[ comparison study of some heavy and toxic trace minerals content in the hair of two primary school pupils in Aden city]

ABSTRACT

The present study was conducted to evaluate the risk to the environment and the general health of two elementary school children, in Aden city experience as a result of pollution with heavy and toxic trace elements. The two schools are Al-Areesh school located in Al-Areesh zone, Khormaksar, beside Abyan beach, and Al-Shaikh Othman school located in Al-Shaikh Othman region. The two schools exist under different environmental conditions. It was hypothesized that Al-Shaikh Othman school suffers from high environmental pollution. To achieve this purpose, a 220 school children were selected [100 subjects from Al-Areesh school and 120 subjects from Al-Shaikh Othman school] whose mean age ranges between 9 and 14 years from the 3rd to 7th levels. Hair samples from school children were used as an indicator to find out the extent of pollution in these two schools. Two analytical methods were employed for determining eight essential/toxic trace elements zinc[Zn], copper[Cu], nickel[Ni], cobalt[Co], cadmium[Cd], aluminum[Al], lead [Pb], and arsenic[As]. Flame atomic absorption spectrometry[FAAS] was employed to determine the levels of the first seven elements, whereas graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry[GFAAS] was employed to determine the levels of the last element. Measurement precision and accuracy was checked by carrying out the analysis at three different places each of which using the same analytical procedure. Finally the average of all the results was taken. The mean values obtained were [in microg g-1] Zn, 108.0 [Al-Areesh]and 101 7[Al-Shaikh Othman]; Cu, 9.7 [Al-Areesh] and l0.0[Al-Shaikh Othman]; Nickel, 2.7 [Al-Areesh] and 5.5[Al-Shaikh Othman]; Co, 1.6 [Al-Areesh] and 27[Al-Shaikh Othman]; Cd, 0.6 [Al-Areesh] and I 0[Al-Shaikh Othman]; Al, 21.3 [Al-Areesh] and 63,3[Al-Shaikh Othman]; Pb, 18.7 [Al-Areesh] and 28.0[Al-Shaikh Othman]' As, 0,7 [Al-Areesh] and 0.9[Al-Shaikh Othman]. These experimental figures show high levels for all studied elements [except for zinc and copper] when compared with the normal levels of these elements in human hair, with particular increase in the levels of aluminum, cadmium and nickel for Al-Shaikh Othman children. The results also showed that the exceptionally high levels of cadmium [especially for Al-Shaikh Othman children] may indicate that this element is hindering the important and necessary biological function of zinc