Biomonitoring of Mercury in Hair among a Group of Eritreans (Africa)

Astolfi, Maria Luisa; Protano, Carmela; Marconi, Elisabetta; Massimi, Lorenzo; Piamonti, Daniel; Brunori, Marco; Vitali, Matteo; Canepari, Silvia

doi:10.3390/ijerph17061911

Cited by 10 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 62 publications

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“…Various natural and anthropogenic emission sources of toxic elements may cause air pollution [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]. Among different air pollution monitoring techniques, biomonitoring has recently become one of the most widely used technique, due to its ease of operation, low cost, efficiency and specificity [ 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 ]. In fact, several living organisms, known as biomonitors, can accumulate toxic elements, allowing the monitoring of pollutants concentrations in the environment for integrated measurements over time [ 11 , 12 , 13 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effectiveness of Different Sample Treatments for the Elemental Characterization of Bees and Beehive Products

et al. 2020

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Bee health and beehive products’ quality are compromised by complex interactions between multiple stressors, among which toxic elements play an important role. The aim of this study is to optimize and validate sensible and reliable analytical methods for biomonitoring studies and the quality control of beehive products. Four digestion procedures, including two systems (microwave oven and water bath) and different mixture reagents, were evaluated for the determination of the total content of 40 elements in bees and five beehive products (beeswax, honey, pollen, propolis and royal jelly) by using inductively coupled plasma mass and optical emission spectrometry. Method validation was performed by measuring a standard reference material and the recoveries for each selected matrix. The water bath-assisted digestion of bees and beehive products is proposed as a fast alternative to microwave-assisted digestion for all elements in biomonitoring studies. The present study highlights the possible drawbacks that may be encountered during the elemental analysis of these biological matrices and aims to be a valuable aid for the analytical chemist. Total elemental concentrations, determined in commercially available beehive products, are presented.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effectiveness of Different Sample Treatments for the Elemental Characterization of Bees and Beehive Products

et al. 2020

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“…To avoid external contamination, hair samples (~0.05 g; ~1 cm long) were collected from the nape using stainless steel scissors and disposable vinyl gloves, as previously described [ 71 , 72 ]. Then, hair samples were stored in polyethylene bags until analysis at room temperature.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The data were collected according to a previously reported method [ 71 ]. Mercury was analyzed using a cold vapor generation atomic fluorescence spectrometer (CV-AFS; AFS 8220 Titan, FullTech Instruments, Rome, Italy), as described previously [ 72 , 73 ]. The ICP-MS analysis mode, measured isotopes, and internal standards are shown in Supplementary Materials Table S1 , while the preparation of both calibration and internal standards is described in Supplementary Materials Section 1 .…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Element Levels and Predictors of Exposure in the Hair of Ethiopian Children

Astolfi

Pietris

Mazzei³

et al. 2020

IJERPH

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Children’s development and health may be affected by toxic heavy metal exposure or suboptimal essential element intake. This study aimed to provide updated information regarding the concentrations of 41 elements in children’s hair (aged under 18) living in a rural area of the Benishangul-Gumuz region, Ethiopia. The highest average levels (as a geometric mean) for toxic heavy metals were obtained for Al (1 mg kg−1), Pb (3.1 mg kg−1), and Ni (1.2 mg kg−1), while the lowest concentrations among the essential elements were found for Co (0.32 mg kg−1), Mo (0.07 mg kg−1), Se (0.19 mg kg−1), and V (0.8 mg kg−1). Hair analysis was combined with a survey to evaluate relationships and variations among subgroups and potential metal exposure predictors. Females showed significantly higher concentrations for most hair elements, excluding Zn, than males, and the 6–11 years age group reported the highest levels for Be, Ce, Co, Fe, La, Li, Mo, and Na. The main predictors of exposure to toxic elements were fish consumption for Hg and drinking water for Ba, Be, Cs, Li, Ni, Tl, and U. The data from this study can be used to develop prevention strategies for children’s health and protection in developing countries.

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“…All solutions were prepared using deionized water (resistivity, ≤18.3 MΩ cm) generated by an Arioso Power I RO-UP Scholar UV deionizer (Human Corporation, Songpa-Ku, Seoul, Korea). The instrumental conditions are presented in previous studies [ 45 , 46 ]. Standard Hg solutions for CVAFS calibration range from 0.04 to 1.5 μg L −1 were prepared by diluting adequate stock standard volumes (1002 ± 7 mg L −1 ; SCP Science, Baie D’Urfé, Canada) in 3% HCl.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Urinary Mercury Levels and Predictors of Exposure among a Group of Italian Children

Astolfi

Vitali

Marconi

et al. 2020

IJERPH

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Urinary mercury (Hg) levels are suitable to assess long-term exposure to both elemental and inorganic Hg. In this study, the urinary Hg levels of 250 children (aged 6–11 years) from three areas with different anthropogenic impacts in the Rieti province, central Italy, were assessed. The Hg concentrations were in the range of 0.04–2.18 µg L−1 with a geometric mean equal to 0.18 µg L−1 [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.17–0.20 µg L−1] or 0.21 µg g−1 creatinine (95% CI, 0.19–0.23 µg g−1 creatinine), and a reference value calculated as 95th percentile of 0.53 µg L−1 (95% CI, 0.44–0.73 µg L−1) or 0.55 µg g−1 creatinine (95% CI, 0.50–0.83 µg g−1 creatinine). In all cases, urinary Hg data were below the HBM-I values (7 µg L−1 or 5 µg g−1 creatinine) established for urine, while the 95th percentile was above the German Human Biomonitoring Commission’s RV95 (0.4 µg L−1) set for children without amalgam fillings. A significant correlation (p < 0.05) was found between creatinine-corrected results and residence area, with higher urinary Hg levels in children living in the industrial area. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that creatinine was the main predictor of urinary Hg.

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Biomonitoring of Mercury in Hair among a Group of Eritreans (Africa)

Cited by 10 publications

References 62 publications

Effectiveness of Different Sample Treatments for the Elemental Characterization of Bees and Beehive Products

Effectiveness of Different Sample Treatments for the Elemental Characterization of Bees and Beehive Products

Element Levels and Predictors of Exposure in the Hair of Ethiopian Children

Urinary Mercury Levels and Predictors of Exposure among a Group of Italian Children

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