Access state-of-the-art research about trace element contamination and its impact on human health in Trace Elements as Contaminants and Nutrients: Consequences in Ecosystems and Human Health. In this ground-breaking guide, find exhaustive evidence of trace element contamination in the environment with topics like the functions and essentiality of trace metals, bioavailability and uptake biochemistry, membrane biochemistry and transport mechanisms, and enzymology. Find case studies that will reinforce the fundamentals of mineral nutrition in plants and animals and current information about fortified foods and nutrient deficiencies.

This volume discusses major areas of primary concern for the understanding of the complexity associated with ecological trace element research. These include sources and fates of trace elements; analytical techniques; and the distribution of trace elements in biota and soil and sediment reservoirs. Case studies, field work and laboratory studies intensively discussed in this volume are useful to enhance our knowledge about processes related to the biological response of trace metal stress under realistic environmental conditions.

Often too little attention is given to the sampling before and after actual instrumental measurement. This leads to errors, despite increasingly sensitive analytical systems. This is one of the first books to pay proper attention to representative sampling. It offers an overview of the most common techniques used today for taking environmental samples. The techniques are clearly presented, yield accurate and reproducible results and can be used to sample - air - water - soils and sediments - plants and animals. A comprehensive handbook, this volume provides an excellent starting point for researchers in the rapidly expanding field of environmental analysis.

Because of their photosynthetic activity, plants represent the most important form of life on earth, and thus provide a rich and important source for investigation. By studying the levels of elements such as lead, cadmium and mercury in plants, vital information on background concentrations of such elements in the environments can be obtained. The growth in the use of instrumental multi-element techniques, such as neutron activation, X-ray fluorescence and atomic emission spectroscopy in the analysis of plant samples has led to significant advances in our ability to determine accurately the quantities of such elements present in plant samples. Instrumental Element and Multi-Element Analysis of Plant Samples: Methods and Applications presents the latest key advances that have taken place in a wide range of instrumentation, such as improvements in detection limits, reproducibility and accuracy. Potential problem areas such as representative sampling, sampling processes and accuracy are discussed in detail. Although concentrating on the analysis of plant samples, the book also considers general issues associated with multi-element analysis of environmental analysis in general. Instrumental Element and Multi-Element Analysis of Plant Samples: Methods and Applications will be of great interest to all those working in environmental analysis, particularly in the area of plant sample analysis. Its highly practical and inter-disciplinary approach will make it indispensable to chemists, biochemists, biologists and geologists interested in these areas.

Compiled by two of the world’s experts in the field, The Handbook of Trace Elements brings together into a single source a complete listing of the trace elements found in both naturally occurring and manmade substances in the environment. The book provides a thorough description by element for 41 trace elements, transition metals, and micronutrients found in Earth's crust, soil, water, plants, animals, and humans. Elucidating the ecological impact of industrial waste and health problems in animals and humans, this widely accessible resource continues to provide a reliable reference for researchers, scientists, and other professionals engaged in the study of trace elements.

The best way to determine trace elements! This easy-to-use handbook guides the reader through the maze of all modern analytical operations. Each method is described by an expert in the field. The book highlights the advantages and disadvantages of individual techniques and enables pharmacologists, environmentalists, material scientists, and food industry to select a judicious procedure for their trace element analysis.