ArticleProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America2019
Human pollution exposure correlates with accelerated ultrastructural degradation of hair fibers.
Article in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 12 papers.
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Who cites it
12 citing papers in PubMed, 40 citations in OpenAlex.
- From crown to cosmetics: Exploring the efficacy of an upcycled pineapple biopolymer in sustainable skincare, suncare and hair care applications.International journal of cosmetic science · 2026Article
- Elemental analysis of archaeological hair compared to soil composition: A case study of a child and adult female from LaGrange Place, PA.Forensic science international. Synergy · 2026Article
- New strategies and advancements in the synthesis of metal organic frameworks for PAHs removal.iScience · 2025Review
- Air Pollution and Skin Diseases.Annals of dermatology · 2025Review
- Proteomic Analysis of Single Hairs.Methods in molecular biology (Clifton, N.J.) · 2025Article
- Assessing the effect of cleansing products on artificially polluted human hairs and skin through in vivo and in vitro models.Skin research and technology : official journal of International Society for Bioengineering and the Skin (ISBS) [and] International Society for Digital Imaging of Skin (ISDIS) [and] International Society for Skin Imaging (ISSI) · 2023Article
- The Role of the Ecotoxicology Applied to Seafood as a Tool for Human Health Risk Assessments Concerning Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Review
- Global trade drives transboundary transfer of the health impacts of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon emissions.Communications earth & environment · 2022Article
- Multi-omics analysis to decipher the molecular link between chronic exposure to pollution and human skin dysfunction.Scientific reports · 2021Article
- Distribution, sources, and ecological risk assessment of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the sediments of Daihai Lake in Inner Mongolia, China.Environmental science and pollution research international · 2021Article
- Particulate Matters Induce Apoptosis in Human Hair Follicular Keratinocytes.Annals of dermatology · 2020Article
- The exposome impact on hair health: etiology, pathogenesis and clinical features ‒ Part I.Anais brasileiros de dermatologiaReview
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
8 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Exposure to pollution is a known risk factor for human health. While correlative studies between exposure to pollutants such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and human health exist, and while in vitro studies help to establish a causative connection, in vivo comparisons of exposed and nonexposed human tissue are scarce. Here, we use human hair as a model matrix to study the correlation of PAH pollution with microstructural changes over time. Two hundred four hair samples from 2 Chinese cities with distinct pollution exposure were collected, and chromatographic-mass spectrometry was used to quantify the PAH-exposure profiles of each individual sample. This allowed us to define a group of less contaminated hair samples as well as a more contaminated group. Using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) together with quantitative image analysis and blind scoring of 82 structural parameters, we find that the speed of naturally occurring hair-cortex degradation and cuticle delamination is increased in fibers with increased PAH concentrations. Treating nondamaged hair fibers with ultraviolet (UV) irradiation leads to a more pronounced cortical damage especially around melanosomes of samples with higher PAH concentrations. Our study shows the detrimental effect of physiological concentrations of PAH together with UV irradiation on the hair microstructure but likely can be applied to other human tissues.
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