Element “portrait” of students in Russian northern regions

The hair samples taken from students residing in the European North (St. Petersburg, Petrozavodsk) and Asian North (Magadan) were examined to study the content of 25 essential macro- and micro elements using the method of atom-emission and mass spectrometry with inductively bonded argon plasma. The found deficit in Co, Ca, Mg, and Cu is a common profile demonstrated by both examined groups. No pronounced misbalance was found in Al, As, B, Cd, Hg, Pb, Sn, and V. The analysis of median values of chemicals from examined hair samples enabled us to reveal a series of reliable region-related differences. All examinees were lower in Co, Ca, Mg, Se, as compared to the lower referent values. Petrozavodsk subjects were low in Cr and Na, and high in Zn, as compared to the lower and the upper referent values respectively. Students from Magadan and St. Petersburg were lower in Mn, as compared to the lower referent values. Male students from St. Petersburg demonstrated reliably higher B, Ca, Co, Fe, Mg and Se values, examined men from Petrozavodsk were reliably high in Hg, I, P and Zn, and Magadan male students showed As, Cd, Cr, K, Na, Si and V of rather high values. In regards to females, Magadan subjects were significantly high in Al, As, B, I, Na, Se, Si and V; hair samples from Petrozavodsk girl students were found to be significantly high in Cu, Zn and Hg. During correlation analysis, all examined male subjects demonstrated three equal pairs of elements with the positive and statistically significant (p