Grantee Research Project Results
INnovations to generate estimates of childrens soil/dust inTake (INGEST)
EPA Grant Number: R840200Title: INnovations to generate estimates of childrens soil/dust inTake (INGEST)
Investigators: Nachman, Keeve , Davis, Meghan , Prasse, Carsten , Quirós-Alcalá, Lesliam , Voegtline, Kristin , Yuille, Alan , Woodruff, Tracey J.
Current Investigators: Nachman, Keeve , Woodruff, Tracey J. , Davis, Meghan , Prasse, Carsten , Quirós-Alcalá, Lesliam , Voegtline, Kristin , Yuille, Alan , Lupolt, Sara
Institution: Johns Hopkins University , University of California - San Francisco
EPA Project Officer: Hahn, Intaek
Project Period: August 1, 2021 through June 30, 2024 (Extended to June 30, 2025)
Project Amount: $1,350,000
RFA: Estimating Childrens Soil and Dust Ingestion Rates for Exposure Science (2020) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Human Health , Children's Health
Objective:
We propose an integrated and highly innovative portfolio of tools and approaches to assess dust and soil exposures for children ages six months to six years via macro-and micro-activity pattern and tracer studies. The objectives are to 1) longitudinally characterize lifestage and developmental milestone-specific macro-activity and microenvironmental patterns for children ages six months – six years; 2) prospectively collect and analyze in-home macro-activity video footage to describe the environmental and human factors that modify micro-activity patterns for children ages six – eighteen months; and 3) identify organic chemical fingerprints in three environmental and two biological samples using non-targeted analytical approaches to propose novel organic candidate tracer compounds and tracer mixtures for estimation of children’s soil and dust intake.
Approach:
We will collect longitudinal, lifestage-specific time activity diaries coupled with computer-assisted telephone interviews from three diverse sites to develop distributions of macro-activity data by different microenvironments. We will use artificial intelligence methods to develop distributions of non-dietary ingestion micro-activity behaviors from prospectively collected videos of infants and toddlers. We will use non-targeted analysis to characterize organic chemical fingerprints for environmental and infants’ biological samples to support the proposal of candidate tracer or tracer mixtures for estimation of soil and dust ingestion.
Expected Results:
We will generate robust, longitudinal time-activity (microenvironmental and macro-activity) data for a demographically diverse selection of 150 children in five lifestages occurring between six months and six years and also by fine- and gross-motor skill developmental milestones. Our computer vision and AI-driven analysis of 60 children ages six – eighteen months residing primarily in urban settings will yield high-quality non-dietary ingestion micro-activity data (hand and object mouthing frequencies). The validated computer vision method will be instrumental in future studies of micro-activities, possibly for studies of dermal exposures, and older populations. The multi-media non-targeted analyses of correlated soil, dust, formula, stool, and urine samples will produce a rigorously evaluated list of candidate tracers and tracer mixtures that will support future tracer-based studies to capture population variability in soil and dust exposure on a broader scale. Collectively, our activity pattern and micro-activity data distributions (and permutations thereof) will prove invaluable in efforts to update multiple exposure factors to advance the practice of risk assessment for the most vulnerable lifestages of children exposed to soil and dust through ingestion.
Publications and Presentations:
Publications have been submitted on this project: View all 5 publications for this projectJournal Articles:
Journal Articles have been submitted on this project: View all 1 journal articles for this projectSupplemental Keywords:
sensitive populations; human health; survey; measurement methods; observationProgress and Final Reports:
The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.