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Optimisation of A Sample Preparation Method for the Determination of Multi-Elemental Compositions in Human Hair By Triple Quadrupole ICP-MS Analysis

Runkel, Agneta Annika LU orcid ; Jagodic Hudobivnik, Marta ; Živković, Igor ; Klemenčič, Polona ; Mazej, Darja and Horvat, Milena (2026) In Biological Trace Element Research
Abstract

Monitoring toxic elements has a long tradition in Slovenia due to historical mining. More recently, attention has shifted to essential elements, since both deficiencies and excesses can harm health. Regular monitoring of (non-)essential elements supports risk assessment and policymaking. While urine and blood are common biomonitoring matrices, hair offers a non-invasive alternative that reflects exposure over several months, though standardised methodologies for hair analysis remain limited. This study aimed to develop and validate a sensitive and robust analytical method for the determination of 29 elements in human hair, addressing key challenges in sample preparation and contamination control. We developed a sensitive and robust... (More)

Monitoring toxic elements has a long tradition in Slovenia due to historical mining. More recently, attention has shifted to essential elements, since both deficiencies and excesses can harm health. Regular monitoring of (non-)essential elements supports risk assessment and policymaking. While urine and blood are common biomonitoring matrices, hair offers a non-invasive alternative that reflects exposure over several months, though standardised methodologies for hair analysis remain limited. This study aimed to develop and validate a sensitive and robust analytical method for the determination of 29 elements in human hair, addressing key challenges in sample preparation and contamination control. We developed a sensitive and robust method for the determination of 29 elements (Ag, Al, As, Ba, Ca, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, K, Mg, Mn, Mo, Na, Ni, P, Pb, Rb, S, Sb, Se, Sn, Sr, Ti, U, V, and Zn) in 3 cm segments of human hair that involves a washing procedure with acetone and Milli-Q water, microwave digestion with 65% HNO3, and analysis with Triple Quadrupole Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS/MS). Evaluation of preparation steps revealed stainless-steel scissors as a major contamination source. Glass digestion vessels were unsuitable for several elements due to high detection limits and relative standard deviations. The optimised method reduced analytical variability and improved sensitivity compared to published protocols. This validated method enables reproducible multi-elemental analysis in hair, highlights overlooked contamination risks, and is now applied in human biomonitoring studies to strengthen exposure assessment and standardisation efforts.

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organization
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publication status
epub
subject
in
Biological Trace Element Research
publisher
Humana Press
external identifiers
  • pmid:41559264
ISSN
1559-0720
DOI
10.1007/s12011-025-04968-5
language
English
LU publication?
yes
additional info
© 2026. The Author(s).
id
df7c77fc-0b8f-438c-98a1-3069544b4ef4
date added to LUP
2026-01-21 09:52:19
date last changed
2026-01-21 11:05:14
@article{df7c77fc-0b8f-438c-98a1-3069544b4ef4,
  abstract     = {{<p>Monitoring toxic elements has a long tradition in Slovenia due to historical mining. More recently, attention has shifted to essential elements, since both deficiencies and excesses can harm health. Regular monitoring of (non-)essential elements supports risk assessment and policymaking. While urine and blood are common biomonitoring matrices, hair offers a non-invasive alternative that reflects exposure over several months, though standardised methodologies for hair analysis remain limited. This study aimed to develop and validate a sensitive and robust analytical method for the determination of 29 elements in human hair, addressing key challenges in sample preparation and contamination control. We developed a sensitive and robust method for the determination of 29 elements (Ag, Al, As, Ba, Ca, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, K, Mg, Mn, Mo, Na, Ni, P, Pb, Rb, S, Sb, Se, Sn, Sr, Ti, U, V, and Zn) in 3 cm segments of human hair that involves a washing procedure with acetone and Milli-Q water, microwave digestion with 65% HNO3, and analysis with Triple Quadrupole Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS/MS). Evaluation of preparation steps revealed stainless-steel scissors as a major contamination source. Glass digestion vessels were unsuitable for several elements due to high detection limits and relative standard deviations. The optimised method reduced analytical variability and improved sensitivity compared to published protocols. This validated method enables reproducible multi-elemental analysis in hair, highlights overlooked contamination risks, and is now applied in human biomonitoring studies to strengthen exposure assessment and standardisation efforts.</p>}},
  author       = {{Runkel, Agneta Annika and Jagodic Hudobivnik, Marta and Živković, Igor and Klemenčič, Polona and Mazej, Darja and Horvat, Milena}},
  issn         = {{1559-0720}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{01}},
  publisher    = {{Humana Press}},
  series       = {{Biological Trace Element Research}},
  title        = {{Optimisation of A Sample Preparation Method for the Determination of Multi-Elemental Compositions in Human Hair By Triple Quadrupole ICP-MS Analysis}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s12011-025-04968-5}},
  doi          = {{10.1007/s12011-025-04968-5}},
  year         = {{2026}},
}