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Lukina AO, Fisher M, Khoury C, Than J, Guay M, Paradis JF, Arbuckle TE, Legrand M. Temporal variation of total mercury levels in the hair of pregnant women from the Maternal-Infant Research on Environmental Chemicals (MIREC) study. CHEMOSPHERE 2021; 264:128402. [PMID: 33022505 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2020.128402] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2020] [Revised: 09/09/2020] [Accepted: 09/20/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Prenatal exposure to total mercury (T-Hg) comes from both natural and anthropogenic sources. T-Hg can cross the blood-brain and placental barriers, and may be associated with future neurological and physiological dysfunctions. Scalp hair is an optimal and non-invasive indicator of chronic T-Hg exposure. As part of the Maternal-Infant Research on Environmental Chemicals (MIREC) Study, hair samples from 350 women were collected within weeks after giving birth, to determine temporal variations in T-Hg levels from preconception to delivery, and to compare these levels to corresponding levels measured in other matrices (maternal and umbilical cord blood, and infant's meconium). A maximum of 12 one-cm hair segments were cut starting at the scalp; segments closer to the scalp reflected recent exposure (within the last month). For proper comparison, the hair segments were matched with the collection dates for other matrices. GM hair T-Hg levels greatly decreased during pregnancy, from 0.26 μg g-1 (preconception or full-length hair) to 0.18 μg g-1 (at delivery or segments closer to the scalp). A similar decreasing trend was found for T-Hg in maternal blood: 1st trimester (0.60 μg L-1) to 3rd trimester (0.47 μg L-1). The median hair-to-blood ratios of T-Hg levels varied from 364 (1st trimester), to 408 (3rd trimester), to 229 (cord blood). Very low T-Hg levels were detected in meconium. Mercury levels in blood and hair correlated with consumption of large predatory fish.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna O Lukina
- Environmental Health Science & Research Bureau, Healthy Environments and Consumer Safety Branch, Health Canada, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
| | - Mandy Fisher
- Environmental Health Science & Research Bureau, Healthy Environments and Consumer Safety Branch, Health Canada, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Cheryl Khoury
- Environmental Health Science & Research Bureau, Healthy Environments and Consumer Safety Branch, Health Canada, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
| | - John Than
- Environmental Health Science & Research Bureau, Healthy Environments and Consumer Safety Branch, Health Canada, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Mireille Guay
- Environmental Health Science & Research Bureau, Healthy Environments and Consumer Safety Branch, Health Canada, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Jean-François Paradis
- Health Products and Food Laboratories, Regulatory Operations and Regions Branch, Health Canada, Longueuil, QC, Canada
| | - Tye E Arbuckle
- Environmental Health Science & Research Bureau, Healthy Environments and Consumer Safety Branch, Health Canada, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Melissa Legrand
- Family Physician, GMF Wakefield, 777 Riverside Dr., Wakefield, QC, Canada
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Zinn GM, Rahman GMM, Faber S, Wolle MM, Pamuku M, Kingston HMS. Evaluation of Dietary Supplement Contamination by Xenobiotic and Essential Elements Using Microwave-Enhanced Sample Digestion and Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry. J Diet Suppl 2015; 13:185-208. [DOI: 10.3109/19390211.2015.1008610] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
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Sadeghi M, Nematifar Z, Irandoust M, Fattahi N, Hamzei P, Barati A, Ramezani M, Shamsipur M. Efficient and selective extraction and determination of ultra trace amounts of Hg2+ using solid phase extraction combined with ion pair based surfactant-assisted dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction. RSC Adv 2015. [DOI: 10.1039/c5ra15311e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Solid phase extraction coupled with ion pair based surfactant-assisted dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction based on the solidification of the floating organic drop method was applied for determination of Hg2+ in different samples.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Nazir Fattahi
- Research Center for Environmental Determinants of Health (RCEDH)
- Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences
- Kermanshah
- Iran
| | - Parya Hamzei
- Department Chemistry
- Razi University
- Kermanshah
- Iran
| | - Ali Barati
- Department Chemistry
- Razi University
- Kermanshah
- Iran
- Faculty of Chemistry
| | - Majid Ramezani
- Department of Chemistry
- Arak Branch
- Islamic Azad University
- Arak
- Iran
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Xing X, Du R, Li Y, Li B, Cai Q, Mo G, Gong Y, Chen Z, Wu Z. Structural change of human hair induced by mercury exposure. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2013; 47:11214-11220. [PMID: 23981029 DOI: 10.1021/es402335k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Mercury is one of the most hazardous pollutants in the environment. In this paper, the structural change of human hair induced by mercury exposure was studied. Human hair samples were, respectively, collected from the normal Beijing area and the Hg-contaminated Wanshan area of the Guizhou Province, China. Inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy was used to detect the element contents. A small angle X-ray scattering technique was used to probe the structural change. Three reflections with 8.8, 6.7, and 4.5 nm spacing were compared between the normal and the Hg-contaminated hair samples. The results confirm that the 4.5 nm reflection is from the ordered fibrillar structure of glycosaminoglycan (GAG) in proteoglycan (PG) that composes the matrix around the intermediate filaments. The increase of Ca content makes the regular oriented fibrillar structure of GAG transform to a random oriented one, broadening the angular extent of the reflection with 4.5 nm spacing. However, overdose Hg makes the core proteins where the ordered fibrils of GAG are attached become coiled, which destroys the ordered arrangements of fibrillar GAG in PG, resulting in the disappearance of the reflections with 4.5 nm spacing. The disappearance of the 4.5 nm reflection can be used as a bioindicator of overdose Hg contamination to the human body. A supercoiled-coil model of hair nanoscale structure and a possible mechanism of mercury effect in human hair are proposed in this paper.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xueqing Xing
- Beijing Synchrotron Radiation Facility, Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences , Beijing, Beijing Municipality 100049, China
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Rothenberg SE, Yu X, Zhang Y. Prenatal methylmercury exposure through maternal rice ingestion: insights from a feasibility pilot in Guizhou Province, China. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2013; 180:291-8. [PMID: 23800416 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2013.05.037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/25/2012] [Revised: 05/19/2013] [Accepted: 05/21/2013] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
Maternal hair and blood were investigated as biomarkers for prenatal methylmercury (MeHg) exposure among seventeen mothers recruited at parturition in Wanshan, Guizhou Province, China, where rice ingestion was the primary MeHg exposure pathway and atmospheric mercury (Hg) levels were elevated. For all three trimesters (n = 51), hair total Hg (THg) and MeHg concentrations ranged from 0.27 to 4.9 μg/g (median: 0.96 μg/g) and 0.077 to 2.3 μg/g (median: 0.43 μg/g), respectively, while blood THg levels ranged from 1.7 to 11 μg/L (median: 3.0 μg/L, n = 17). Despite adequate hair washing procedures, median %MeHg (of THg) was 37% (range: 14-89%, n = 51), indicating exogenous inorganic Hg(II) contamination or incorporation of elemental Hg (Hg(o)) into the hair shaft were important. Rice MeHg levels (n = 17) were highly correlated with blood THg (r(2) = 0.66) compared to hair MeHg (r(2) = 0.31) (when variables were log10-transformed), suggesting blood THg was a more preferable biomarker for prenatal MeHg exposure within this population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah E Rothenberg
- University of South Carolina, Department of Environmental Health Sciences, The Arnold School of Public Health, 921 Assembly Street, Room 401, Columbia, SC 29208, USA.
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Rahbar MH, Samms-Vaughan M, Loveland KA, Ardjomand-Hessabi M, Chen Z, Bressler J, Shakespeare-Pellington S, Grove ML, Bloom K, Pearson DA, Lalor GC, Boerwinkle E. Seafood consumption and blood mercury concentrations in Jamaican children with and without autism spectrum disorders. Neurotox Res 2013; 23:22-38. [PMID: 22488160 PMCID: PMC3969434 DOI: 10.1007/s12640-012-9321-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2011] [Revised: 03/22/2012] [Accepted: 03/23/2012] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Mercury is a toxic metal shown to have harmful effects on human health. Several studies have reported high blood mercury concentrations as a risk factor for autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), while other studies have reported no such association. The goal of this study was to investigate the association between blood mercury concentrations in children and ASDs. Moreover, we investigated the role of seafood consumption in relation to blood mercury concentrations in Jamaican children. Based on data for 65 sex- and age-matched pairs (2-8 years), we used a General Linear Model to test whether there is an association between blood mercury concentrations and ASDs. After controlling for the child's frequency of seafood consumption, maternal age, and parental education, we did not find a significant difference (P = 0.61) between blood mercury concentrations and ASDs. However, in both cases and control groups, children who ate certain types of seafood (i.e., salt water fish, sardine, or mackerel fish) had significantly higher (all P < 0.05) geometric means blood mercury concentration which were about 3.5 times that of children living in the US or Canada. Our findings also indicate that Jamaican children with parents who both had education up to high school are at a higher risk of exposure to mercury compared to children with at least one parent who had education beyond high school. Based on our findings, we recommend additional education to Jamaican parents regarding potential hazards of elevated blood mercury concentrations, and its association with seafood consumption and type of seafood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammad H. Rahbar
- Division of Epidemiology, Human Genetics, and Environmental Sciences (EHGES), The University of Texas School of Public Health at Houston, Houston, TX 77030, USA. Biostatistics/Epidemiology/Research Design (BERD) Core, Center for Clinical and Translational Sciences (CCTS), The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth), 6410 Fannin Street, UT Professional Building Suite 1100.05, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Maureen Samms-Vaughan
- Department of Child Health, The University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona Campus, Kingston, Jamaica
| | - Katherine A. Loveland
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences/Center of Excellence on Development and Psychopathology, and Changing Lives Through Autism Spectrum Services (C.L.A.S.S.) Clinic, UTHealth Medical School, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth), Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Manouchehr Ardjomand-Hessabi
- Biostatistics/Epidemiology/Research Design (BERD) Core, Center for Clinical and Translational Sciences (CCTS), The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth), 6410 Fannin Street, UT Professional Building Suite 1100.48, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Zhongxue Chen
- Biostatistics/Epidemiology/Research Design (BERD) Core, Center for Clinical and Translational Sciences (CCTS), The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth), 6410 Fannin Street, UT Professional Building Suite 1100.30, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Jan Bressler
- Human Genetics Center, School of Public Health, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth), Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | | | - Megan L. Grove
- Human Genetics Center, School of Public Health, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth), Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Kari Bloom
- Biostatistics/Epidemiology/Research Design (BERD) Core, Center for Clinical and Translational Sciences (CCTS), The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth), 6410 Fannin Street, UT Professional Building Suite 1100.08, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Deborah A. Pearson
- Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, UTHealth Medical School, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth), Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Gerald C. Lalor
- International Centre for Environmental Nuclear Science, The University of the West Indies, Mona Campus, Kingston, Jamaica
| | - Eric Boerwinkle
- Division of Epidemiology, Human Genetics, and Environmental Sciences (EHGES), The University of Texas School of Public Health at Houston, Houston, TX 77030, USA. Human Genetics Center, School of Public Health, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth), Houston, TX 77030, USA
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A chromosomally based luminescent bioassay for mercury detection in red soil of China. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2010; 87:981-9. [DOI: 10.1007/s00253-010-2548-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2010] [Revised: 03/04/2010] [Accepted: 03/08/2010] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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Díez S, Montuori P, Pagano A, Sarnacchiaro P, Bayona JM, Triassi M. Hair mercury levels in an urban population from southern Italy: fish consumption as a determinant of exposure. ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL 2008; 34:162-7. [PMID: 17904222 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2007.07.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2007] [Revised: 07/24/2007] [Accepted: 07/25/2007] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
Mercury levels in hair of a general population, 237 adults aged between 35-45, in Naples, Italy, were assessed. The subjects were asked to fill in a questionnaire about age, gender, body weight, height, body mass index (BMI), fish consumption, number, surface and area of dental amalgam fillings. Total mercury (THg) concentrations in human hair ranged from 0.221 to 3.402 microg/g and the mean value for the subjects under study was 0.638 microg/g. Study participants were divided into three groups in accordance with fish consumption and dental amalgam: ANF (amalgam and no fish); NAF (no amalgam but with fish) and AAF (amalgam and fish). Significant differences in THg were found in the three groups (p<0.05). A multiple linear regression analysis showed a weak but significant correlation of THg content in hair with respect to gender and age, but almost no association was found between THg and dental fillings. Conversely, a strong correlation was obtained between THg and fish consumption regardless of the group evaluated. Finally, mercury levels in hair exceeded the levels corresponding to the EPA reference dose (RfD) of 0.1 microg Hg/kg body weight per day (1 microg Hg/g hair) in 6% of the population (4% men and 2% women). However, the THg limits in our subjects were not exceeded according to the WHO guidelines, which use a benchmark dose of 0.23 microg Hg/kg bw/day (14 microg Hg/g maternal hair).
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Affiliation(s)
- Sergi Díez
- Institute of Earth Sciences Jaume Almera, ICTJA-CSIC, Lluís Solé i Sabarís, s/n, E-08028 Barcelona, Spain.
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Xue F, Holzman C, Rahbar MH, Trosko K, Fischer L. Maternal fish consumption, mercury levels, and risk of preterm delivery. ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PERSPECTIVES 2007; 115:42-7. [PMID: 17366817 PMCID: PMC1797831 DOI: 10.1289/ehp.9329] [Citation(s) in RCA: 107] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2006] [Accepted: 09/25/2006] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Pregnant women receive mixed messages about fish consumption in pregnancy because unsaturated fatty acids and protein in fish are thought to be beneficial, but contaminants such as methylmercury may pose a hazard. METHODS In the Pregnancy Outcomes and Community Health (POUCH) study, women were enrolled in the 15th to 27th week of pregnancy from 52 prenatal clinics in five Michigan communities. At enrollment, information was gathered on amount and category of fish consumed during the current pregnancy, and a hair sample was obtained. A segment of hair closest to the scalp, approximating exposure during pregnancy, was assessed for total mercury levels (70-90% methylmercury) in 1,024 POUCH cohort women. RESULTS Mercury levels ranged from 0.01 to 2.50 pg/g (mean = 0.29 microg/g; median = 0.23 microg/g). Total fish consumption and consumption of canned fish, bought fish, and sport-caught fish were positively associated with mercury levels in hair. The greatest fish source for mercury exposure appeared to be canned fish. Compared with women delivering at term, women who delivered before 35 weeks' gestation were more likely to have hair mercury levels at or above the 90th percentile (> or = 0.55 microg/g), even after adjusting for maternal characteristics and fish consumption (adjusted odds ratio = 3.0; 95% confidence interval, 1.3-6.7). CONCLUSION This is the first large, community-based study to examine risk of very preterm birth in relation to mercury levels among women with low to moderate exposure. Additional studies are needed to see whether these findings will be replicated in other settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fei Xue
- Harvard School of Public Health, Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | | | | | - Kay Trosko
- Integrative Toxicology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA
| | - Lawrence Fischer
- Integrative Toxicology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA
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Montuori P, Jover E, Díez S, Ribas-Fitó N, Sunyer J, Triassi M, Bayona JM. Mercury speciation in the hair of pre-school children living near a chlor-alkali plant. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2006; 369:51-8. [PMID: 16766021 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2006.04.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2005] [Revised: 04/06/2006] [Accepted: 04/14/2006] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
Exposure to mercury species was assessed in the hair of 130 Spanish children (age 4) from the general population in two areas. Both areas are exposed to different sources of mercury: a point source in Ribera d'Ebre (northeastern Spain) and a diffuse source on the island of Menorca (northwestern Mediterranean). The median MeHg values in the hair of children from Ribera d'Ebre (RE) were nearly twice (0.631 microg/g vs. 0.370 microg/g) those of children from Menorca (MC) (p < 0.05). Total Hg showed a similar trend (REmedian: 0.720 microg/g vs. MCmedian: 0.476 microg/g). Nevertheless, inorganic mercury levels were similar in the two groups of children (REmedian: 0.186 microg/g vs. MCmedian: 0.210 microg/g). Two subgroups of the Ribera d'Ebre group were defined: children living in Flix (a village near a chlor-alkali plant) (RE1) and children living on the outskirts of Flix with no clear, direct influence of the plant (RE2). The mercury concentrations in RE1 were also significantly higher than those in Menorca, but no significant differences were found between Menorca and the RE2 subgroup. We evaluated the fish consumption of RE1, RE2 and MC and found that the Menorcan children consumed significantly less fish (p < 0.05) than the other two subgroups. Children who consumed fish more than three times a week had higher MeHg concentrations (beta (SE) = 0.991 (0.279) than those who ate it less than once a week. Nevertheless, the differences in MeHg levels between children from Ribera d'Ebre and Menorca remained statistically significant after adjustment for fish intake and other variables (beta (SE) = 0.779 (0.203) for children from RE1). In conclusion, local sources other than seafood contribute significantly to MeHg content in hair in the two Ribera d'Ebre subgroups.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paolo Montuori
- Department of Preventive Medical Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, C/ Sergio Pansini, 5, Naples, E-80131, Italy
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Montuori P, Jover E, Alzaga R, Diez S, Bayona JM. Improvements in the methylmercury extraction from human hair by headspace solid-phase microextraction followed by gas-chromatography cold-vapour atomic fluorescence spectrometry. J Chromatogr A 2004; 1025:71-5. [PMID: 14753673 DOI: 10.1016/j.chroma.2003.07.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Improvements in the methylmercury extraction from human hair by solid-phase microextraction followed by gas chromatography coupled to cold-vapour atomic fluorescence spectrometry (GC-CVAFS) have been carried out. They consisted in the optimisation of the digestion step prior to the aqueous-phase ethylation and in the GC-CVAFS interface set-up. The main digestion parameters such as acid type, concentration, temperature and time have been optimised for hair sample analysis, thereby avoiding methylmercury degradation. Moreover, the stability of the digested samples was evaluated to improve the sample throughput.
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Affiliation(s)
- P Montuori
- Environmental Chemistry Department, IIQAB-CSIC, Jordi Girona 18-26, E-08034 Barcelona, Spain
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Li CC, Kuo MS. Application of the acetylacetone chelation solid-phase extraction method to measurements of trace amounts of beryllium in human hair by GFAAS. ANAL SCI 2002; 18:607-9. [PMID: 12036135 DOI: 10.2116/analsci.18.607] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Chia-Chen Li
- Department of Environmental Science, Tunghai University, Taiwan, Republic of China
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