Heavy metals in some Chinese herbal plants

The concentrations of nine heavy metals, cadmium, cobalt, copper, iron, manganese, nickel, lead, zinc and mercury in 42 Chinese herbal medicinal plants were determined. Generally, all the samples studied had, relative to the other trace metals, higher concentrations of iron, manganese, and zinc. The concentration range of the metals determined was comparable to that in many of the East Asian vegetables and fruits. A few samples were found to contain relatively higher concentrations of the toxic metals such as cadmium, lead, and mercury. This was probably caused by contamination during air-drying and preservation.     

The effects of age and sex on seven elements of Sprague-Dawley rat organs

This study reports age-related changes in 7 element (iron, copper, zinc, manganese, mercury, cadmium and lead) concentrations in the liver, kidney and brain of male and female Sprague-Dawley rats from 1 to 364 days of age. Atomic absorption spectrometry was used for the measurements. Copper, mercury and cadmium in the male and female kidneys increased from weaning until 127 days of age, as did iron concentrations in the female liver and kidney. After 127 days, especially, the copper concentration in the female kidney and cadmium concentration in the male and female kidney increased further. Consistent and statistically significant (P less than 0.05) sex differences in element concentrations were found for three elements (iron, copper and zinc). Except for the zinc concentration in the liver from 50 to 72 days, iron (in liver and kidney), zinc (in kidney) and copper (in liver, kidney and brain) concentrations in female rats during the adult stage, were all higher than those of male rats. Isolated differences for other elements (manganese, mercury and cadmium) were also found. The data will be helpful when setting up long-term animal investigations of the biological effect of elements.     

Heavy Metals in the Tissues of Commercially Important Fish of Amurskii Bay,Sea of Japan

The concentrations of iron, copper, zinc, manganese, cadmium, and mercury in tissues and organs of Pacific herring, Far Eastern navaga, and spotted flounder from Amurskii Bay, Sea of Japan, were determined using an atom-absorption method. The distribution of these elements has been studied in organisms of the fish. The greatest concentration of iron, copper, cadmium, and mercury is found in the liver of the fish, manganese is mostly accumulated in the bone tissue, and zinc is found in the skin. Some specific features of metal accumulation in the fish of Amurskii Bay have been revealed. For example, the concentration of iron in the liver of herring and flounder significantly increased the mean concentration known from other areas. A sanitary–hygienic evaluation is provided for the recent levels of metal concentrations in these three species of commercially important fish.     

Heavy metals in Antarctic organisms

 To evaluate levels of essential (zinc and copper) and non-essential (mercury and cadmium) heavy metals, 34 species of organisms from different areas close to the Antarctic Peninsula were analysed. These included algae, filter-feeders, omnivorous invertebrates and vertebrates. Mercury was not detected, while cadmium was found in the majority of organisms analysed (detection limit was 0.05 ppm for both metals). The highest cadmium concentration was observed in the starfish Odontaster validus. Anthozoans, sipunculids and nudibranchs showed maximum levels of zinc, while the highest copper level was found in the gastropod Trophon brevispira. Mercury and cadmium levels in fishes were below the detection limit. Concentrations of essential and non-essential metals in birds were highest in liver followed by muscle and eggs. Cadmium and mercury levels in muscle of southern elephant seals were above the detection limit, whereas in Antarctic fur seals they were below it. The objective of the study was to gather baseline information for metals in Antarctic Ocean biota that may be needed to detect, measure and monitor future environmental changes. Received: 17 July 1995/Accepted: 11 April 1996     

Comparisons of nine heavy metals in salt gland and liver of greater scaup (Aythya marila), black duck (Anas rubripes) and mallard (A. platyrhynchos)

Levels of nine heavy metals were measured in the livers and salt glands of greater scaup (Aythya marila), black duck (Anas rubripes) and mallard (A. platyrhynchos) from Raritan Bay, New Jersey to determine if the functioning avian salt gland concentrates heavy metals. Heavy metals examined were cadmium, cobalt, chromium, copper, lead, mercury, manganese, nickel and zinc. Heavy metal levels varied significantly by species and tissue for chromium, copper, lead, and manganese, and by tissue for cobalt, mercury, nickel and zinc. In comparing tissues cobalt was higher in the salt glands than in livers of all three species; chromium and nickel were higher in the salt gland than liver for mallard and black duck; and lead, manganese and zinc were higher in the liver than the salt gland in greater scaup. Generally metal levels were higher in the salt gland for mallard and black duck, and in the liver for greater scaup.     

Trace Elements in the Hair of Hemodialysis Patients

Trace element disturbance is often observed in hemodialysis patients. While trace element concentrations have been reported in blood samples from hemodialysis patients, they have not been well investigated in scalp hair. In the present study, 22 trace elemental concentrations were measured by inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry in the scalp hair of 80 male hemodialysis patients and compared with those of 100 healthy male subjects. In hemodialysis patients, the concentrations of beryllium, arsenic, magnesium, chromium, manganese, iron, selenium, molybdenum, iodine, vanadium, and cobalt were significantly higher than those in healthy subjects, while lead, mercury, copper, germanium, and bromine were significantly lower than those in the former group. No significant differences were observed for lithium, aluminum, cadmium, zinc, boron, or nickel. There were significant positive correlations between the duration of hemodialysis and the magnesium and manganese concentrations. There was a significant negative correlation between cadmium concentration and the duration of hemodialysis. There were significant positive correlations between dialysis efficacy (Kt/V) and magnesium, manganese, zinc, and selenium concentrations. In conclusion, trace element concentrations of the scalp hair are different between hemodialysis patients and healthy subjects. Essential trace elements, such as magnesium, manganese, zinc, and selenium, may be affected by the duration of hemodialysis and Kt/V.     

Heavy metal intracellular balance and relationship with metallothionein induction in the liver of carp after contamination by silver,cadmium and mercury following or not pretreatment by zinc

Determination of metal levels (copper, zinc, cadmium, silver and mercury) in soluble and insoluble fractions of liver homogenates has been performed after 7 days exposure of carps (Cyprinus carpio) to moderate concentrations of cadmium, silver and mercury in water. Metallothionein (MT) levels have been quantified by a polarographic method before and after the contamination and a subsequent decontamination phase (7 days). The influence of pretreatment by zinc (7 days) has also been evaluated. MT level variations have been interpreted as having regard to inter-related flows of metal between subcellular fractions. Special interest has been focused on heat-stable compound (HSC)-bound heavy metal flows within the cytosol, taking in account that MT is the major component of these ligands. Our data showed differences between the ability of metals to bind cytosolic ligands and HSCs, and their respective potency for MT induction in liver. Regardless of pretreatment, mercury gave the highest increase of liver MT, but the MT level decreased during the decontamination step, especially after pretreatment by zinc. Cadmium and silver gave similar increases, but a significant difference with the control appeared only after the decontamination step with cadmium, while 1 week of contamintion was enough for silver. However, silver binding with MT was achieved only by the end of the decontamination step, while cadmium depicted the highest ratio for HSC-bound toxic metals after the contamination. Our experimental conditions gave the following order of potency for MT induction in liver: mercury silver > cadmium > zinc. Results are discussed comparatively with data obtained with carp gills.     

Uptake of six heavy metals by oat as influenced by soil type and additions of cadmium,lead, zinc and copper

Summary The influence of heavy metal additions on availability and uptake of cadmium, lead, zinc, copper, manganese and iron by oat was studied. The experiments were carried out as pot experiments using sandy loam, sandy soil and organic soil. Selective extractants were used to remove metals held in different soil fractions.Lead and copper were preferently bound by organics and oxides, zinc by oxides and inorganics, and cadmium by inorganics and organics.Addition of cadmium to the soils resulted in higher cadmium concentrations in all plant parts but lower concentrations of lead, zinc, copper, manganese and iron, and the accumulation indexes of these metals were also lower when cadmium was added to the soil.Addition of cadmium plus lead, zinc and copper resulted in higher cadmium concentrations in leaves and straw of plants grown in sandy loam and sandy soil, but lower concentrations when plants were grown in organic soil as compared with the results when cadmium was added separately. The transfer of cadmium, lead, zinc and copper from soil to plant was greatest from sandy soil, and zinc and cadmium were more mobile in the plant than were lead and copper.Cadmium concentrations in leaves correlated significantly with CaCl₂ and CH₃COOH extractions in sandy loam and sandy soil and with CH₃COOH extractions in organic soil.Generally, the total metal uptake was lowest from organic soil.     

The effect of physico-chemical parameters on speciation of trace metals insediments from inland and coastal waters of Ghana

The speciation of cadmium, lead, copper, zinc, manganese and iron into exchangeable, carbonate, reducible and organic bound fractions was studied in sediments from coastal and freshwater environments in Ghana. This was relevant as the species in which metals are stored within specific sediment components is important in determining their impact on the environment. For both coastal and inland sediments, a higher percentage of cadmium was associated with the more available exchangeable and carbonate fractions, while iron, zinc and manganese were mainly associated with the reducible and organic fractions. Lead and copper were found to have the greatest ability to form different species in the samples examined and were more evenly associated with all the fractions. The metals generally showed more ability to form different species in inland freshwaters than in coastal relatively saline waters. However, differences between inland and coastal waters were based more on whether the environments were oxidising or reducing than on whether they were fresh or saline. The metals may be divided into three groups of high mobility consisting of lead and copper; moderate mobility made up of cadmium, manganese and zinc; and low mobility, represented by iron.     

Concentrations of heavy metals in maternal and umbilical cord blood

Concentrations of lead, cadmium, methylmercury and total mercury were measured in maternal and umbilical cord blood using graphite atomic absorption spectrometry. Two essential metals, copper and zinc, were also determined using ion chromatography. Lead, copper and zinc were found to be lower in the cord blood, whereas methylmercury and total mercury were higher in cord blood than in maternal blood. Little differences were noted for cadmium in maternal and cord blood. Significant positive correlations were observed between the concentrations in maternal and cord blood with regard to lead (correlation coefficient, r = 0.44), copper (r = 0.34), zinc (r = 0.29), methylmercury (r = 0.44) and total mercury (r = 0.58). These results suggest that, like essential metals, most heavy metals can move rather freely across the human placenta. The potential health effects of heavy metal transfer from mothers to young infants cannot be discounted.     

Heavy metal contamination of sediments in the Upper Connecting Channels of the Great Lakes

In 1985, sampling at 250 stations throughout the St. Marys, St. Clair, and Detroit rivers and Lake St. Clair — the connecting channels of the upper Great Lakes — revealed widespread metal contamination of the sediments. Concentrations of cadmium, chromium, copper, lead, mercury, nickel, and zinc each exceeded U.S. Environmental Protection Agency sediment pollution guidelines at one or more stations throughout the study area. Sediments were polluted more frequently by copper, nickel, zinc, and lead than by cadmium, chromium, or mercury. Sediments with the highest concentrations of metals were found (in descending order) in the Detroit River, the St. Marys River, the St. Clair River, and Lake St. Clair. Although metal contamination of sediments was most common and sediment concentrations of metals were generally highest near industrial areas, substantial contamination of sediments by metals was present in sediment deposition areas up to 60 km from any known source of pollution.Contribution 735 of the National Fisheries Research Center-Great Lakes, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 1451 Green Road, Ann Arbor, MI 48105.     

Detection and Analysis of 12 Heavy Metals in Blood and Hair Sample from a General Population of Pearl River Delta Area

To detect the content of 12 heavy metals in blood and hair sample from a general population of Pearl River Delta area, and to analyze the influence of duration of residence, gender, age, smoking and drinking on the heavy metal content. Use inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry to detect the content of 12 heavy metals lead (Pb), mercury (Hg), cadmium (Cd), aluminum (Al), arsenic (As), copper (Cu), chrome (Cr), manganese (Mn), nickel (Ni), zinc (Zn), tin (Sn) and antimony (Sb) in blood and hair samples of a total of 50 subjects from a general population, collected by multistage stratified cluster random sampling method. The geometric mean of heavy metal content in blood samples of general population (μg/L): blood aluminum 214.00; blood chrome 92.82; blood manganese 21.43; blood nickel 20.59; blood copper 0.67; blood zinc 11.50; blood arsenic 0.55; blood cadmium 2.45; blood tin 0.00; blood antimony 1.92; blood lead 158.84; and blood mercury 1.19. The geometric mean of heavy metal content in hair samples of general population (μg/g): hair aluminum is 84.65; hair chrome 0.00; hair manganese 2.44; hair nickel 0.61; hair copper 28.49; hair zinc 136.65; hair arsenic 0.75; hair cadmium 0.46; hair tin 1.04; hair antimony 0.05; hair lead 8.97; and hair mercury 0.69. Some heavy metals were correlated with duration of residence, gender, age, smoking and drinking. This was the first time that simultaneously detecting heavy metal content in blood and hair was used to analyze the internal heavy metal burden in resident population of Pearl River Delta area. These data can serve as reference for further research.     

Application of Anodic Stripping Voltammetry for Zinc, Copper, and Cadmium Quantification in the Aqueous Humor: Implications of Pseudoexfoliation Syndrome

Anodic stripping voltammetric (ASV) procedure, using mercury film electrode, was optimized and applied to determine the concentrations of zinc, cadmium, and copper in the aqueous humor. Concentration levels as low as 1 ppb of the test metals was possible to be detected using short electrolysis times (120 s) and microquantities of aqueous humor (up to 35 μL). As a first application of the voltammetric analysis of trace metals in the aqueous humor, the role of the three selected trace elements in the pseudoexfoliation (PEX) syndrome was examined. Samples from aqueous humor were collected during cataract extraction from patients with and without PEX. The zinc and copper concentration levels in the aqueous humor did not show statistically significant difference in the study and control group. Cadmium was detected in a small number of samples, without however statistical differences between the two groups. ASV proved to be a highly precise and sensitive tool for the quantification of heavy metal ions in aqueous humor. Further studies may lead to useful conclusions for the role of zinc, copper, or cadmium in PEX syndrome.     

The effect of industrial pollution on Zinc,Cadmium and Copper concentration in the xylem rings of Scot's pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) and in the soil

Summary The concentrations of heavy metals, including zinc, cadmium, and copper were studied in the xylem rings of Pinus sylvestris trees and in the soil of three heavily polluted sites and one non-polluted site. There was a high correlation between the concentration of heavy metals in the soil and recently produced xylem rings. However, the initiation of industrial pollution did not abruptly increase heavy metal concentrations in the xylem rings. There was a high correlation between the zinc content of trees growing near a zinc smelter and the values obtained by other investigators for pine trees growing on the same site.     

Effect of heavy metals on the growth of tropical microalga Tetrasermis chuii (Prasinophyceae)

We determined the toxic effect of four metals, cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu), mercury (Hg) and lead (Pb), on the tropical microalga Tetraselmis Chuii (Butcher, 1959). We exposed 50 ml of cultivated microalgae (f/2 Guillard) in the exponential growth phase, with three replicates, to concentrations of 0 (control). 0.1, 1.0, 5.0, 10.0 and 20.0 mgxl(-1) with each metal for 96 hr. We evaluated the lethal effect daily, through the cellular count. In the control treatment (not exposed to any metal) we observed an increase in cellular density. In all treatments exposed to metals, we observed a decrease in cellular density, which accelerated in 48 h, after which it became less pronounced. There were exceptions with low concentrations of Cd and Cu at 24 h, as there was no significant decrease, probably due to their use as micronutrients at these low concentrations. The metal that caused the most lethal effect was Pb, which killed 50% of the microalgal population at a concentration of 0.40 mg x l(-1). This concentration was 3 times lower than that of mercury and 13 times lower than those of cadmium and copper. The microalga Tetraselmis chuii is recommended as a model species to estimate the toxic effects of xenobiotics on tropical seawater environments.     

Characterization of Chemical Contamination in Shallow-Water Estuarine Habitats of an Industrialized River. Part II. Metals

The lower six miles of the tidal portion of the Passaic River (Study Area) has long been heavily industrialized. The objectives of this study were to: quantify the present extent and magnitude of metals contamination in surface sediments in the Study Area, evaluate the contamination in the Study Area relative to a reference area and surrounding regional waterways, assess the potential for adverse effects to aquatic organisms, and identify spatial gradients in concentrations that may indicate potential point-sources of metals. We also examined the role of natural sediment characteristics in metals concentration variability. Study Area sediments were generally enriched in barium, cadmium, chromium, copper, lead, manganese, mercury, silver, selenium, and zinc relative to the reference area. Compared to available sediment quality benchmarks, the only metals in the Study Area presently at average concentrations sufficiently high to warrant concern about potential aquatic toxicity are lead, mercury, and zinc. Compared to the rest of the NY/NJ Harbor Estuary, the Study Area generally contains elevated levels of lead, manganese, silver, and zinc. Variability in metals concentrations can not be accounted for by TOC or percent fines. However, a substantial proportion of the spatial variability in a number of metals can be explained by normalization to either aluminum or iron.     

Survey of metal tolerance in moderately halophilic eubacteria

The tolerance patterns, expressed as MICs, for 250 moderately halophilic eubacteria to 10 heavy metals were surveyed by using an agar dilution method. The moderate halophiles tested included 12 culture collection strains and fresh isolates representative of Deleya halophila (37 strains), Acinetobacter sp. (24 strains), Flavobacterium sp. (28 strains), and 149 moderately halophilic gram-positive cocci included in the genera Marinococcus, Sporosarcina, Micrococcus, and Staphylococcus. On the basis of the MICs, the collection strains showed, overall, similar responses to silver, cobalt, mercury, nickel, lead, and zinc. All were sensitive to silver, mercury, and zinc and tolerant of lead. The response to arsenate, cadmium, chromium, and copper was very heterogeneous. The metal susceptibility levels of the 238 freshly isolated strains were, in general, very heterogeneous among the four taxonomic groups as well as within the strains included in each group. The highest toxicities were found with mercury, silver, and zinc, while arsenate showed the lowest activity. All these strains were tolerant of nickel, lead, and chromium and sensitive to silver and mercury. Acinetobacter sp. strains were the most heavy-metal tolerant, with the majority of them showing tolerance of eight different metal ions. In contrast, Flavobacterium sp. strains were the most metal sensitive. The influence of salinity and yeast extract concentrations of the culture medium on the toxicity of the heavy metals tested for some representative strains was also studied. Lowering the salinity, in general, led to enhanced sensitivity to cadmium and, in some cases, to cobalt and copper. However, increasing the salinity resulted in only a slight decrease in the cadmium, copper, and nickel toxicities.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Survey of metal tolerance in moderately halophilic eubacteria.

The tolerance patterns, expressed as MICs, for 250 moderately halophilic eubacteria to 10 heavy metals were surveyed by using an agar dilution method. The moderate halophiles tested included 12 culture collection strains and fresh isolates representative of Deleya halophila (37 strains), Acinetobacter sp. (24 strains), Flavobacterium sp. (28 strains), and 149 moderately halophilic gram-positive cocci included in the genera Marinococcus, Sporosarcina, Micrococcus, and Staphylococcus. On the basis of the MICs, the collection strains showed, overall, similar responses to silver, cobalt, mercury, nickel, lead, and zinc. All were sensitive to silver, mercury, and zinc and tolerant of lead. The response to arsenate, cadmium, chromium, and copper was very heterogeneous. The metal susceptibility levels of the 238 freshly isolated strains were, in general, very heterogeneous among the four taxonomic groups as well as within the strains included in each group. The highest toxicities were found with mercury, silver, and zinc, while arsenate showed the lowest activity. All these strains were tolerant of nickel, lead, and chromium and sensitive to silver and mercury. Acinetobacter sp. strains were the most heavy-metal tolerant, with the majority of them showing tolerance of eight different metal ions. In contrast, Flavobacterium sp. strains were the most metal sensitive. The influence of salinity and yeast extract concentrations of the culture medium on the toxicity of the heavy metals tested for some representative strains was also studied. Lowering the salinity, in general, led to enhanced sensitivity to cadmium and, in some cases, to cobalt and copper. However, increasing the salinity resulted in only a slight decrease in the cadmium, copper, and nickel toxicities.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Biomonitoring Survey of Trace Metal Pollution in Streams of a Catchment Draining a Zinc and Lead Mining Area of Upper Silesia,Poland Using the Amphipod Gammarus fossarum

We have used accumulated metal concentration data to investigate variability in the bioavailabilities of cadmium, copper, lead, zinc and iron to the amphipod Gammarus fossarum inhabiting the Biala Przemsza river system draining an area of lead and zinc mining. The highest bioavailabilities of most of the metals were found in a stream carrying water from mine drainage and flotation processes. Significant amounts of bioavailable cadmium entered via another stream receiving waters from ore processing. The bioavailabilities of copper varied little, indicating the lack of a local point source of entry. All metals other than copper showed seasonal variations with the highest concentrations recorded in October. Comparative data show the Biala Przemsza system to be contaminated with cadmium, lead, zinc and iron. The data presented exemplify metal concentration ranges in G. fossarum inhabiting industrial areas, and can be used as a reference for future surveys involving this species in Central Europe.