ANALYZING THE TOTAL CONTENT OF LEAD, CADMIUM AND ARSENIC IN ARTEMISIA VULGARIS L. USING ICP-MS METHOD

Abstract

Assessing the heavy metal content in herbal plants is important for the health of users. In this study, the content of some heavy metals including Pb, Cd and As in Artemisia vulgaris L, collected in 12 different regions of the northern provinces of Vietnam, was analyzed by ICP-MS method. The limit of detection of the analytical method for Pb, Cd and As was 0.010, 0.012, 0.045 ppb, respectively. The recovery for Pb, Cd, As of the method ranged from 81.00 to 93.17%. The average concentrations of Pb, Cd and As in Artemisia vulgaris L samples were 1.489 mg/Kg (0.247-3.294 mg/Kg, 0.195 mg/Kg (0.068-0.389 mg/Kg); 0.334 mg/Kg (0.149-0.463 mg/Kg), respectively. In general, the contents of the Pb, Cd and As elements were lower than the permisble limits for herbal plants set by Canada, China and WHO, except some samples which had Cd content higher than the permissible limit set by WHO.