Chlorpheniramine maleate–paracetamol–caffeine tablet formulation is one of the common over-the-counter drugs used for the treatment of cold and cough. A reversed-phase high-performance liquid-chromatography method has been successfully developed for the simultaneous determination of chlorpheniramine maleate, paracetamol and caffeine in a drug formulation. The RP-HPLC method employed a Phenomenex C18 reversed phase column (Luna 5µ, 250 × 4.6 mm) with an isocratic mixture of methanol and 0.05 M dibasic phosphate buffer pH 4.0 in the ratio of (30:70; v/v) as the mobile phase. The column temperature was kept at 30 °C. The flow rate was 1.0 mL/min and detection was by means of a UV detector at wavelength of 215 nm. All the active components were successfully eluted with mean retention times of 2.4, 4.2, 7.2 min for chlorpheniramine maleate, paracetamol and caffeine respectively. The method was found to be linear (R2 > 0.99), precise (RSD < 2.0 %), accurate (recoveries 97.9–102.8 %), specific, simple, sensitive, rapid and robust. The validated method can be used in routine quality control analysis of fixed dose combination tablets containing chlorpheniramine maleate, paracetamol and caffeine without any interference by excipients.

and France were investigated. The cigarettes from Vietnam and Thailand had the highest trend of Hg. Meanwhile, Cd was found higher in cigarettes from Thailand, the UK, and Belgium. Pb concentrations in cigarettes from Belgium, the UK, and Korea were higher than others. The average of these heavy metals concentrated in cigarettes was in the order of Pb > Cd > Hg. Furthermore, the contents of these heavy metals in cigarette leaves were much higher than in filter and rolling paper. There was a significant positive correlation between Hg and Cd, but no correlation between Cd and Pb and between Hg and Pb. Significant positive correlations of nicotine with Hg and Cd but not Pb in the cigarette were observed. Activated carbon filters (Ce-C) absorb Cd and Pb from cigarette leaves and rolling paper indicated a higher trapping trend than cellulose acetate filter without activated carbon (Ce). The trapping ratios of Ce-C (Cd: 5.53%, Pb:5.41%) were higher than Ce (Cd:3.09%, Pb:5.49%). On the other hand, Hg had lower absorption by both types of filters (Ce:0.15%, Ce-C:0.02%). This revealed that Hg, Cd and Pb absorption ability by both filters was relatively lower to the total concentration of these metals in tobacco leaves and rolling paper. The concern was that the higher concentrations of metals such as Hg, Cd and Pb in cigarettes might exist in mainstream smoke.

Artisanal and Small Scale Gold Mining (ASGM) contributes as the biggest source of mercury (Hg) emission in Southeast Asian countries including Indonesia. Rice paddies are the most impacted agriculture area caused by Hg emission from ASGM sewage water. It may pose to health risk effect to humans due to the consumption of the rice as the staple food. This study was aimed to evaluate the Hg accumulation in rice and health effect to residents in Lebaksitu ASGM area by analysis of total mercury (THg) and methylmercury (MeHg) in hair. Two villages were selected in this study, Hg hotspot village (Lebak-1) and low Hg exposure village (Lebak-2). The THg concentration in rice ranged from 9.1-115 µg/kg with an average of 32.2 µg/kg. MeHg concentration in rice constituted 14.7-81.8% of the THg. Rice in Lebak-1 had higher THg and MeHg concentrations than those in Lebak-2. The mean THg and MeHg concentration in hair were 3.2 mg/kg and 1.78 mg/kg, respectively. Residents in Lebak-1 had significantly higher THg and MeHg in hair than those collected from Lebak-2. The MeHg ratio to THg in hair varied widely ranged from 15.68-92.43%. There was a significant correlation between high intake of MeHg from rice and the accumulation of MeHg in the hair. It was concluded that rice is the potential source of MeHg exposure to humans through daily consumption in rice consumer countries.

Food consumption remains the commonest pathway through which humans ingest higher levels of mercury (Hg). Long-term exposure to Hg through Hg-contaminated food may result in acute or chronic Hg toxicity. Incessant discharge of Hg waste from ASGM facilities into nearby farms contaminates food crops. Ingestion of such food crops by residents may lead to detrimental human health effects. The human health risks upon exposure to total mercury (THg) and methylmercury (MeHg) in farmland soils and plantains from farms sited near ASGM facilities were studied in four communities around Obuasi, Ghana. The human health risk assessment was evaluated using hazard quotient (HQ), estimated average daily intake ( e AvDI), hazard index (HI) and Hg elimination and retention kinetics. Tweapease, Nyamebekyere and Ahansonyewodea had HQ, e AvDI and HI for THg of plantains for both adults and children below the recommended USEPA limit of 1, 3 Â 10 À4 mg/kg/day and 1, respectively. Odumase had HQ, e AvDI and HI for THg of plantains for both adults and children, higher than the guideline values. This meant that only Odumase may cause non-carcinogenic human health effects upon repeated exposure. The HQ, e AvDI and HI values of MeHg for all the study areas were far below guideline values, hence may not pose any non-carcinogenic human health risks to residents even upon repeated exposure. Retention and elimination kinetics of Hg also showed that only plantains from Odumase may pose significant non-carcinogenic human health risks to residents because the final amount of inorganic mercury exceeded the extrapolated USEPA guideline value of 0.393 μg/kg/year.