Summary
Critical narrative review of paediatric scalp-hair biomonitoring for technology-related trace elements (TTEs) including antimony, covering 61 core sources and structured evidence from Spanish paediatric programmes (Alcala de Henares, Elche/Mediterranean, Madrid). The review concludes that scalp hair Sb is a context-specific biomarker: discrete deposits from product contact (cosmetics, medications, industrial sources) can confound interpretation, no health-based guidance values for hair Sb have been validated in paediatric populations, and urine or plasma provide more interpretable systemic indicators for Sb in most settings.
Key numbers
European paediatric hair Sb data referenced:
- Llorente Ballesteros et al. (Madrid): n = 648, ages 0-18 years; study-specific medians not extracted in this review
- Ruiz et al. (Elche/Mediterranean): n = 419, ages 3-12 years; study-specific medians not extracted
- Pena-Fernandez et al. (Alcala de Henares): n = 120 children (ages 6-9) and n = 97 adolescents (ages 13-16)
The review does not tabulate a consolidated European paediatric hair Sb reference distribution; values “vary by exposure setting.”
No health-based hair Sb biomonitoring equivalent published for paediatric populations.
Evidence Fitness
Context only as a primary Sb occurrence source. Provides methodological guidance on when hair is and is not a valid Sb biomarker.
Methods (brief)
Structured narrative review using 61 core sources. European paediatric focus with international comparators. Categories: biomarker validity, analytical methods, reference ranges, exposure sources, implications for risk assessment.
Implications
- Certification: hair Sb in paediatric populations cannot be directly converted to a systemic dose without internal-dose corroboration; urine or blood preferred.
- Courses: teaches limitations of hair Sb as systemic biomarker vs. indicator of local product contact.
- App: not applicable.
- Microbiome: not addressed.
Provenance notes
Open access, CC BY. File from PMC OA S3 (PMC13611082).
Update history
No substantive edit history is available in this build. The full commit record is available in git.