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Table 2 Limits and experimental results of toxic contaminant tests

From: Quality assurance for Chinese herbal formulae: standardization of IBS-20, a 20-herb preparation

Test

Limit (maximum)

Herbal formula

Heavy metals:

  

Arsenic (As)

2.0 mg/kgb

0.30 mg/kg

Cadmium (Cd)

0.3 mg/kgb

0.13 mg/kg

Mercury (Hg)

0.2 mg/kgb

Not detectable

Lead (Pb)

5.0 mg/kgb

0.34 mg/kg

Pesticide residues:

  

Aldrin and dieldrin (sum of)

0.05 mg/kgb

Not detectable

Chlordane (sum of cis-, trans- and oxychlordane)

0.05 mg/kgb

Not detectable

DDT (sum of p,p'-DDT, o,p'-DDT, p,p'-DDE and p,p'-TDE)

1.0 mg/kgb

Not detectable

Endrin

0.05 mg/kgb

Not detectable

Heptachlor (sum of heptachlor and heptachlor epoxide)

0.05 mg/kgb

Not detectable

Hexachlorobenzene

0.1 mg/kgb

Not detectable

Hexachlorocyclohexane isomers (α-, β- and δ- hexachlorocyclohexane)

0.3 mg/kgb

Not detectable

Lindane (γ-hexachlorocyclohexane)

0.6 mg/kgb

Not detectable

Quintozene (sum of quintozene, pentachloroaniline and methyl pentachlorophenyl sulphide)

1.0 mg/kgb

Not detectable

Mycotoxins:

  

Aflatoxin B1

5 μg/kgb

Not detectable

Sum of aflatoxins B1, B2, G1 and G2

10 μg/kgb

Not detectable

Microbiological:

  

Total plate counts

1000 colony/ga

< 10 colony/g

Yeast and mould

100 colony/ga

< 10 colony/g

Escherichia coli

Absenta

Absent

Salmonella species

Absent

Absent

  1. a Limit required by the Pharmacopoeia of the People's Republic of China (2005 edition)
  2. b Limit required by the Hong Kong Chinese Materia Medica Standards