Harkirat S. Dhindsa

Slurry sampling for hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometric determination of arsenic in cigarette tobaccos

The development of a slurry sampling hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometric (HGAAS) method for the determination of arsenic in cigarette tobacco samples is described. The method is relatively simple and has been shown to give values of total arsenic close to those obtained using methods requiring total dissolution and decomposition of all vegetable matter before analysis. Pre-treatment of samples slurried in nitric acid by ultrasonication permitted the extraction of about 90% of the total arsenic from tobacco samples. Further improvement in the recovery efficiency (up to 93-94%) was accomplished by the use of an additional step of short microwave-accelerated treatment. L-Cysteine was used as a pre-reduction agent. The accuracy and precision of the slurry sampling HGAAS method were studied using the certified reference material (CRM) CTA-OTL-1 Oriental Tobacco Leaves. Under the optimum conditions, as little as 2.6 ng of arsenic can be detected. The relative standard deviation of the overall procedure was calculated to be below 7.6% at arsenic concentration levels of 0.5-0.9 mg kg-1 and the analytical results obtained for the CRM agreed with the certified value. The main factors that influenced the reliability of the method were sample homogeneity, particle size and slurry concentration.

Plasma selenium concentrations in a Sikh population in Sydney, Australia†

Selenium is essential for humans because it protects the heart against cardiomyopathy. It may also reduce ischaemic heart disease owing to its antioxidant activity. It is known that Indian migrants in a number of countries have high incidences of ischaemic heart disease. In this study, fasting plasma selenium concentrations of Sikh migrants in Sydney (Australia) were measured to investigate whether selenium concentration is reduced in this community. The mean concentration of selenium in plasma (91.8 +/- 15.0 ng ml-1, n = 196) was within the normal range. A significantly higher plasma selenium concentration was demonstrated in males than in females (p < 0.01). This was mainly due to the difference in mean selenium concentrations between genders in vegetarians because no significant difference was observed in non-vegetarian males versus females. The mean concentration of selenium in teetotal males was similar to those who consumed alcohol. Despite significant variations with gender and diet, the selenium concentrations were within the normal range. The results suggest that selenium status is adequate in the Sikh community even though vegetarian diet is common and alcohol use is condones in males.