Commercially grown Spirulina found to contain low levels of mercury and lead
1989
Slotton, D.G. | Goldman, C.R. | Franke, A.
A variety of Spirulina products for human consumption were analyzed for Hg and Pb content, using cold vapor atomic absorption and graphite furnace atomic absorption detection techniques. This research was conducted in response to a previous study that published questionably high metals concentrations for Spirulina. The prior study, using inductively coupled plasma detection technology (ICAP), found Hg and Pb in Spirulina to be above health guideline levels. The extreme Hg levels published in that study have since been attributed to a secondary spectral output of the element iron. The current study, using analytical techniques which mask iron and are more element-specific than ICAP, found Pb levels to be an order of magnitude lower, and Hg levels to be greater than 2 orders of magnitude lower than the values reported in the previous study; no Spirulina product tested contained Hg or Pb concentrations high enough to approach the WHO/FAO caution guidelines for daily intake of those elements.
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