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HUMAN SCALP HAIR: AN ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURE INDEX FOR TRACE ELEMENTS. II. SEVENTEEN TRACE ELEMENTS IN FOUR NEW JERSEY COMMUNITIES (1972)
Citation:
Creason, J., Thomas A. Hinners, C. Pinkerton, AND J. Bumgarner. HUMAN SCALP HAIR: AN ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURE INDEX FOR TRACE ELEMENTS. II. SEVENTEEN TRACE ELEMENTS IN FOUR NEW JERSEY COMMUNITIES (1972). U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C., EPA/600/1-78/037B (NTIS PB284435).
Description:
Seventeen trace elements - arsenic (As), barium (Ba), boron (B), cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), Iron (Fe), lead (Pb), lithium (Li), manganese (Mn), mercury (Hg), nickle (Ni), selenium (Se), silver (Ag), tin (Sn), vanadium (V), and zinc (Zn) - were measured in human scalp hair collected in four eastern New Jersey communities. Of the seven for which dustfall trace element measurements were available (lead, nickle, cadmium, copper, zinc, chromium and manganese) lead, nickle and manganese showed significant positive relationships with children's scalp hair concentrations. This result supports findings of an earlier New York City study, even though the dustfall trace element concentrations are much lower in this study. When all 17 trace elements were tested for geographic differences, all except boron and silver showed significant differences for children, while 8 of 17 showed significant variation in adults. Several hair-related covariates were assessed for possible influences on scalp hair trace element levels for both children and adults. These covariates are evaluated as potential confounding factors in any future use of hair as an environmental index.