Yuma, Arizona is a prominent agricultural capital in the United States, producing more than 170 different crops. However, the amount of pesticide applied to maintain high agricultural yields presents possible health concerns. This project is a component of a larger Flinn-funded project characterizing the extent of pesticide exposure, utilizing a One Health approach quantifying concentrations in the environment, animals, and humans. Hair and fur can be used as a noninvasive biomarker that is capable of establishing the presence of metals and metalloids. In this study, local wild-caught rodent fur and human hair from farm workers were collected. To remove external contributions and contaminants, rodent fur was washed prior to analysis following an International Atomic Energy Agency protocol. A digestion method was developed through a series of preliminary runs. The mixed metal samples were analyzed using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) to determine the concentrations of the analytes Mn55, Fe57, Cu65, As75, Cd111, Pb206, Pb207, Pb208, and U238. In order to correct for instrumental drift, internal standards Rh103 and Ir193 were calibrated and used in correction equations. Preliminary results from both human hair and rodent fur revealed that manganese, lead, and cadmium may have elevated levels in comparison to reported literature values. Those elements may potentially be viable for a matched animal model to humans based on the concentrations of metals present in rodent fur compared to human hair. These results suggest that the local wild-caught rodents appear to be a valid model for exposure.

Quantifying metal contaminants in rodents in Yuma, AZ

2019 Fall National Meeting

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