Hair mineral analysis has become an interesting diagnostic tool in biomonitoring of exposure to toxic elements in the assessment of health and nutritional status. The most inconvenient of this matrix is the lack of sufficient information to define normal ranges of metal levels in a general healthy population. In this study, segmental hair analysis was used to depict a chronological scheme of exposure to arsenic, cobalt, cadmium, chromium, copper, manganese, nickel and lead in a 16-year-old girl showing signs of potential intoxication. The quantitative results obtained from consecutive segments of hair proved the exposure to chromium. In particular, segment A (0–6 cm), approximately reflecting the last 6 months of exposure, resulted in the chromium level at 5.60 µg/g. The technique of segmental analysis allowed us to establish “intra-individual” physiological variation ranges for each heavy metal hair concentration. As a consequence, these “confidence” intervals could be used as individualized references to highlight the occurrence of atypical metal levels in any specific hair segment, possibly identifying a period of anomalous exposure and/or intoxication.
