Factor analysis applied to metal content in hair: a study on the correlation between neighborhoods and associated Risk - Altamira, Pará, Brazil

Abstract

Few studies on capillary metals are conducted in the Amazon region despite the diversity of environmental problems that directly reflect on human health, as is the case of the population of Altamira. The hair matrix was selected because it is an indicator of past exposure, which enablesto correlate the concentration of trace elements in neighborhood residents in the metropolitan region to identify grouping by chemical similarities, using factor analysis as a statistical technique. The city was chosen due to its regional importance and the intense transformation process undergone over the years, among them the implantation of the Belo Monte Hydroelectric Plant, gold mining, and agriculture. These events brought development linked to social, environmental, and public health problems for the municipality. The elements were determined by Inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AOS). Among the elements surveyed, Mn, Ba, Sr, Ca, Mg, and Al stood out as the most important and responsible for the grouping of neighborhoods, with an explanation percentage of 76.08%. The elements Mn, Ba, Sr, Ca, and Mg are responsible for grouping the neighborhoods Esplanada do Xingu, Açaizal, Aparecida, Centro, Jardim Independente I and II, Sudam I and II, Jardim Oriente, and Jardim dos Estados with 58.96% of varianceexplained, and Al for the neighborhoods São Sebastião and Catedral with 17.12% of variance explained. These results indicated that the first group has a risk associated with the metals Mn and Ba, whereas the second with the metal Al, all with relevant toxic potential. Signs of health problems may be being demonstrated, as these results refer to extemporaneous exposure.