Levels of Pb, Co, Cu, Ni, Zn, Mn and Cd in the kidney and heart tissues of Epinephelus Microdon collected from the Arabian Gulf, Eastern province of Saudi Arabia, were determined by wet digestion-based atomic absorption method. The results indicated that accumulation pattern of analyzed metals in the kidney tissues followed the order; Zn > Cu > Pb > Ni > Co > Mn > Cd, with Zn at 47.73 +/- 13.26 ppm and Cd at 0.41 +/- 0.16 ppm. Cu, Mn, Co and Ni levels in the kidney tissues were significantly lower or within the ranges reported previously. In the heart tissue the analyzed metals followed almost the same pattern of metal accumulation; Zn > Cu > Pb > Co > Ni > Mn > Cd. The average lead (3.19 +/- 2.03 ppm), nickel (1.69 +/- 0.52 ppm), cobalt (1.75 +/- 0.44 ppm), copper (3.96 +/- 0.98 ppm) and cadmium (0.34 +/- 0.23 ppm) concentrations were found high in the heart tissues whereas zinc and manganese levels were found high in kidney tissues. In general, the data indicated that marine fish from the sampling site of Arabian Gulf are comparatively clean and unpolluted.

The levels of selected heavy metals in popular cigarette brands sold and/or produced in Saudi Arabia were determined by graphite furnace-atomic absorption spectrometry (GFAAS). Average concentrations of Cadmium and Lead in different cigarette brands were 1.81 and 2.46 μg g−1 (dry weight), respectively. The results obtained in this study estimate the average quantity of Cd inhaled from smoking one packet of 20 cigarettes to be in the range of 0.22–0.78 μg. Results suggest that the quantity of Pb inhaled of smoking one packet of 20 cigarettes is estimated to be 0.97–2.64 μg. The concentrations of Cd and Pb in cigarettes were significantly different between cigarette brands tested. The results of the present study were compared with those of other regional and international studies.

The metal contents (Fe, Cu, Zn, Mn, Cr, Pb, Ni, Cd, Co) of 17 black tea samples were analyzed by using Inductively Coupled Plasma Atomic Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-AES). Among the investigated metals Mn was the highest (1,071.7 microg/g), whereas Pb showed minimum levels (0.30 microg/g). Iron was the second highest element found in black tea samples. Lowest Pb concentration (0.30 microg/g) was found in Abu Jabal tea; whereas maximum (2.2 microg/g) was found in Manasul tea. Lowest Cd concentration was found in Lipton whereas maximum level was observed for Al-Diafa tea. The concentrations of Co and Zn in the analyzed samples were in the range of 4.5-17.4 and 23.7-122.4 microg/g, respectively. Metal-to-metal correlation studies showed strong correlations between iron-chromium, iron-cadmium and lead-copper pairs. The data obtained in the present work compared well with the counterpart data reported internationally. Based upon the present safety standards, the tea versions selected in the present study were found to be safe for human consumption.

In the present paper, seven heavy metals (Pb, Cd, Ni, Cu, Zn, Cr and Fe) in canned salmon, sardine and tuna fish were determined by using atomic absorption spectroscopy. Cadmium and lead levels were determined by graphite tube AAS whereas Ni, Cu, Cr and Fe were determined by flame AAS. Analytical results were validated by spiking the samples with various concentrations of these metals for recovery. The metal contents, expressed in microg/g, wet weight, varied depending upon the specie studied. The levels of Pb ranged from 0.03-1.20 microg-g(-1) with an average of 0.313 microg-g(-1) for salmon; 0.03-0.51 microg-g(-1) with an average of 0.233 microg-g(-1) for tuna and 0.13-1.97 microg-g(-1) with an average of 0.835 microg-g(-1) for sardines. The levels of Cd ranged from 0.02-0.38 microg-g(-1) with an average of 0.161 microg-g(-1) for salmon; 0.07-0.64 microg-g(-1) with an average of 0.227 microg-g(-1) for tuna and 0.010-0.690 microg-g(-1) with an average of 0.183 microg-g(-1) for sardines. Comparative evaluation of these metals in three varieties of fish showed that average concentration of lead in sardines is about 4 times and Ni about 3 times higher as compared to tuna. Generally, the levels of these metals follow the order sardine > salmon > tuna. The data generated in the present study compared well with the similar studies carried out in different parts of the world. The results indicate that canned fish, in general and tuna in particular, have concentrations within permissible limits of WHO/FAO levels for these heavy metals. Therefore, their contribution to the total body burden of these metals can be considered as negligibly small.

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The microstructure and cation distribution of Co1−xMnxFe2O4 were investigated and correlated with their electrical properties. Here, Mn substitution enhances the resistive properties which make them favorable for high-frequency applications.

Popular varieties of vegetables were collected from major cities of Saudi Arabia and analyzed for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) contents. Eight important PAH congeners were analyzed. Total PAH contents of the root vegetables like potato and carrot showed higher values (11 μg kg(-1)), whereas turnip showed relatively lower contents at 9.26 μg kg(-1). For the fruit vegetables, all the peels were found to be more contaminated than cores. For leafy vegetables, maximum PAH level was shown by cabbage (8.34 μg kg(-1)), which turned out to be more than any of the cores of fruit vegetables. Among individual PAH congeners, anthracene showed higher levels in all vegetables. For benzo(a)anthracene, maximum concentration (2.21 ± 1.75 μg kg(-1)) was encountered in turnip cores. Highest benzo(e)pyrene concentration was found in potato (2.90 ± 1.10 μg kg(-1)) followed by turnip (2.10 ± 1.09 μg kg(-1)). Benzo(b)fluoranthene and benzo(k)fluoranthene showed relatively lower levels in all samples studied. Human exposure to PAH by consumption of these vegetables is estimated, by using typical Saudi intake rates. The study revealed that cumulative dietary exposure of Saudi population to PAHs ranges from 0.20 to 0.85 μg p(-1) d(-1).

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