Determination of essential and toxic elements in Libyan foodstuff using instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA)

Since there is no database in Libya defining the intake of the individuals from different essential (minor and trace) and toxic elements provided through food, drinking water and aerosol, a project has been proposed with the cooperation of IAEA to determine the concentration of a number of elements such as Cs, Fe, Cr, Rb, Sc, Se, Co, Zn in the three mentioned sources. Emphasis was placed on the use of nuclear and nuclear-related techniques. In this paper, the primary results are presented for the concentration of minor and trace elements in some vegetables, spices and other foods which are widely used in the Libyan meals. Instrumental neutron activation analysis utilizing a 10 MW water pool reactor and a γ-ray spectroscopy facility was employed. For quality control, certified reference materials were analyzed simultaneosly with the samples which show good agreements compared with the certified data. Emphasis was given to both elements iron and zinc for their importance.