Detection of respiratory inflammation biomarkers in non-processed exhaled breath condensate samples using reduced graphene oxide.

In this work, we studied several important parameters regarding the standardization of a portable sensor of nitrite, a key biomarker of inflammation in the respiratory tract in untreated EBC samples. The storage of the EBC samples and electrical properties of both EBC samples and the sensor as main standardization parameters were investigated. The sensor performance was performed using differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) in a standard nitrite solution and untreated EBC samples.

Reactions and Products of Squalene and Ozone: A Review.

This critical review describes the squalene-ozone (SqOz) reaction, or squalene ozonolysis. Ambient ozone penetrates indoors and drives indoor air chemistry. Squalene, a component of human skin oil, contains six carbon-carbon double bonds and is very reactive with ozone.

Modeling Effects of Spatial Heterogeneities and Layered Exposure Interventions on the Spread of COVID-19 across New Jersey.

COVID-19 created an unprecedented global public health crisis during 2020-2021. The severity of the fast-spreading infection, combined with uncertainties regarding the physical and biological processes affecting transmission of SARS-CoV-2, posed enormous challenges to healthcare systems. Pandemic dynamics exhibited complex spatial heterogeneities across multiple scales, as local demographic, socioeconomic, behavioral and environmental factors were modulating population exposures and susceptibilities.

Biomonitoring: A tool to assess PFNA body burdens and evaluate the effectiveness of drinking water intervention for communities in New Jersey.

Elevated perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA) levels, one of many manmade per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), were detected in public water systems/private wells in New Jersey communities. Interventions to end exposure through drinking water were carried out from 2014 to 2016. To evaluate the effectiveness of interventions, a community biomonitoring study was conducted for the communities between 2017 and 2020.

The Impact of Device Settings, Use Patterns, and Flavorings on Carbonyl Emissions from Electronic Cigarettes.

Health impacts of electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) vaping are associated with the harmful chemicals emitted from e-cigarettes such as carbonyls. However, the levels of various carbonyl compounds under real-world vaping conditions have been understudied. This study evaluated the levels of carbonyl compounds (e.

Exploring the utility of robots in exposure studies.

Obtaining valid, reliable quantitative exposure data can be a significant challenge for industrial hygienists, exposure scientists, and other health science professionals. In this proof-of-concept study, a robotic platform was programmed to perform a simple task as a plausible alternative to human subjects in exposure studies for generating exposure data. The use of robots offers several advantages over the use of humans.

Per and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) blood levels after contamination of a community water supply and comparison with 2013-2014 NHANES.

Introduction: Per and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), including perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), were detected in the community water supply of Paulsboro New Jersey in 2009.

Methods: A cross-sectional study enrolled 192 claimants from a class-action lawsuit, not affiliated with this study, who had been awarded a blood test for 13 PFAS. Study participants provided their blood test results and completed a survey about demographics; 105 participants also completed a health survey.

Pyrethroid levels in toddlers' breathing zone following a simulated indoor pesticide spray.

Application of pyrethroid insecticides in residential settings may result in children's exposures to these chemicals and possible adverse health effects. Household dust is a recognized reservoir for pyrethroids and a potential medium for multi-route pyrethroid exposure. Young children move and play in a manner that resuspends dust, and since their breathing zone is close to the floor, they will have higher inhalation exposure to pesticide-laden dust than other age groups.

Evaluation of E-Vapor Nicotine and Nicotyrine Concentrations under Various E-Liquid Compositions, Device Settings, and Vaping Topographies.

Nicotine is one of the major components of electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) emissions. Nicotyrine is a product of nicotine dehydrogenation in e-vapor and is a known inhibitor of human cytochrome P450 enzyme, which mediates nicotine metabolism. However, the emission of nicotine and especially nicotyrine from e-cigarettes has not been studied under real-world vaping patterns.

Accuracy and practicality of a portable ozone monitor for personal exposure estimates.

Accurate measurements of personal exposure to atmospheric pollutants such as ozone are important for understanding health risks. We tested a new personal ozone monitor (POM; 2B Technologies) for accuracy, precision, and ease of use. The POM's measurements were compared to simultaneous ozone measurements from a 2B Model 205 monitor and a ThermoScientific 49i monitor, and multiple POMs were placed side-by-side to check precision.

Toward point-of-care management of chronic respiratory conditions: Electrochemical sensing of nitrite content in exhaled breath condensate using reduced graphene oxide.

We present a portable non-invasive approach for measuring indicators of inflammation and oxidative stress in the respiratory tract by quantifying a biomarker in exhaled breath condensate (EBC). We discuss the fabrication and characterization of a miniaturized electrochemical sensor for detecting nitrite content in EBC using reduced graphene oxide. The nitrite content in EBC has been demonstrated to be a promising biomarker of inflammation in the respiratory tract, particularly in asthma.

Source proximity and meteorological effects on residential outdoor VOCs in urban areas: Results from the Houston and Los Angeles RIOPA studies.

Concentrations of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) measured outside homes in Houston, TX and Los Angeles, CA were characterized by the effects of source proximity and meteorological factors. Benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, m,p-xylene, o-xylene (BTEX), methyl tert butyl ether (MTBE), tetrachloroethylene (perchloroethylene, PCE), and carbon tetrachloride (CCl) were examined. Multiple stepwise regression analysis converged the best-fit models with predictors from meteorological conditions and the proximity to specific point, area, and mobile sources on the residential outdoor VOC concentrations.

Feasibility and informative value of environmental sample collection in the National Children's Vanguard Study.

Background: Birth cohort studies provide the opportunity to advance understanding of the impact of environmental factors on childhood health and development through prospective collection of environmental samples.

Methods: We evaluated the feasibility and informative value of the environmental sample collection methodology in the initial pilot phase of the National Children's Study, a planned U.S.

Lessons learned from the application of BEES-C: Systematic assessment of study quality of epidemiologic research on BPA, neurodevelopment, and respiratory health.

Epidemiologic studies evaluating associations between biomarkers of exposure to short-lived chemicals and health endpoints in humans face special challenges. Perhaps the most critical challenges are the need to determine the type and optimal number of samples, and the proper timing of specimen collection. Further, as many short-lived chemicals are ubiquitous in the environment, utmost care is required to avoid sample contamination.

Aircraft Recirculation Filter for Air-Quality and Incident Assessment.

The current research examines the possibility of using recirculation filters from aircraft to document the nature of air-quality incidents on aircraft. These filters are highly effective at collecting solid and liquid particulates. Identification of engine oil contaminants arriving through the bleed air system on the filter was chosen as the initial focus.

A proposal for assessing study quality: Biomonitoring, Environmental Epidemiology, and Short-lived Chemicals (BEES-C) instrument.

The quality of exposure assessment is a major determinant of the overall quality of any environmental epidemiology study. The use of biomonitoring as a tool for assessing exposure to ubiquitous chemicals with short physiologic half-lives began relatively recently. These chemicals present several challenges, including their presence in analytical laboratories and sampling equipment, difficulty in establishing temporal order in cross-sectional studies, short- and long-term variability in exposures and biomarker concentrations, and a paucity of information on the number of measurements required for proper exposure classification.

Modeling flight attendants' exposures to pesticide in disinsected aircraft cabins.

Aircraft cabin disinsection is required by some countries to kill insects that may pose risks to public health and native ecological systems. A probabilistic model has been developed by considering the microenvironmental dynamics of the pesticide in conjunction with the activity patterns of flight attendants, to assess their exposures and risks to pesticide in disinsected aircraft cabins under three scenarios of pesticide application. Main processes considered in the model are microenvironmental transport and deposition, volatilization, and transfer of pesticide when passengers and flight attendants come in contact with the cabin surfaces.

Bioaccessibility and Risk of Exposure to Metals and SVOCs in Artificial Turf Field Fill Materials and Fibers.

To reduce maintenance costs, municipalities and schools are starting to replace natural grass fields with a new generation synthetic turf. Unlike Astro-Turf, which was first introduced in the 1960s, synthetic field turf provides more cushioning to athletes. Part of this cushioning comes from materials like crumb rubber infill, which is manufactured from recycled tires and may contain a variety of chemicals.

Computational fluid dynamics modeling of transport and deposition of pesticides in an aircraft cabin.

Spraying of pesticides in aircraft cabins is required by some countries as part of a disinsection process to kill insects that pose a public health threat. However, public health concerns remain regarding exposures of cabin crew and passengers to pesticides in aircraft cabins. While large scale field measurements of pesticide residues and air concentrations in aircraft cabins scenarios are expensive and time consuming, Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) models provide an effective alternative for characterizing concentration distributions and exposures.

Ozone and ozone byproducts in the cabins of commercial aircraft.

The aircraft cabin represents a unique indoor environment due to its high surface-to-volume ratio, high occupant density, and the potential for high ozone concentrations at cruising altitudes. Ozone was continuously measured and air was sampled on sorbent traps, targeting carbonyl compounds, on 52 transcontinental U.S.