Determination of Trace Heavy Metal Contents of Green Vegetable Samples from Kayseri-Turkey by Flame Atomic Absorption Spectrometry

The metal contents of some lettuce (lattuca sativa), cabbage (Brassica olerocea) and spinach (spinoca oleracea)) samples from Kayseri-Turkey were determined by flame atomic absorption spectrometry. The concentrations of Cd, Fe, Co, Mn, Bi, Pb, Zn, Ni and Cu were in the range of 0.7-1.6, 40.1-261.6, 0.1-4.0, 2.5-39.4, 9.9-27.1, 1.6-10.9, 0.3-3.4, 1.4-49.4 and 0.8-5.3 µg/g, respectively. The levels of the analyte ions in the vegetable samples were generally below the values given by WHO and FAO for food samples with exception of cadmium levels.