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Distribution of trace elements in human hair
1Department of Biochemistry, Rush Presbyterian-St. Luke's Medical Center, Chicago, Ill.
Clinical Physiology and Biochemistry
|January 1, 1990
Summary
Scalp hair analysis is reliable for detecting heavy metal poisoning and environmental pollutants. However, its use for diagnosing individual disease or nutritional status is questionable due to significant variations.
Area of Science:
- Forensic toxicology
- Environmental health science
Background:
- Scalp hair analysis is established for population-level heavy metal and pollutant monitoring.
- Individual diagnosis using hair analysis is limited by significant biological and environmental variability.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the diagnostic utility of scalp hair analysis for individual disease and nutritional status.
- To identify factors limiting the use of hair analysis in clinical diagnostics.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature on scalp hair analysis in forensic medicine and environmental monitoring.
- Analysis of factors contributing to inter-individual variability in hair composition.
Main Results:
- Hair analysis effectively screens populations for heavy metal poisoning and environmental pollutants.
- Individual diagnosis is hindered by variations in age, sex, race, hair color, treatments, and exposure.
Conclusions:
- Scalp hair is a valuable tool for environmental and forensic biomonitoring.
- Its application for individual clinical diagnosis requires further research to overcome inherent variability.