Validation of Dried Blood Spots for Maternal Biomonitoring of Nonessential Elements in an Artisanal and Small‐Scale Gold Mining Area of Tanzania

Nyanza, Elias C.; Dewey, Deborah; Bernier, François P.; Manyama, Mange; Hatfield, Jennifer; Martin, Jonathan W.

doi:10.1002/etc.4420

Cited by 24 publications

(51 citation statements)

References 34 publications

(98 reference statements)

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“…Other studies recommend the use of metal-free plastic bags or cleaning procedures. 9,13 However, we preferred glass tubes to plastic bags, as the handling for cleaning and drying of the tubes was relatively simple.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Furthermore, venipuncture is a more invasive technique compared to other methods of specimen collection and is ethical concerning for certain populations such as infants and children. 8,9,11-15 As an alternative to venous blood sampling, dried blood spot (DBS) sampling can be used for Hg biomonitoring, too. 8,9,11,13,15-19 Here, capillary blood, e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…11,14-16,18,20,21 So far, only three studies compared DBS with venous blood sampling for human biomonitoring of Hg. 9,13,15 One study found an relationship between whole blood and DBS, but it was confounded by the high background contamination of DBS cards, which is why they considered the retrospective use of DBS without precleaning of the cards inappropriate. 13 A second study showed that the Hg levels in DBS samples from pregnant women, who live in an ASGM area, were comparable to venous blood levels.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…13 A second study showed that the Hg levels in DBS samples from pregnant women, who live in an ASGM area, were comparable to venous blood levels. 9 Furthermore, it was demonstrated that DBS are comparable to associated whole blood levels with samples from low exposed persons, too, when methylmercury and inorganic mercury were analyzed using gas chromatography-cold vapor atomic fluorescence (GC-CVAFS). 15 However, DBS sampling has so far not been used for biomonitoring of total Hg in blood in the general population in countries with an expected low exposure, e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The implementation of DBS sampling for Hg biomonitoring comes with multiple challenges such as the background contamination of DBS cards as well as potential contamination or loss of Hg during sampling, transport and storage. 8,9,11,13,15-17,20 Only few studies dealt with the storage stability of Hg in DBS samples. 15,16,19 In these studies, Hg in DBS samples was found to generally stable under the investigated conditions.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Implementation of Mercury Biomonitoring in German Adults using Dried Blood Spot Sampling in Combination with Direct Mercury Analysis

Schweizer

Kabesch

Quartucci

et al. 2021

Preprint

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Venous blood is a preferred matrix for the determination of total mercury (Hg) in human biomonitoring but has some drawbacks such as the requirement for an uninterrupted cold chain for transport and storage and the need of medical person-nel for sample collection. Therefore, we tested and implemented a simpler and less expensive method for measuring Hg in human blood using dried blood spots (DBS). For method development, we investigated the influence of different storage conditions (temperature, storage vessel, time) on DBS samples. For method validation, we compared DBS and venous blood and investigated whether DBS sampling is suitable for measuring Hg in the general population in countries with low Hg exposure such as Germany. Based on our results, we found that pre-cleaned glass tubes were most suitable for storage of DBS samples, as this allowed the samples to remain stable for at least four weeks even at high temperatures (40 degrees Celsius). When comparing venous blood and DBS, a very good correlation (r=0.95, p<0.01) and high precision of DBS (mean relative standard deviation 8.2% vs. 7.2% in venous blood samples) were observed. Comparing the recoveries of both matrices in different concentration ranges, the scattering of the recover-ies decreases with increasing Hg concentration. The same applies to the mean recoveries. Overall, we found comparable results for DBS and whole blood using direct Hg analysis. Furthermore, we demonstrated that DBS are suitable for Hg biomonitoring in the general population in Germany and improved the storage conditions for the DBS.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Implementation of Mercury Biomonitoring in German Adults using Dried Blood Spot Sampling in Combination with Direct Mercury Analysis

Schweizer

Kabesch

Quartucci

et al. 2021

Preprint

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Methylmercury Measurements in Dried Blood Spots from Electronic Waste Workers Sampled from Agbogbloshie, Ghana

Rios

Basu

2021

Enviro Toxic and Chemistry

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Biomonitoring methylmercury (MeHg) exposure is problematic in resource-limited settings and with difficult-toaccess populations where traditional biomarker approaches present logistical, economic, and ethical issues. The present study aimed to validate the use of dried blood spots (DBS) to assess MeHg exposure in a real-world contaminated field setting. Whole-blood and DBS samples were collected from electronic waste workers (n = 20) from Agbogbloshie (Ghana) in 2017, and DBS were also artificially created in the laboratory using the field-collected blood. Whole-blood MeHg concentrations averaged 0.84 µg/L, which was not different from levels measured in the corresponding DBS samples (field-collected or artificially created). Whole-blood MeHg comprised 61% of the blood total Hg concentrations. Linear regression analysis revealed no differences in MeHg concentrations between whole-blood samples and field-collected DBS (slope 0.89, R 2 = 0.94) and between field and laboratory DBS (slope 0.89, R 2 = 0.96). The MeHg content in DBS punch blanks averaged 0.86 pg and thus was not of concern. These findings indicate that DBS are a suitable tool for assessing MeHg exposure in real-world environmental settings that may be heavily contaminated.

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Mercury in Neotropical birds: a synthesis and prospectus on 13 years of exposure data

Sayers,

Evers,

Ruiz-Gutierrez

et al. 2023

Ecotoxicology

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Environmental mercury (Hg) contamination of the global tropics outpaces our understanding of its consequences for biodiversity. Knowledge gaps of pollution exposure could obscure conservation threats in the Neotropics: a region that supports over half of the world’s species, but faces ongoing land-use change and Hg emission via artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM). Due to their global distribution and sensitivity to pollution, birds provide a valuable opportunity as bioindicators to assess how accelerating Hg emissions impact an ecosystem’s ability to support biodiversity, and ultimately, global health. We present the largest database on Neotropical bird Hg concentrations (n = 2316) and establish exposure baselines for 322 bird species spanning nine countries across Central America, South America, and the West Indies. Patterns of avian Hg exposure in the Neotropics broadly align with those in temperate regions: consistent bioaccumulation across functional groups and high spatiotemporal variation. Bird species occupying higher trophic positions and aquatic habitats exhibited elevated Hg concentrations that have been previously associated with reductions in reproductive success. Notably, bird Hg concentrations were over four times higher at sites impacted by ASGM activities and differed by season for certain trophic niches. We developed this synthesis via a collaborative research network, the Tropical Research for Avian Conservation and Ecotoxicology (TRACE) Initiative, which exemplifies inclusive, equitable, and international data-sharing. While our findings signal an urgent need to assess sampling biases, mechanisms, and consequences of Hg exposure to tropical avian communities, the TRACE Initiative provides a meaningful framework to achieve such goals. Ultimately, our collective efforts support and inform local, scientific, and government entities, including Parties of the United Nations Minamata Convention on Mercury, as we continue working together to understand how Hg pollution impacts biodiversity conservation, ecosystem function, and public health in the tropics.

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Validation of Dried Blood Spots for Maternal Biomonitoring of Nonessential Elements in an Artisanal and Small‐Scale Gold Mining Area of Tanzania

Cited by 24 publications

References 34 publications

Implementation of Mercury Biomonitoring in German Adults using Dried Blood Spot Sampling in Combination with Direct Mercury Analysis

Implementation of Mercury Biomonitoring in German Adults using Dried Blood Spot Sampling in Combination with Direct Mercury Analysis

Methylmercury Measurements in Dried Blood Spots from Electronic Waste Workers Sampled from Agbogbloshie, Ghana

Mercury in Neotropical birds: a synthesis and prospectus on 13 years of exposure data

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