Determination of toxic and essential elements in urine by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

Abstract

The aim of the investigation was to optimize the conditions of a routine urinalysis by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) for diagnostic studies. Materials and Methods. We determined the content of 12 elements (V, Cr, Mn, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Se, Sr, Cd, Tl, Pb) in the urine of children in Russian industrial region (n=57, mean age being under 6 years) by ICP-MS on a quadrupole mass spectrometer Agilent 7500cx (Agilent Technologies, USA) with octopole collision/reaction cell according to the methodology developed by MUK 4.1.3230-14. Results. The arithmetic mean of the elements in the group was 0.72 μg/L (V); 2.13 μg/L (Cr); 1.11 μg/L (Mn); 2.76 μg/L (Ni); 26.67 μg/L (Сu); 482.1 μg/L (Zn); 10.09 μg/L (As); 32.84 μg/L (Se); 1,275.35 μg/L (Sr); 0.122 μg/L (Cd); 1.16 μg/L (Tl); 2.16 μg/L (Pb). The urine samples were directly analyzed after diluting 1:10 by 1% nitric acid solution. The findings accuracy was confirmed by comparing with the values of standard urine samples performed by SERONORMTM urine. Conclusion. The proposed easy method to determine the essential and toxic elements in urine using a mass spectrometer Agilent 7500cx with octopole collision/reaction cell can be recommended for diagnostic and screening tests in clinical settings.