Silicone wristbands compared with traditional polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon exposure assessment methods

Abstract

Currently there is a lack of inexpensive, easy-to-use technology to evaluate human exposure to environmental chemicals, including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). This is the first study in which silicone wristbands were deployed alongside two traditional personal PAH exposure assessment methods: active air monitoring with samplers (i.e., polyurethane foam (PUF) and filter) housed in backpacks, and biological sampling with urine. We demonstrate that wristbands worn for 48 h in a non-occupational setting recover semivolatile PAHs, and we compare levels of PAHs in wristbands to PAHs in PUFs-filters and to hydroxy-PAH (OH-PAH) biomarkers in urine. We deployed all samplers simultaneously for 48 h on 22 pregnant women in an established urban birth cohort. Each woman provided one spot urine sample at the end of the 48-h period. Wristbands recovered PAHs with similar detection frequencies to PUFs-filters. Of the 62 PAHs tested for in the 22 wristbands, 51 PAHs were detected in at least one wristband. In this cohort of pregnant women, we found more significant correlations between OH-PAHs and PAHs in wristbands than between OH-PAHs and PAHs in PUFs-filters. Only two comparisons between PAHs in PUFs-filters and OH-PAHs correlated significantly (rs = 0.53 and p = 0.01; rs = 0.44 and p = 0.04), whereas six comparisons between PAHs in wristbands and OH-PAHs correlated significantly (rs = 0.44 to 0.76 and p = 0.04 to <0.0001). These results support the utility of wristbands as a biologically relevant exposure assessment tool which can be easily integrated into environmental health studies. Graphical abstractPAHs detected in samples collected from urban pregnant women Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1007/s00216-018-0992-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Analysis of brominated and chlorinated flame retardants, organophosphate esters, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in silicone wristbands used as personal passive samplers

“…The PAH levels observed here (76.2 to 1,240 ng/wristband) were much lower than those reported in silicone wristbands worn by hot asphalt roofers (230 to 4,600 ng/wristband) [5], suggesting higher PAH exposure in occupational settings. Median phenanthrene and fluorene levels (89.3 and 24.3 ng/wristband, respectively) measured in this study were lower than those reported in wristbands worn by pregnant women in New York City (228 and 74 ng/wristband, respectively) [11], which could be related to higher traffic and combustion sources in New York City than in Bloomington, Indiana.…”

“…These studies have demonstrated that a commercial silicone wristband, worn by study participants, offers a non-invasive and simple way to quantify personal exposure to multiple chemicals from multiple microenvironments and within a multiday time period. Further, several studies have found significant correlations between the mass of chemicals accumulated on the wristband and biomarkers of internal exposure measured in blood or urine [11][12][13]. This sampling method opens a wide range of opportunities for larger scale exposure monitoring studies, especially in vulnerable populations such as children, due to its noninvasiveness (and thus low rejection rates of subject participation), simplicity, and cost-effectiveness.…”

The use of personal and indoor air pollution monitors in reproductive epidemiology studies

“…This allows the sampler to determine the correct time zone and allows the research team to see that the sampler has been activated. Each participant also puts on the first of three passive sampling wristbands (24hourwristbands.com, Houston, Texas), to collect 1 month of integrated exposure to over 1500 chemicals . After setting up the sampler and putting on the wristband, the participant competes a survey in the smartphone application to alert the study team that all Day 1 items have been successfully completed.…”

Exposing the exposome to elucidate disease

“…The team then compared the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons sampled by the wristbands with metabolites in the women's urine that the body produces in an attempt to detoxify these chemicals. In May 2018, the team reported correlations between exposure data and these metabolite biomarkers (15). But even in this case, the exact risk these chemicals pose to the participants' health is unclear.…”