Biological application of laser induced breakdown spectroscopy technique for determination of trace elements in hair

Analysis of trace elements in mammalian hair has the potential to reveal retrospective information about an individualʹs nutritional status and exposure. As trace elements are incorporated into the hair during the growth process, longitudinal segments of the hair may reflect the body burden during growth. Using LIBS technique, Na, K, Ca, Mg, Si, Fe, Pb and Zn were detected in a single strand of horse hair. The results obtained through LIBS technique on hair samples were compared with the traditional technique (AAS) on digested acidified solution of the same samples. The effects of the experimental parameters on the emission lines were studied and the local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE) in produced plasma was investigated. The transient plasma condition was verified at specific time region (1500–2000 ns) in the plasma evolution corresponding to its dynamic expanding characteristic. The relative mass concentrations of Fe and Zn were calculated by setting the concentration of C as the calibration. The information obtained from the trace elementsʹ spectra of horse hair in this study substantiates the potential of hair as a biomarker.