Reference values for elements of toxicological, clinical and environmental interest in hair of urban subjects.

A monitoring campaign has been undertaken to ascertain the reference concentration ranges for a number of minor and trace elements in hair of healthy urban subjects under age 15. An outline of criteria and methods lying at the root of a sound and reliable experimental approach are presented with special regard to such crucial steps as study planning, sampling, storing, pretreatment, analysis and evaluation of results. Determinations were carried out mainly by inductively-coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES) given the wide investigative potential and inherently multielemental character of this technique. The results obtained so far regard 100 youngsters allowing reference intervals for Al, As, Ca, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mg, Mn, Mo, Ni, P, Pb, Se, Ti, V and Zn to be established for the population group tested. Finally, further developments of this activity are highlighted, particularly emphasizing the diagnostic capabilities of hair analysis.