Grantee Research Project Results
2007 Progress Report: Exposure Assessment Facility Core
EPA Grant Number: R832141C006Subproject: this is subproject number 006 , established and managed by the Center Director under grant R832141
(EPA does not fund or establish subprojects; EPA awards and manages the overall grant for this center).
Center: Water Environment and Reuse Foundation's National Center for Resource Recovery and Nutrient Management
Center Director: Olabode, Lola
Title: Exposure Assessment Facility Core
Investigators: Perera, Frederica P.
Institution: Columbia University in the City of New York
EPA Project Officer: Callan, Richard
Project Period: November 1, 2003 through October 31, 2008 (Extended to October 31, 2010)
Project Period Covered by this Report: November 1, 2006 through October 31, 2007
RFA: Centers for Children's Environmental Health and Disease Prevention Research (2003) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Children's Health , Human Health
Objective:
The specific aims of the project are to: 1) characterize exposures from pregnancy through early childhood to PAHs, non-persistent pesticides (NPP), ETS, allergens, endotoxins, and molds and 2) measure specific genetic polymorphisms and nutritional levels that may modulate effects of these exposures.
Progress Summary:
As previously reported, all pregnant women in the study and their babies are exposed to multiple common pollutants that can harm fetal and child development, respiratory health, or increase cancer risk. Exposures include: PAHs in outdoor and indoor air (Perera et al., 2003); pesticides used in homes (Whyatt et al., 2004); and Environmental Tobacco Smoke (ETS) (Perera et al., 2004).
Exposures are being characterized through: 1) questionnaires administered to the mother during pregnancy, every 3 months after birth until the child is age 24 months and then every 6 months; 2) environmental monitoring including collection of personal and indoor air monitoring and repeat collection of dust samples from the home; 3) biologic monitoring including urine and blood samples collected from the mother during pregnancy and at delivery, and from the child at delivery through age 108 months. Personal air monitoring is being conducted over 48 hours during the 3rd trimester of pregnancy; samples have been analyzed for 702 women. 2 week integrated indoor air samples have been collected from a subset of the homes (n=337 samples from 102 homes) beginning during the 32nd week of gestation and continuing through delivery. The personal and indoor air samples have been analyzed for PAH and NPP. Simultaneous indoor/outdoor monitoring has also been completed on 103 homes at postnatal age 12 months. PM filters have been analyzed for reflectance and transformed into absorption coefficients. Multiple dust samples have been collected from the homes during pregnancy (n=760), at child’s ages 12 (n=489), 36 (n=348), and at 60 months (n=289) and are being analyzed for allergens (cockroach, rodent, dust mite, dog and cat), endotoxins and mold. To date, dust samples from beds and kitchens have been analyzed for cockroach allergen (Bla g 2, n=2,981), mouse allergen (MUP, n=2,966), and dust mite allergen (Der f 1,n=1,586). The number of dust mite allergen analyses is lower because measurements are only made using bed samples (a location that has soft textile furnishings where dust mites can be found) and not kitchen samples. The following biologic samples have been collected: maternal blood at delivery (n=720); umbilical cord blood (n=571); blood samples from the child at 24 months (n=405), 36 months (n=410), 60 months (n=324). 84 months (n=176) and 108 months (n=13). Meconium samples have been collected from a subset of the newborns at delivery (n=409).Urine samples have also been collected from the mother during pregnancy (n=734) and from the child at ages 3 (n=356), 5 (n=333), 7 (n=191) and 9 (n=13) years. Biologic samples are analyzed for NPP, plasma cotinine, PAH-DNA adducts (mother (n=450) child (n=302)), lead, mercury, organochlorines, and antioxidants. We have measured a number of genes in 520 maternal blood samples and 373 blood samples collected from the newborn. We have also measured micronutrient levels in 404 maternal and 254 cord blood samples. Between 1998-2006, we gathered information on pesticide use from 639 of the women; 87% reported using pest control during pregnancy and 46% reported using higher toxicity methods (cans sprays, sprays by exterminator and bombs). Pest problems and pesticide use increased significantly with the level of housing disrepair reported (p<0.01). As seen from Figure 1 above, there has been a significant increase over time in the use of the higher toxicity methods among women in the cohort. The organophosphates chlorpyrifos and diazinon and the carbamate propoxur were the insecticides detected most frequently: in 99% - 100% of personal (n=628) and indoor air samples (n=337) during pregnancy. There was little within-home variability and no significant difference in indoor air concentrations within homes over time (p≥0.2); between home variability accounted for 88% of the variance in the indoor air levels of propoxur, 92% in chlorpyrifos, 94% in diazinon (p<0.001). Indoor and maternal personal air insecticide levels were highly correlated (r=0.7-0.9, p<0.001). Chlorpyrifos and diazinon exposures decreased significantly following the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 2001-02 ban on their residential use. Detection frequencies of piperonyl butoxide (PBO, a synergist added to many pyrethroid formulations) and cis- and trans-permethrin in personal air samples increased over time from 2001-05; the increase was significant for cis-permethrin (p<0.01, Chi-squared test), suggesting that the pyrethroid insecticides may be replacing the organophosphates for residential use in this cohort. Levels of PBO were significantly higher among mothers reporting use of high toxicity pesticides (ANCOVA, p<0.01). We have recently initiated a survey in collaboration with our lead community partner, WE ACT, to determine which pesticide products are currently being sold in stores in these inner-city communities. Results will be published next year. Eight PAHs have been measured in 702 personal air samples collected from the mother during pregnancy; levels averaged 3.4±6.6 ng/m3. We are developing a land-use regression model to estimate concentrations of traffic-related fine particulate matter and absorbance, a surrogate for diesel exhaust particles, using various land-use and traffic-related predictors. Between October 1999 and March 2006, two 48-hour PM2.5 measurements were made at 103 home locations at the child’s age 12 months. PM filters were subsequently analyzed for reflectance and transformed into absorption coefficients. PM2.5 concentrations ranged from 0.47-160.23 μg/m3, averaging 22.31 μg/m3, with corresponding absorption coefficients ranging from 0-9.47 m-1x10-5 and averaging 1.36 m-1x10-5. Variables describing each sampling site, including road area, number of intersections and bus stops within various distance buffers, average building height on block, distances to nearest intersection, nearest trucking route and nearest body of water, average daily traffic, sampling height, as well as central site data and meteorological measures are being generated in a Geographic Information System and tested for predictability. Between May 2003 and October 2004, we analyzed Aspergillus/Penicillium extracellular polysaccharide (Asp/Pen EPS) in a total of 310 mother’s bed dust samples (230 prenatal and 80 12-month samples). There was a significant correlation between Asp/Pen EPS and Cockroach (Bla g 2) in the dust both at the prenatal (n=75, r=0.39, p<0.001) and 12 months (n=52, r=0.37, p=0.021) sampling times. A significant correlation between Asp/Pen EPS and MUP in the dust was found at the prenatal (n=70, r=0.31, p=0.009) but not at 12 months (n=40, r=0.18, p=0.26) sampling time.
Significance
The Exposure Assessment Facility Core plays a critical role in providing pre- and postnatal measures of exposures to a range of environmental risk factors in the homes of the New York City Mothers & Children Study cohort. These exposure estimates are used by the etiologic projects to test hypotheses.
Future Activities:
The Exposure Assessment Facility Core will continue to collect environmental measures from the cohort through the child’s age 11 years.
Supplemental Keywords:
RFA, Scientific Discipline, Health, INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION, ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT, HUMAN HEALTH, Genetics, Health Risk Assessment, Epidemiology, Biochemistry, Health Effects, Children's Health, Environmental Policy, Risk Assessment, asthma, prenatal exposure, environmental risks, latino, genetic mechanisms, Human Health Risk Assessment, diesel exhaust, assessment of exposure, genetic risk factors, children's environmental health, exposure assessment, genetic susceptibilityProgress and Final Reports:
Original AbstractMain Center Abstract and Reports:
R832141 Water Environment and Reuse Foundation's National Center for Resource Recovery and Nutrient Management Subprojects under this Center: (EPA does not fund or establish subprojects; EPA awards and manages the overall grant for this center).
R832141C001 Growth and Development Research Project: Prenatal and Postnatal Urban Pollutants and Neurobehavioral Developmental Outcomes
R832141C002 Research Project on Asthma: Prenatal and Postnatal Urban Pollutants and Childhood Asthma
R832141C003 Mechanistic Research Project
R832141C004 Community-Based Intervention Project: Reduction of Exposure and Risk from Pesticides and Allergens
R832141C005 Community Translation and Application Core (COTAC)
R832141C006 Exposure Assessment Facility Core
R832141C007 Data Management, Statistics and Community Impact Modeling Core
R832141C008 Administrative Core
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.