Abstract
This study was focused on the analysis of arsenic (As) levels in scalp hair of children (age, < 10 years) collected from two towns of Khairpur, Pakistan, to evaluate the effects of As-contaminated groundwater. For comparative purposes, scalp hair samples of children were also collected from that area having low levels of As (< 10 mu g/L) in drinking water. Groundwater and scalp hair samples of children were collected and analyzed by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry prior to microwave-assisted acid digestion. The average As concentrations in groundwater samples of two towns, Thari Mirwah and Gambat, were found to be 28.5 and 98.3 mu g/L, respectively. The range of As concentrations in scalp hair samples of children who belong to Thari Mirwah and Gambat was 1.25-1.61 mu g/g and 1.73-3.63 mu g/g, respectively. Twenty percent of the total children who belong to Gambat have skin lesions on their hands and feet. A positive correlation coefficient (R = 0.91-0.99) was obtained between As contents in drinking water and scalp hairs of children of both towns.