Soil, Hand, and Body Adherence Measures across Four Beach Areas: Potential Influence on Exposure to Oil Spill Chemicals

Abstract

Skin adherence (SA) of soil affects exposure from soil contaminants through dermal routes via loading on the skin and through ingestion routes through hand to mouth activities. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the relationships between adherence versus child-specific and environmental factors. Two sets of soil-to-skin adherence were evaluated. The first was based on loading on hands following hand presses (Hand SA). The second was based on body rinses following one hour of play activities on the beach (Body SA). Results for 98–119 children conducted at four beach sites show that mean Hand SA was 35.7 mg/cm2 (std. dev. 41.8 mg/cm2), while Body SA based on full coverage was 352.3 mg/cm2 (std. dev. 250.4 mg/cm2). Statistically significant differences in Body SA were observed between male (419.2 mg/cm2) and female (300.4 mg/cm2) children (p < 0.05). No significant difference by sex was found for Hand SA. Other statistically different observations were that Hand SA (p < 0.05), but not Body SA, differed across the four beaches (p < 0.05). For Hand SA, this difference was associated soil size variability across the beaches. Hand and Body SA values measured during this study are recommended for use in risk assessments that evaluate beach exposures to oil spill chemicals for young children.

Quantified Activity Patterns for Young Children in Beach Environments Relevant for Exposure to Contaminants

“…Hotter or more humid days might also influence the time children spend in the Seawater cooling off. Details about average environmental conditions at each beach during the study period is available in the supplemental text of [ 30 ].…”

“…Contact frequencies and sequential data, for example, can be quantified and used in risk assessment algorithms to address the dynamics of loading at the skin surface. This research is supplemented by previously published survey data that include macro-activity, such as the number of visits to beach and time typically spent [ 26 ] and adherence of sands to the hands and body of children [ 30 , 37 ]. Future work will compare micro-activity field with survey data on children’s activity patterns that were previously published, where parents relied on recall to advise how their children like to spend time (in Seawater versus Intertidal zones) [ 26 ].…”

“…There were 125 children recruited in Miami and Texas through daycare centers, groups for mothers, university contacts, and doctor offices to participate in a field study at four beaches. Participation involved completion of hand press trials and body rinses to quantify soil adherence to hands and body [ 1 , 30 , 31 ], participation in an approximately one-hour videotaping session, and completion of a parental survey on visits to beaches, children’s observed activities, and risk perception [ 26 ]. Additional field data were collected at the beaches to include other child factors (e.g., clothing, toys on the beach, use of sunscreen), and environmental data (e.g., soil condition and weather conditions).…”

Estimating Health Risks to Children Associated with Recreational Play on Oil Spill-Contaminated Beaches

“…The remaining variables needed to complete the risk assessment were consistent with those used in Black et al [ 32 ] ( Table 3 ). Body skin surface area was calculated using established formulas [ 22 , 42 , 43 ] based upon a child’s height and weight. The assumed height and weight estimations represented averages obtained from demographic and survey information collected on behalf of 122 children who participated in the BEACHES study.…”

“…Children’s greater frequency of hand-to-mouth contact also puts them at higher risk of exposure from non-dietary ingestion routes [ 15 ]. There have been studies in residential settings evaluating the dynamics of children’s behavior in the environment and subsequent exposures to hazards [ 16 , 17 ], and some investigations characterizing children’s exposure-related activities in the beach environment [ 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 ]. Shoaf et al [ 19 ] evaluated the extent of dermal exposure by children to sediment in a tide flat by collecting information from parents regarding children’s play behavior as well as measuring adherence of sediment to children’s skin.…”