Department of Toxicology and Bioanalysis School of Pharmacy with the Division of Laboratory Medicine, Medical University of Silesia, 4 Jagiellonska Str, 41-200, Sosnowiec, Poland.
Pharmacy, Blisko Ciebie", 7A Więźniów Oświęcimia Str, 32-600, Oświęcim, Poland.
Biol Trace Elem Res. 2018 Sep;185(1):236-243. doi: 10.1007/s12011-018-1240-2. Epub 2018 Jan 17.
The dietary supplement market in Poland has been growing rapidly, and the number of registered products and their consumption increases steadily. Among the most popular and the easiest to get are herbal supplements, available in any supermarket. The aim of this paper was to investigate the mercury content in the herbal supplements. The dietary supplements that have been examined (24) are available on the Polish market and contain one or more herbal ingredients. Supplements were pulverized in porcelain mortar and identified by AMA 254 atomic absorption spectrometer. The range of variations for all tested supplements was within 0.02-4293.07 μg/kg. The arithmetic mean of the total result was 193.77 μg/kg. A higher mercury content then this mean was found in preparations-bamboo shoots and alga Chlorella pyrenoidosa. The studies have shown that mercury is present in every examined herbal supplement, and its content exceeds in two preparations (with bamboo and alga) the permissible limit of 0.10 mg/kg. There were statistically significant differences in the occurrence of mercury depending on the herbal ingredient in the supplement. The lowest content was found in the preparation with Tanacetum parthenium and the highest with bamboo shoots. The mercury content in the tested herbal supplements was statistically significant in the form of a supplement-a tablet and a capsule. Daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly consumption of mercury with examined supplements was calculated-the results did not exceed the PTWI-provisional tolerable weekly intake of mercury. To increase consumer safety, it is imperative to conduct further research on dietary supplements and implement a stricter quality control of the dietary supplements.
波兰的膳食补充剂市场发展迅速，注册产品数量和消费稳步增长。在最受欢迎且最容易获得的产品中，草本补充剂是其中之一，可以在任何超市购买到。本文旨在调查波兰市场上草本补充剂中的汞含量。检测的膳食补充剂（24 种）在波兰市场上有售，且均含有一种或多种草本成分。补充剂在瓷研钵中粉碎后，用 AMA 254 原子吸收光谱仪进行鉴定。所有测试补充剂的变化范围在 0.02-4293.07μg/kg 之间。总结果的算术平均值为 193.77μg/kg。在一些制剂（竹笋和藻类小球藻）中发现的汞含量高于这个平均值。研究表明，每种检测到的草本补充剂中都含有汞，其中两种制剂（含竹笋和藻类）的汞含量超过了 0.10mg/kg 的允许限量。根据补充剂中的草本成分，汞的存在存在统计学上的显著差异。在含有菊科植物和竹叶的制剂中含量最低，在含有竹笋的制剂中含量最高。测试的草本补充剂中汞的含量在补充剂的形式上有统计学意义-片剂和胶囊。根据所检测的补充剂，计算了每周、每月和每年的汞摄入量-结果均未超过暂定每周可耐受汞摄入量（PTWI）。为了提高消费者的安全性，必须对膳食补充剂进行进一步研究，并对膳食补充剂实施更严格的质量控制。
