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DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS OF THE NHEXAS-ARIZONA BORDER STUDY POPULATION
Citation:
O'Rourke, M. K., M. D. Lebowitz, S. M. Gordon, M. G. Nishioka, D. J. Moschandreas, AND G L. Robertson. DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS OF THE NHEXAS-ARIZONA BORDER STUDY POPULATION. Presented at ISEA 2000 Exposure Analysis in the 21st Century: Integrating Science, Policy and Quality of Life, Monterey Peninsula, CA, October 24-27, 2000.
Impact/Purpose:
The primary objective of the NAFTA Border study was to determine if the population of the U.S./Mexico Border area of Arizona are more highly exposed to environmental contaminants than the residents of the state of Arizona as a whole. The NAFTA Border Study will also demonstrate the feasibility of using these measurement processes in future multimedia-multipathway studies along the U.S./Mexico Border.
Description:
The NHEXAS-Arizona Border Study employed a population based probability design to recruit a representative cohort residing within 40 Km of the US-Mexico Border in Arizona. As an extension of the NHEXAS Arizona statewide survey, the border study was designed to determine the distributions of total human exposure to selected metals, pesticides, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the US-Mexico Border subpopulation. Preliminary analyses indicate that 89% of households contacted agreed to participate in the study. Intensive environmental sampling (N=87 HH) was conducted between September 1997 and October 1998. A single household resident provided biological (blood and urine) and diet samples; time activity and baseline exposure data were requested of all household residents. Baseline exposure data (questionnaires) were also collected in 137 additional households. Approximately 76% of the individuals recruited were Hispanic, 48% were male, 21% were less than 16 years, and 17% were greater than 65 years of age. 67% of the population were bilingual, and 44% preferred speaking and reading Spanish to English. The median per-capita income (median HH income/number of residents) was $6,250 (min. = $1000, max. =$41,250) and demonstrated strong regional variation. 65% of the housing stock was built prior to 1979 and 69% use evaporative (swamp) coolers to cool their homes. Age, gender, ethnicity and per-capita income characteristics of the study population are reasonably well matched (p< .05) with comparable 1990 Census data at the county, tract and place (CDP) levels of census geography. Age and gender characteristics approximate 1997 and 1998 Arizona State demographic projections for counties. The NHEXAS-Arizona statewide survey and NHEXAS-Arizona Border Study afford a unique opportunity to investigate human exposure to environmental toxins in one of the fastest growing states in the nation.
The U.S. EPA Office of Research and Development funded this research. The abstract was reviewed and approved. The presentation has not been reviewed. Mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute endorsement or recommendation for use.