Determine of heavy metal contents in fresh vegetable by using nuclear activation analysis technique

Abstract

Vegetables may contaminate with heavy metals that are toxic to the body. Those of them come from soil, water and air, which are the cultivation of plants. In addition, each vegetable has the capacity to accumulate heavy
metals or elements of various kinds. This study aimed to compare the results of analyzing heavy metal by two techniques that were Neutron Activation Analysis (NAA) and Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (AAS) techniques.
Both of them were used to analyze heavy toxic metals (Cd, Co, Fe, Pb, Cr, Zn) and others in vegetable samples. The study found that heavy metals concentration were Co, Fe, Cr that could be analyzed by NAA. Co, Fe, Zn were
found by AAS. The results showed that both techniques had the same results of heavy metals that Co and Fe were different in Cr and Zn.