Vautour Geneviève, Poirier André, Widory David
GEOTOP/UQAM, Case postale 8888, Succursale Centre-Ville, Montreal, H3C 3P8, QC, Canada.
GEOTOP/UQAM, Case postale 8888, Succursale Centre-Ville, Montreal, H3C 3P8, QC, Canada.
Sci Justice. 2015 Jan;55(1):63-71. doi: 10.1016/j.scijus.2014.10.001. Epub 2014 Oct 18.
The isotope ratios of strontium (Sr) and lead (Pb) in water derive from local geology and their isotopic signature can be linked to the age and type of underlying bedrocks and soils (if applicable), and are transferred up the food-chain. Both elements are transferred to human blood through diet and water, and some of it will ultimately be incorporated into the hair structure, making Sr and Pb isotopes interesting tools for tracing human mobility. In this study, we analyzed both the elemental concentration and isotope ratios of Sr and Pb from four different women of different ages to monitor their permanent relocation from central France to Eastern Canada during the summer 2012. For comparison, we also characterized bulk hair samples of sedentary individuals and local tap waters from their regions of origin and of settlement. Our results indicate that the 87Sr/86Sr and 206Pb/204Pb ratios are significantly modified by the change of environment, but also confirm that human hair compositions are impacted by other external factors (such as dust). Sr and Pb isotope systematics demonstrate their added value for detecting human mobility, but require further studies to better constrain the main sources and processes controlling their respective budgets in human hair for provenancing purposes.
水中锶（Sr）和铅（Pb）的同位素比值源自当地地质情况，其同位素特征可与下层基岩和土壤（如适用）的年龄及类型相关联，并会沿食物链向上传递。这两种元素都通过饮食和水进入人体血液，其中一部分最终会融入毛发结构，使得Sr和Pb同位素成为追踪人类迁移的有趣工具。在本研究中，我们分析了四名不同年龄女性头发中Sr和Pb的元素浓度及同位素比值，以监测她们在2012年夏季从法国中部永久迁往加拿大东部的情况。为作比较，我们还对久坐不动者的头发样本以及她们原籍地和定居地的当地自来水进行了特征分析。我们的结果表明，环境变化会显著改变87Sr/86Sr和206Pb/204Pb比值，但也证实人类头发成分会受到其他外部因素（如灰尘）的影响。Sr和Pb同位素体系显示出它们在检测人类迁移方面的附加价值，但需要进一步研究，以更好地确定控制其在人类头发中各自含量的主要来源和过程，从而用于溯源目的。
