The strontium, lithium and calcium contents have been determined in 87 samples of five kinds of milk-fermented products, as well as in 93 samples of ten kinds of marine smoked fish. The samples were purchased on the local market. The representative samples were dry ashed in quartz crucibles and the ash was treated with suitable amounts of conc. HCl and a few drops of conc. HNO3. The obtained sample solution was then used for the determination of Sr, Li and Ca by the flame atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS) method. Ca and Li were determined using the air-acetylene flame and Sr with nitrous oxide-acetylene flame, according to the manufacturer's recommendations. The contents of Sr in the fermented milk products ranged from 0.21 to 0.79 (mean 0.44 +/- 0.07) and in the marine smoked fish from 0.02 to 4.63 (mean 1.16 +/- 0.24) mg/kg of the edible form of both products. Li contents in the milk products ranged from 0.01 to 0.50 (mean 0.07 +/- 0.04) and in the smoked fish from 0.00 to 0.58 (mean 0.11 +/- 0.08) mg/kg. The calcium was highest in the milk products and ranged from 1,010 to 2,020.0 (mean 1,377 +/- 143) mg/kg. In the smoked fish calcium varied strongly and ranged from 40 to 1,052 (mean 303 +/- 53) mg/kg of the edible form. The calculated average ratio of strontium to calcium (mg Sr/1 g Ca) in the milk beverages and yogurts amounted 0.32 and in the smoked fish was 12 times as high and amounted 3.84. The main purpose of this work was to present Ca, Sr and Li together. This is justified because Sr and to some extent also Li are able to modulate Ca metabolism and vice versa.

The levels of aluminium and fluoride have been determined in hospital daily diets including breakfast, dinner and supper, as well as in black teas and herbal teas purchased from the local market. In tea, aluminium was determined directly in a sample solution by atomic absorption spectroscopy using nitrous oxide and an acetylene flame. For analysis of the hospital diet, samples containing lower levels of aluminium were analysed using a spectrophotometric method which measured aluminium in the form of a 8-hydroxyquinoline complex. Decomposition of the samples was achieved using a mixture of concentrated acids [nitric (HNO3), perchloric (HClO4) and sulphuric (H2SO4)] in platinum dishes. Fluoride was assayed by spectrophotometry using a microdiffusion procedure with a mixture of concentrated HClO4 and silver sulphate, trace amounts of the released fluoride [as hydrogen fluoride (HF)] were trapped on the alkaline surface of a Petri dish and then determined in the form of an alizarin-fluoride complex. The mean level of aluminium found in hospital daily diets amounted to 21.3 +/- 12.3 mg and the mean level of fluoride was 1.38 +/- 1.12 mg per adult person. In the 16 samples of commerically available brands of black teas, the levels of aluminium and fluoride ranged from 445 to 1552 ppm (mean = 897 +/- 264 ppm) and from 30 to 340 ppm (mean 141 +/- 85 ppm), respectively. In six herbal teas, the mean levels of aluminium and fluoride were lower, and amounted to 218.9 +/- 150.7 ppm and 6.0 +/- 6.9 ppm, respectively. This study has shown that concern about a high intake of aluminium and fluoride from these foods is unfounded.

No abstract