PNNL

Abstract

To assess personal chemical exposure, volunteers from 14 communities in Africa (Senegal, South Africa), North America (U.S), and South America (Peru) wore 262 silicone wristbands. We analyzed wristband extracts for 1,530 unique chemicals, resulting in 400,860 chemical data points. The number of chemical detections ranged from 4 to 43 per wristband, with 191 different chemicals detected, and 1,339 chemicals not detected in any wristband. No two wristbands had the same chemical detections. We detected 13 potential endocrine disruptor chemicals in over 50% of wristbands, and found 36 chemicals in common between chemicals detected in three geographic wristband groups (Africa, North America, and South America). Children =11 years old in the U.S. had the highest percentage of flame retardant detections compared to all other participants. Wristbands worn in Texas post-Hurricane Harvey had the highest mean number of chemical detections compared to other study locations. Consumer product-related chemicals and phthalates were a high percentage of chemical detections across all study locations (36-53% and 18-42%, respectively). Chemical exposures varied among individuals; however, many individuals were exposed to the same chemical mixtures. Our exploratory investigation uncovered personal chemical exposure trends that can help prioritize certain mixtures and chemical classes for future studies.