%0 Journal Article %J Int J Hyg Environ Health %D 2023 %T Silicone passive sampling used to identify novel dermal chemical exposures of firefighters and assess PPE innovations. %A Emily M Bonner %A Gavin P Horn %A Denise L Smith %A Kerber, Steve %A Kenneth W Fent %A Lane G Tidwell %A Richard P Scott %A Kaley A Adams %A Kim A Anderson %K Air Pollutants, Occupational %K Firefighters %K Humans %K Occupational Exposure %K Personal Protective Equipment %K Pilot Projects %K Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons %K Silicones %X

A plethora of chemicals are released into the air during combustion events, including a class of compounds called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). PAHs have been implicated in increased risk of cancer and cardiovascular disease, both of which are disease endpoints of concern in structural firefighters. Current commercially available personal protective equipment (PPE) typically worn by structural firefighters during fire responses have gaps in interfaces between the ensemble elements (e.g., hood and jacket) that allow for ingress of contaminants and dermal exposure. This pilot study aims to use silicone passive sampling to assess improvements in dermal protection afforded by a novel configuration of PPE, which incorporates a one-piece liner to eliminate gaps in two critical interfaces between pieces of gear. The study compared protection against parent and alkylated PAHs between the one-piece liner PPE and the standard configuration of PPE with traditional firefighting jacket and pants. Mannequins (n = 16) dressed in the PPE ensembles were placed in a Fireground Exposure Simulator for 10 min, and exposed to smoke from a combusting couch. Silicone passive samplers were placed underneath PPE at vulnerable locations near interfaces in standard PPE, and in the chamber air, to measure PAHs and calculate the dermal protection provided by both types of PPE. Silicone passive sampling methodology and analyses using gas chromatography with mass-spectrometry proved to be well-suited for this intervention study, allowing for the calculation and comparison of worker protection factors for 51 detected PAHs. Paired comparisons of the two PPE configurations found greater sum 2-3 ring PAH exposure underneath the standard PPE than the intervention PPE at the neck and chest, and at the chest for 4-7 ring PAHs (respective p-values: 0.00113, 0.0145, and 0.0196). Mean worker protection factors of the intervention PPE were also greater than the standard PPE for 98% of PAHs at the neck and chest. Notably, the intervention PPE showed more than 30 times the protection compared to the standard PPE against two highly carcinogenic PAHs, dibenzo[a,l]pyrene and benzo[c]fluorene. Nine of the detected PAHs in this study have not been previously reported in fireground exposure studies, and 26 other chemicals (not PAHs) were detected using a large chemical screening method on a subset of the silicone samplers. Silicone passive sampling appears to be an effective means for measuring dermal exposure reduction to fireground smoke, providing evidence in this study that reducing gaps in PPE interfaces could be further pursued as an intervention to reduce dermal exposure to PAHs, among other chemicals.

%B Int J Hyg Environ Health %V 248 %P 114095 %8 2023 Mar %G eng %R 10.1016/j.ijheh.2022.114095 %0 Journal Article %J Int J Environ Res Public Health %D 2022 %T Associating Increased Chemical Exposure to Hurricane Harvey in a Longitudinal Panel Using Silicone Wristbands. %A Samantha Samon %A Diana Rohlman %A Lane G Tidwell %A Peter D Hoffman %A Abiodun O Oluyomi %A Kim A Anderson %K Cyclonic Storms %K Floods %K Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry %K Humans %K Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons %K Silicones %X

Hurricane Harvey was associated with flood-related damage to chemical plants and oil refineries, and the flooding of hazardous waste sites, including 13 Superfund sites. As clean-up efforts began, concerns were raised regarding the human health impact of possible increased chemical exposure resulting from the hurricane and subsequent flooding. Personal sampling devices in the form of silicone wristbands were deployed to a longitudinal panel of individuals = 99) within 45 days of the hurricane and again one year later in the Houston metropolitan area. Using gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy, each wristband was screened for 1500 chemicals and analyzed for 63 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Chemical exposure levels found on the wristbands were generally higher post-Hurricane Harvey. In the 1500 screen, 188 chemicals were detected, 29 were detected in at least 30% of the study population, and of those, 79% ( = 23) were found in significantly higher concentrations ( < 0.05) post-Hurricane Harvey. Similarly, in PAH analysis, 51 chemicals were detected, 31 were detected in at least 30% of the study population, and 39% ( = 12) were found at statistically higher concentrations ( < 0.05) post-Hurricane Harvey. This study indicates that there were increased levels of chemical exposure after Hurricane Harvey in the Houston metropolitan area.

%B Int J Environ Res Public Health %V 19 %8 2022 05 30 %G eng %N 11 %R 10.3390/ijerph19116670 %0 Journal Article %J Int J Environ Res Public Health %D 2019 %T A Case Study Describing a Community-Engaged Approach for Evaluating Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Exposure in a Native American Community. %A Diana Rohlman %A Jamie Donatuto %A Heidt, Myk %A Michael L Barton %A Campbell, Larry %A Kim A Anderson %A Molly Kile %K Air Pollutants %K Air Pollution, Indoor %K Community Participation %K Community-Based Participatory Research %K Environmental Monitoring %K Female %K Humans %K Indians, North American %K Male %K Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons %K Seasons %X

In 2015, the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community (SITC) was impacted by an air toxic release from one of two nearby oil refineries. This experience motivated SITC members to learn more about their exposure to air toxics. On the invitation of SITC, this community-based study measured personal exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and conducted interviews with the volunteers to evaluate perceptions of the data and experience of participating. Non-smoking SITC members were recruited in March 2016 ( = 10) and January 2017 ( = 22) with seven volunteers participating both times. Volunteers wore a wristband passive sampler for 7 days and completed daily activity diaries. Wristbands were analyzed for 62 PAHs using gas chromatography mass spectrometry. Wilcoxon exact tests determined if the sum total PAHs (ΣPAH) differed by activity, proximity to the refineries, and time. Aggregated results were shared during community meetings, and volunteers received individual reports. Volunteers ( = 9) participated in individual interviews. All volunteers were exposed to different amounts and types of PAHs. Burning candles or using a wood stove and/or propane heating were associated with higher ΣPAH exposures. While ΣPAH was similar in both sampling periods, the composition of PAHs differed. More priority listed PAHs were detected in January ( = 17) versus March ( = 10). Among volunteers who participated in both sampling events, exposure to four PAHs significantly differed between seasons. Overall, volunteers reported that the study made them more aware of air pollution sources in their community. They also commented that the chemical nomenclature was difficult to understand, but appreciated the individual reports that allowed them to visually compare their data to the distribution of data collected in their community. For volunteers with lower exposures, these comparisons gave them relief. However, volunteers with higher exposures reported concern and several changed their behaviors to reduce their exposure to known PAH sources. This study provided an opportunity for SITC members to learn about their personal exposure to a class of air toxics within the context of their community. While the limitations of the study hindered the ability to identify sources of air toxics in the community, this activity appeared to raise awareness about ambient and indoor air pollution among the volunteers.

%B Int J Environ Res Public Health %V 16 %8 2019 01 24 %G eng %N 3 %R 10.3390/ijerph16030327 %0 Journal Article %J Mar Pollut Bull %D 2019 %T A passive sampling model to predict PAHs in butter clams (Saxidomus giganteus), a traditional food source for Native American tribes of the Salish Sea Region. %A D James Minick %A Paulik, L Blair %A Richard P Scott %A Molly Kile %A Diana Rohlman %A Kim A Anderson %K Animals %K Bivalvia %K Consumer Product Safety %K Environmental Monitoring %K Food Contamination %K Humans %K Indians, North American %K Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons %K Shellfish %K Water Pollutants, Chemical %X

Native Americans face disproportionate exposures to environmental pollution through traditional subsistence practices including shellfish harvesting. In this study, the collection of butter clams (Saxidomus giganteus) was spatially and temporally paired with deployment of sediment pore water passive samplers at 20 locations in the Puget Sound region of the Salish Sea in the Pacific Northwest, USA, within adjudicated usual and accustomed tribal fishing grounds and stations. Clams and passive samplers were analyzed for 62 individual PAHs. A linear regression model was constructed to predict PAH concentrations in the edible fraction of butter clams from the freely dissolved fraction (C) in porewater. PAH concentrations can be predicted within a factor of 1.9 ± 0.2 on average from the freely dissolved PAH concentration in porewater using the following equation: PAHClam=4.1±0.1×PAHporewater This model offers a simplified, cost effective, and low impact approach to assess contaminant levels in butter clams which are an important traditional food.

%B Mar Pollut Bull %V 145 %P 28-35 %8 2019 Aug %G eng %R 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2019.05.020 %0 Journal Article %J Arch Toxicol %D 2018 %T Comparative developmental toxicity of a comprehensive suite of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. %A Mitra Geier %A Chlebowski, Anna C %A Truong, Lisa %A Staci M Simonich %A Kim A Anderson %A Robyn L Tanguay %K Animals %K Cytochrome P-450 CYP1A1 %K Embryo, Nonmammalian %K Larva %K Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons %K Toxicity Tests %K Zebrafish %X

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are widespread environmental contaminants that occur in complex mixtures. Several PAHs are known or suspected mutagens and/or carcinogens, but developmental toxicity data is lacking for PAHs, particularly their oxygenated and nitrated derivatives. Such data are necessary to understand and predict the toxicity of environmental mixtures. 123 PAHs were assessed for morphological and neurobehavioral effects for a range of concentrations between 0.1 and 50 µM, using a high throughput early-life stage zebrafish assay, including 33 parent, 22 nitrated, 17 oxygenated, 19 hydroxylated, 14 methylated, 16 heterocyclic, and 2 aminated PAHs. Additionally, each PAH was evaluated for AHR activation, by assessing CYP1A protein expression using whole animal immunohistochemistry (IHC). Responses to PAHs varied in a structurally dependent manner. High-molecular weight PAHs were significantly more developmentally toxic than the low-molecular weight PAHs, and CYP1A expression was detected in five distinct tissues, including vasculature, liver, skin, neuromasts and yolk.

%B Arch Toxicol %V 92 %P 571-586 %8 2018 Feb %G eng %N 2 %R 10.1007/s00204-017-2068-9 %0 Journal Article %J Environ Pollut %D 2018 %T Environmental and individual PAH exposures near rural natural gas extraction. %A Paulik, L Blair %A Kevin A Hobbie %A Diana Rohlman %A Brian W Smith %A Richard P Scott %A Laurel D Kincl %A Erin N Haynes %A Kim A Anderson %K Air Pollutants %K Air Pollution %K Environmental Exposure %K Environmental Monitoring %K Humans %K Linear Models %K Natural Gas %K Oil and Gas Fields %K Petroleum %K Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons %K Pyrenes %K Silicones %K Tandem Mass Spectrometry %X

Natural gas extraction (NGE) has expanded rapidly in the United States in recent years. Despite concerns, there is little information about the effects of NGE on air quality or personal exposures of people living or working nearby. Recent research suggests NGE emits polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) into air. This study used low-density polyethylene passive samplers to measure concentrations of PAHs in air near active (n = 3) and proposed (n = 2) NGE sites. At each site, two concentric rings of air samplers were placed around the active or proposed well pad location. Silicone wristbands were used to assess personal PAH exposures of participants (n = 19) living or working near the sampling sites. All samples were analyzed for 62 PAHs using GC-MS/MS, and point sources were estimated using the fluoranthene/pyrene isomer ratio. ∑PAH was significantly higher in air at active NGE sites (Wilcoxon rank sum test, p < 0.01). PAHs in air were also more petrogenic (petroleum-derived) at active NGE sites. This suggests that PAH mixtures at active NGE sites may have been affected by direct emissions from petroleum sources at these sites. ∑PAH was also significantly higher in wristbands from participants who had active NGE wells on their properties than from participants who did not (Wilcoxon rank sum test, p < 0.005). There was a significant positive correlation between ∑PAH in participants' wristbands and ∑PAH in air measured closest to participants' homes or workplaces (simple linear regression, p < 0.0001). These findings suggest that living or working near an active NGE well may increase personal PAH exposure. This work also supports the utility of the silicone wristband to assess personal PAH exposure.

%B Environ Pollut %V 241 %P 397-405 %8 2018 Oct %G eng %R 10.1016/j.envpol.2018.05.010 %0 Journal Article %J Food Chem Toxicol %D 2018 %T Pharmacokinetics of [C]-Benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) in humans: Impact of Co-Administration of smoked salmon and BaP dietary restriction. %A Hummel, Jessica M %A Erin Madeen %A Siddens, Lisbeth K %A Sandra Uesugi %A McQuistan, Tammie %A Kim A Anderson %A Kenneth Turteltaub %A Ted J Ognibene %A Bench, Graham %A Krueger, Sharon K %A Stuart Harris %A Jordan Smith %A Susan C Tilton %A Baird, William M %A Williams, David E %K Adult %K Aged %K Animals %K Benzo(a)pyrene %K Carbon Radioisotopes %K Carcinogens %K Cooking %K Female %K Fish Products %K Food Safety %K Humans %K Male %K Middle Aged %K Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons %K Salmon %K Young Adult %X

Benzo[a]pyrene (BaP), a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH), is a known human carcinogen. In non-smoking adults greater than 95% of BaP exposure is through diet. The carcinogenicity of BaP is utilized by the U.S. EPA to assess relative potency of complex PAH mixtures. PAH relative potency factors (RPFs, BaP = 1) are determined from high dose animal data. We employed accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) to determine pharmacokinetics of [C]-BaP in humans following dosing with 46 ng (an order of magnitude lower than human dietary daily exposure and million-fold lower than animal cancer models). To assess the impact of co-administration of food with a complex PAH mixture, humans were dosed with 46 ng of [C]-BaP with or without smoked salmon. Subjects were asked to avoid high BaP-containing diets and a 3-day dietary questionnaire given to assess dietary exposure prior to dosing and three days post-dosing with [C]-BaP. Co-administration of smoked salmon, containing a complex mixture of PAHs with an RPF of 460 ng BaP, reduced and delayed absorption. Administration of canned commercial salmon, containing very low amounts of PAHs, showed the impacts on pharmacokinetics were not due to high amounts of PAHs but rather a food matrix effect.

%B Food Chem Toxicol %V 115 %P 136-147 %8 2018 May %G eng %R 10.1016/j.fct.2018.03.003 %0 Journal Article %J Environ Toxicol Chem %D 2017 %T Diffusive flux of PAHs across sediment-water and water-air interfaces at urban superfund sites. %A D James Minick %A Kim A Anderson %K Air %K Cities %K Geologic Sediments %K Hazardous Waste Sites %K Oregon %K Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons %K Rivers %K Water %K Water Pollutants, Chemical %X

Superfund sites may be a source of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) to the surrounding environment. These sites can also act as PAH sinks from present-day anthropogenic activities, especially in urban locations. Understanding PAH transport across environmental compartments helps to define the relative contributions of these sources and is therefore important for informing remedial and management decisions. In the present study, paired passive samplers were co-deployed at sediment-water and water-air interfaces within the Portland Harbor Superfund Site and the McCormick and Baxter Superfund Site. These sites, located along the Willamette River (Portland, OR, USA), have PAH contamination from both legacy and modern sources. Diffusive flux calculations indicate that the Willamette River acts predominantly as a sink for low molecular weight PAHs from both the sediment and the air. The sediment was also predominantly a source of 4- and 5-ring PAHs to the river, and the river was a source of these same PAHs to the air, indicating that legacy pollution may be contributing to PAH exposure for residents of the Portland urban center. At the remediated McCormick and Baxter Superfund Site, flux measurements highlight locations within the sand and rock sediment cap where contaminant breakthrough is occurring. Environ Toxicol Chem 2017;36:2281-2289. © 2017 SETAC.

%B Environ Toxicol Chem %V 36 %P 2281-2289 %8 2017 09 %G eng %N 9 %R 10.1002/etc.3785