The goal of this research project was to analyze dietary supplements for detrimental elemental contamination and actual content compared to listed values. Contamination, from elements such as heavy metals, can have adverse health effects among users. Ingested heavy metals accumulate in the body, leading to damage of the nervous system along with other irreversible damage. It is important to make sure the listed content is in the supplements to provide the proper nutrition value. In this project, standard reference material (SRM 3280) from National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and various over-the-counter dietary supplement samples were digested in a microwave using EPA Method 3052. Analysis was performed using EPA Method 6020A with an Agilent 7700 Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometer (ICP-MS). EPA Method 6800 was used for comparison and more accurate and precise results. Contamination from heavy metals was found in many dietary supplements analyzed.

Quantification of elemental contamination in commercially available dietary supplements by ICP-MS

243rd National Meeting (2012)

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