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J ulshamn et al .: J ournal of AOAC I nternational V ol . 96, N o . 5, 2013  1101

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RESIDUES AND TRACE ELEMENTS

Determination of Arsenic, Cadmium, Mercury, and Lead in Foods by Pressure Digestion and Inductively Coupled Plasma/ Mass Spectrometry: First Action 2013.06 K aare J ulshamn and A mund M aage National Institute of Nutrition and Seafood Research (NIFES), PO Box 2029 Nordnes, N-5817 Bergen, Norway H ilde S kaar N orli National Veterinary Institute, Department of Food and Feed Hygiene, Nordic Committee on Food Analysis, PO Box 8156, Dep., N-0033 Oslo, Norway K arl H. G robecker European Commission Joint Research Centre, Institute for Reference Materials and Measurements (IRMM), B-2440 Geel, Belgium L ars J orhem National Food Administration, Box 622, SE-751 26 Uppsala, Sweden P eter F echer Bayerisches Landesamt für Gesundheit und Lebensmittelsicherheit, Zentrallabor Chemie, Sachgebiet N6, Eggenreuther Weg 43 D-91058 Erlangen, Germany D awn D owell AOAC INTERNATIONAL, 481 North Frederick Ave, Suite 500, Gaithersburg, MD 20877-2417

need to have validated analytical methods that produce reliable and accurate results to ensure compliance. The method has been reviewed and found acceptable for the determination of As, Cd, Hg, and Pb in a variety of foods. AOAC Official Method 2013.06 Arsenic, Cadmium, Mercury, and Lead in Foods Pressure Digestion and Inductively Coupled Plasma/ Mass Spectrometry First Action 2013 (Applicable to the determination of As, Cd, Hg, and Pb in a variety of foods by pressure digestion and ICP/MS. Method is capable of determining As, Cd, Pb, and Hg at or above 0.06, 0.03, 0.04, and 0.09 mg/kg dry matter, respectively.) For the complete method, see the publication in J. AOAC Int. (2). The results of the collaborative study (Table 1; 2) show this method to be suitable for the determination of As, Cd, Hg, and Pb in a variety of foods. The elemental concentration ranges for As were 0.06–21.4, for Cd 0.03–28.3, for Hg 0.04–0.6, and for Pb 0.01–2.4 in mg/kg dry matter. The repeatability RSD (RSD r ) ranged from 3.8 to 24% for As, 2.6 to 6.9% for Cd, 4.8 to 8.3% for Hg, and 2.9 to 27% for Pb. Reproducibility RSD (RSD R ) ranged from 9.0 to 28% for As, 2.8 to 18% for Cd, 9.9 to 24% for Hg, and 8 to 50% for Pb. References  (1) Sinicropi, M.S., Amantea, D., Caruso, A., & Saturnino, C. (2010) Arch. Toxicol. 84 , 501–520. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/ s00204-010-0544-6  (2) Julshamn, K., Maage, A., Norli, H., Grobecker, K., Jorhem, L., & Fecher, P. (2007) J. AOAC Int. 90 , 844–856 Results

Submitted for publication April 22, 2013. The method was approved by the Method-Centric Committee for Elemental Contaminants in Food as First Action. The AOAC Method-Centric Committee for Elemental Contaminants in Food invites method users to provide feedback on the First Action methods. Feedback from method users will help verify that the methods are fit for purpose and are critical to gaining global recognition and acceptance of the methods. Comments can be sent directly to the corresponding author or methodfeedback@aoac.org. Corresponding author’s e-mail: kju@nifes.no DOI: 10.5740/jaoacint.13-143 ranged from 3.8 to 24% for As, 2.6 to 6.9% for Cd, 4.8 to 8.3% for Hg, and 2.9 to 27% for Pb. Reproducibility RSD (RSD R ) ranged from 9.0 to 28% for As, 2.8 to 18% for Cd, 9.9 to 24% for Hg, and 8 to 50% for Pb. H eavy metal poisoning from elements like As, Cd, Hg, and Pb has become a concern for most industrialized countries (1). These toxic metals have a negative effect on physiological processes. Because of the negative health effects, governments have begun to implement regulations on the levels of contaminants allowed in the food supply to protect the public. The implementation of these regulations raises a The method for the determination of As, Cd, Hg, and Pb in foods by pressure digestion and inductively coupled plasma (ICP)/MS, previously published in J. AOAC Int. 90, 844–856 (2007), was approved as First Action 2013.06 on April 9, 2013 by the Method- Centric Committee for Elemental Contaminants in Food. Digestion occurs using nitric acid in a closed vessel with elevated temperature and pressure by conventional or microwave-assisted heating. Determination occurs using ICP/MS. The elemental concentration ranges for As were 0.06–21.4, for Cd 0.03–28.3, for Hg 0.04–0.6, and for Pb 0.01–2.4 in mg/kg dry matter. The repeatability RSD (RSD r )