Determination of heavy metals and essential elements in nasal sprays and drops (Saline/Sea Water) and evaluation in terms of toxicity.

Heavy metals are toxic to human health and their concentrations in drinking water are sometimes above the limits recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO). In addition to drinking water, a possible source for the intake of heavy metals is nasal sprays, which are frequently used to combat upper respiratory tract infections, especially in young children. Different types of nasal sprays are sold in pharmacies, such as saline solutions prepared from NaCl, sea water, or ocean water. In this work, Al, Sb, As, B, Cd, Cr, Co, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Si, and Zn analyzes were performed on 22 saline samples with ICP-MS to determine their toxicity levels. For some samples, the toxic element concentrations were above the drinking water limits. Because nasal sprays are administered to the region close to the brain, the potential risk should be considered more fully. The accuracy of the results was tested by the standard addition method and certified reference material (CRM) analysis, which obtained recovery values for the elements of 83%-115% and 82%-108% for standard addition and CRM analysis, respectively. This is the first study to consider the risk of heavy metals in nasal sprays.

Leaching of arsenic from glazed and nonglazed potteries into foods.

Potteries are traditionally used for cooking and storing foods in Turkey, the Mediterranean, and Middle East regions. Leaching of inorganic arsenic into the traditional white bean dish cooked in pottery has been determined for the first time in the literature. Accuracy of this method was validated by the analysis of a certified reference material, commercially marketed standard solutions, and arsenic spiked solutions. Locally available potteries were examined for the leaching studies. Variation in the leachability of inorganic arsenic from the potteries by acetic acid versus the number of use was studied. The concentrations of arsenic leached by 4% acetic acid decreased by the usage number. The glazed potteries released arsenic at lower concentrations to leaching by acetic acid than the same group of nonglazed potteries. The concentrations of leached arsenic were relatively high in the white bean dish, where the leach of arsenic from the potteries to acetic acid was low. All of the potteries examined released inorganic arsenic to white bean dish in concentrations that exceed the daily BMDL0.5 (210µg/day). However, because the potteries are used only about once a month, direct application of the daily dietary intake limits is not appropriate. According to the weekly BMDL0.5, the estimated contribution from arsenic was in the range of 34-79% of BMDL0.5. The results of this study showed that the potteries are the potential sources of arsenic. Pottery oiling in ovens, which is another traditional procedure before using the potteries, reduced the leaching of arsenic to foods.

Arsenic Speciation of Waters from the Aegean Region, Turkey by Hydride Generation: Atomic Absorption Spectrometry.

Arsenic in drinking water is a serious problem for human health. Since the toxicity of arsenic species As(III) and As(V) is different, it is important to determine the concentrations separately. Therefore, it is necessary to develop an accurate and sensitive method for the speciation of arsenic. It was intended with this work to determine the concentrations of arsenic species in water samples collected from Izmir, Manisa and nearby areas. A batch type hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometer was used. As(V) gave no signal under the optimal measurement conditions of As(III). A certified reference drinking water was analyzed by the method and the results showed excellent agreement with the reported values. The procedure was applied to 34 water samples. Eleven tap water, two spring water, 19 artesian well water and two thermal water samples were analyzed under the optimal conditions.

Study of arsenic(III) and arsenic(V) removal from waters using ferric hydroxide supported on silica gel prepared at low pH.

Removal of As(III) and As(V) species using ferric hydroxide supported on silica gel was studied. Laboratory reagent quality silica gel was used as to avoid uncertainties that may be caused by impurities. Ferric hydroxide precipitation was realized at various pH values and a relatively low pH 6.0 was chosen because, at this pH, the highest arsenic removal capacity and removal efficiency were obtained and clear supernatant solution was observed. It was also shown by arsenic speciation analysis at trace level that As(III) is adsorbed onto ferric hydroxide partly without oxidation to As(V); this has been a controversial point in the literature. The effects on arsenic removal of some parameters such as pH, flow rate and matrix ions were investigated. In the batch method, initial pH change of the solution did not significantly affect the arsenic removal efficiencies for As(III) and As(V) in the pH range of 3.1-9.7. This was attributed to the decreases of the initial pH values to around 5 at equilibrium. The column capacities of 1.32 mg As(III)/g sorbent and 1.21 mg As(V)/g sorbent were found for initial concentration of 1.00 mg/L arsenic. Batch capacities were 16.2 mg As(III)/g sorbent and 17.7 mg As(V)/g sorbent for initial arsenic concentration of 100 mg/L. The method was applied successfully to the removal of As(III) and As(V) from drinking water, geothermal water and mineral water.