Evaluation of hair analysis for determination of trace mineral status and exposure to toxic heavy metals in horses in the Netherlands

Analysis of hair to gain insight into the trace mineral status and exposure to toxic heavy metals of horses is attractive because hair is an easily accessible sample material. To investigate the potential value of hair analysis in horses for determination of trace mineral and heavy metal concentrati...

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Published in:Journal of veterinary diagnostic investigation 2022-11, Vol.34 (6), p.1000-1005
Main Authors: van der Merwe, Deon, van den Wollenberg, Linda, van Hees-Valkenborg, Jolien, de Haan, Tara, van der Drift, Saskia, Vandendriessche, Veerle
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Arsenic - analysis
Brief Reports
Cadmium - analysis
Chromium - analysis
Cobalt - analysis
Copper
Hair Analysis - veterinary
Horses
Iron
Manganese
Metals, Heavy - analysis
Molybdenum - analysis
Netherlands - epidemiology
Nickel - analysis
Selenium
Trace Elements
Vanadium - analysis
Water - analysis
Zinc
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Summary:Analysis of hair to gain insight into the trace mineral status and exposure to toxic heavy metals of horses is attractive because hair is an easily accessible sample material. To investigate the potential value of hair analysis in horses for determination of trace mineral and heavy metal concentrations, we analyzed mane hair and liver samples from 62 horses presented for slaughter at a facility in the Netherlands that receives horses from all regions of the country. Hair samples were cleaned in warm water. After acid digestion of hair and liver specimens, we quantified, with inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry, arsenic, cadmium, chromium, cobalt, copper, iron, lead, manganese, molybdenum, nickel, selenium, vanadium, and zinc in the digests. Based on Pearson product moment correlations, we found no statistically significant correlations between concentrations of trace minerals in liver and hair, with the exception of a slight correlation for copper that was too weak to be of clinical relevance. Our results do not support the use of hair to determine trace mineral status and exposure to toxic heavy metals in the horse under field conditions.
ISSN:1040-6387
1943-4936
DOI:10.1177/10406387221116069