Application of Neutron Activation Analysis for Assessment of Essential and Toxic Elements in Some Medicinal Herbs of the Sundarbans of Bangladesh

In this research work, the Neutron Activation Analysis (NAA) method was employed to assess the essential and toxic elements present in two medicinal plants (Cynodon dactylon, and Acanthus ilicifolius) collected from three different locations by the rivers of the Sundarbans, Bangladesh. The rhizosphere soil of the respective plants and surface soil from those locations were also examined for elemental analysis. Two standard samples (IAEA-CRM-SL-1 and NIST-SRM- 1547) were allowed to evaluate the accuracy of the analysis. For quantification of the elements by NAA, all these samples were irradiated in a rabbit irradiation facility of 3 MW TRIGA MARK-II research reactor of Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission (BAEC), and gamma-ray spectrometry of the irradiated samples was performed using high-resolution HPGe detector system at NAA laboratory of BAEC. The transmissions of elements from the rhizosphere to the plants were measured using the transfer factor. A total of 9 elements (Al, Ca, Cl, Dy, K, Mn, Na, Ti, and V) in the plant samples and 8 elements (Al, Ca, Dy, K, Mn, Na, Ti and V) in the soil samples were found. The concentration values of those elements in the plant samples were found to be safe for consumption. No such toxic elements were determined rather most of those are very essential for humans and animals. In the future, the elemental concentration in different parts of such plants can be monitored, and the average daily intake of these parts by the local people and using the health hazard quotient, the approximate human health behavior can be determined with the assistance of the result of this study.

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