Strontium isotope ratios of human hair record intra-city variations in tap water source

The oxygen ( O/ O) isotope analysis of hair is commonly applied to reconstruct an individual's residence history. However, region-of-origin as determined from oxygen isotope values (δ O) alone is often spatially indistinct. Adding additional geochemical recorders can refine region-of-origin est...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Scientific reports 2018-02, Vol.8 (1), p.3334-10, Article 3334
Main Authors: Tipple, Brett J, Valenzuela, Luciano O, Ehleringer, James R
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Drinking water
Geology
Hair
Isotopes
Oxygen
Strontium
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Summary:The oxygen ( O/ O) isotope analysis of hair is commonly applied to reconstruct an individual's residence history. However, region-of-origin as determined from oxygen isotope values (δ O) alone is often spatially indistinct. Adding additional geochemical recorders can refine region-of-origin estimates. In this capacity, strontium ( Sr/ Sr) isotope analysis has attracted increased interest. While Sr/ Sr reflects the influences of local geology, Sr/ Sr of hair includes both external environmental signals as well as the internal dietary indicators. To better understand the impact of these contributions to the spatial signal encoded within Sr/ Sr of hair, human hair was collected from three locations within Salt Lake City, Utah along with the donor's sex. The Sr/ Sr and δ O of hair and local tap water were measured. There were no significant relationships between sex and either δ O or Sr/ Sr of hair, nor between collection location and the δ O of hair. However, we found significant associations between collection location and Sr/ Sr of hair. These findings suggest that interactions with local water may be an important source of Sr to human hair and that the Sr/ Sr of hair may have the capacity to record differences in Sr/ Sr of tap waters on small spatial scales.
ISSN:2045-2322
2045-2322
DOI:10.1038/s41598-018-21359-0