Twenty Element Concentrations in Human Organs Determined by Two-Jet Plasma Atomic Emission Spectrometry

Abstract

In this paper, we have performed determination of the concentration of twenty elements in seven human organs (spleen, liver, kidney, muscle, heart, lungs, and brain) using two-jet plasma atomic emission spectrometry. The method allows multielemental analysis of solid samples without wet acid digestion. Before analysis, all human organs were first dried, ground to powders, and carbonized. The relative content of elements in each of the seven organs was very different depending on the donor. The average content of twenty elements in various organs varied in the following ranges (μg/g of dry weight): Ag (<0.02–0.2), Al (2.1–263), B (<0.5–2.5), Ca (323–1650), Cd (<0.1–114), Co (<0.2–1.0), Cr (<0.5–4.0), Cu (4.2–47), Fe (156–2900), Mg (603–1305), Mn (0.47–8.5), Mo (<0.2–4.9), Ni (<0.3–3.1), Pb (<0.3–1.9), Si (31.6–2390), Sn (<0.3–3.2), Sr (0.2–1.0), Ti (<2–31, mainly in lungs), and Zn (120–292). The concentration range of Ba in organs of five donors was <0.2–6.9 and 2.0–5600 for one donor with pneumoconiosis (baritosis). The maximum element contents were found, respectively, in the following organs: Al, B, Cr, Ni, Si, Sn, Sr, Ti (lungs), Fe (lungs and spleen), Mn (liver and kidney), Ag and Mo (liver), Ca (lungs and kidney), Cu (brain), Cd (kidney), Pb (brain), and Zn (liver, kidney, and muscle). The minimal content of elements was observed, respectively, in the following organs: Ag (all organs except liver), Ba (spleen, muscles, and brain), Ca and Mg (liver), Si (liver, muscle, and brain), Cd and Sr (heart and brain), Al, Cu, Fe, and Mn (muscle), and Zn (spleen and brain). The analysis of possible biological role and reasons for the increased content of some elements in the organs analyzed was carried out.