Biomarker Measurements of Concurrent Exposure to Multiple Environmental Chemicals and Chemical Classes in Children

Abstract

Concern is mounting that children from disadvantaged, low-income neighborhoods are likely to be both more exposed to chemical hazards and more susceptible to related adverse health effects. This article reports measurements of >75 individual biomarkers spanning 7 chemical/pollutant classes in blood and urine from more than 100 children living in a socioeconomically disadvantaged and ethnically diverse area of south Minneapolis, MN. Results indicate that a significant proportion of children in the study were at the high end of the exposure distribution compared to national reference ranges for a variety of environmental chemicals and/or their metabolites, including phthalates, organochlorine pesticides, organophosphate pesticides, metals, polychlorinated biphenyls, and volatile organic compounds. In addition, levels of cotinine in urine indicate that more than half the children were regularly exposed to environmental tobacco smoke, with the upper 10th percentile exposed to relatively high concentrations.

Using Structural Equation Modeling to Assess the Links between Tobacco Smoke Exposure, Volatile Organic Compounds, and Respiratory Function for Adolescents Aged 6 to 18 in the United States

“…Smoking rates are higher in lower-income areas than higher-income areas [ 7 ]. Exposure to VOCs disproportionately affects both persons living in poverty and children [ 8 ].…”

Proposed Cutoff for Identifying Adult Smokeless Tobacco Users With Urinary Total 4-(Methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanonol: An Aggregated Analysis of NHANES 2007–2010 Data

“…Although cotinine may remain the tobacco exposure biomarker of choice for various clinical or research purposes (Haufroid & Lison, 1998;Kim & Jung, 2013), qualitative (detection of presence) or quantitative (measurement of the concentration) assessment of NNAL may be used together, or in lieu of cotinine in situations where the relatively short half-life of cotinine may limit its use or in the presence of other nontobacco nicotine exposures. For example, NNAL may be useful in the case of occasional SLT users whose last episode of tobacco use exceeds a week (i.e., greater than the half-life of cotinine) and in detecting tobacco use among persons who may possibly have elevated cotinine levels ab initio from nontobacco sources such as nicotine replacement therapy and pesticide exposure (e.g., occupational exposures such as agricultural and pesticide industry workers; Haufroid & Lison, 1998;Sexton et al, 2011).…”

Validation of Self-Reported Smokeless Tobacco Use by Measurement of Serum Cotinine Concentration Among US Adults

“…Additionally, cotinine may not be the ideal bio-marker for persons who have elevated nicotine levels from secondhand smoke exposure or other, nontobacco sources, such as nicotine replacement therapy, or those with occupational exposure to pesticides (28, 29). In these situations, an alternative biomarker may be utilized for biochemical detection or confirmation of tobacco use.…”