Considerations for Stable Isotope Analysis of Human Hair

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tiffany Saul ◽  
Lesley Chesson ◽  
Dawnie Steadman ◽  
Gwyneth Gordon
Keyword(s):  
Stable Isotope ◽  
Stable Isotope Analysis ◽  
Human Hair ◽  
Isotope Analysis ◽  
Isotope Ratios ◽  
Outdoor Exposure ◽  
Postmortem Changes ◽  
Isotopic Signatures ◽  
Post Exposure ◽  
Hair Samples

Stable isotope analysis of postmortem hair is performed in order to make inferences about an individual’s diet and geographic travel history prior to death. During analysis and interpretation, investigators assume that the hair collected from a postmortem environment has not been altered by exposure conditions and that the isotopic “signatures” of hair prior to exposure are preserved in postmortem samples. In order to confidently make inferences from postmortem hair samples, it is necessary to know whether their isotope ratios undergo postmortem changes. To address this question, post-exposure hair samples (n = 44) were collected from known body donors at the Anthropology Research Facility in Knoxville, Tennessee, USA, at various time points ranging from 22 to 1,140 days of exposure. These samples were analyzed for carbon (δ13C), nitrogen (δ15N), hydrogen (δ2H), and oxygen (δ18O) isotope ratios, and the results were compared with pre-exposure hair samples collected from the same donors. This study highlights considerations for the interpretation of isotope ratios obtained from postmortem hair samples in forensic contexts. The results indicate that δ13C, δ15N, and δ18O values from human hair remain relatively consistent over periods up to three years of outdoor exposure, while δ2H values changed significantly between pre-and post-exposure hair samples.

scholarly journals A model-based assessment of the potential use of compound specific stable isotope analysis in river monitoring of diffuse pesticide pollution

2013 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 8789-8839
Author(s):  
S. R. Lutz ◽  
H. J. van Meerveld ◽  
M. J. Waterloo ◽  
H. P. Broers ◽  
B. M. van Breukelen
Keyword(s):  
Stable Isotope ◽  
Stable Isotope Analysis ◽  
Surface Runoff ◽  
Isotope Analysis ◽  
Isotope Ratios ◽  
Strong Increase ◽  
Extreme Rainfall Event ◽  
Pesticide Application ◽  
Pesticide Pollution ◽  
Isotope Data

Abstract. Compound-specific stable isotope analysis (CSIA) has, in combination with model-assisted interpretation, proven a valuable approach to quantify the extent of organic contaminant degradation in groundwater systems. CSIA data may also provide insights into the origin and transformation of diffuse river pollutants such as pesticides and nitrate at the catchment scale. While CSIA methods for pesticides have increasingly become available, they have not yet been deployed to interpret isotope data of pesticides in surface water. We applied a coupled subsurface-surface reactive transport model (HydroGeoSphere) at the hillslope scale to investigate the usefulness of CSIA in the assessment of pesticide degradation. We simulated the transport and transformation of a pesticide in a hypothetical but realistic two-dimensional hillslope transect. The steady-state model results illustrate a strong increase of isotope ratios at the hillslope outlet, which resulted from degradation and long travel times through the hillslope during average hydrological conditions. In contrast, following an extreme rainfall event that induced overland flow, the simulated isotope ratios dropped to the values of soil water in the pesticide application area. These results suggest that CSIA can help to determine whether pesticides enter the stream via groundwater exfiltration or via surface runoff. Simulations with daily rainfall and evapotranspiration data and one pesticide application per year resulted in small seasonal variations of concentrations and isotope ratios at the hillslope outlet, which fell within the uncertainty range of current CSIA methods. This implies a good reliability of in-stream isotope data in the absence of transport via surface runoff or other fast transport routes, since the time of measurement appears to be of minor importance. The analysis of simulated isotope ratios also allowed quantifying the contribution of two different reaction pathways to the overall degradation, which gave further insight into transport routes in the modelled system. The simulations supported the use of the commonly applied Rayleigh equation for the interpretation of CSIA data, since this led to an underestimation of the real extent of degradation of less than 12% at the hillslope outlet. Overall, the model results emphasize the applicability and usefulness of CSIA in the assessment of diffuse river pollution.

scholarly journals Stable Isotope Analysis of Human Hair and Nail Samples: The Effects of Storage on Samples

2008 ◽  
Vol 53 (1) ◽  
pp. 95-99 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isla Fraser ◽  
Wolfram Meier-Augenstein ◽  
Robert M. Kalin
Keyword(s):  
Stable Isotope ◽  
Stable Isotope Analysis ◽  
Human Hair ◽  
Isotope Analysis

scholarly journals Stable Isotope Analysis and Persistent Organic Pollutants in Crustacean Zooplankton: The Role of Size and Seasonality

Water ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 1490 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roberta Piscia ◽  
Michela Mazzoni ◽  
Roberta Bettinetti ◽  
Rossana Caroni ◽  
Davide Cicala ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Stable Isotope ◽  
Stable Isotope Analysis ◽  
Isotope Analysis ◽  
Standing Stock ◽  
Fish Predation ◽  
Crustacean Zooplankton ◽  
Isotopic Signatures ◽  
Carbon And Nitrogen ◽  
Pollutant Concentrations ◽  
Stock Biomass

Zooplankton is crucial for the transfer of matter, energy, and pollutants through aquatic food webs. Primary and secondary consumers contribute to the abundance and standing stock biomass, which both vary seasonally. By means of taxa- and size-specific carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analysis, the path of pollutants through zooplankton is traced and seasonal changes are addressed, in an effort to understand pollutant dynamics in the pelagic food web. We analyzed zooplankton plurennial changes in concentration of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane and its relatives (DDTs) and in taxa-specific δ15N signatures in two size fractions, ≥450 µm and ≥850 µm, representative of the major part of zooplankton standing stock biomass and of the fraction to which fish predation is mainly directed, respectively. Our work is aimed at verifying: (1) A link between nitrogen isotopic signatures and pollutant concentrations; (2) the predominance of size versus seasonality for concentration of pollutants; and (3) the contribution of secondary versus primary consumers to carbon and nitrogen isotopic signatures. We found a prevalence of seasonality versus size in pollutant concentrations and isotopic signatures. The taxa-specific δ15N results correlated to pollutant concentrations, by means of taxa contribution to standing stock biomass and δ15N isotopic signatures. This is a step forward to understanding the taxa-specific role in pollutant transfer to planktivores and of zooplankton enrichment in PCBs and DDTs.

scholarly journals Stable Isotope Analysis of a Submarine Ice Cliff at Explorers Cove, McMurdo Sound, Antarctica

1984 ◽  
Vol 30 (104) ◽  
pp. 112-115 ◽  
Author(s):  
William L. Stockton ◽  
Ted E. DeLaca ◽  
Michael J. Deniro
Keyword(s):  
Stable Isotope ◽  
Stable Isotope Analysis ◽  
Sea Water ◽  
Isotope Analysis ◽  
Ice Cores ◽  
Isotope Ratios ◽  
Stable Isotope Ratios ◽  
Mcmurdo Sound

AbstractStable isotope ratios and salinities of ice samples obtained from a submarine ice cliff at Explorers Cove demonstrate that the upper parts of the ice cliff have frozen directly from sea-water and are an underwater expression of permafrost, whereas the lower parts appear to be partially glacial in origin. These results indicate that there may be ice cores in the moraines of Explorers Cove, in which case the coastline of McMurdo Sound is more extensively ice-cored than previously known.

Stable isotope analysis of modern human hair collected from Asia (China, India, Mongolia, and Pakistan)

2009 ◽  
pp. NA-NA ◽  
Author(s):  
A.H. Thompson ◽  
L.A. Chesson ◽  
D.W. Podlesak ◽  
G.J. Bowen ◽  
T.E. Cerling ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Stable Isotope ◽  
Stable Isotope Analysis ◽  
Human Hair ◽  
Isotope Analysis ◽  
Modern Human

Climate and Habitat Reconstruction Using Stable Carbon and Nitrogen Isotope Ratios of Collagen in Prehistoric Herbivore Teeth from Kenya

1989 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 407-422 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stanley H. Ambrose ◽  
Michael J. DeNiro
Keyword(s):  
Stable Isotope ◽  
Stable Isotope Analysis ◽  
Analytical Methods ◽  
Rift Valley ◽  
Isotope Analysis ◽  
Nitrogen Isotope ◽  
Isotope Ratios ◽  
Habitat Conditions ◽  
Stable Carbon ◽  
Carbon And Nitrogen

AbstractStable carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios have been determined for tooth collagen of 27 prehistoric herbivores from a rock shelter in the central Rift Valley of Kenya. Collagen samples whose isotope ratios were not altered by diagenesis were identified using several analytical methods. During the later Holocene, when the climate was as dry or drier than at present, the isotopic compositions of individual animals are similar to those of modern individuals of the same species. During the earlier Holocene, when the climate was wetter than at present, the δ15N and δ13C values are lower than those for their modern counterparts. When diagenetic factors can be discounted and adequate modern comparative data are available, stable isotope analysis of herbivore teeth and bones can be used to evaluate prehistoric climate and habitat conditions.

scholarly journals A model-based assessment of the potential use of compound-specific stable isotope analysis in river monitoring of diffuse pesticide pollution

2013 ◽  
Vol 17 (11) ◽  
pp. 4505-4524 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. R. Lutz ◽  
H. J. van Meerveld ◽  
M. J. Waterloo ◽  
H. P. Broers ◽  
B. M. van Breukelen
Keyword(s):  
Stable Isotope ◽  
Stable Isotope Analysis ◽  
Surface Runoff ◽  
Isotope Analysis ◽  
Isotope Ratios ◽  
Strong Increase ◽  
Extreme Rainfall Event ◽  
Pesticide Application ◽  
Pesticide Degradation ◽  
Isotope Data

Abstract. Compound-specific stable isotope analysis (CSIA) has, in combination with model-assisted interpretation, proven to be a valuable approach to quantify the extent of organic contaminant degradation in groundwater systems. CSIA data may also provide insights into the origin and transformation of diffuse pollutants, such as pesticides and nitrate, at the catchment scale. While CSIA methods for pesticides have increasingly become available, they have not yet been deployed to interpret isotope data of pesticides in surface water. We applied a coupled subsurface-surface reactive transport model (HydroGeoSphere) at the hillslope scale to investigate the usefulness of CSIA in the assessment of pesticide degradation. We simulated the transport and transformation of a pesticide in a hypothetical but realistic two-dimensional hillslope transect. The steady-state model results illustrate a strong increase of isotope ratios at the hillslope outlet, which resulted from degradation and long travel times through the hillslope during average hydrological conditions. In contrast, following an extreme rainfall event that induced overland flow, the simulated isotope ratios dropped to the values of soil water in the pesticide application area. These results suggest that CSIA can help to identify rainfall-runoff events that entail significant pesticide transport to the stream via surface runoff. Simulations with daily rainfall and evapotranspiration data and one pesticide application per year resulted in small seasonal variations of concentrations and isotope ratios at the hillslope outlet, which fell within the uncertainty range of current CSIA methods. This implies a good reliability of in-stream isotope data in the absence of transport via surface runoff or other fast transport routes, since the time of measurement appears to be of minor importance for the assessment of pesticide degradation. The analysis of simulated isotope ratios also allowed quantification of the contribution of two different reaction pathways (aerobic and anaerobic) to overall degradation, which gave further insight into the transport routes in the modelled system. The simulations supported the use of the commonly applied Rayleigh equation for the interpretation of CSIA data, since this led to an underestimation of the real extent of degradation of less than 12% at the hillslope outlet. Overall, this study emphasizes the applicability and usefulness of CSIA in the assessment of diffuse river pollution, and represents a first step towards a theoretical framework for the interpretation of CSIA data in agricultural catchments.

Maritime adaptations and dietary variation in prehistoric Western Alaska: Stable isotope analysis of permafrost-preserved human hair

2013 ◽  
Vol 151 (3) ◽  
pp. 448-461 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kate Britton ◽  
Rick Knecht ◽  
Olaf Nehlich ◽  
Charlotta Hillerdal ◽  
Richard S. Davis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Stable Isotope ◽  
Stable Isotope Analysis ◽  
Human Hair ◽  
Isotope Analysis ◽  
Maritime Adaptations ◽  
Dietary Variation
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