Hair Mineral Analysis and Disruptive Behavior in Clinically Normal Young Men

Abstract

Hair mineral samples were collected from 980 young men entering Navy recruit training. Forty of the samples were selected for hair mineral analysis on the basis of three criteria: mental test scores, demerits during training, and premature discharge from the Navy. Atomic absorption spectroscopy was used to determine, for these 40 cases, the hair levels of copper, iron, magnesium, zinc, lead, cadmium, aluminum, and calcium. Statistical analysis revealed several significant relationships between the behavioral criteria and the mineral measures. A significant relationship was found between hair cadmium levels and both demerits (p < .01) and reading ability (p < .05). The three subjects with the highest cadmium levels all displayed serious behavior difficulties in recruit training. Recruits with high hair magnesium levels tended to earn excessive demerits (p < .01) and be poor readers (p < .05). These findings confirm, in a non-clinical sample, hair mineral/behavior relationships previously reported for clinically diagnosed cases.