title: Risk assessment of arsenic and other metals via atmospheric particles, and effects of atmospheric exposure and other demographic factors on their accumulations in human scalp hair in urban area of Guangzhou, China.
abstract: Eighty-eight scalp hair samples were collected from Guangzhou (GZ) urban population (15-65 years) to investigate the accumulation of As and other metals (Cr, Mn, Ni, Cu, Zn, Cd, Sn, Sb, Hg and Pb). Demographic information, including body weight, height, age, gender, habits of smoking and drinking, types of drinking water, duration of stay in GZ, days of stay in GZ per year (days/year), and hours spent in indoor environment per day (h/day), were also recorded during hair sampling to refine the uncertainty of risk assessment derived from exposures to elements via dust and airborne particles. No significant non-carcinogenic risk was found. However, the cancer risks of Cr and As for both ingestion and inhalation exceeded the most tolerable regulated level (1.0×10(-6)). The environmental exposures to urban dust and airborne particles were observed significantly correlated to accumulations of Cd (R=0.306, p=0.005) and Ni (R=0.333, p=0.002) in scalp hair. Furthermore, the hair burden of elements was also significantly (p<0.05) dependent on gender (Mn, Ni, Zn, As, Sn and Hg), age (Cr, As, Cd and Hg), duration of stay in GZ (Hg) as well as nutritional and physical status, reflected by BMI and BSA (Cr, Ni, Cd, Sb and Hg). Nutritional and physical status was observed as the exclusive important factor influencing As speciation in human scalp hair. However, habits of smoking and alcohol drinking as well as types of drinking water were not identified as the significant influencing factors on any element (p>0.05).
authors.affiliation: Croucher Institute for Environmental Sciences, Department of Biology, Hong Kong Baptist University, Kowloon Tong, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, PR China; Faculty of Environmental Science and Engineering, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, PR China.
authors.forename: Minjuan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Croucher Institute for Environmental Sciences, Department of Biology, Hong Kong Baptist University, Kowloon Tong, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, PR China.
authors.forename: Xunwen
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Croucher Institute for Environmental Sciences, Department of Biology, Hong Kong Baptist University, Kowloon Tong, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, PR China.
authors.forename: Dingding
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Shao
authors.affiliation: Croucher Institute for Environmental Sciences, Department of Biology, Hong Kong Baptist University, Kowloon Tong, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, PR China.
authors.forename: Yinge
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: Croucher Institute for Environmental Sciences, Department of Biology, Hong Kong Baptist University, Kowloon Tong, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, PR China.
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Croucher Institute for Environmental Sciences, Department of Biology, Hong Kong Baptist University, Kowloon Tong, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, PR China; Department of Science and Environmental Studies, Hong Kong Institute of Education, Tai Po, Hong Kong, PR China. Electronic address: mhwong@hkbu.edu.hk.
authors.forename: Ming Hung
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Wong
mesh_terms: D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism; D001151:Arsenic / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism*; D001272:Atmosphere / Q000737:chemistry*; D002681:China; D003710:Demography; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D005260:Female; D006197:Hair / Q000737:chemistry*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008670:Metals / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism; D018570:Risk Assessment
chemical_list: D000393:Air Pollutants; D008670:Metals; D001151:Arsenic
keywords: As speciation; Atmospheric particles; Human scalp hair; Metals; Risk assessment refinement