A ROBUST ICP-MS METHOD FOR MULTI-ELEMENT TRACE METAL ANALYSIS IN HUMAN WHOLE BLOOD

Rohit Saxena*, Nimmi Kansal, Mah Alam, Murugesan Suresh

ABSTRACT

Monitoring trace and toxic elements in blood is essential for clinical toxicology, occupational exposure assessment and biomonitoring assessment, a rapid sensitive and robust method developed for the simultaneous quantification of Arsenic(As), Lead(Pb), Cadmium(Cd), Manganese (Mn), Chromium (Cr), Cobalt (Co), and Thallium (Tl) in human blood. Whole blood samples were prepared using a simple dilution protocol with trace metal free nitric acid, tubes and selected internal standard to minimize matrix effect and maintain analyte stability. Instrument parameters such as RF power, nebulizer gas flow, dwell time, and collision/reaction cell conditions were systematically optimized to enhance sensitivity and reduce spectral interferences. Quantification was performed using multi-point external calibration with internal standard correction. The method demonstrated excellent linearity for all analytes with correlation coefficients (r2>0.99) across clinically relevant concentration range. The developed ICP-MS method is a reliable and high-throughput approach for simultaneous multi-element blood analysis. Its sensitivity, robustness and simplified sample preparation make it highly suitable for routine clinical diagnostics, toxic metal screening, and population biomonitoring studies.

Keywords: ICP-MS, Trace element, CRM, Blood.