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A quest to identify suitable organic tracers for estimating children’s dust ingestion rates

Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology volume 31, pages 70–81 (2021)Cite this article

Abstract

Chemical exposure via dust ingestion is of great interest to researchers and regulators because children are exposed to dust through their daily activities, and as a result, to the many chemicals contained within dust. Our goal was to develop a workflow to identify and rank organic chemicals that could be used as tracers to calculate children’s dust ingestion rates. We proposed a set of criteria for a chemical to be considered a promising tracer. The best tracers must be (1) ubiquitous in dust, (2) unique to dust, (3) detectable as biomarkers in accessible biological samples, and (4) have available or obtainable ADME information for biomarker-based exposure reconstruction. To identify compounds meeting these four criteria, we developed a workflow that encompasses non-targeted analysis approaches, literature and database searching, and multimedia modeling. We then implemented an ad hoc grading system and ranked candidate chemicals based on fulfillment of our criteria (using one small, publicly available dataset to show proof of concept). Initially, five chemicals (1,3-diphenylguanidine, leucine, piperine, 6:2/8:2 fluorotelomer phosphate diester, 6:2 fluorotelomer phosphate diester) appeared to satisfy many of our criteria. However, a rigorous manual investigation raised many questions about the applicability of these chemicals as tracers. Based on the results of this initial pilot study, no individual compounds can be unequivocally considered suitable tracers for calculating dust ingestion rates. Future work must therefore consider larger datasets, generated from broader measurement studies and literature searches, as well as refinements to selection criteria, to identify robust and defensible tracer compounds.

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Fig. 1
Fig. 2: Model diagram depicting the various compartments in the indoor and outdoor environments.
Fig. 3: Predicted distributions for all chemicals (panel A in natural space and panel B in log space and zoomed to <10%) in the indoor (gray = indoor air, black = dust, red = hard surfaces, yellow = soft surfaces, green = wallboard) and outdoor compartments (blue = outdoor air, brown = soil) ranked by amount present in indoor air from lowest (left) to highest (right).

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank Kathie Dionisio and Kent Thomas (U.S. EPA) for their insightful reviews of the manuscript. This project was supported by an appointment to the Internship/Research Participation Program at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, National Exposure Research Laboratory, Systems Exposure Division, administered by the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) through an interagency agreement between the U.S. Department of Energy and EPA. The views expressed in this manuscript are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the views or policies of the EPA. It has been subjected to Agency administrative review and approved for publication. Mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute endorsement or recommendation for use.

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Author notes

  1. Dimitri Panagopoulos Abrahamsson

    Present address: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Program on Reproductive Health and the Environment, University of California at San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) Post-Doctoral Participant stationed at National Exposure Research Laboratory, Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA

    Dimitri Panagopoulos Abrahamsson

  2. Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA

    Jon R. Sobus, Elin M. Ulrich, Kristin Isaacs & Nicolle S. Tulve

  3. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California at Davis, Davis, CA, USA

    Christoph Moschet & Thomas M. Young

  4. Department of Public Health Sciences, University of California at Davis, Davis, CA, USA

    Deborah H. Bennett

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Panagopoulos Abrahamsson, D., Sobus, J.R., Ulrich, E.M. et al. A quest to identify suitable organic tracers for estimating children’s dust ingestion rates. J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol 31, 70–81 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41370-020-0244-0

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