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Assessing Metal Levels in Children from the Mechanistic Indicators of Childhood Asthma(MICA) study
Citation:
Sanders, A., J. GALLAGHER, J. K. MCGEE, S. W. RHONEY, E. E. HUDGENS, H. A. OZKAYNAK, AND R. Fry. Assessing Metal Levels in Children from the Mechanistic Indicators of Childhood Asthma(MICA) study. Presented at Society of Toxicology (SOT) Annual Meeting, Washington, DC, March 06 - 10, 2011.
Impact/Purpose:
Here, we quantitatively compare and contrast toxic and essential metals levels in vacuum dust, urine, and fingernail samples of 109 children in Detroit, Michigan as part of The Mechanistic Indicators of Childhood Asthma (MICA) study -a study aimed at examining relationships between exposure and biomarkers of exposure effects and susceptibility in children ages 9-13.
Description:
Toxic and essential metals levels can be used as health indicators. Here, we quantitatively compare and contrast toxic and essential metals levels in vacuum dust, urine, and fingernail samples of 109 children in Detroit, Michigan as part of The Mechanistic Indicators of Childhood Asthma (MICA) study -a study aimed at examining relationships between exposure and biomarkers of exposure effects and susceptibility in children ages 9-13. Comparison of the Detroit children's urinary levels with the Center for Disease Control's Fourth National Report on Human Exposure to Environmental Chemicals showed that urinary metal levels for As, Cd and Pb, were similar to nationally reported levels. Creatinine-adjusted urinary metal concentrations were in the order: Zn > Se > Cu > As> Ni > Pb > Cd> Cr > V > Mn. We find no statistical differences in essential metal levels between children with varied vitamin use status. Our results indicate that levels of toxic metals indeed covary with each other as well as with essential metals (e.g. arsenic and selenium) in the biological matrices. Furthermore, among all possible pairwise comparisons of metals and media types, metals levels in the matrices representing chronic exposure (nails and dust) were more closely associated relative to the short term exposure indicator (urine). This study underscores the importance of accounting for multiple metals in models aimed at assessing the relative importance of metals in sourceexposure- health outcome studies. This abstract is the text of a proposed presentaiton and does not represent EPA policy.