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Child dermal sediment loads following play in a tide flat

Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology volume 15, pages 407–412 (2005)Cite this article

Abstract

Dermal contact with sediment is sometimes identified as a pathway of concern in risk assessments. Dermal exposure to sediment is poorly characterized and exposure assessors may rely on default soil adherence values. The purpose of this study was to obtain sediment adherence data for a genuine exposure scenario, child play in a tide flat. This study reports direct measurements of sediment loadings on five body parts (face, forearms, hands, lower legs and feet) after play in a tide flat. Each of nine subjects participated in two timed sessions and pre- and post-activity sediment loading data were collected. Geometric mean (geometric standard deviation) dermal loadings (mg/cm2) on the face, forearm, hands, lower legs and feet for the combined sessions were 0.04 (2.9), 0.17 (3.1), 0.49 (8.2), 0.70 (3.6) and 21 (1.9), respectively. Participants' parents completed questionnaires regarding their child's typical activity patterns during tide flat play, exposure frequency and duration, clothing choices, bathing practices and clothes laundering. Data presented in this paper supplement very limited prior adherence data for sediment contact scenarios. Results will be useful to risk assessors considering exposure scenarios involving child activities at a coastal shoreline or tide flat.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Barbara Bergen and Anne Kuhn of EPA's Atlantic Ecology Laboratory for coordinating the field work in Narragansett, RI and Laura Coiro and Saro Jayaraman for assistance with on-site logistics. We also thank the participants and their parents. This project was funded by the EPA through Contract 3W-0017-NATX. This paper reflects the views of the authors and does not necessarily reflect the views of the EPA. No official endorsement should be inferred. The mention of trade names or commercial products constitutes neither endorsement nor recommendation for use.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, Box 354695, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA

    Marley B Shoaf, Jeffry H Shirai, Golan Kedan & John C Kissel

  2. US Environmental Protection Agency Office of Research and Development, National Center for Environmental Assessment, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, District of Columbia, USA

    John Schaum

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  1. Marley B Shoaf
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  2. Jeffry H Shirai
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Correspondence to John C Kissel.

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Shoaf, M., Shirai, J., Kedan, G. et al. Child dermal sediment loads following play in a tide flat. J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol 15, 407–412 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.jea.7500418

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