Comparative Study of Heavy Metals Accumulation in the Nails of Drinkers and Non-Drinkers of River Water

Abstract

Heavy metals can incorporate into humans by contaminated drinking water and can then be distributed

into different tissues, which leads to an internal accumulation that can induce different alterations, adverse

effects and acute/chronic metal poisoning. Nails can be used as bio-indicator for biological monitoring for

the purpose of forensic examination in poisoning cases, assessment of metal exposures, as occupational

marker and for health risk assessment. This paper deals with the comparative quantitative study of iron,

lead, zinc, cadmium, copper and nickel concentration in nails of male subjects drinking and not drinking

water from river. The levels of these metals were analyzed by Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (AAS).

The result of this study showed Fe and Cu were significantly higher in concentration in the nail samples of

people consuming river water whereas Zn concentration was slightly higher in the nail sample of people not

consuming river water and Cd, Ni and Pb showed negative result in the both type of subjects. The present

comparative study showed significant difference in heavy metal concentration in both the type of subjects.

So it can be stated that people consuming river water are more affected, due to continuous exposure from

these metal through the river. This study can prove that nail samples can be used as biological indicator and

biological monitoring tool for assessment of heavy metal.