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Determination of Arsenic in Scalp Hair of Children and its Correlation with Drinking Water in Exposed Areas of Sindh Pakistan

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Abstract

This study was focused on the analysis of arsenic (As) levels in scalp hair of children (age, <10 years) collected from two towns of Khairpur, Pakistan, to evaluate the effects of As-contaminated groundwater. For comparative purposes, scalp hair samples of children were also collected from that area having low levels of As (<10 μg/L) in drinking water. Groundwater and scalp hair samples of children were collected and analyzed by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry prior to microwave-assisted acid digestion. The average As concentrations in groundwater samples of two towns, Thari Mirwah and Gambat, were found to be 28.5 and 98.3 μg/L, respectively. The range of As concentrations in scalp hair samples of children who belong to Thari Mirwah and Gambat was 1.25–1.61 μg/g and 1.73–3.63 μg/g, respectively. Twenty percent of the total children who belong to Gambat have skin lesions on their hands and feet. A positive correlation coefficient (R = 0.91–0.99) was obtained between As contents in drinking water and scalp hairs of children of both towns.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the Higher Education Commission (HEC), Islamabad (grant no. 20-1246/R&D/9). We are grateful to the Young Welfare Society Mughalabad (YWSM) Khairpur Mirs, Pakistan for their assistance in the sampling.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center of Excellence in Analytical Chemistry, University of Sindh, Jamshoro, 76080, Pakistan

    Tasneem G. Kazi, Jameel A. Baig, Abdul Q. Shah, Muhammad Balal Arain, Muhammad Khan Jamali, Ghulam A. Kandhro, Hassan I. Afridi, Nida F. Kolachi, Sumaira Khan, Sham K. Wadhwa & Faheem Shah

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  1. Tasneem G. Kazi
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  2. Jameel A. Baig
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  3. Abdul Q. Shah
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  4. Muhammad Balal Arain
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  6. Ghulam A. Kandhro
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Correspondence to Tasneem G. Kazi.

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Kazi, T.G., Baig, J.A., Shah, A.Q. et al. Determination of Arsenic in Scalp Hair of Children and its Correlation with Drinking Water in Exposed Areas of Sindh Pakistan. Biol Trace Elem Res 143, 153–162 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12011-010-8866-z

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