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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.

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Description:

The Pesticide Metabolites in Spike Samples data set contains the analytical results of measurements of up to 4 pesticide metabolites in 3 control samples (spikes) from 3 households. Measurements were made in spiked samples of urine. Spiked samples were used to assess recovery of target analytes from a sample media during storage, shipment, processing, and analysis. Spiked samples were prepared by fortifying a suitable background-free matrix identical or similar to the sample being collected. Spiked samples were prepared in the labs and shipped to the field site. They were then returned along with the samples. Spiked samples were used for some sample media, with the spiked samples deployed for a small percentage of the study participants. In several cases where there may not have been suitable media or means of fortification, spiked samples were not collected. The samples were analyzed as part of the QA/QC protocols of the NHEXAS project. Analysis was performed for 1-naphthol (a non-specific metabolite of carbaryl), 3,5,6-trichloro-2-pyridinol (a metabolite of chlorpyrifos), malathion dicarboxylic acid (a metabolite of malathion), and atrazine mercapturate (a metabolite of atrazine). Keywords: quality assurance; spikes; pesticides.

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 studies collected household environmental and personal samples for chemical analysis, and questionnaires were administered. The NHEXAS Phase I Questionnaires were organized into six modules for simplicity in administration (to minimize respondent burden and maximize participation rates at each step) and for collecting information that can be temporally related to the exposure, concentration, and/or biological measurements collected in NHEXAS: Descriptive, Baseline, Technician, Follow-up, Time and activity diary, and Dietary diary (and follow-up). The NHEXAS Arizona study sampled residences determined by a population-based probability research design for the total population of Arizona and measured metals, pesticides, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Analytical results were obtained under strict QA/QC requirements during collection, processing, and final deposition into databases. In addition, strict standard operating procedures were followed throughout the NHEXAS Arizona study. The study was conducted by a consortium composed of the University of Arizona, Battelle Columbus, and the Illinois Institute of Technology. Data collection occurred between June 1995 and February 1998 for the participating households.

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Quality Assurance:

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, which 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. The U.S. EPA accepts no liability 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 measurements and sampling weights are zero-padded to the right of non-zero decimal digits. These zeroes are a function of the formatting process and the software's acceptance of that format and should not be construed as significant digits in the value. Measurement values are provided with four significant digits; sampling weights are provided with three decimal digits.

Some code values may have been revised from the values on the original questionnaire forms. Check the appropriate code set supplied with the data.