Felib Y. Iskander

Determination of 28 elements in American cigarette tobacco by neutron-activation analysis

The concentrations of 28 toxic and other elements in cigarette tobacco of twelve brands commercially manufactured in the USA were determined using instrumental neutron-activation analysis. The elements determined were Al, As, Ba, Br, Ca, Ce, Cl, Co, Cr, Cs, Eu, Fe, Hf, K, La, Mg, Mn, Na, Ni, Rb, Sb, Sc, Se, Sr, Th, Ti, V and Zn. The concentrations of the determined elements in the American cigarettes were compared with the elemental concentrations reported for Iranian, Pakistani and Japanese brands. It was concluded that the concentrations of As, Br, Ca, Eu, K and Zn in the samples under investigation are lower than those reported for the analysis of University of Kentucky reference cigarettes, whereas the concentrations of Mn and Na are higher. The contents of Al, Cl, Co, Cr, Cs, Fe, La, Sb, Sc and Se are similar to those in the reference cigarettes.

Elemental composition of Nigerian harmattan dust

Six samples of harmattan dust collected over three seasons of harmattan in Nigeria were analyzed for 29 elements by instrumental neutron activation analysis. The mean concentrations are (in μg/g): Al, 61100; As, 6.59; Au, 0.16; Ba, 695; Br, 195; Ce, 122; Cl, 6200; Co, 20.9; Cr, 119; Cs, 2.72; Eu, 1.31; Fe, 43 1000; Ga, 21.9; Hf, 8.05; K, 15700; La, 53.9; Mg, 8700; Mn, 825; Na, 6400; Rb, 82.4; Sb, 32.7; Sc, 10.3; Se, 6.61; Sm, 6.50; Th, 14.0; Ti, 4900; U, 6.28; V, 81.6; Zn, 2200. The results are compared to similar recent studies in the German Democratic Republic.

Multielement determination in wheat and bran

Instrumental neutron activation analysis was employed to measure 26 elements in three wheat varieties and in bran retained on U.S. standard sieve#e40. It was observed that the mineral content of bran was much higher than whole wheat and more than 90% of the elemental content was retained in the bran. The concentrations of As, Ce, Cr, Cs, Eu, Hf, Hg, La, Sb, Sc, Sr, Th and V in whole wheat and bran were below the detection limit.

Determination of seventeen elements in edible oils and margarine by instrumental neutron activation analysis

Instrumental neutron activation analysis was used to determine the concentration of As, Ba, Ce, Co, Cr, Cs, Eu, Fe, Hg, K, Na, Rb, Sb, Sc, Se, Sr and Zn in almond, sunflower, peanut, sesame, linseed, soy, corn and olive oils, as well as in three margarine brands. The concentration of As, Ba, Ce, Cs, Eu, Hg, Rb, Se and Sr were below the system detection limit under the experiment conditions. Chromium was detected only in one of the margarine samples (171 μg/g); Sb only in corn oil (18 ng/g) and Sc only in linseed oil (19 ng/g). Cobalt, Fe, K, Na and Zn were detected in all oil and margarine samples investigated. The concentration ranges for Co, Fe, K, Na and Zn in oils were: 0.016–0.053; 4.45–19.1; 5.93–47.2; 2.44–12.9 and 0.48–1.54 μg/g, respectively. For margarine, the concentration ranges for Co, Fe, K, Na and Zn were 0.09–0.012; 4.53–10.6; 58.3–1140; 13.2–9870 and 0.38–0.47 μg/g, respectively. The elemental contents of the analyzed samples are within the ranges reported in the literature for edible oils and fats.

A trace element study of commercial infant milk and cereal formulas

Three commercial infant milk formulas, one commercial infant cereal formula and one locally grown cereal used for infant feeding in Nigeria were analyzed for 17 trace elements, viz: Al, As, Br, Ca, Ce, Cl, Co, Cr, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Na, Rb, Sb, Se and Zn. The commercial milk formulas contain adequate amounts of Ca, Cl, Co, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Na and Zn, the locally grown cereal contains adequate amounts of Co, K, Mg, Mn and Zn and low in Ca, Cl, Fe and Na while the commercial cereal has adequate amounts of Ca, Cl, Co, K, Mg, Na and Zn. None of the samples analyzed was found to contain any elements up to threshold toxicity limits of concentrations.

Maturation stage and mineral content in soybeans

Abstract The mineral content of three soybean varieties (Hill, Wright and Centennial) at different maturation stages was determined by neutron activation analysis for immature, green mature and dry mature stages. The mean concentrations of the elements at the three stages were as follows: Al (μg/g) 14·7, 16·0 and 16·7; Br (μg/g) 2·53, 1·60 and 1·59; Ca (mg/g) 3·44, 2·98 and 2·73; Cl (μg/g) 105, 88·3 and 75·6; Fe (μg/g) 72·2, 73·9 and 61·2; K (mg/g) 17·8, 21·3 and 19·9; Mg (mg/g) 2·55, 2·62 and 2·63; Mn (μg/g) 28·6, 29·7 and 28·3; Na (μg/g) 102, 84·5 and 51·4; Rb (μg/g) 6·80, 9·02 and 6·55; and Zn (μg/g) 55·6, 56·5 and 53·4. Among the elements determined, only Rb and Br concentrations varied significantly between immature and green mature soybeans; Rb concentration varied between green mature and dry mature soybeans and Na concentration varied between immature and dry mature soybeans.

Determination of mercury and other elements in La Zacatecana Dam sediment in Mexico

Abstract Sediment samples from the La Zacatecana Dam together with samples from two sites, at 7 and 180 km N.W. of the dam, were analyzed by instrumental neutron activation analysis and the concentration of mercury and 28 elements; As, Au, Ba, Br, Ce, Co, Cr, Cs, Eu, Fe, Ga, Hf, K, La, Na, Nd, Ni, Rb, Sb, Sc, Se, Sm, Sr, Ta, Tb, Th, U and Zn are reported. The ratio between the concentration of an element in the dam sediment and the average concentration at the other two sites (i.e. enrichment factor (EF) of the element) was calculated. Mercury showed an EF of 194. As, Au, Sb, Sm and Zn showed EFs of between 4–11. The EF for the rest of the measured elements was ∼ 1.

Determination of trace element impurities in aspirin tablets by neutron activation analysis

Twenty five trace and minor elements (aluminium, arsenic, barium, bromine, cerium, chlorine, cobalt, chromium, cesium, europium, iron, hafnium, potassium, magnesium, manganese, sodium, rubidium, antimony, scandium, selenium, strontium, thorium, titanium, vanadium and zinc) in five different Egyptian aspirin brands (Aspo, Askin, Aspocid, Aspeol and Rivo) have been determined by instrumental neutron activation analysis. It has been concluded that the concentration of arsenic, barium, bromine, cobalt, chromium, iron (except in Aspocid), magnesium, manganese, rubidium, selenium, strontium and zinc in the Egyptian brands is below or within the concentration range reported for these elements in 16 American aspirin and aspirin-like brands.

Assessment of trace elements in honey produced on uranium mining reclaimed land

The concentration of 24 elements in honey produced on uranium mining reclaimed land in Hobson, Texas was investigated by instrumental neutron activation analysis. These elements were: As, Ba, Br, Ce, Co, Cr, Cs, Fe, Hf, Hg, K, La, Na, Ni, Rb, Sb, Sc, Se, Sm, Sr, Th, U, Zn and Zr. The results obtained were compared to the concentration of the same elements in commercial honey and to the literature values for honey from different countries.

Aluminium content of Egyptian breads

Abstract Bread, flour, bran and other bread-making ingredients were collected from 13 villages in Egypt during September-December 1984. The aluminium content, as measured by instrumental neutron activation analysis, ranged from 18·1 to 224 μg/g of bread in fellahi from Edfina on the Mediterranean coast and bettaw from Beni Suef, about 90 miles south of the capital Cairo, respectively. Aluminium in the ingredients ranged from 16·9 μg/g in white wheat bran to 91·4 μg/g in corn bran. Some trends were noted but not statistically tested. In general, the aluminium content of the bread seemed to be higher the further south the village was located. Corn-containing breads had higher levels of aluminium than wheat-based breads. The use of dung as a fuel for bread baking was associated with higher levels of aluminium in the bread. Daily intake of aluminium from bread in Egypt is 5 to 20 times greater than the estimated average daily intake from common American diets.