Mapping technique based on elemental hair composition data.

The content of 24 elements has been determined in 2000 hair samples of the inhabitants of Uzbekistan. INAA was used for analysis. Reference material IAEA HH-1 and laboratory standards were used. Measurements were done using a Ge(Li) detector and a multi-channel analyzer. No correlation was found between the element content and hair color and ethnic group, whereas the content of some elements depended on sex, hemoglobin content, blood group, and occupation. Arithmetical and geometrical means and medians were calculated. Cumulative histograms show mainly lognormal distributions. Maps of selected regions, based on the elemental hair composition data, were made. The element content was shown to depend on the location of large cities and biogeochemical anomalies. The relationship between the death rate and the element content in hair in some countries has been shown.