Longitudinal isotope ratio variations in human hair and nails

Due to the straightforward and non-invasive sampling, ease of transport and long-term storage and access to timeresolved information, determination of element concentrations and isotope ratios in hair and nails finds increasing use. Multi-isotopic information preserved in keratinous tissues allows one to reveal dietary, physiological and environmental influences, but progress in this area is still limited by complicated and time-consuming analytical procedures and challenges in accuracy assessment. In this study, longitudinal distributions of 834S, 87Sr/86Sr, 207,208Pb/206Pb, 866Zn, 856Fe, 865Cu, 826Mg, and 8114Cd were obtained for hair and nails collected from nine subjects with different age, biological sex, diet and/or place of residence. For S and Zn, the distribution along hair strands revealed a trend towards a heavier isotopic signature from the proximal to the distal end, with a maximum difference within the hair of a single subject of 1.296o (A34S) and 0.496o (A66Zn). For Fe, Cu, Mg and Cd, a shift towards either a lighter (Cu) or heavier (Fe, Mg and Cd) isotopic composition is accompanied by increasing concentration towards the distal hair end, indicating possible isotope fractionation during deposition or external contamination with a different isotopic composition. Pb and Sr isotope ratios are relatively stable throughout the hair strands despite notable concentration increases towards the distal end, likely reflecting external contamination. The isotopic composition of Sr points to tap water as a probable main source, explaining the relative stability of the ratio for individuals from the same geographical location. For Pb, isotopic compositions suggest tap water and/or indoor dust as possible sources. Similar 834S, 87Sr/86Sr, 207,208Pb/206Pb, 866Zn, 856Fe, and 865Cu observed for hair, fingernails and toenails sampled from the same individual suggest that keratinous tissues are conservative receivers of internal and external inputs and can be used complementary. Seasonal variation in 834S, 207,208Pb/206Pb, and 865Cu was observed for fingernails.

Automated summary

Determination of element concentrations and isotope ratios in hair and nails is becoming more popular due to their easy sampling, transport, storage, and access to time-resolved information. However, progress in this area is limited by complicated and time-consuming analytical procedures and challenges in accuracy assessment.