Detection and analysis of six toxic elements in Codonopsis lanceolata in different areas of Jilin Province in China

Abstract

With the rapid development of urbanization and industrialization in the past few decades, the problem of soil contamination with toxic elements has become increasingly serious. The accumulation of toxic metals in plants can endanger human health through the food chain. The aim of the study was to evaluate the edible safety of Codonopsis lanceolata Bench. et Hook (C. lanceolata) from different areas of Jilin Province in China. The wet digestion method was used to pre-treat C. lanceolata, and then the samples were analyzed for lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr) and copper (Cu) by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GFAAS) method, for mercury (Hg) by atomic fluorescence spectrometry (AFS) method, and for arsenic (As) by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) method. The results showed that the contents of Pb, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg and As in the measured samples were all less than the stipulated limits of the national food safety standards of China, which indicated that the edible safety of C. lanceolata in different areas of Jilin Province in China was guaranteed to a certain extent.