Title: Human bone as a biological material for environmental monitoring

Authors: Sofia Zaichick, Vladimir Zaichick

Addresses: Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Northwestern University, 302 East Superior street, Morton Building, Chicago, IL 60640, USA. ' Department of Radionuclide Diagnostics, Medical Radiological Research Centre of Russian Academy of Medical Sciences, Koroleva Str. 4, Obninsk 249020, Kaluga Region, Russia

Abstract: The effect of age and gender on major, minor and trace element contents in the intact rib-bone of 84 apparently healthy 15–58 year-old citizens (38 females and 46 males) of a non-industrial region in the Central European part of Russia was investigated by Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis (INAA) and Inductively Coupled Plasma Atomic Emission Spectrometry (ICP-AES). The summary of statistics, arithmetic mean, standard deviation, standard error of mean, minimum and maximum values, median, percentiles with 0.025 and 0.975 levels for mass fraction of 44 chemical elements (Ag, Al, As, Au, B, Ba, Br, Ca, Cd, Ce, Cl, Co, Cr, Cs, Cu, Eu, Fe, Gd, Hf, Hg, K, La, Li, Lu, Mg, Mn, Na, Nd, P, Rb, S, Sb, Sc, Se, Sm, Sr, Ta, Tb, Th, U, V, Yb, Zn and Zr) were determined for rib-bone of females, of males and of both females and males taken together.

Keywords: chemical elements; human rib bones; human ribs; age involution; gender related differences; INAA; instrumental neutron activation analysis; ICP-AES; inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry; environmental monitoring; biomonitoring; trace elements; Russia; male bones; female bones; environmental pollution; air pollution; air quality.

DOI: 10.1504/IJENVH.2010.033714

International Journal of Environment and Health, 2010 Vol.4 No.2/3, pp.278 - 292

Published online: 29 Jun 2010 *

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