Will Barium Show Up In A Hair Analysis Test?

Posted on Wed, 21 Oct 2015

Question: Could a doctor working in a hospital get enough barium in their bloodstream to show up in hair when tested? The test results were: Barium 9380 ug/kg.
How could the following results be found in hair? Cobalt 2206 ug/kg, Nickel 1015 ug/kg, Tin 2274 ug/kg and Barium 9380 ug/kg.

Answered by Dr. Tushar Kanti Biswas (9 hours later)

Brief Answer:
Hair analysis for trace elements

Detailed Answer:
Hi,

Thank you for your query. I can understand your concerns.
Hair analysis is not reliable.
Normal ranges of hair minerals or trace elements have not been defined.
Hair mineral content can be affected by exposure to various substances such as shampoos, bleaches and hair dyes. No analytic technique enables reliable determination of the source of specific levels of elements in hair as bodily or environmental.
Hence it is not possible to comment upon your hair analysis report.

Regards

Dr. T.K. Biswas M.D. XXXXXXX

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Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Vinay Bhardwaj