Notice:

WARNING! DATA USE RESTRICTIONS

Read Carefully Before Using

The EPA does all it can to ensure that the identity of survey participants cannot be disclosed. All direct identifiers, as well as any characteristics that might lead to identifications, are omitted from the data. Any intentional identification or disclosure of a person or establishment violates the assurances of confidentiality given to the providers of the information. Therefore, users will (1) use the data in this study for statistical reporting and analysis only; (2) make no use of the identity of any person or establishment discovered inadvertently and will advise the HEDS Administrator of any such discovery; (3) will not link this data with individually identifiable data from other EPA or non-EPA data.

By using the data you signify your agreement to comply with the above-stated statutorily based requirements.

Citation:

Description:

This data set includes analytical results for measurements of metals in 534 air samples. Samples of personal air, indoor air, and outdoor air were collected using a pump and interval timer over a period of approximately 144 hours to measure inhalation exposure to metals. Most of these samples were collected at 2.0 lpm through an IOM (Institute of Occupational Medicine) size-selective inlet with a Teflon filter. This inlet collects the total inspirable aerosol fraction (approximately a D sub 50 of 50 micrometers) to represent the inhalation pathway for total exposure assessment. The interval timer was used to extend battery life and collect an integrated sample over the 6-day period. The personal sampler was carried in a soft "fanny pack," with the inlet located near the waist. In addition, indoor and outdoor samples were collected at a subset of homes using PM10 size-selective inlets to assess comparability between IOM and PM10 measurements. Samples were analyzed, after acid extraction, by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GFAAS) for lead, cadmium, and chromium. The hydride generation atomic fluorescence spectrometry (HGAFS) method was used to analyze for arsenic. Keywords: metals; air.

The National Human Exposure Assessment Survey (NHEXAS) is a federal interagency research effort coordinated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Office of Research and Development (ORD). Phase I consists of demonstration/scoping studies using probability-based sampling designs. The Region 5 study was conducted in EPA's Region 5 (Ohio, Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, and Minnesota), and included personal exposure, residential concentration, and biomarker measurements of metals and VOCs. The study was conducted by the Research Triangle Institute (RTI) and the Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute (EOHSI). The scope and design of the study are detailed in the following article: E. Pellizzari et al., Population-Based Exposure Measurements in EPA Region 5: A Phase I Field Study in Support of the National Human Exposure Assessment Survey. Journal of Exposure Analysis and Environmental Epidemiology, Vol. 5, No. 3, 1995, pp. 327-358.

NOTE: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), through its Office of Research and Development (ORD), partially funded and collaborated in the research described here. Mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute endorsement or recommendation by EPA for use.

URLs/Downloads:

STUDY DIRECTORY

DOWNLOAD DATA SET

DOWNLOAD DATA SET

HEDS STUDIES

Record Details:

Record Type:DATA SET

Product Published Date:12/31/1997

Record Last Revised:12/10/2002

Record ID: 17499

Show Additional Record Data

Related Organizations:

Role :CONTACT

Organization Name :U.S. EPA Human Exposure and Atmospheric Sciences Division

Primary Email :admin.heds@epa.gov

Mailing Address :P.O. Box 93478

Citation :Las Vegas

State :NV

Zip Code :891933478

Quality Assurance:

Title :NHEXAS PHASE I REGION 5 STUDY--METALS IN AIR ANALYTICAL RESULTS

Data Use & Constraints :NHEXAS is a rich source of data. EPA encourages you to use the data for research and analysis. User familiarity with data file manipulation and analysis is required. EPA does not have the resources to perform analyses, check results, debug programs, or do literature review for your work. Thorough review of the documentation on the survey's planning, analytic guidelines, and individual datasets available through HEDS and EIMS should resolve most questions. If you still have questions after careful review of the documentation, please contact the Human Exposure and Atmospheric Sciences Division at (919) 541-3184 or send an e-mail to "admin.heds@epa.gov". Please review the data use restrictions in the Notice field (EIMS Summary page) and your agreement to comply with these restrictions in using the data.

These data are the result of a probability-based sampling design specific to the population under study. Thus the data may or may not be representative of subsets of this study's population or of other populations. The study was designed to test certain hypotheses, and this may limit its applicability for other purposes. When using these data it is important to consider the percentage of non-responses or non-detects in the data as an indicator of its usefulness for other purposes. No liability is accepted by the U.S. EPA for any errors or omissions in the results included in the data sets, associated information, and/or documentation.

Based on the output format selected by the user and the software into which the data set is imported, users may notice that measurements and sampling weights are zero-padded to the right of non-zero decimal digits. These zeroes are purely a function of the formatting process and the software's acceptance of that format and should not be construed to represent significant digits in the value. Measurement values are provided with four significant digits; sampling weights are provided with three decimal digits.