ABSTRACT
In the present study, human hair samples were collected in Chongqing to detect the concentrations of heavy metals including Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn by flame atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Meanwhile, the relationship between the content of heavy metals and age, gender and smoking habits was also analyzed, and the potential sources of the heavy metals in human hair were understood through correlation analysis and principal component analysis. The results showed that the mean concentrations of Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn were 3.1, 24.3, 9.7, 42.8 and 209.6 µg·g-1, respectively in urban areas, while the mean contents were 0.9, 15.8, 5.6, 15.2 and 173.4 µg·g-1, respectively in rural area. The residents living in urban areas exhibited significantly higher concentrations than those in rural area, revealing the same heavy metal pattern with that in soils (t-test, P<0.01). No obvious trend was observed between the contents of heavy metals and age, except that the contents of Cu and Zn were increasing with the growth of age. Significantly higher concentrations of Cd and Pb were both observed in male hair and smokers than those in female and non-smokers, respectively in urban and rural areas (P<0.01). Similar correlation patterns among Cd, Cu, Ni and Pb were found both in urban and rural areas. According to principal component analysis, Cu, Ni and Pb contaminations had similar sources in urban areas, whereas Cd, Ni and Pb had similar sources in rural area.
