Development of an environmental health tool linking chemical exposures, physical location and lung function

Abstract

Background A challenge in environmental health research is collecting robust data sets to facilitate comparisons between personal chemical exposures, the environment and health outcomes. To address this challenge, the Exposure, Location and lung Function (ELF) tool was designed in collaboration with communities that share environmental health concerns. These concerns centered on respiratory health and ambient air quality. The ELF collects exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), given their association with diminished lung function. Here, we describe the ELF as a novel environmental health assessment tool. Methods The ELF tool collects chemical exposure for 62 PAHs using passive sampling silicone wristbands, geospatial location data and respiratory lung function measures using a paired hand-held spirometer. The ELF was tested by 10 individuals with mild to moderate asthma for 7 days. Participants wore a wristband each day to collect PAH exposure, carried a cell phone, and performed spirometry daily to collect respiratory health measures. Location data was gathered using the geospatial positioning system technology in an Android cell-phone. Results We detected and quantified 31 PAHs across the study population. PAH exposure data showed spatial and temporal sensitivity within and between participants. Location data was used with existing datasets such as the Toxics Release Inventory and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Hazard Mapping System. Respiratory health outcomes were validated using criteria from the American Thoracic Society with 94% of participant data meeting standards. Finally, the ELF was used with a high degree of compliance (> 90%) by community members. Conclusions The ELF is a novel environmental health assessment tool that allows for personal data collection spanning chemical exposures, location and lung function measures as well as self-reported information. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12889-019-7217-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Sustained Effects on Lung Function in Community Members Following Exposure to Hazardous PM2.5 Levels from Wildfire Smoke

“…Spirometry is often used to evaluate lung physiology instead of X-rays and CAT scans because it can detect abnormalities in lung function even when no signs or symptoms of a disease are evident. When assessing lung function and the potential effects of environmental exposures, spirometry generates multiple parameters for comparison [19][20][21].…”

“…Spirometry is often used to evaluate lung physiology instead of X-rays and CAT scans because it can detect abnormalities in lung function even when no signs or symptoms of a disease are evident. When assessing lung function and the potential effects of environmental exposures, spirometry generates multiple parameters for comparison [ 19 , 20 , 21 ]. The main values utilized from spirometry assessments include, but are not limited to, FEV 1 (forced expiratory volume in the first second), FVC (forced vital capacity), and PEF (peak expiratory flow).…”

Sustained Effects on Lung Function in Community Members Following Exposure to Hazardous PM2.5 Levels from Wildfire Smoke

“…Spirometry is often used to evaluate lung physiology instead of x-rays and CAT scans because it can detect abnormalities in lung function even when no signs or symptoms of a disease are evident. When assessing lung function and the potential effects of environmental exposures, spirometry generates multiple parameters for comparison (22)(23)(24). The main values utilized from spirometry assessments include, but are not limited to, FEV 1 (forced expiratory volume one-second), FEV 6 (forced volume six-seconds), FVC (forced vital capacity), and PEF (peak expiratory ow).…”

Evaluating predictive relationships between wristbands and urine for assessment of personal PAH exposure

“…Study participants can wear these samplers as a wristband, lapel, dog tag, or other configuration ( Dixon et al 2020 ; O'Connell et al 2014; Poutasse et al 2020 ). Since silicone wearables were first reported on in 2014, they have been used in over 30 exposure assessment studies and have been worn by thousands of people on six continents ( Bullock et al, 2020 , Craig et al, 2019 , De Vecchi et al, 2019 , Dixon et al, 2020 , Hammel et al, 2020 , Hendryx et al, 2020 , Reche et al, 2020 , Reddam et al, 2020 , Rohlman et al, 2019 ; Wang et al 2019a; Wang et al 2019b; Wise et al, 2020 , Zuy et al, 2020 ). Silicone wearables are passive sampling devices, which sequester the fraction of chemicals that are available to transport across cellular membranes ( Anderson and Hillwalker 2008 ; O'Connell et al 2014).…”