Tissue nickel levels and nickel dermatitis. I. Nickel in hair.

The determination of nickel by instrumental neutron activation is presented. The 58Ni (n, p) 58Co reaction and high-resolution gamma spectroscopy were employed in these measurements. The nickel content of human hair was found to be more dependent upon the sex of the donor than upon other parameters. Mean values for males (1.01 +/- 0.23 ppm) and females (4.21 +/- 0.54 ppm) agreed with values for the nickel content of hair obtained by other methods in most cases. Nickel sensitivity was not reflected in the nickel contents of hair in the female.