Hair as a bioindicator of contamination of risk metals

The use of hair as a bioindicator of environmental contamination by risk elements is becoming more and more common. This bachelor thesis deals with the use of this matrix for analysis using the voltammetric method. It focuses on the optimization of the method for determining the concentration of cadmium, copper, lead and zinc in real hair samples and monitors the effects on the incorporation of these elements into the hair fiber. The presence of zinc and copper was confirmed in all samples analyzed. Cadmium could only be quantified in one sample. The effect of gender and age on the concentration of elements has not been demonstrated. Concentration of lead has been linked to smoking, with higher concentrations found in smoker’s hair than in non-smoker’s