The paper describes the general outline of a multicentre study on the risk factors of coronary heart disease (CHD) and their determinants in children of various ages in different parts of Finland. The study was a cross-sectional one, and was carried out in 1980 in five university cities of Finland with medical schools and in 12 rural communities in their vicinity. The randomized sample included an equal number of boys and girls, aged 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, and 18 years, and an equal number of urban and rural population in each area. The total sample size was 4,320 subjects, and of these 3,596 participated (83.1%). The families received before the medical examination of the child, questionnaires on the socioeconomic background the child's general health and development, the parents' and grandparents' health status, and the child's food and exercise habits. At the physical examination also a fasting blood sample (lipids, insulin, trace elements) was taken, a bundle of hair was cut for trace element analysis, and a 48-hour recall on food intake was obtained from every second subject. 19.5% of the children had in their history some long-term disease, allergic diseases being the most common. CHD and other cardiovascular diseases were significantly more frequent among the grandparents and parents in eastern than in western Finland. The study is meant to be a basis for a longitudinal study.

Atherosclerosis precursors in Finnish children and adolescents. I. General description of the cross-sectional study of 1980, and an account of the children's and families' state of health

Use of human hair as a biomarker in the assessment of exposure to pollutants in occupational and environmental settings.

ContextHair mineral analysis is being used by health care practitioners and
promoted by laboratories as a clinical assessment tool and to identify toxic
exposures, despite a 1985 study that found poor reliability for this test.ObjectiveTo assess whether the reliability of data from commercial laboratories
advertising multimineral hair analyses for nutritional or toxicity assessment
has improved since the 1985 study.Design, Setting, and ParticipantsA split hair sample taken from near the scalp of a single healthy volunteer
was submitted for analysis to 6 commercial US laboratories, which analyze
90% of samples submitted for mineral analysis in the United States.Main Outcome MeasuresAgreement of test results for each analyte, laboratory reference ranges,
laboratory characteristics, and interpretation of health implications.ResultsLaboratory differences in highest and lowest reported mineral concentrations
for the split sample exceeded 10-fold for 12 minerals, and statistically significant
(P<.05) extreme values were reported for 14 of
the 31 minerals that were analyzed by 3 or more laboratories. Variations also
were found in laboratory sample preparation methods and calibration standards.
Laboratory designations of normal reference ranges varied greatly, resulting
in conflicting classifications (high, normal, or low) of nearly all analyzed
minerals. Laboratories also provided conflicting dietary and nutritional supplement
recommendations based on their results.ConclusionsHair mineral analysis from these laboratories was unreliable, and we
recommend that health care practitioners refrain from using such analyses
to assess individual nutritional status or suspected environmental exposures.
Problems with the regulation and certification of these laboratories also
should be addressed.

Jukka O. Kilpiö

Papers

The effect of washing procedures on trace element content of human hair