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Optimization of a method for collecting infant and toddler urine for non-target analysis using cotton pads and commercially available disposable diapers

Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology volume 33, pages 602–609 (2023)Cite this article

Abstract

Background

Urine is an abundant and useful medium for measuring biomarkers related to chemical exposures in infants and children. Identification of novel biomarkers is greatly enhanced with non-targeted analysis (NTA), a powerful methodology for broad chemical analysis of environmental and biological specimens. However, collecting urine in non-toilet trained children presents many challenges, and contamination from specimen collection can impact NTA results.

Objectives

We optimized a caregiver-driven method for collecting urine from infants and children using cotton pads and commercially available disposable diapers for NTA and demonstrate its applicability to various children biomonitoring studies.

Methods

Experiments were first performed to evaluate the effects of processing method (i.e., centrifuge vs. syringe), storage temperature, and diaper brand on recovery of urine absorbed to cotton pads. Caregivers of 11 children (<2 years) used and retained diapers (with cotton pads) to collect their child’s urine for 24 h. Specimens were analyzed via a NTA method implementing an exclusion list of ions related to contamination from collection materials.

Results

Centrifuging cotton pads through a small-pore membrane, compared to a manual syringe method, and storing diapers at 4 °C, compared to room temperature, resulted in larger volumes of recovered sample. This method was successfully implemented to recover urine from cotton pads collected in the field; between 5–9 diapers were collected per child in 24 h, and the total mean volume of urine recovered was 44.7 (range 26.7–71.1) mL. NTA yielded a list of compounds present in urine and/or stool that may hold promise as biomarkers of chemical exposures from a variety of sources.

Impact Statement

Infant and children urine is a valuable matrix for studies of the early life exposome, in that numerous biological markers of exposure and outcome can be derived from a single analysis. Depending on the nature of the exposure study, it may be the case that a simple collection method that can be facilitated by caregivers of young children is desirable, especially when time-integrated samples or large volumes of urine are needed. We describe the process for development and results of an optimized method for urine collection and analysis using commercially available diapers and non-target analysis.

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Fig. 1: Summary of analyses for selecting brand of hypoallergenic disposable diaper for non-targeted analysis of children’s urine.
Fig. 2: Laboratory testing of diapers to assess specimen recovery.
Fig. 3
Fig. 4: Principal component analysis of participant specimens analyzed via LC-HRMS.

Data availability

The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank all the caregivers who participated in this study. We thank Brian Caffo for his consultation on and assistance with statistical evaluations. We thank Aimee Bourey for her assistance with sample collection.

Funding

This project was supported by a grant from the US Environmental Protection Agency: Estimating Children’s Soil and Dust Ingestion Rates for Exposure Science EPA-G2020-STAR-D1. Matthew N. Newmeyer was supported by NIEHS Training grant (T32 ES 007141).

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Author notes

  1. These authors contributed equally: Sara N. Lupolt, Matthew N. Newmeyer.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Environmental Health & Engineering, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA

    Sara N. Lupolt, Matthew N. Newmeyer, Qinfan Lyu, Carsten Prasse & Keeve E. Nachman

  2. Risk Sciences and Public Policy Institute, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA

    Sara N. Lupolt, Carsten Prasse & Keeve E. Nachman

  3. Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA

    Keeve E. Nachman

  4. Department of Health Policy and Management, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA

    Keeve E. Nachman

Authors
  1. Sara N. Lupolt
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  3. Qinfan Lyu
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  4. Carsten Prasse
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Contributions

All authors assisted with the design of the study and sample collection. SNL and KEN recruited all participants. QL prepared and processed all biological samples for analysis. MNN conducted non-targeted analysis and data analysis. SNL and MNN wrote the first draft of the manuscript; all authors revised the manuscript. KEN, CP, and SNL acquired funding.

Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Carsten Prasse or Keeve E. Nachman.

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Lupolt, S.N., Newmeyer, M.N., Lyu, Q. et al. Optimization of a method for collecting infant and toddler urine for non-target analysis using cotton pads and commercially available disposable diapers. J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol 33, 602–609 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41370-023-00553-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41370-023-00553-x

Keywords

  • Urine biomarkers, non-target analysis
  • disposable diapers
  • children’s exposures

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