New research at the University of Texas at Austin shows that human hair can record chemical exposure over days, weeks and months. Each small section of hair represents about a month of exposure, so a strand can help build a timeline that blood or urine cannot.
Anna Neville tested her own hair in a lab class and found a spike of phthalates during a visit to her parents' house while they renovated. The team used heating to release chemicals and a mass spectrometer to measure them quickly from intact hair. The study also notes that many pollutants come from indoor sources and gives simple steps to reduce exposure.
Difficult words
- record — keep information so people can read it later
- exposure — time when someone meets a chemical or danger
- timeline — a line of events in order by time
- mass spectrometer — a machine that measures chemicals by mass
- pollutant — a substance that makes air or water dirtypollutants
- renovate — to repair and improve a building or roomrenovated
- phthalate — a chemical used in plastics and some productsphthalates
Tip: hover, focus or tap highlighted words in the article to see quick definitions while you read or listen.
Discussion questions
- Would you want to test your hair to see chemical exposure? Why or why not?
- What simple step could you try at home to reduce indoor pollutants?
- How can a hair timeline be more useful than a blood or urine test?
Related articles
Exercise better than protein powder for older adults' muscle strength
A clinical trial in people aged 65 and over found that extra protein from whey capsules did not increase muscle strength after 24 weeks. Researchers say resistance exercise remains the most reliable way to improve strength.
Affordable twice-yearly HIV injection lenacapavir to reach 120 countries
Lenacapavir, a twice-yearly HIV prevention injection, will be licensed for 120 low- and middle-income countries at US$40 a year. Rollout is expected from 2027 with funding support, but some countries and price transparency remain concerns.