Copper and zinc concentrations in human hair and popular foodstuffs in China

ABSTRACT Concentrations of copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn) were determined in 383 human hair samples and in 445 food samples purchased in 11 Chinese cities. The concentrations of Cu were 7.91, 5.39, 2.27 and 2.20 mg kg−1 and those of Zn were 47.2, 24.8, 52.8 and 30.2 mg kg−1 in vegetables, cereals, meat and fish, respectively. The overall mean concentrations of hair Cu and Zn were 8.97 and 128 mg kg−1, respectively. Hair Cu and Zn concentrations were higher in females than in males, especially in the 13–19 and 20–50 year age groups. Hair Cu concentration increased with increasing age and these changes occurred mainly in males. In contrast, 51–65 years old females had the lowest hair Zn concentrations. Residents of rural areas had similar hair Cu or Zn concentrations to people in urban areas. There were no significant correlations between hair concentration and food intake in terms of Cu and Zn among the cities. The results indicate that hair Cu and Zn concentrations and their changes with biological and environmental factors cannot be explained satisfactorily by the estimated food intakes in the cities sampled.