Quality assurance considerations in chemical analysis

Toxic metals in toenails as biomarkers of exposure: A review

Toenails have been used as biomarkers of exposure to toxic metals, but their validity for this purpose is not yet clear and might differ depending on the specific agent. To evaluate this issue, we reviewed the literature on: a) the time-window of exposure reflected by toenails; b) the reproducibility of toenail toxic-metal levels in repeated measures over time; c) their relationship with other biomarkers of exposure, and; d) their association with potential determinants (i.e. sociodemographic, anthropometric, or lifestyle characteristics) or with sources of exposure like diet or environmental pollution. Thus, we performed a systematic review, searching for articles that provided original data for levels of any of the following toxic metals in toenails: aluminum, beryllium, cadmium, chromium, mercury, nickel, lead, thallium and uranium. We identified 88 articles, reporting data from 67 different research projects, which were quite heterogeneous with regard to population profile, sample size and analytical technique. The most commonly studied metal was mercury. Concerning the time-window of exposure explored by toenails, some reports indicate that toenail cadmium, nickel and lead may reflect exposures that occurred 7-12 months before sampling. For repeated samples obtained 1-6 years apart, the range of intraindividual correlation coefficients of aluminum, chromium and mercury was 0.33-0.56. The correlation of toxic metal concentrations between toenails and other matrices was higher for hair and fingernails than for urine or blood. Mercury levels were consistently associated with fish intake, while other toxic metals were occasionally associated with specific sources (e.g. drinking water, place of residence, environmental pollution, and occupation). The most frequently evaluated health endpoints were cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and central nervous system diseases. Available data suggest that toenail mercury levels reflected long-term exposures and showed positive associations with fish intake. The lack of standardization in sample collection, quality control, analytical techniques and procedures - along with the heterogeneity and conflicting results among studies - mean it is still difficult to conclude that toenails are a good biomarker of exposure to toxic metals. Further studies are needed to draw solid conclusions about the suitability of toenails as biomarkers of exposure to toxic metals.

Proficiency testing as a tool to assess quality of data: the experience of the EU Reference Laboratory for chemical elements in food of animal origin

Quality and reliability of analytical results are, in general, key issues for all laboratories but become a top priority for laboratories accredited according to ISO/IEC 17025:2005. In this international standard the proficiency testing (PT) is regarded as a means to assure the validity of results. Nowadays, the proved competence of laboratories is an essential requirement especially for that structures that are involved in the official controls aimed at ensuring the safety of EU food products and the public health. To guarantee the EU consumers, the Council and the Commission have designated 28 European Union Reference Laboratories (EURLs) for food and feed, whose main role is to contribute to the standardization of analytical methods and to the harmonization of performance among the EU National Reference Laboratories (NRLs) to reach a comparable level of quality in the analytical data among all Member States. With this aim, the organization of PTs is a task that each EURL has to accomplish. Over the last 15 years, the EURL for chemical elements in food of animal origin (EURL-CEFAO) have organized 32 PTs on determination of total As, Cd, Pb and total Hg in meat, milk, fish and offal for the benefit of its network of NRLs. Some specific aspects of this activity will be discussed (e.g. preparation and characterization of PT materials, statistical evaluation of data, follow-up actions). Finally, based on the EURL-CEFAO experience, it will be demonstrated that the participation into PTs on a regular basis can result in an improvement of the laboratory’s performance as well as in the harmonization of the results submitted by participants.

Development of a short-term chronic toxicity test with a tropical mysid

There is an increasing need to develop reliable methodologies for chronic toxicity testing using tropical species. The present work aimed at developing a suitable short-term chronic toxicity test with Mysidopsis juniae using zinc (Zn) and nickel (Ni) as model chemicals and growth (length and dry weight), survival, and egg production (number of females with eggs) as endpoints after seven days of exposure. Survival and growth of newborn M. juniae were affected by chronic exposure to zinc, while nickel affected only survival. For zinc, dry weight was the most sensitive endpoint with significant effects even at the lowest tested concentration (75μgZn·L(-1)), whereas for nickel, survival was the most sensitive parameter (LC20 of 26μgNi·L(-1)). Egg production was not affected. M. juniae short-term chronic testing is a sensitive approach to evaluating metal toxicity; further studies are necessary to assess chronic toxicity for others contaminants in the proposed assay.

A Systematic Review of Heavy Metals of Anthropogenic Origin in Environmental Media and Biota in the Context of Gold Mining in Ghana

Heavy metal accumulation in the food chain is an issue of global concern because it eventually leads to toxic effects on humans through the water we drink, contaminated soils, crops, and animals. Reports of toxicant levels in environmental media (air, water, and soil) and biota in Ghana were sought in SCOPUS, PubMed, MEDLINE, and EMBASE. Of 1004 bibliographic records identified, 54 studies were included in evidence synthesis. A disproportionately large number of papers (about 80%) focused exclusively on environmental media. Papers focusing on biomonitoring and human health were relatively few. Studies reported a high degree of spatial variability for the concentrations of 8 metals in groundwater. Generally, heavy metal concentrations in soil reported by the studies reviewed were higher than metal concentrations in riverine sediments. Urine and hair were the most common biological markers of heavy metal exposure used by the studies reviewed unlike nails, which were sparingly used. By and large, published results on the levels of heavy metals in goldmine and non-mine workers yielded contradictory results. Mostly, concentrations of heavy metals reported by the studies reviewed for nails were higher than for hair. A high degree of variability in the heavy metal concentrations in human subjects in the studies reviewed is likely due to heterogeneity in physiological states, excretion profiles, and body burdens of individuals. These, in turn, may be a product of genetic polymorphisms influencing detoxification efficiency.

Assessment of water quality parameters in the stream Galyan, Trabzon, Turkey

This paper presents a comprehensive evaluation of drinking water quality from the stream Galyan and its tributary, the stream Kuştul, in Trabzon Province, Turkey. In this study, surface water quality data for 20 physical and chemical parameters were determined and collected from three monitoring stations of the understudy stream during April 2004 to March 2005. According to the Turkish Water Pollution Control Regulation, the stream Galyan water was classified, and the studied parameters were evaluated for the values proposed by Turkish Standard (TS) 266 and World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines. The results showed that TS 266 and WHO guidelines were exceeded for Fe (up to 860 microg/l) and Cr (up to 134.7 microg/l). Pearson's correlation was also used to determine the relationship of the studied parameters and as a result significant correlations were observed between some parameters.