Trace Element Assessment in Fingernails of Adult Females

LAURA DINES NGAU1, BOON SIONG WEE*1 & NAZARATUL ASHIFA ABD. SALIM

k0-Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis Method Validation for Trace Element Determination using Environmental Reference Materials

Presently, the k0-standardization method of instrumental neutron activation analysis (k0-INAA) technique has become the preferred method for multi-elemental analysis due to its high metrological value. The reactor neutron parameters (α and f) for rotary rack as well as the detector efficiency were determined and used for ko-INAA. The information is then used to compute the elemental concentration of certified reference materials (CRMs) using k0-INAA software developed in Vietnam. This results of the CRMs analysis showed the average z-score were below the threshold value of 2 with precision of about 10% for most of the element concentrations analyzed. The result has been very promising and at present stage, the laboratory is focusing on testing this method and capacity building for our staff. In future, the k0-INAA technique will be used to analyze air particulate, marine environmental samples, geological samples and archeological artifacts as well as to provide analytical services to clients from industries in particular

Testing the applicability of the k(o)-NAA method at the MINT's TRIGA MARK II reactor

The Analytical Chemistry Laboratory at MINT is using the NAA technique since 1980s and is the only laboratory in Malaysia equipped with a research reactor, namely the TRIGA MARK II. Throughout the years the development of NAA technique has been very encouraging and was made applicable to a wide range of samples. At present, the k0 method has become the preferred standardization method of NAA (k0-NAA) due to its multi-elemental analysis capability without using standards. Additionally, the k0 method describes NAA in physically and mathematically understandable definitions and is very suitable for computer evaluation. Eventually, the k0-NAA method has been adopted by MINT in 2003, in collaboration with the Nuclear Research Institute (NRI), Vietnam. The reactor neutron parameters (a and f) for the pneumatic transfer system and for the rotary rack at various locations, as well as the detector efficiencies were determined. After calibration of the reactor and the detectors, the implemented k0 method was validated by analyzing some certified reference materials (including IAEA Soil 7, NIST 1633a, NIST 1632c, NIST 1646a and IAEA 140/TM). The analysis results of the CRMs showed an average u score well below the threshold value of 2 with a precision of better than 710% for most of the elemental concentrations obtained, validating herewith the introduction of the k0-NAA method at the MINT

Instrumental neutron activation analysis of marine sediment in-house reference material

Reference materials play an important role in demonstrating the quality and reliability of analytical data. The advantage of using in-house reference materials is that they provide a relatively cheap option as compared to using commercially available certified reference material (CRM) and can closely resemble the routine test sample. A marine sediment sample was designed as an in-house reference material, in the framework of quality assurance and control (QA/QC) program of the Neutron Activation Analysis (NAA) Laboratory at Nuclear Malaysia. The NAA technique was solely used for the homogeneity test of the marine sediment sample. The CRM of IAEA- Soil 7 and IAEA- SL1 (Lake Sediment) were applied in the analysis as compatible matrixbased reference materials for QA purposes

Assessment of Elemental Pollution in Marine Sediment from Talang-Satang and Bako National Park of Sarawak, Malaysia (Special Issue> Malaysian Nuclear Agency)

The assessments ofelemental polluti oinn sediment collected from national park ofSarawak were done based on their distribution pattern ,geoaccumulation index and enrichment factor ,The enrichment factor s(EF )were determined by the elemental rationing method, whilst the geoaccumulati oinndex (Ig .by. )comparing of current concentration to background concentration of metals, The elements were analyzed by using Instmmenta1 Neutron Activatio nAnalysis (INAA) .The results of enrichment facto rshow tha tTalang-Satang and Bako National Park have significant contaminated by toxic elements such as As, Cr, Sb, Ti and U. Base on the classification system proposed for sediment qualit ywith referring to Ig. ,the sediment quali tyof the Talang-Satang and Bako National Park for Arsenic (As) contamination can be categorized as moderate to extremely contaminated. Contamination of element such as Cr, Sb and Ti can be categorized as uncontaminated to moderate contaminated, and U can be categorized as uncontaminated to moderate and strong contaminated, The average concentration of As in sediment of Bako shown surpassed sediment qualit yguidelin eCprobable effect concentration - PEC) value, whilst Cr concentration in sediment of Talang-Satang shown above midpoint effect concentration (MEC) .This indicatin gt,he sediment ofBako and Talang-Satang could have a potentia lfor producing chronic effect to the marine biot aor benthi ocrganism

Analysis of PM10 in Kuala Terengganu by Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis

Instrumental neutron activation analysis was used for the determination of trace elements in airborne particulate matter (PM10) for air pollution monitoring. For the collection of air samples, the PM10 high volume sampler unit and Whatman 41 cellulose filter papers were employed. Samples were collected at 13 selected sampling sites covering areas in the city center, inner and outer city of Kuala Terengganu during the month of March 2005. The average PM10 was 69.64 μgm-3, 83.58 μgm-3 and 72.22 μgm-3 for sampling stations located in the city center, inner and outer city of Kuala Terengganu, respectively. It was found that the mass of air particles in the study area was higher compared to Bangi and Kuala Lumpur. Chemical analysis of selected elements (Al, Fe, Cu, Pb, V, Mn, Zn, Cr, As Cd), ionic species (Na+, SO4 2-, Cl-, NH4 +,Mg2+, K+ , Ca2+) and some rare earth elements (REE) were included in this study. In general, most of the average concentration of trace elements in the city center sampling stations was generally higher than the inner and outer city sampling stations. The concentrations of trace elements in sampling stations follow the general trend of Al>Fe>Zn>Cu>Mn>Pb>V>Cr>As>Ni>Cd. The elements concentration ranged from 680-2119 ngm-3, 170-1132 ngm-3, 8.13-122.4 ngm-3, 8.48-77.3 ngm-3, 7.68-14.4 ngm-3, 1-90.4 ngm-3, 1.47-3.25 ngm-3, 1.43-5.03 ngm-3, 1.15-4.45 ngm-3, 0.24-3.75 ngm-3 and 0.28-1.36 ngm-3, respectively

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) contamination in the sediments of East Coast Peninsular Malaysia

The polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are pollutants of concern due to their persistent in the marine ecosystem, thus its can cause long-term adverse effect to the marine life. In this study the concentrations of PAHs in east coast Peninsular Malaysia sediments were determined. About ten stations along the east coast of the coastal area were selected to collect sediment samples using grab sampler. The PAHs from the sediment samples were soxhlet extracted using mixture of hexane and dichloromethane (DCM). Fractionation was done using the silica-alumina column. About 17 compounds of the PAHs were determined using the Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometer (GCMS model QP5050A). The Σ PAHs was found in range between 0.26μg/g to 0.59μg/g dry weight. The data from the study signified that the main source of PAHs in the sediment of the east coast peninsular Malaysia is originated from the pyrolytic source

A Long Term Study on Characterization and Source Apportionment of Particulate Pollution in Klang Valley, Kuala Lumpur

Samples of airborne particulate matter, PM2.5 and PM10–2.5 were collected using a Gent stacked filter sampler at an urban site, Klang Valley, Kuala Lumpur between January 2002–December 2011. The samples were analyzed for their elemental composition and black carbon content by Particle Induced X-ray Emission (PIXE) and light absorption, respectively. The annual average for PM2.5, PM10–2.5 and PM10 ranged from 21 to 35, 18 to 26 and 44 to 56 μg m–3, respectively. Factor analysis method and the Positive Matrix Factorisation (EPA PMF3) technique were also applied to the fine fraction data set in order to identify the possible sources of particulate matter and their contributions to the ambient particulate matter concentrations in the Klang Valley. A five factor PMF solution was found for PM2.5 particulate matter. The sources identified were; motor vehicles, industry, smoke/biomass burning, secondary sulphate and soil. It was found that the primary source of haze air particulate matter was locally generated mostly from vehicular emissions which contribute about 35% of the PM2.5 mass. The Hybrid Single Particle Lagrangian Intergrated Trajectory (HYSPLT) model was also used to explore possible long range transport of pollution. Smoke trans-boundary events were identified based on fine potassium from the data base in 2004, 2006 and 2008

Speciation and total determination of arsenic, chromium and selenium in freshwater bodies sediment

Arsenic (As) is generally known for its toxicity while chromium (Cr) and selenium (Se) at the appropriate amount are essential elements to man and becomes quite toxic in excessive amount. Anthropogenic activities such as industrialization, agricultural and urbanization have led to the contamination of toxic elements into aquatic that finally end up in the sediment system. Environmental process such as diagenetic process causes the toxic elements to migrate from the bedrock materials into the sediment surface and lastly into the water column. This process has been recognized to be the factor of As contamination in well water in several countries such as Bangladesh, Taiwan, USA and Canada. A number of samples of freshwater sediments from identified rivers and lakes in Johor Bharu area had been analyzed to determine the concentration level of As, Cr and Se using neutron activation analysis (NAA) technique. Certified reference material (CRM) namely IAEA Soil-7, Marine Sediment Reference Material BCSS-1 and PACS -2 were applied to provide good quality assurance control during analysis. The results obtained show that the concentrations of As in the rivers and lakes sediment fall between 10 to 34 ^g g"1 and 18 to 62 ^g g"1, respectively. The concentrations of Cr in the rivers ranged between 27 ^g g"1 to 125 ^g g"1, while in the lake sediments the concentrations ranged between 173 ^g g"1 to 301 ^.g g"1. The river sediment showed the Se concentration ranged between 0.56 ^g g"1 to 1.91 ^g g"1 and in lake sediment the concentration ranged between 0.31 ^g g"1 to 1.08 ^g g"1. The results of the As, Cr and Se concentrations were then compared to the ‘background value’ proposed by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), USA and several sediment quality guidelines. The As, Cr and Se concentrations were also correlated and normalized to iron content in order to evaluate and estimate the degree of contaminant enrichment in sediments. For speciation study, the inorganic species of As(III), As(V), Se(IV) and Se(VI) were studied by extracting the sediments using the microwave at the optimized time and power setting in the mild concentration of acid media. The As(III) and As(V) were preconcentrated and separated by ammonium pyrolidinedithiocarbamate (APDTC) into methyl isobuthyl ketone (MIBK) while the Se(IV) and Se(VI) were separated after co"precipitation of sodium dibenzyldithiocarbamate (Na"DBDTC) with phenolphthalein. The efficiencies of all extraction procedures were determined using standard solutions and several CRM. The results showed that As(V) and Se(VI) were the dominant species in the river and lake sediments

Elemental Assessments in Paddy Soil for Geographical Traceability of Rice from Peninsular Malaysia

This investigation aimed to establish the geographical traceability of Malaysian rice by assessing the elemental composition in paddy soil. Multi-element determination in combination with a chemometric approach was applied to evaluate the elemental concentrations of paddy soil from granaries cultivated with the same rice variety and to assess the relationship between elements in the soil and rice (SAR) system. A total of 29 elements (aluminum, arsenic, barium, bromine, calcium, chlorine, cobalt, chromium, cesium, europium, iron, gallium, hafnium, potassium, lanthanum, lutetium, magnesium, manganese, sodium, rubidium, antimony, scandium, samarium, thorium, titanium, uranium, vanadium, ytterbium and zinc) were successfully determined in paddy soil from Kedah, Selangor and Langkawi by neutron activation analysis. A significant difference (P < 0.05) between 18 elements in the soil samples was obtained. The chemometric approaches of principal component and linear discriminant analyses demonstrated clear discrimination and highly corrected classification (100%) of the soil samples. A high classification (98.1%) was also achieved by assessing 10 elements (aluminum, arsenic, bromine, chlorine, potassium, magnesium, manganese, sodium, rubidium and zinc), which similarly applied to rice geographical origin determination. Similar elements in SAR were also observed for differences in the pattern of correlation and bioaccumulation factor between the granaries. Furthermore, the generalized Procrustes analysis showed a 98% consensus between SAR and clear differences between the studied regions. The canonical correlation analysis demonstrated a significant correlation between the chemical profile of SAR (r2 = 0.88, P < 0.001). Therefore, the current work model provides a reliable assessment to establish rice provenance.Fil: Salim, Nazaratul Ashifa Abdullah. Malaysian Nuclear Agency; Malasia. Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia; MalasiaFil: Daud, Norlida Mat. Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia; MalasiaFil: Griboff, Julieta. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Córdoba. Centro de Investigaciones en Bioquímica Clínica e Inmunología; ArgentinaFil: Harun, Abdul Rahim. Malaysian Nuclear Agency; Malasi