Trace element levels in hair of eight-year-old children.

A study of trace element levels in hair was performed on 183 eight-year-old schoolchildren living in Bijlmermeer, a suburb of Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Microlevel-elements, such as Au, Co, Ag, Se and Cd, and macrolevel-elements, such as Pb, Cu, Fe and Zn, were analyzed using the NAA and AAS methods. The total group of children was divided into subgroups, according to ethnic origins: Caucasian boys and girls, Hindustani children and a Surinamese rest group. The relation between element levels in hair and nutritional status, anthropometric and haematological variables were studied. Most levels corresponded reasonably with literature data. The iron in hair may be positively related to daily dietary intake of iron.