only covered representative dietarypatterns of almost all adult people in Iran in a pilot study, but it alsopermitted to check the validity of the sampling methodology for total mixeddiet simulation.     

Study on the simultaneous determination of some essential and toxic trace elements in honey by multi-element graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry

A multi-element graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GFAAS) method was elaborated and applied for the simultaneous determination of As, Cd, Cr, Cu, and Pb in various kinds of honey samples (acacia, floral, linden, rape, and milkweed) using the transversally heated graphite atomiser (THGA) with end-capped tubes and integrated graphite platforms (IGPs). For comparative GFAAS analysis, direct (without digestion) and indirect (with digestion in a microwave oven) sample preparation procedures were tested. The effects of several chemical modifiers, such as NH₄H₂PO₄, NH₄H₂PO₄-Mg(NO₃)₂, and Pd(NO₃)₂-Mg(NO₃)₂, were studied to obtain optimal pyrolysis and atomization conditions for the set of analytes studied. The most efficient modifier was proved to be the mixture of 5 μg Pd (applied as nitrate) plus 3 μg Mg(NO₃)₂, allowing the optimal 600 °C pyrolysis and 2300 °C atomization temperatures. To prevent the sputtering and foaming of the matrix during the drying and pyrolysis steps of the furnace heating program, the sample and modifier solutions (20 + 5 μl, respectively) were dispensed together onto the IGP of the THGA pre-heated at 80 °C.The effect of increasing concentration of honey matrix was studied on the integrated absorbance (A_int) signals of analytes. The A_int signals of Cr and Pb were not altered up to 10% (m/v) matrix content in the sample solutions. The matrix effect was slightly suppressive on the A_int signals of As, Cd, and Cu above 2% (m/v) honey concentration. The recovery was found to be ranged between 85 and 115% for Cd, Cr, Cu, and Pb, whereas it was a lower, compromise value of 70-99% for As. The limit of detection (LOD) data were 1, 0.04, 0.09, 0.3, and 0.6 μg l⁻¹ for As, Cd, Cr, Cu, and Pb, respectively, which values correspond to 20, 0.8, 1.8, 5.3, and 12 ng g⁻¹, respectively, in the solid samples. The characteristic masses were found to be 21 pg As, 1.3 pg Cd, 4 pg Cr, 12 pg Cu, and 33 pg Pb. The As, Cd, Cr, Cu, and Pb contents of the studied 42 honey samples varied significantly, i.e. from below the LOD up to 13, 3.3, 109, 445, and 163 ng g⁻¹, respectively.     

Fast volatilization of some lanthanide and actinide elements from titanium surfaces

Summary The ad- and desorption of trace quantities of the lanthanide elements lanthanum, praseodymium, neodymium, samarium, europium, gadolinium, dysprosium, and ytterbium and of the actinide elements americium and curium were investigated by thermochromatographic and isothermal measurements with hot titanium columns. The adsorption enthalpies deduced from the experimental data are in reasonable agreement with calculated values which indicate considerable variations in volatility under such conditions. More volatile elements can quickly be separated from less volatile elements by heating the mixture on titanium in high vacuum.

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Schnelle Verflüchtigung einiger Lanthanidenund Aktinidenelemente von Titanoberflächen

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Dedicated to Prof. Dr. G. Tölg on the occasion of his 60th birthday

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Part of a Doctoral Thesis, Mainz 1987     

Determination of essential and non-essential elements in some medicinal plants by polarised X ray fluorescence spectrometer (EDPXRF)

Polarised X ray fluorescence spectrometer (EDPXRF) is employed for the determination of essential and non-essential elements in the parts (leaves, fruits, seeds, roots, flowers, barks, berries, and thallus) of thirty-five medicinal plants used in Italy generally as remedies. The quality of data was assured by calibrating the instrument with certified reference materials. The elements are found to be present in different plants in various proportions depending on soil composition and the climate in which the plant grows.     

石嘴山电厂煤中微量元素的迁移释放行为

应用电感耦合等离子体质谱（ICP-MS）和原子荧光光谱（AFS）对中国西北部石嘴山电厂的原煤、底灰和飞灰中Hg、As、Se、Pb、Cr、Cd、Mo、Ni、Co、U和Th 11种微量元素的含量进行了测定。根据底灰和飞灰的产率, 结合微量元素在底灰和飞灰中的含量计算了电厂燃煤过程中微量元素的挥发性。结果表明, Hg、Cd、Se、As四种元素在燃煤过程的挥发率均在50%以上, 最高可达70%。通过对底灰和飞灰在酸性介质下的柱淋滤实验研究了底灰和飞灰中微量元素在60h内的迁移释放行为。Mn、Ni、Co、As四种元素的最大淋出率均超过2.0%, 最高接近10.0%, 并且还未达到淋滤平衡。根据微量元素的挥发和淋滤释放特性建立了电厂煤中有害微量元素在燃烧和淋滤过程中的释放分配模型。结果显示, 燃煤过程中的挥发是微量元素释放的主要形式, 部分元素的淋滤释放也可对周围水环境造成污染。
     

Determination of Hg and other trace elements in soil using neutron activation analysis

In the early 1950's, a federal facility in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, used a process that required the use of Hg to produce⁸Li. It was disclosed to the public in 1983 that about 2.4 millions pounds of Hg had been released into the ecosystem. The primary route of mercury into the environment was a stream, East Fork Poplar Creek, whose head waters are in the vicinity of the plant. As part of a study to determine the distribution of Hg as well as As, Cr, Sb, Se, U, and Zn along the flood plains of the creek, a procedure using neutron activation analysis was developed and is described below. The procedure, typical sample analysis results for Hg, and quality assurance and control data are discussed in this paper.