title: A validated cold vapour-AAS method for determining mercury in human red blood cells.
abstract: A cold vapour-atomic absorption spectrometry (CV-AAS) method for determining mercury in dental students and clinical teaching staff red blood cells at a dental school using amalgam as a restorative material has been validated. A number of blood samples (n = 122) from dental students in years I to V, clinical teachers in restorative dentistry and controls were collected and analysed. Accuracy, linearity, precision (repeatability and reproducibility) and robustness of the method have been determined, and detection and quantification limits have been calculated. Linearity of response was verified for concentrations ranging from 5 to 40 microgL(-1) of mercury. Correlation coefficient of the calibration straight lines was always >/=0.99. Intra-day precision of the method gave coefficient of variation (CV) of 5.51%. Inter-day precision of the method calculated after analysis of five different concentrations of mercury standard solutions by the same analyst in different days and by two different analysts in different days gave coefficient of variation 4.89 and 5.44%, respectively. The accuracy of the method was calculated a CRM NIST 966 (toxic metals in bovine blood) total amount of mercury was found a concentration of 28.83 +/- 2.2 microgL(-1). Recovery was 89.27%. Robustness of the method evaluated by changing different experimental conditions under which analyses performed, fractional factorial design was done for assessing robustness of the method. Root mean square error was found out as 1.56. Limits of detection and quantification were 1.84 and 4.03 microg of Hg per litre of sample, respectively. Results show the suitability of the method for direct measurement of mercury in red blood cells and the importance of the working conditions for people dealing with amalgam at a dental school.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Pharmacy, Department of Analytical Chemistry, Ege University, 35100 Bornova, Izmir, Turkey. soguto@pharm.ege.edu.tr
authors.forename: O S
authors.initials: OS
authors.lastname: Ertas
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tezel
mesh_terms: D003080:Cold Temperature; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D008628:Mercury / Q000097:blood*; D013054:Spectrophotometry, Atomic / Q000379:methods*; D014835:Volatilization
chemical_list: D008628:Mercury