Comparison of Dried Blood Spot and Microtube Techniques for Trace Element Quantification by ICP-MS.

This article focuses on comparing two microsampling techniques—dried blood spots (DBS) and microtubes—for the analysis of 12 trace elements (TEs) in human whole blood using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The study found that DBS samples exhibited significant background contamination from filter paper and instability of several elements at room temperature, limiting their suitability for accurate TE quantification. In contrast, microtube samples showed low background contamination and good stability across various storage temperatures, making them more appropriate for both research and routine TE analysis. The authors conclude that microtubes are preferable to DBS for capillary blood collection when measuring essential and toxic trace elements by ICP-MS, although further research on filter paper pretreatment and real human samples is suggested to improve DBS applicability.