Utility of Human Scalp Hair as Biomarker

Abstract

Human biomonitoring (HBM) is a scientific technique that allows us to assess whether and to what extent environmental pollutants enter humans (Alves 2014). The technique relied on the various biomarkers like blood, urine, nails and hair. The blood is invasive biomarker while hair is emerging non-invasive biomarkers. Hair is unique character found on all mammals but not on other animals. Hairs may be defined as slender filamentous outgrowths of the skin and are primarily composed of keratin. The present paper highlights the various features of hair which makes it a reliable biomarker such as it is non-invasive, easy to transfer and store, free of contamination, easy sampling and non expensive. It has time detection window of 1 month to a year. However, there are areas of hair research which need further attention.