title: Distribution of aluminum in hair of Brazilian infants and correlation to aluminum-adjuvanted vaccine exposure.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Nursing children are exposed to dietary aluminum (in breast milk and/or infant formulas) and through aluminum-adjuvanted vaccines (AAVs). We studied total hair-Al concentrations of nursing children that had been immunized with hepatitis B, DTP, and meningococcal vaccines.
  
  
  METHODS
  We studied the hair of 37 young children (aged 26 to 824 days) who were exposed to cumulative doses of Al ranging from 0.63 to 6.88 mg from AAVs. Graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry was used to reliably measure total Al concentrations in hair samples.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The analytical method proved sensitive enough to quantify Al in the hair of nursing children. At current levels of exposure it is possible to determine total Al in hair sample of 1.65 mg. Cumulative doses of AAV in children ranged from 0.63 to 6.88 mg Al. Median hair-Al was 47.7 μg g⁻¹ (ranging from 12.2 to 221.9 μg g⁻¹). There was no statistically significant correlation between hair-Al concentration and age of child (r=-0.049; p=0.774), total exposure from vaccine (r=-0.078; p=0.643), or the time elapsed after the last AAVs (r=0.015; p=0.931).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Aluminum in children's hair can be reliably measured but we are still uncertain how representative it can be of the Al body burden.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Química Analítica, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, RS, Brazil.
authors.forename: Denise
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Bohrer
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Química Analítica, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, RS, Brazil. Electronic address: marcellaeps@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Marcella
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schmidt
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Campus Macaé, CEP 27930-560, RJ, Brazil. Electronic address: rejanecmarques@globo.com.
authors.forename: Rejane C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Marques
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Nutrição, Faculdade de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília, Brazil. Electronic address: jg.dorea@gmail.com.
authors.forename: José G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Dórea
mesh_terms: D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry*; D000535:Aluminum / Q000032:analysis*; D001938:Brazil; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015721:Diphtheria-Tetanus-Pertussis Vaccine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000737:chemistry; D005260:Female; D006197:Hair / Q000737:chemistry*; D017325:Hepatitis B Vaccines / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000737:chemistry; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D022401:Meningococcal Vaccines / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000737:chemistry; D014611:Vaccination
chemical_list: D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic; D015721:Diphtheria-Tetanus-Pertussis Vaccine; D017325:Hepatitis B Vaccines; D022401:Meningococcal Vaccines; D000535:Aluminum
keywords: AAVs; Aluminum; DTP; HB; Hair; Infants; Vaccine; aluminum-adjuvanted vaccines; diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis; hepatitis B