Use of natural history museum ungulate specimen hair as biomarkers for environmental trace element contamination

Authors

• Sayo Olawale Fakayode, Department of Chemistry, Physics and Astronomy, Georgia College & State University, Milledgeville, GA, 31061, USA. Sayo.Fakayode@gcsu.edu.
• Ashley Quinn, Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Georgia College & State University, Milledgeville, GA, 31061, USA.
• Kalina Manoylov, Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Georgia College & State University, Milledgeville, GA, 31061, USA.
• Carson Kleider, Department of Chemistry, Physics and Astronomy, Georgia College & State University, Milledgeville, GA, 31061, USA.
• Brinkley Bolton, Department of Chemistry, Physics and Astronomy, Georgia College & State University, Milledgeville, GA, 31061, USA.
• Sydney Brown, Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Georgia College & State University, Milledgeville, GA, 31061, USA.
• Skyler Herson, Zschimmer & Schwarz, Inc., Milledgeville, GA, 31061, USA.
• Kevin Davis, Zschimmer & Schwarz, Inc., Milledgeville, GA, 31061, USA.

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

12-1-2024

Publication Title

Environmental science and pollution research international

Abstract

This study reports the first use of natural history museum ungulate specimens' (common fallow deer, bontebok, Arabian oryx, impala, Dall's sheep, water buffalo, and yak) hair as biomarkers for the determination of environmental trace element contamination and public exposure risk factor assessment. Morphological characteristics of the hair, like diameter and protein structure, were determined using optical microscopy and FTIR spectroscopy, respectively. The levels of thirty-nine (39) elements, sixteen (16) rare earth elements (REEs), and selected isotope ratios (Cr/Cr, Nd/Nd, Sm/Sm, Yb/Yb, Pb/Pb, and Pb/Pb) in the hair samples were determined by ICP-MS analysis. A NIST 1643e standard reference material was analyzed for method validation to determine the accuracy of the developed elemental analysis method. The average hair diameter found in samples obtained from common fallow deer (193 ± 72 µm), bontebok (148 ± 48 µm), Arabian oryx (194 ± 40 µm), impala (88 ± 20 µm), Dall's sheep (240 ± 68 µm), water buffalo (139 ± 17 µm), and yak (139 ± 16 µm) were recorded. Al (1642 ± 1551 mg·kg), Ca (506 ± 272 mg·kg), Fe (730 ± 1391 mg·kg),  Mg (108 ± 57 mg·kg),  K (720 ± 1591 mg·kg), Si (1125 ± 1163 mg·kg), Na (10,223 ± 9824 mg·kg), and Zn (33 ± 25 mg·kg) have the highest concentrations detected in the hair samples. Potentially toxic elements and REEs have the lowest concentration in the hair samples. The detection of low concentrations of As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cr, Ni, Pb isotopes, and REEs in all hair samples suggests heavy metal contamination. The plausible sources of the detected elements in ungulate animal hair are likely due to dietary intake, anthropogenic activities, environmental contamination, specimens' preservation practices, or a combination of those sources. The figures of merit highlighted by a high correlation coefficient (R ≥ 0.9990), low limit of detection (as low as 1.00 × 10 mg·kg for Ce), and high average percent recoveries (97.0 ± 11.5) of the NIST 1643e standard reference material analyses demonstrate the linearity, high sensitivity, and accuracy of the ICP-MS technique for elemental and isotopic analysis of hair samples.

Volume Number

31

Issue Number

58

First Page

66103

Last Page

66119

DOI

10.1007/s11356-024-35676-7

Recommended Citation

Fakayode, Sayo Olawale; Quinn, Ashley; Manoylov, Kalina; Kleider, Carson; Bolton, Brinkley; Brown, Sydney; Herson, Skyler; and Davis, Kevin, "Use of natural history museum ungulate specimen hair as biomarkers for environmental trace element contamination" (2024). Faculty and Staff Works. 1113.
https://kb.gcsu.edu/fac-staff/1113