Rare Earth Elements Accumulation in the Hair of Malagasy Children and Adolescents in Relation to Their Age and Nutritional Status.

Magdalena Zielińska-Dawidziak,Ryszard Kowalski,Jędrzej Proch,Magdalena Czlapka-Matyasik,Zofia Wojciechowska,Przemysław Niedzielski

doi:10.3390/ijerph19010455

Abstract

Due to undesired influence, the accumulation of rare earth elements (REE) in the human body has been discussed recently. However, it is usually limited to the study of the population living where REE ores and mines are located. The aim of the experiment presented was to analyse the concentration of REE in the hair of children and teenagers living in two areas of Madagascar in relation to the place of residence, nutritional status, age and sex. REE concentration was determined in scalp hair of 262 of subjects (5–19 years old) by an inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometer. The content of total REE in the Malagasy hair was in the range of 0.79–44.15 mg/kg. The nutritional status was evaluated by Cole’s index, and malnutrition of children was observed more often in village areas. The concentration of these elements was also determined in 20 samples for the estimation of environmental exposure. No significant differences were detected in the content of these elements in the studied regions, although the mean value was always higher in soil samples from the Antananariva region. The obtained data suggest dependence between REE concentration in the hair and age, and nutritional status of the examined subjects. Even if the observed correlations are weak, they contribute significant knowledge on the accumulation of REE in the bodies of children living in areas that are not recognised as deposits of these elements.

Highlights

Hair of Malagasy Children and Adolescents in Relation to Their Age and Nutritional Status
The diet of the examined children is based on rice, and for this reason, the deeper layers of soil were not studied—the soil samples were taken from the surface
No significant differences were noted for the content in rare earth elements (REE) in relation to the location of sample collection (A vs B), both median and mean value determined were always higher for the samples collected in the more industrialised Antananarivo region

Summary

Introduction

Hair of Malagasy Children and Adolescents in Relation to Their Age and Nutritional Status. The nutritional status was evaluated by Cole’s index, and malnutrition of children was observed more often in village areas. The concentration of these elements was determined in 20 samples for the estimation of environmental exposure. The obtained data suggest dependence between REE concentration in the hair and age, and nutritional status of the examined subjects. Even if the observed correlations are weak, they contribute significant knowledge on the accumulation of REE in the bodies of children living in areas that are not recognised as deposits of these elements. The largest reserves of these elements are in China, and this country is the leading producer of REE. In case of human exposure to REE, cardiac, renal, hepatic and hematological problems are suggested, as well as trouble with bones, gastrointestinal tract, pulmonary, cytogenetic and central nervous system [4,5]

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Conclusion