Assessment of elemental background values and their relation with lifespan indicators: A comparative study of Jining in Shandong Province and Guanzhong area in Shaanxi Province, northern China.

The remarkably high proportions of centenarians are found in the Jining Prefecture in southwestern Shandong province, demonstrating remarkable regional longevity differentiation. In this paper, census data at county-level, samples of drinking water and staple grains in Jining Prefecture were collected. Guanzhong area in Shaanxi Province, a non-longevity region in northern China was chosen as the contrast area. The major and trace elements in the samples were determined by using ICP-MS, ICP-OES and HG-AFS. The major results show that Jinxiang County in Jining Prefecture exhibit obviously higher longevity level than adjacent counties and Chinese average level based on temporal and spatial variation of lifespan indicators. Meanwhile, the contents of Na, Mg, Mo and Cu in wheat, corn and drinking water show a similar decline trend in the order of Jinxiang County, non-longevity counties of Jining Prefecture and Guanzhong area. In addition, Na/Ca and Mg/Ca show obvious difference both in staple grains and drinking ground water, and Ca is the most abundance of major cations in drinking water samples from non-longevity counties which was different with the Jinxiang County showing Na as of major cations. The principal component analysis (PCA) shows that the difference of elemental concentrations in drinking water was more remarkable than in staple grains between Jining and Guanzhong areas. Na, Li, Ni, and Zn in staple grains and Mg, Co, Cu, Mn, and Sr in drinking ground water can explain most of the total variance as principal component between Jining and Guanzhong areas. These findings may help to provide further insight into the elemental background values and their relation with lifespan indicators especially in northern China.