Abstract
This study was conducted to investigate the relationships between arsenic ( As ) levels in human hair and demographic factors on As accumulation in humans. Hair samples of 619 subjects (383 females and 236 males), including 390 confirmed arsenicosis patients, 11 fish and six vegetable samples were analyzed using the Proton Induced X-ray Emission (PIXE) method. The results revealed that As in hair accumulates in different patterns for males and females in accordance with age. Within patient groups, male patients accumulated higher amounts of As than female patients. For all individuals, middle aged females accumulated higher As amounts in hair than children, adolescents and females over 50 years old, while children, adolescents and males over 50 accumulated higher amounts of As than middle aged males in both villages. Surprisingly, high levels of As concentrations were found in hair samples of those living near safe drinking water in both villages, irrespective of age and sex. There were weak positive correlations between hair As levels and groundwater As levels in both villages. Furthermore, toxic levels of As were found in different kinds of food products. Taken together, these findings demonstrate that As accumulation in hair is dependent not only on water contamination, but also on food contamination.
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