Element content in human hair of residents from Simferopol city

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Environmental pollution is increasingly becoming a problem and will continue to be a serious risk for human health. Therefore, it is important to monitor the element status of the population.
 AIM: To determine the elements in residents hairs of Simferopol city, Republic of Crimea.
 MATERIAL ANS METHODS: Twenty-eight elements were determined using the instrumental neutron activation method. The mercury content was estimated by atomic absorption spectrometry in 80 hair samples of healthy 1720-year-old Simferopol residents (34 males and 46 females). The concentration coefficients were calculated, and the geochemical rows were plotted based on comparison with the published data from other regions..
 RESULTS: The median values of the hair element content were found to be within the reference ranges for 25 out of 29 chemical elements. Excess Br and Ba were found in most residents, which could be due to the geochemical conditions. Significant sex differences in the content of Na, Ca, and Sb could be associated with differences in diet, lifestyle, and other gender-associated factors. Comparison of the geochemical elemental rows for Simferopol residents with other territories of Crimea and Krasnodar suggests a greater intake of Co, Na, Fe, and As in urban residents (Crimea) compared to Krasnodar, and in comparison with other territories of a peninsula Hg, Ag, and Zn.
 CONCLUSION: Although most of the elements were within reference ranges in Simferopol residents, the anthropogenic load has increased recently, along with our previously established physiological effects of toxic metals, demonstrating the need for further biomonitoring studies.