Application of double focusing sector field ICP-MS for multielemental characterization of human hair and nails. Part III. Direct analysis by laser ablation.

The capabilities of laser ablation double focusing sector field inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry for the determination of 55 elements in nails and hair were studied. Quantification was performed by external calibration using in-house matrix-matched standards in tablet form following correction for variations in ablation efficiency by internal standardization using a matrix element (S). For nails, intra-individual long- and short-term chronological variations as well as depth distribution patterns were studied. For the majority of elements tested, significant enrichment was found in the surface of the nail. Element distributions along a hair strand were investigated with a spatial resolution of 2.5 mm.