Hair analysis for biomonitoring of environmental and occupational exposure to organic pollutants: state of the art, critical review and future needs

Abstract

This paper presents the current state of the art in human hair analysis for the detection of organic pollutants associated with environmental and occupational exposure. The different chemical classes are reviewed with a special focus set on compounds that were only recently investigated. The importance of methods sensitivity and particularly the influence of this parameter on the results presented in previous publications is highlighted. This report also investigates the relevance of hair analysis as an indicator of subjects' level of exposure and underlines limitations that are still associated with this matrix. This study also presents a critical assessment of some specific aspects presented in the literature as well as future needs to strengthen the position of hair as a relevant biomarker of exposure to be used in epidemiological studies.