Narrow Results

PIXE technique was applied to the measurement of elements in the placenta, maternal blood and cord blood of human. The elements determined in these samples include Cl, K, Ca, Fe, Cu and Zn. The values obtained by PIXE were compared with those by ICP-AES to test the accuracy of the method. In placental samples, the mean values of K, Fe, Cu and Zn concentrations obtained by the two methods agree, while Ca concentration is lower in PIXE analysis. The values from PIXE, however, show larger variations resulting from inhomogeneity of the placental samples composed of various tissues different in histological functions. In the analysis of blood samples, the results of the two methods agree for Cl, K, Ca, Fe, Cu and Zn, although the standard deviations tend to be larger in PIXE. These results indicate that PIXE is a useful method for the determination of elements in placental and blood samples, although the preparation to homogenize sample is necessary to obtain accurate results.