Correlation between Arsenic Concentration in Drinking Water and Human Hair

Exposure to inorganic arsenic mainly occurs via drinking water, however because of potential changing of water sources during time, there is not consensus over the best route for assessment of past exposures to arsenic. At present study, we compared three potential sources of data in this regard. Thirty nine human hair samples were taken from persons residing in three villages of Bijar city in Kurdistan province of Iran with different drinking water sources and different levels of arsenic. All the subjects were female and at least one gram of scalp hair was gathered from the distal part of participants’ hair. Samples were analyzed using Neutron Activation Analysis method. Arsenic concentration of water samples were measured using Silver Diethyl Ditiocarbomate Method (SDDC) and the total intake of arsenic through drinking water were calculated for each participant. According to results, arsenic content of drinking water ranged from 0 to 0.455 mg/l (average: 0.18). The figures for arsenic concentration in hair were from 0.012 to 3.41 mg/kg (average: of 0.53) and for calculated total intake from 0 to 8.9g (average: 2.02). A close relationship between calculated total intake via drinking water and arsenic concentration in hair (R=0.711, P<0.001) was obtained and also relationship between current arsenic content of drinking water and arsenic concentration in hair (R= 0.662, p<0.001). Using age as a covariate did not alter the results.