Heavy metal in hair samples of 109 non-industrial (miners) population in Katanga.

Introduction: This survey aims at proposing reference values of metals in the hair, in the copper-belt (Province of Katanga).

Materials and methods: We ran a descriptive study, in an etiologic perspective, on a sample of non-industrial population, constituted by students of the University of Lubumbashi, healthy and without medical treatment (n  = 109). Hair samples were analyzed by Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS).

Results: Twenty metals were identified and quantified: aluminium, antimony, silver, barium, cadmium, calcium, cerium, chromium, cobalt, copper, tin, iron, magnesium, manganese, mercury, molybdenum, nickel, lead, vanadium, and zinc.

Discussion: Regarding similar surveys ran upon european no-industrial populations, our results are ranging in the same percentiles. They spread out those percentiles only when our results were too close to quantification limits (silver, tin, mercury, nickel and vanadium). For certain metals, in particular aluminium, cadmium, chromium, cobalt, copper, manganese, molybdenum and lead, we have obtained higher contents. Several reasons can explain this specificity: ICP-MS sensitivity, analysis and preparation technique difference, diet difference or simply public health issues…

Conclusion: Our results are close to others surveys' values. They can be validated as reference values for Katanga general population and used to highlight occupational exposure.