Assessment of the environment using synchrotron radiation micro-beams

Abstract

The pollution from heavy metals such as lead and mercury has been a matter of great concern for decades as they may cause adverse health to human. In this study, we analyzed major and trace elements in modern and prehistoric teeth by X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analysis using synchrotron radiation micro-beams, in order to assess the changes of the environment through the civilization and the industrialization and their effects on human. Teeth from various periods of time including teeth from the human remains of the Jomon period were collected for the analysis as teeth are suggested to be indicators of the environmental changes. The main elements analyzed were Pb, Hg, Cu, and Zinc. Levels of Pb in modern teeth were higher than those in the Jomon teeth which indicate that the pollution from Pb is now greater than it was in the remote past. However, as there are small numbers of teeth collected in this study, there is a need to analyze more samples from various periods of time in order to assess the change of the environment in details.