Stripping Voltammetry as a Method for Assessing the Possible Effects of Microelements on Humans

Abstract

The chemical composition of microelements in human body is changing due to the global and local anthropogenic stress on biogeochemical cycles. The elemental composition of human hair and the quantitative relationship between the elements serve as summary characteristics of the biogeochemical environmental conditions. Identifying the content of trace elements in the chemical composition of hair requires highly sensitive and selective methods of analysis—electrochemical analysis and, above all, voltammetry. These methods are highly efficient, sensitive, simple, and easily automated. To determine the biogeochemical situation, we examined 180 residents of Tomsk and Seversk and determined the volumes of trace elements in their hair by stripping voltammetry. We found out that the content of trace elements varied significantly, depending on the age and sex of people. Most of the Tomsk population had a deficit of irreplaceable elements (zinc, copper, etc.) in human hair. However, the differences in the content of those elements were statistically significant, which warrants further study on the factors of this variability.