- 期刊
- OpenAccess
A Comparative Analysis on Levels of Mercury in Human Scalp Hair of Students from Different Locations in Ghana
並列摘要
This research was carried out to assess the levels of accumulation of total mercury (Hg-T) in human scalp hair samples from selected students. Thirty seven (37) human scalp hair samples were collected from students of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology whilst on campus and analysed for total mercury (Hg-T) concentrations by cold vapour atomic absorption spectrometry. The least concentration, 0.007±0.001μ/g was measured in a sample from a male student. The highest concentration, 5.535±0.133μg/g was measured in a sample from a female student. 5.4% of the population had Hg-T concentrations above the WHO, 1990 limit of 2μg/g based on fish consumption. 94.6% of the population studied however measured Hg-T concentrations below the WHO limit. In general, the concentrations measured in female students were higher compared to concentrations in male students. The mean concentration of Hg-T in female students was 1.417±0.037μg/g compared to 0.600±0.001μg/g for male students. The higher concentrations measured in female students may be attributed to the application of Hg containing cosmetics aside environmental exposures.