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. 2023;20(7):7829-7842.
doi: 10.1007/s13762-022-04402-6. Epub 2022 Aug 6.

Multi-elements characteristic and potential risk of heavy metals in MOUTAN CORTEX from Anhui Province, China

X Xue  1   2   3 , G Liu  1 , Q Tang  2 , H Shi  2 , D Wu  2   3 , C Jin  2   3 , H Zhao  2   3 , Y Wei  1 , Y Zhang  2   3
Affiliations

Multi-elements characteristic and potential risk of heavy metals in MOUTAN CORTEX from Anhui Province, China

X Xue et al. Int J Environ Sci Technol (Tehran). 2023.

Abstract

To ensure the quality and safety of herbs, the content of 54 elements in MOUTAN CORTEX (MC) was determined by the ICP-AES and ICP-MS, and the health risks of Cu, As, Cd, Pb, Hg and rare earth elements (REEs) were assessed. These herbs were collected from 5 producing areas in Anhui Province, China, namely Wuhu, Tongling, Bozhou, Xuancheng and Chizhou. The multi-elements fingerprint identification of MC in Anhui Province was established. The total amount of macro-elements from Wuhu and Tongling is significantly lower than Bozhou. Among all MC from 5 producing areas, the highest content is Ca. Except for Bozhou, the content of macro-elements and REES in the other 4 origins of MC is from highest to lowest: Ca > K > Mg > Al > Fe > Na and Ce > La > Nd > Y > Pr > Er > Yb > Eu > Ho > Tb > Tm > Lu. The chemical forms of Cd in MC from Bozhou with the highest percentage were PH2O of high toxicity and migration, while the other 4 regions were PNaCl of low activity and mobility. There was a great difference in the content of inorganic elements and chemical forms of Cd between the MC produced from the plain (Bozhou) and the hilly areas (Wuhu, Tongling, Chizhou and Xuancheng). Except for Cd, the content of Cu, As, Pb and Hg in MC did not exceed the limit. The results of PTWIFact and ADI for Cd and REEs showed that MC herbs did not pose a risk to human health.

Supplementary information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13762-022-04402-6.

Keywords: Cadmium; Element distribution; Heavy metals; MOUTAN CORTEX (MC); Producing area; Risk assessment.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interestThe authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Sampling locations in China
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Multi-elements distribution fingerprint map of MC herbs (WH—Wuhu, TL—Tongling, XC—Xuancheng, CZ—Chizhou, BZ—Bozhou). Heavy metals and toxic elements are excluded
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Distribution map of heavy metals and toxic elements in MC herbs (WH—Wuhu, TL—Tongling, XC—Xuancheng, CZ—Chizhou, BZ—Bozhou)
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Chemical form of Cd in MC was expressed as percentage of total concentration
Fig. 5
Fig. 5
Scattering points of the first two typical discriminant functions in MC herbs
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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