ICP-MS Determination of Lead Levels in Autopsy Liver Samples: An Application in Forensic Medicine

The objective of this study was to develop and validate a senstitive ICP-MS method with no gas mode for the determination of Pb levels in autospy liver samples collected from patients in Diyarbakir, Turkey. The microwave-assisted acid digestion procedure was optimized and applied to accurately weighed dry liver samples. The method showed linearity in the range of 0-100 mu g/kg with a detection and quantification limit of 0.72 mu g/kg and 2.18 mu g/kg, respectively. The calibration graph was characterized with excellent correlation coefficients (r=0.9997) for Pb determination. Certified reference material was used to validate the method in terms of accuracy, precision, and recovery. Good agreement was obtained between the certified values and the measured Pb concentrations. Percent recovery and precision for Pb was calculated at 99.5% and 4.29%, respectively. In the autopsy liver samples, the Pb levels ranged from 106.83 mu g/kg to 1932.08 mu g/kg and the mean Pb levels were found at 375.24 +/- 325.46 mu g/kg. As a result of the statistical analysis, the occupation, smoking habit, settlement, gender, and age appeared to have an effect on the Pb levels in the autopsy liver samples. The procedure described is relatively simple, precise, and applicable for routine toxicological Pb determination in human tissue.