Institute for Medical Research and Occupational Health
Abstract
Henna (Lawsonia inermis) has been used for centuries as a herbal hair and skin dye, but very little is known about its additives and contaminants that could adversely affect human health. An analytical method was developed to determine organochlorine compounds in henna, as they are still widely used in the areas where henna is grown. Samples were sonicated with n-hexane, extracts cleansed on Florisil sorbent and analysed using gas chromatography with electron capture detection. The overall recoveries were 17-33 % with the extraction RSD 5-21 %, while the levels of lindane (gamma-HCH), p,p’-DDT, and p,p’-DDE in henna samples were 7-157 µg kg-1. The same procedure was successfully applied to analyse black tea samples for the same compounds, and which showed lower contamination.Kana (Lawsonia inermis) jest biljka koja se već stoljećima primjenjuje za bojenje kose i kože, pa ipak se veoma malo zna o mogućim dodacima i onečišćenjima u njoj, koji bi mogli štetno utjecati na ljudsko zdravlje. Razradili smo analitičku metodu za određivanje organoklorovih spojeva u prašku kane, jer se oni kao insekticidi još često primjenjuju u područjima gdje kana raste. Uzorke kane smo ekstrahirali u ultrazvučnoj kupelji n-heksanom, a ekstrakte smo pročistili na sorbensu Florisilu® i analizirali plinskom kromatografijom. Analitički povrati bili su od 17 % do 33 % s ponovljivošću (RSD) 5-21 %. Razine lindana (gama-HCH), p,p’-DDTa i p,p’-DDE-a u uzorcima kane bile su 7-157 µg kg-1. Iste analitičke postupke uspješno smo primijenili i na određivanje tih spojeva u uzorcima čaja (Thea sinensis), koji su se pokazali manje onečišćenima. Primijenjena analitička metoda može se smatrati prikladnom za brzo preliminarno detektiranje i utvrđivanje masenih udjela organoklorovih spojeva u uzorcima kane i čaja
