Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
, H. G orecka, H. G orecki
Institute of Inorganic Technology and Mineral Fertilizers, Wrocaw University of Technology, ul. Smoluchowskiego 25, 50-372 Wrocaw, Poland
Received 10 October 2005; accepted 23 November 2005
Available online 7 February 2006
Abstract
Hair samples (N=83) were collected between the years 1996 and 2003 frominhabitants of Wrocaw, a city located in Lower Silesia, south-western
Poland (urbanized and industrialized region). The concentrations of 33 elements: Ca, Mg, Na, K, Cu, Zn, P, Fe, Mn, Cr, Se, B, Co, Mo, Si, V, Ni, Be,
Hg, Cd, Al, Pb, As, Ba, Au, Pt, Ag, Sr, Sn, Ti, W, Sb and Zr in hair were determined by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS)
and inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES) techniques. The effect of age, sex, smoking habits and hair color on the
elemental composition of hair was investigated. Also, the obtained results were compared with literature data. It was found that the composition of
hair varied with age, sex, hair color and smoking habits. This concerned the majority of elements except Ti, Se, Mn, Ni, Hg, Cd, As, Co (in the case
of effect of age), Al, Cd, Co (sex), Cd, K, Ag, Ca, Co, Be (smoking habit), P, Fe, Al, Mn and Cr (hair color). Therefore, reference values for the level
of the remaining elements should be normalized according to age, sex, smoking habit and hair color. This would make hair analysis more reliable.
2006 Published by Elsevier B.V.
Keywords: Smoking habit; Hair color; Hair analysis
1. Introduction
Human hair has recently been used as a tool that enabled
to assess the environmental exposure to heavy metals (as
biomarker) and metabolic status of an organism concerning
essential trace elements (Bencko, 1995; Ashraf and Jaffar, 1997;
Ashraf et al., 1995). Several advantages of this method were
found, although several limitations were encountered in the
application of hair analysis in, for instance, clinical medicine
(Rodushkin and Axelssom, 2000). The main problems that arose
were related to the interpretation of the results, since the extent to
which elements are accumulated in hair could be a characteristic
of an individual person.
Undoubtedly, hair analysis is a non-invasive method of diag-
nosis. Hair can be easily sampled, collected, stored and trans-
ported. Moreover, it provides a long-terminformation. Also, the
concentration of elements in hair is high when compared with
body tissues or uids (Nowak, 1998).
Release of elements from body tissues and uids to hair is a
method of detoxication of an organism. The excess of a given