ANALYSIS OF SERUM ELEMENTS AND THE CONTAMINATIONS FROM DEVICES USED FOR SERUM PREPARATION BY INDUCTIVELY-COUPLED PLASMA-MASS SPECTROMETRY

Two different samples of serum were prepared from a blood specimen by using two types of serum-separation tubes. Each serum sample was dilut ed by 100 times with deionized and sub-boiling distilled water. Thirty -six elements in the serum and exudate, from devices used for the seru m preparation, were determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spec trometry (ICP-MS). From the comparison of elemental concentrations in two groups of 11 serum samples, it was found that the exudate from ser um-separation tubes, as well as from disposable stainless steel needle s, had serious effects on the elemental concentrations in the serum. M eans for the concentrations of Li, Co, Ga, Cd, Sn, Sb, Ba, La, and Ce in the two serum groups were statistically different from each other. The concentrations of Cr, Mn, Fe, and Mo in both groups were apparentl y higher than those reported in the literature, suggesting contaminati on from the disposable stainless steel needle and spectral interferenc es due to molecular species produced in the argon plasma.