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Neutron activation analysis of trace elements in human hair: Effect of dietary and environmental factors
Nucl. Med. Biol. Vol. 14, No. 5, pp. 499-501, 1987
ht. J. Radial.
Appl. Instrum.
0883-2897/87
Part B
Copyright 0
$3.00 + 0.00
1987 Pergamon Journals Ltd
Printed in Great Britain. All rights reserved
Neutron Activation Analysis of Trace Elements in Human Hair: Effect of Dietary and Environmental Factors G. LAL, N. P. S. SIDHU, INDERJIT
SINGH, V. K. MITTAL and H. S. SAHOTA
Department of Physics, Punjabi University, Patiala 147002, India (Received 10
October
1986)
Effect of environment and dietary habits on trace element contents in human scalp hair has been investigated in the present work. Trace elements were detected with neutron activation technique. It was found that diet and environment contribute largely towards the trace elements in human body. Further
trace elements Te, Lu, Ba, Cs, Yb, Re, Hf, In and Ir were detected for the first time in human scalp hair.
Introduction The knowledge of trace elements in the normal population is essential, so that any deviation from these may be monitored. Composition of trace elements can vary from region to region due to dietary habits and pollution of biosphere. This information is essential in the young generation so that some regional standards can be evolved. There are no data available on trace elements in the normal population in the Punjab region. Moreover, it would be interesting to know about the effects of Zn deficiency in the soil of the Punjab region, on the human body. Of all the body tissues and fluids, head hair has been found to be the most suitable for analysis, because of easy accessibility for experimentation and since hair has been found to keep a continuous record of trace element concentrations in the body. Therefore, in the present experiment trace element analysis of scalp hair of the normal population has been carried out by the neutron activation method. In this study, 27 trace elements have been identified and concentrations of these elements were calculated.
Sample Preparation The normal population chosen in the present experiment are 40 young male school-going children in the age-group 12-16 years, with no record of disease, either non-hereditary or hereditary. These subjects are residents of Patiala region, and none had had any significant environmental or occupational exposure to metals. Academic records of the selected subjects was also good, showing no mental retardation. N.M.B. W-D
About 250-350 mg of hair samples were collected from different areas of the head. These samples were washed with detergent and cleaned with distilled water. The samples were finally washed with the procedure recommended by the IAEA (1978). The dried samples were wrapped in clean aluminium foils and irradiated for a week in the CIRUS reactor at Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Trombay, under a thermal neutron flux of Bombay, 2 x 10” n/cm2/s. NBS standard reference material bovine liver (1577A) was also exposed to neutrons in the reactor by wrapping it in the same manner and irradiating it under exactly the same conditions as for hair samples. After irradiation, samples and standards were weighed and transferred to clean polythene bags for counting.
Method of Analysis Gamma ray spectra were taken with two detectors: (i) a 50cm3 true coaxial Ge(Li) detector, and (ii) a 125cm’ HpGe detector, both coupled with a 4096 channel multichannel analyser. The resolution of the detection systems were 2.0 keV and 3.1 keV respectively for a 1332 keV @Co line. The y-ray spectra from the samples and standards were recorded in two parts: (a) After an initial cooling down time of 48 h so as to cover short-lived isotopes. A typical spectrum is shown in Fig. 1. Peaks are marked with energy (in kev) and isotopes.
G. LAL et al.
500 x IO3
2or 16
6
6
960
26
22
18
,,,;)( 9 1’14: f ; ,,,,,,,, A. :‘\ j i
14
“.,
10
i. .,, :... :.,i
...,...”
6
I
x IO' 8
..,..
.... ,,:.::,.... ...._...... ,...(,_,, \ ..,.....; A... ,..,,
I
1425
IOEO .x c 6T
xio'r
;;
0
c F 6
A..... ..,..(.
'k.,,. " .. '.., ...........(. '..,
4
:'~.,,....,.....'
2
0
Chonnel number
2475
Fig. 1. Typical y-ray spectrum of neutron irradiated human hair taken with a 125em’ HpGe detector.
(b) After a cooling down time of 30 days so as to count long lived activities. All the y-ray spectra were analysed manually. The present nuclides were identified and quantitated through the most intense and distinct photopeak of each nuclide. Results and Discmsion The 27 elements detected and quantitated in the present experiment are shown in Table 1. Statistical treatment of data was carried out as follows: the range and the arithmetic (AM) and geometric means (GM) of the elements were obtained from samples which showed detectable contents larger than or
equal to their standard deviations. Medians were obtained as the value that divides all the experimental values into two equal portions. The measured range, AM, GM and median are shown in 2nd, 3rd 4th and 5th column of Table 1. For comparison, we have also given the GM for population in Bangladesh (Husain et al., 1980). India (Arunachalam et cd., 1978), and Japan (Imahori et al., 1978). If we compare our results with those available in literature, many interesting features are seen, which are discussed below: (a) As expected, Ag and Au were found to be higher in the Punjab population. This is because of the habit of eating extremely thin foils of Ag and Au with some foods.
Trace elements in human hair Table I. Comparison
of trace element concentrations
@g/g) detected in the present investigation to that available in literature
Range Elements Min.
Att Au Ba Br Ca Ce co Cr CS Fe Hf Hg In Ir La LU Na Rb Re Sb SC Se Sn Te Th Yb Zn
Max.
AM
1.806 2.188 0.249 0.019 12.81 19.58 0.231 1.140 160 2400 0.320 1.529 0.155 0.030 0.087 0.772 0.017 0.354 10.79 65.07 1.476 11.142 1.974 0.776 0.454 0.542 0.0003 0.0012 2.271 0.905 2.138 6.302 116 632 0.164 0.581 0.0021 0.0055 0.129 3.077 0.0018 0.023 I 0.970 2.503 175 377 60.8 228.2 0.4617 0.0138 0.314 1.161 80.6 178.0
‘Value from Al-Shahristani
1.976*0.137 0.079 * 0.095 16.37 f 2.77 0.591 + 0.373 1177 I 882 0.729 5 0.549 0.084 + 0.048 0.284 f 0.326 0.098 + 0.146 31.79 + 25.04 4.129 i 4.083 1.192 f 0.517 0.486 + 0.357 0.0006 f 0.0063 1.368 + 0.557 4.482 f 1.691 283 + 225 0.423 + 0.156 0.0039 * 0.0014 0.858 f 1.260 0.0098 f 0.0098 I .569 f 0.662 265 k 77 134.5 f 69.5 0.1353 * 0.186 1.043 + 0.519 108.6 + 39.6
501
Median
GM 1.972+ 0.051 * 16.18 k 0.495 * 841 f 0.604 + 0.072 + 0.189 f 0.045 + 24.36 f 2.98 + I.121 * 0.485 + 0.0005 5 1.289 i 4.187+ 222 i: 0.340 k 0.0037 * 0.404 f 0.005 f 1.476 + 256 f 121.0 + 0.0651 + 0.908 + 104.0 f
1.1 3.0 1.20 2.21 2.51 2.19 2.05 2.73 3.29 2.01 2.18 1.45 1.01 1.51 1.43 1.51 1.85 1.58 1.44 2.57 2.89 1.48 I .27 1.81 3.11 1.77 1.22
I .963
0.046 15.53 0.610 862 0.535 0.075 0.138 0.02 1 17.62 2.228 1.023 0.470 0.0004 1.167 4.299 162 0.451 0.0036 0.259 0.0040 1.403 238 124.6 0.0629 0.936 92.6
Bangladesh (Husain er al.) GM
-
India (Arunachalam et al.) GM 0.39 + 2.58
2.0 k 1.48 6.05 * 1.48 2.1 ?r. 1.85 25.76 f 1.7 -
-
-
0.16 f 2.11 0.006 f 3.07 3.55 f 2.41 787 It 1.88 0.54 i 1.63 0.059 * 2.20 0.27 k 1.80 27.6 f I .89 4.36 + 1.89 -
0.08 & 3.60
0.023 + 2.65
1.92 + 0.14 f 0.05 f 0.34 f 50 f
28 + 0.98 f 0.09 f 0.005 f 1.32 + -
-
-
137 f 1.25
Japan (Imahori et al.) GM
1.83 3.38 2.16 2.34 1.72
1.58 2.34 2.16 1.63 2.46
128 + 1.50
34.4 + 0.041 + 0.0052 k 3.18 + 46.2 + 0.07 + 153 +
2.19
2.17 2.03 1.78 1.99 2.01 1.41
et al. (1978).
(b) Because of less pollution in this region, Br, Cr, Hg, Se and Rb are low in this region. (c) The concentrations of Ca, Co, Cr, SC, Ce, Fe and Th are comparable to the values obtained in other parts of the world. (d) Concentrations of Na, Sn, La and Sb are high in the Punjab population. The high concentration of Na is explicable due to the fact that in warm tropical weather in the Punjab, the intake of table salt is high, and that of Sn is due to the fact that kitchen utensils are coated with a thin film of Sn. (e) As expected the concentration of Zn is slightly low in this region due to the fact that Punjab soil is deficit in Zn content. (f) Isotopes Te, Lu, Ba, Cs, Yb, Re, Hf, In and Ir were detected for the first time in human hair.
References Al-Shahristani H., Shihab K. M. and Jalil M. (1978) Distribution and significance of trace element pollutants in hair of Iraqi population. IAEA-&U-227/7. Arunachalam J., Gangadharn S. and Yegnasubranian (1978) Elemental data on human hair sampled from Indian student population and their interpretation for studies in environmental exposure. IAEA-f&U-227/24. Husain M., Khaliquxzaman M., Abdullah M., Ahmed I. and Khan A. H. (1980) ht. J. Appl. Radiat. hot. 31,527. Imahori A., Fukushima I., Shiobara S., Tomura K., SuxukiYasumoto M., Yukawa M. and Terai M. (1978) A study of trace elements concentrations in human hair of some local populations in Japan. IAEA-&U-227/16. International Atomic Energy Agency (1978) Activation analysis of hair as an indicator of contamination of man by environmental trace element pollutants. IAEA/RL/50. (Unpriced document to be continually updated).
ht. J. Radial.
Appl. Instrum.
0883-2897/87
Part B
Copyright 0
$3.00 + 0.00
1987 Pergamon Journals Ltd
Printed in Great Britain. All rights reserved
Neutron Activation Analysis of Trace Elements in Human Hair: Effect of Dietary and Environmental Factors G. LAL, N. P. S. SIDHU, INDERJIT
SINGH, V. K. MITTAL and H. S. SAHOTA
Department of Physics, Punjabi University, Patiala 147002, India (Received 10
October
1986)
Effect of environment and dietary habits on trace element contents in human scalp hair has been investigated in the present work. Trace elements were detected with neutron activation technique. It was found that diet and environment contribute largely towards the trace elements in human body. Further
trace elements Te, Lu, Ba, Cs, Yb, Re, Hf, In and Ir were detected for the first time in human scalp hair.
Introduction The knowledge of trace elements in the normal population is essential, so that any deviation from these may be monitored. Composition of trace elements can vary from region to region due to dietary habits and pollution of biosphere. This information is essential in the young generation so that some regional standards can be evolved. There are no data available on trace elements in the normal population in the Punjab region. Moreover, it would be interesting to know about the effects of Zn deficiency in the soil of the Punjab region, on the human body. Of all the body tissues and fluids, head hair has been found to be the most suitable for analysis, because of easy accessibility for experimentation and since hair has been found to keep a continuous record of trace element concentrations in the body. Therefore, in the present experiment trace element analysis of scalp hair of the normal population has been carried out by the neutron activation method. In this study, 27 trace elements have been identified and concentrations of these elements were calculated.
Sample Preparation The normal population chosen in the present experiment are 40 young male school-going children in the age-group 12-16 years, with no record of disease, either non-hereditary or hereditary. These subjects are residents of Patiala region, and none had had any significant environmental or occupational exposure to metals. Academic records of the selected subjects was also good, showing no mental retardation. N.M.B. W-D
About 250-350 mg of hair samples were collected from different areas of the head. These samples were washed with detergent and cleaned with distilled water. The samples were finally washed with the procedure recommended by the IAEA (1978). The dried samples were wrapped in clean aluminium foils and irradiated for a week in the CIRUS reactor at Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Trombay, under a thermal neutron flux of Bombay, 2 x 10” n/cm2/s. NBS standard reference material bovine liver (1577A) was also exposed to neutrons in the reactor by wrapping it in the same manner and irradiating it under exactly the same conditions as for hair samples. After irradiation, samples and standards were weighed and transferred to clean polythene bags for counting.
Method of Analysis Gamma ray spectra were taken with two detectors: (i) a 50cm3 true coaxial Ge(Li) detector, and (ii) a 125cm’ HpGe detector, both coupled with a 4096 channel multichannel analyser. The resolution of the detection systems were 2.0 keV and 3.1 keV respectively for a 1332 keV @Co line. The y-ray spectra from the samples and standards were recorded in two parts: (a) After an initial cooling down time of 48 h so as to cover short-lived isotopes. A typical spectrum is shown in Fig. 1. Peaks are marked with energy (in kev) and isotopes.
G. LAL et al.
500 x IO3
2or 16
6
6
960
26
22
18
,,,;)( 9 1’14: f ; ,,,,,,,, A. :‘\ j i
14
“.,
10
i. .,, :... :.,i
...,...”
6
I
x IO' 8
..,..
.... ,,:.::,.... ...._...... ,...(,_,, \ ..,.....; A... ,..,,
I
1425
IOEO .x c 6T
xio'r
;;
0
c F 6
A..... ..,..(.
'k.,,. " .. '.., ...........(. '..,
4
:'~.,,....,.....'
2
0
Chonnel number
2475
Fig. 1. Typical y-ray spectrum of neutron irradiated human hair taken with a 125em’ HpGe detector.
(b) After a cooling down time of 30 days so as to count long lived activities. All the y-ray spectra were analysed manually. The present nuclides were identified and quantitated through the most intense and distinct photopeak of each nuclide. Results and Discmsion The 27 elements detected and quantitated in the present experiment are shown in Table 1. Statistical treatment of data was carried out as follows: the range and the arithmetic (AM) and geometric means (GM) of the elements were obtained from samples which showed detectable contents larger than or
equal to their standard deviations. Medians were obtained as the value that divides all the experimental values into two equal portions. The measured range, AM, GM and median are shown in 2nd, 3rd 4th and 5th column of Table 1. For comparison, we have also given the GM for population in Bangladesh (Husain et al., 1980). India (Arunachalam et cd., 1978), and Japan (Imahori et al., 1978). If we compare our results with those available in literature, many interesting features are seen, which are discussed below: (a) As expected, Ag and Au were found to be higher in the Punjab population. This is because of the habit of eating extremely thin foils of Ag and Au with some foods.
Trace elements in human hair Table I. Comparison
of trace element concentrations
@g/g) detected in the present investigation to that available in literature
Range Elements Min.
Att Au Ba Br Ca Ce co Cr CS Fe Hf Hg In Ir La LU Na Rb Re Sb SC Se Sn Te Th Yb Zn
Max.
AM
1.806 2.188 0.249 0.019 12.81 19.58 0.231 1.140 160 2400 0.320 1.529 0.155 0.030 0.087 0.772 0.017 0.354 10.79 65.07 1.476 11.142 1.974 0.776 0.454 0.542 0.0003 0.0012 2.271 0.905 2.138 6.302 116 632 0.164 0.581 0.0021 0.0055 0.129 3.077 0.0018 0.023 I 0.970 2.503 175 377 60.8 228.2 0.4617 0.0138 0.314 1.161 80.6 178.0
‘Value from Al-Shahristani
1.976*0.137 0.079 * 0.095 16.37 f 2.77 0.591 + 0.373 1177 I 882 0.729 5 0.549 0.084 + 0.048 0.284 f 0.326 0.098 + 0.146 31.79 + 25.04 4.129 i 4.083 1.192 f 0.517 0.486 + 0.357 0.0006 f 0.0063 1.368 + 0.557 4.482 f 1.691 283 + 225 0.423 + 0.156 0.0039 * 0.0014 0.858 f 1.260 0.0098 f 0.0098 I .569 f 0.662 265 k 77 134.5 f 69.5 0.1353 * 0.186 1.043 + 0.519 108.6 + 39.6
501
Median
GM 1.972+ 0.051 * 16.18 k 0.495 * 841 f 0.604 + 0.072 + 0.189 f 0.045 + 24.36 f 2.98 + I.121 * 0.485 + 0.0005 5 1.289 i 4.187+ 222 i: 0.340 k 0.0037 * 0.404 f 0.005 f 1.476 + 256 f 121.0 + 0.0651 + 0.908 + 104.0 f
1.1 3.0 1.20 2.21 2.51 2.19 2.05 2.73 3.29 2.01 2.18 1.45 1.01 1.51 1.43 1.51 1.85 1.58 1.44 2.57 2.89 1.48 I .27 1.81 3.11 1.77 1.22
I .963
0.046 15.53 0.610 862 0.535 0.075 0.138 0.02 1 17.62 2.228 1.023 0.470 0.0004 1.167 4.299 162 0.451 0.0036 0.259 0.0040 1.403 238 124.6 0.0629 0.936 92.6
Bangladesh (Husain er al.) GM
-
India (Arunachalam et al.) GM 0.39 + 2.58
2.0 k 1.48 6.05 * 1.48 2.1 ?r. 1.85 25.76 f 1.7 -
-
-
0.16 f 2.11 0.006 f 3.07 3.55 f 2.41 787 It 1.88 0.54 i 1.63 0.059 * 2.20 0.27 k 1.80 27.6 f I .89 4.36 + 1.89 -
0.08 & 3.60
0.023 + 2.65
1.92 + 0.14 f 0.05 f 0.34 f 50 f
28 + 0.98 f 0.09 f 0.005 f 1.32 + -
-
-
137 f 1.25
Japan (Imahori et al.) GM
1.83 3.38 2.16 2.34 1.72
1.58 2.34 2.16 1.63 2.46
128 + 1.50
34.4 + 0.041 + 0.0052 k 3.18 + 46.2 + 0.07 + 153 +
2.19
2.17 2.03 1.78 1.99 2.01 1.41
et al. (1978).
(b) Because of less pollution in this region, Br, Cr, Hg, Se and Rb are low in this region. (c) The concentrations of Ca, Co, Cr, SC, Ce, Fe and Th are comparable to the values obtained in other parts of the world. (d) Concentrations of Na, Sn, La and Sb are high in the Punjab population. The high concentration of Na is explicable due to the fact that in warm tropical weather in the Punjab, the intake of table salt is high, and that of Sn is due to the fact that kitchen utensils are coated with a thin film of Sn. (e) As expected the concentration of Zn is slightly low in this region due to the fact that Punjab soil is deficit in Zn content. (f) Isotopes Te, Lu, Ba, Cs, Yb, Re, Hf, In and Ir were detected for the first time in human hair.
References Al-Shahristani H., Shihab K. M. and Jalil M. (1978) Distribution and significance of trace element pollutants in hair of Iraqi population. IAEA-&U-227/7. Arunachalam J., Gangadharn S. and Yegnasubranian (1978) Elemental data on human hair sampled from Indian student population and their interpretation for studies in environmental exposure. IAEA-f&U-227/24. Husain M., Khaliquxzaman M., Abdullah M., Ahmed I. and Khan A. H. (1980) ht. J. Appl. Radiat. hot. 31,527. Imahori A., Fukushima I., Shiobara S., Tomura K., SuxukiYasumoto M., Yukawa M. and Terai M. (1978) A study of trace elements concentrations in human hair of some local populations in Japan. IAEA-&U-227/16. International Atomic Energy Agency (1978) Activation analysis of hair as an indicator of contamination of man by environmental trace element pollutants. IAEA/RL/50. (Unpriced document to be continually updated).