Hair Mineral Analysis (HMA) 

Hair mineral analysis (HMA) has been utilized in forensics for decades. HMA provides information about the elemental concentration of body tissue. It tells you what nutrients and/or toxic metals have been stored over time. It provides information about chronic exposure to toxins. It also tells how your body utilized the nutrient minerals and trace elements of your diet, and whether your intake caused sufficient or excess tissue storage. Balance is important, and hair mineral analysis allows us to monitor excess or deficient intake of minerals. Therefore, HMA provides a different answer than urine or blood analysis.Hair is collected without pain. It is non-invasive, a perfect diagnostic tool for testing children or the frail.

Contamination of the hair can occur from air, water, perspiration and shampoos. This type of contamination is removed during TMI's sample washing procedure. However, contamination from dyes, permanents or bleaching of hair cannot be removed. These cosmetic procedure permanently change the structure of the hair and therefore, only natural hair (head, pubic or beard hair) is suitable for hair mineral analysis. Underarm hair is unsuitable for analysis.

Individuals who have no hair left for testing, may submit nails for testing. Nails are similar in structure and we have appropriate reference ranges for this type of sample.

Dr. Martin Laker of the Department of Child Health, Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Bristol, England stated in 1982: "HMA is an excellent, simple, and accurate test to establish mineral and trace element concentrations. Since the structure of hair remains unchanged, the minerals and trace elements are fixed, whether a sample is tested now or in a few years time. The levels are not subject to change.... We would suggest that in the future, when an assessment of body trace elements is needed, it might be wise to pause before rushing to take a blood sample. A specimen of hair might be more appropriate." The Lancet, July 31, 1982  

As hair grows, nutrient and toxic elements are deposited from the blood stream into the hair follicle and hair shaft. Once a trace element has been incorporated into the hair, it remains fixed. To measure these values reliably and with good reproducibility, the following criteria must be met:

• Untreated head hair that is cut from the occipital area (back of head) is the preferred sample.
• Substitutes for head hair are pubic hair or clippings of finger nails (underarm hair is not acceptable).
• Hair that is approximately 1.5 inches in length from the scalp typically represents 2-3 months of growth. Such a sample provides information about the overexposure or malnutrition that occurred during that period.
• Because some sample loss occurs during washing, an adequate amount of sample (a minimum of one half gram, which equals about two tablespoons) is needed for the analysis.
• Do not mix different sample types (i.e.do not mix hair with nails).
• Hair that has been chemically treated ("permed", dyed, bleached, or otherwise chemically treated) will not provide accurate results. Send pubic hair or nails instead.

Long Hair
1) Part the hair in the middle of the back of the head, and pull it out and up.
2) Close to the scalp, cut a thin strand of hair that is at most 2 inches long (which is equal to about 5cm)
3) Place hair on Sampling Instructions Form and repeat the cutting on various regions on the back of the head until enough hair is obtained.
4) Place hair in plastic envelope. Fill out the Sampling Instructions Form, write the appropriate information on the plastic envelope and send to TMI.

Short hair
1) Trim one half to one gram of hair from the back of the head. Use thinning scissors, if possible.
2) Place hair in plastic envelope. Fill out the Sampling Instructions Form, write the appropriate information on the plastic envelope and send to TMI.

To collect Pubic Hair: 
Pubic hair should be cut as close to the skin as possible. Pubic hair from female patients should be collected from the upper part of the pubic hair line.  

Samples for Follow-up: 
It is advisable that the sample be collected from approximately the same area. For example, if a pubic hair sample was submitted for the first analysis, it is advisable to collect again from the pubic area.