Physiological and Behavioral Parameters Affecting the Hair Element Content of Young Italian Population

Transcription

1 Physiological and Behavioral Parameters Affecting the Hair Element Content of Young Italian Population Pasquale Avino 1, Geraldo Capannesi 2, Luigina Renzi 2 and Alberto Rosada 2 1 DIT, INAIL, Rome. p.avino@inail.it 2 ENEA, R.C.-Casaccia, Rome

2 Background Some metals are naturally found in the human body and are essential to the human health. For instance, Iron prevents anemia, whereas Zinc is a cofactor in over 100 enzyme reactions. They normally are at low concentrations (trace metals). In high doses, they may be toxic to the human body or produce deficiencies in other trace metals; for example, high levels of zinc can result in a deficiency of copper, another metal required by the body.

3 Hair is an ideal tissue for tracing the human health conditions. It can be cut easily and painlessly and the relative clinical results can give an indication of mineral status and toxic metal accumulation following long term or even acute exposure. A Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis (HTMA) is a test measuring the hair mineral content: if a mineral deficiency or excess is present, then it indicates that a mineral deficiency or excess is within the body, or that the minerals are bio-unavailable.

4 Different authors have found metal and metalloid contents in hair altered by outdoor pollution phenomena such as the levels are significantly affected. The use of hair as biological monitor of the element body concentration at trace and ultra-trace levels, is only possible after opportune washing procedure. The Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis technique allows to analyze the samples with no chemical-physical pre-treatment, avoiding contamination problems and positive/negative artefacts.

5 Scope This study would like to deep the relationship between the concentration levels of 32 elements (essential, toxic, environmental) and some physiological parameters (i.e., gender, hair color, hair type and hair treatment) in population nor environmentally neither occupationally exposed.

6 Hair Sampling & Treatment 131 teenagers (104 males and 27 females) ranging between 15 and 19 years. Before sampling, a questionnaire was submitted to each volunteer. The questionnaire asked some general (i.e., weight, height, age, sex, hair color, hair length) and specific (i.e., residence, residence floor level, diet, drug use, sport activity, hours for indoor and outdoor activity) information; all the donors were no-smokers. This request was necessary for defining the population. Sample preparation: washing in 25 ml acetone for 10 min and rinsing in deionized water. After drying at 40 C for 15 min, each sample is ready for INAA

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8 Check of the methodology in relation to matrix complexity for minimizing the relative matrix effects due to biological variability. The discrepancy between data is below 5% except for As and Hg in the SRM BCR-397 (-6.5% and 5.7%, respectively). Secondary standards: BCR CRM 397 (Human Hair) and IAEA-085. The uncertainty of the methodology has been tested measuring the above secondary standards with solutions of primary standards at different concentrations: all the found data are in agreement with the certified values.

9 Secondary Standards Element BCR-397 IAEA-085 Our data Certified Δ Our data Certified Δ As 0.29± ± ±0.006 (0.126) 4.0 Ca 1522± ± ±34 (929) -2.8 Cd 0.534± ± n.d. - Co 0.56± ± ±0.002 (0.156) -0.6 Cr 93±8 91± n.d. - Cu 113±7 110± ± Fe 575±4 580± ± Hg 13.0± ± ± Mn 10.9± ± ± Mo 6.4± ± n.d. - Se 2.1± ± ± Sr 5.04± ± n.d. - Ti 13.4± ± n.d. - Zn 196±4 199± ±

10 Element concentration (µg g -1 ) Published range Male Female Whole Ag 1.06± ± ± Al 7.27± ± ± As 0.04± ± ± Au 0.21± ± ± Ba 1.48± ± ± Br 4.95± ± ± Ca 2304± ± ± Cd 0.09± ± ± Ce 0.10± ± ± Cl 657± ± ±1150 < Co 0.15± ± ± Cr 0.22± ± ± Cu 14.1± ± ± Fe 15.3± ± ± Hg 1.47± ± ± I 0.76± ± ± >70 K 232± ± ± La 0.02± ± ±0.03 < Mg 173±201 72± ± Mn 0.50± ± ± Mo 0.03± ± ± Na 329± ± ± S 48189± ± ± Sb 0.07± ± ± Sc 0.001± ± ± Se 1.12± ± ± Sn 2.45± ± ± Sr 3.50± ± ± Ti 4.12± ± ± U 0.02± ± ± V 0.09± ± ± Zn 232± ±46 189±82 < The concentration levels determined in this study are in good agreement with previously published ranges in other similar studies. About Mo, V and U rare data are present in literature. These data could be considered the first values in Rome population. On the other hand, scarce data on macrocomponents are present in literature.

11 Elements such as Sulfur and Zinc show lower standard deviation than the other elements. Variance related mainly to hair structure difference. Three reasons: 1) main constituents of hair matrix; 2) present in all the individuals at concentration levels above 100 µg g -1 ; 3) levels not so much affected by exogenous contributions. For all other elements variances are very high (in many cases the standard deviation is higher than the mean value) meaning the influence of exogenous pollutants to be strong. Concentrations are very low whereas standard deviations large depending on the group characterization Large variance due to gender (male and female), hair color (light brown, dark brown, blonde, black, red), hair type (straight, wavy, curly) and hair treatment (not any, gel, perm, coloring, lightning).

12 Element concentration (µg g -1 ) Brown Black Blonde Red light (n=27) dark (n=80) (n=13) (n=7) (n=4) Ag 0.29± ± ± ± ±0.03 Al 7.98± ± ± ± ±2.04 As 0.06± ± ± ± ±0.03 Au 0.10± ± ± ± ±0.09 Ba 0.87± ± ± ± ±0.00 Br 5.54± ± ± ± ±17.5 Ca 1776± ± ± ± ±210 Cd 0.04± ± ± ± ±0.08 Ce 0.13± ± ± ± ±0.05 Cl 1291± ± ± ± ±1938 Co 0.12± ± ± ± ±0.28 Cr 0.17± ± ± ± ±0.18 Cu 11.6± ± ± ± ±9.61 Fe 17.5± ± ± ± ±121 Hg 1.08± ± ± ± ±0.19 I 0.50± ± ± ± ±0.11 K 258± ± ± ± ±333 La 0.03± ± ± ± ±0.03 Mg 145±210 79±52 103±75 79± ±20.4 Mn 0.41± ± ± ± ±1.13 Mo 0.04± ± ± ± ±0.50 Na 476± ± ± ± ±1025 S 53400± ± ± ± ±16826 Sb 0.07± ± ± ± ±0.02 Sc ± ± ± ± ± Se 1.17± ± ± ± ±0.04 Sn 0.54± ± ± ± ±0.00 Sr 2.87± ± ± ± ±1.53 Ti 4.21± ± ± ± ±0.00 U 0.02± ± ± ± ±0.008 V 0.09± ± ± ± ±0.05 Zn 240± ±46 184±73 188±24 189±14

13 Some elements, Al, Zn, K and S, show similar values in all the profiles. (light and dark) Brown and black color hairs show very few difference in the element profile as well as the blonde color hair. Red color hairs shows substantially differences among the five different element profiles. In particular, Fe (5-times), Mn (2-times) and Na (2-times) are higher than the other levels in the other hair colors whereas Mg (up to 10-times), Sr (up to 4-times), Ca and Hg (2-times) show lower levels. Hair type does not point out any significant correlation.

14 Canonical Discriminant Anal Canonical correlation coefficient V1 V2 V3 Ag Al As Au Ba Br Ca Ce Cl Co Cr Cu Fe Hg I K La Mg Mn Mo Na S Sb Sc Se Sr U V Zn V1: high correlation coefficients for alkaline-earth metals, i.e., Mg, Ca, Ba and Sr. Good describer of similar behavior of such elements in human metabolism. V2: high correlation coefficients for I, Cl and Ca whereas lower correlation coefficients for Zn, Au, Hg, Ag and V. Good describer of exogenous influences on the population group. V3: any significant correlations.

15 Principal Component Anal F2 F1

16 Relationship For determining the influence of pollutants on the human health: correlation between average selected element composition in hair and the content of the same species in some environmental compartments. Table shows both the heavy metals levels in scalp hair and in different environmental compartments, and the linear equations with the relative regression coefficients (R 2 ).

17 Hair Water Air Food Smoke µg/70-kg standard man As Cd Cr Cu Hg Mn Sb Se Sn Zn Equation y=2.51x+32.2 y=0.16x+1.8 y=70.6x+727 y=-0.06x+21.7 R

18 The R2 results are very interesting: Thank you for your kind Ø Poor R related to the correlation among elements and smoke (R = 0.009), confirms no student toattention be smoker. 2 2 Ø Very good correlations with air (R2= 0.966) and food (R2= 0.934) and the good correlation with water (R2= 0.861) demonstrate the direct influence of the environmental local conditions on the levels of essential and toxic elements. These considerations, to be enlarged by comparing all the elements investigated, propose a hypothesis of considering these values as tentative reference values for such elements in hairs of Italian teenagers.