Skip to main content
NCBI home page
Environmental Health Perspectives logoLink to Environmental Health Perspectives
. 1998 Jun;106(Suppl 3):827–832. doi: 10.1289/ehp.98106827

Approaches to environmental exposure assessment in children.

V M Weaver 1, T J Buckley 1, J D Groopman 1
PMCID: PMC1533077  PMID: 9646045

Abstract

An improved understanding of the contribution made by environmental exposures to disease burden in children is essential, given current increasing rates of childhood illnesses such asthma and cancer. Children must be routinely included in environmental research. Exposure assessment, both external (e.g., air, water) and internal dose (e.g., biomarkers), is an integral component of such research. Biomarker measurement has some advantages that are unique in children. These include assessment of potentially increased absorption because of behaviors that differ from adults (i.e., hand-to-mouth activity); metabolite measurement, which can help identify age-related susceptibility differences; and improved assessment of dermal exposure, an important exposure route in children. Environmental exposure assessment in children will require adaption of techniques that are currently applied in adult studies as well as development of tools and validation of strategies that are unique for children. Designs that focus on parent-child study units provide adult comparison data and allow the parent to assist with more complex study designs. Use of equipment that is sized appropriately for children, such as small air pumps and badge monitors, is also important. When biomarkers are used, biologic specimens that can be obtained noninvasively are preferable. Although the current need is primarily for small focused studies to address specific questions and optimize research tools, the future will require establishment of large prospective cohorts. Urban children are an important study cohort because of relatively high morbidity observed in the urban environment. Finally, examples of completed or possible future studies utilizing these techniques are discussed for specific exposures such as benzene, environmental tobacco smoke, aflatoxin, volatile organic compounds, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.

Full text

PDF
827

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Bearer C. F. How are children different from adults? Environ Health Perspect. 1995 Sep;103 (Suppl 6):7–12. doi: 10.1289/ehp.95103s67. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Brown H. S., Bishop D. R., Rowan C. A. The role of skin absorption as a route of exposure for volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in drinking water. Am J Public Health. 1984 May;74(5):479–484. doi: 10.2105/ajph.74.5.479. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Buckley T. J., Lioy P. J. An examination of the time course from human dietary exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons to urinary elimination of 1-hydroxypyrene. Br J Ind Med. 1992 Feb;49(2):113–124. doi: 10.1136/oem.49.2.113. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Buckley T. J., Waldman J. M., Dhara R., Greenberg A., Ouyang Z., Lioy P. J. An assessment of a urinary biomarker for total human environmental exposure to benzo[a]pyrene. Int Arch Occup Environ Health. 1995;67(4):257–266. doi: 10.1007/BF00409408. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Calabrese E. J., Barnes R., Stanek E. J., 3rd, Pastides H., Gilbert C. E., Veneman P., Wang X. R., Lasztity A., Kostecki P. T. How much soil do young children ingest: an epidemiologic study. Regul Toxicol Pharmacol. 1989 Oct;10(2):123–137. doi: 10.1016/0273-2300(89)90019-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Droz P. O., Guillemin M. P. Occupational exposure monitoring using breath analysis. J Occup Med. 1986 Aug;28(8):593–602. doi: 10.1097/00043764-198608000-00014. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Duggan M. J., Inskip M. J. Childhood exposure to lead in surface dust and soil: a community health problem. Public Health Rev. 1985;13(1-2):1–54. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Howard J. W., Fazio T. Analytical methodology and reported findings of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in foods. J Assoc Off Anal Chem. 1980 Sep;63(5):1077–1104. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Jo W. K., Weisel C. P., Lioy P. J. Routes of chloroform exposure and body burden from showering with chlorinated tap water. Risk Anal. 1990 Dec;10(4):575–580. doi: 10.1111/j.1539-6924.1990.tb00541.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Lebowitz M. D., O'Rourke M. K., Gordon S., Moschandreas D. J., Buckley T., Nishioka M. Population-based exposure measurements in Arizona: a phase I field study in support of the National Human Exposure Assessment Survey. J Expo Anal Environ Epidemiol. 1995 Jul-Sep;5(3):297–325. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Maxwell N. I., Burmaster D. E., Ozonoff D. Trihalomethanes and maximum contaminant levels: the significance of inhalation and dermal exposures to chloroform in household water. Regul Toxicol Pharmacol. 1991 Dec;14(3):297–312. doi: 10.1016/0273-2300(91)90032-q. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Morris R. D., Audet A. M., Angelillo I. F., Chalmers T. C., Mosteller F. Chlorination, chlorination by-products, and cancer: a meta-analysis. Am J Public Health. 1992 Jul;82(7):955–963. doi: 10.2105/ajph.82.7.955. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Ogborn C. J., Duggan A. K., DeAngelis C. Urinary cotinine as a measure of passive smoke exposure in asthmatic children. Clin Pediatr (Phila) 1994 Apr;33(4):220–226. doi: 10.1177/000992289403300406. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Ott W. R. Total human exposure: basic concepts, EPA field studies, and future research needs. J Air Waste Manage Assoc. 1990 Jul;40(7):966–975. doi: 10.1080/10473289.1990.10466747. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Perera F. P. Molecular cancer epidemiology: a new tool in cancer prevention. J Natl Cancer Inst. 1987 May;78(5):887–898. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Pleil J. D., Lindstrom A. B. Measurement of volatile organic compounds in exhaled breath as collected in evacuated electropolished canisters. J Chromatogr B Biomed Appl. 1995 Mar 24;665(2):271–279. doi: 10.1016/0378-4347(94)00545-g. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Roberts J. W., Dickey P. Exposure of children to pollutants in house dust and indoor air. Rev Environ Contam Toxicol. 1995;143:59–78. doi: 10.1007/978-1-4612-2542-3_3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Ross R. K., Yuan J. M., Yu M. C., Wogan G. N., Qian G. S., Tu J. T., Groopman J. D., Gao Y. T., Henderson B. E. Urinary aflatoxin biomarkers and risk of hepatocellular carcinoma. Lancet. 1992 Apr 18;339(8799):943–946. doi: 10.1016/0140-6736(92)91528-g. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Sexton K., Olden K., Johnson B. L. "Environmental justice": the central role of research in establishing a credible scientific foundation for informed decision making. Toxicol Ind Health. 1993 Sep-Oct;9(5):685–727. doi: 10.1177/074823379300900504. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Strickland P., Kang D., Sithisarankul P. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon metabolites in urine as biomarkers of exposure and effect. Environ Health Perspect. 1996 Oct;104 (Suppl 5):927–932. doi: 10.1289/ehp.96104s5927. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Wallace L. A. Major sources of benzene exposure. Environ Health Perspect. 1989 Jul;82:165–169. doi: 10.1289/ehp.8982165. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Wallace L., Buckley T., Pellizzari E., Gordon S. Breath measurements as volatile organic compound biomarkers. Environ Health Perspect. 1996 Oct;104 (Suppl 5):861–869. doi: 10.1289/ehp.96104s5861. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Weaver V. M., Davoli C. T., Heller P. J., Fitzwilliam A., Peters H. L., Sunyer J., Murphy S. E., Goldstein G. W., Groopman J. D. Benzene exposure, assessed by urinary trans,trans-muconic acid, in urban children with elevated blood lead levels. Environ Health Perspect. 1996 Mar;104(3):318–323. doi: 10.1289/ehp.96104318. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Weaver V. M., Davoli C. T., Murphy S. E., Sunyer J., Heller P. J., Colosimo S. G., Groopman J. D. Environmental tobacco smoke exposure in inner-city children. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 1996 Feb;5(2):135–137. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. Weisel C. P., Jo W. K. Ingestion, inhalation, and dermal exposures to chloroform and trichloroethene from tap water. Environ Health Perspect. 1996 Jan;104(1):48–51. doi: 10.1289/ehp.9610448. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  26. Whitemore R. W., Immerman F. W., Camann D. E., Bond A. E., Lewis R. G., Schaum J. L. Non-occupational exposures to pesticides for residents of two U.S. cities. Arch Environ Contam Toxicol. 1994 Jan;26(1):47–59. doi: 10.1007/BF00212793. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  27. Wild C. P., Rasheed F. N., Jawla M. F., Hall A. J., Jansen L. A., Montesano R. In-utero exposure to aflatoxin in west Africa. Lancet. 1991 Jun 29;337(8757):1602–1602. doi: 10.1016/0140-6736(91)93295-k. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  28. Zarba A., Wild C. P., Hall A. J., Montesano R., Hudson G. J., Groopman J. D. Aflatoxin M1 in human breast milk from The Gambia, west Africa, quantified by combined monoclonal antibody immunoaffinity chromatography and HPLC. Carcinogenesis. 1992 May;13(5):891–894. doi: 10.1093/carcin/13.5.891. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Environmental Health Perspectives are provided here courtesy of National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences

RESOURCES