Air concentrations of volatile organic compounds associated with conventional and "green" cleaning products in real-world and laboratory settings.

The use of household cleaning products can result in exposure to potentially hazardous volatile and semi-volatile organic compounds (VOCs and SVOCs). "Green" cleaning products have become increasingly available, but there is no official "green" standard, and it is difficult for consumers to know what chemicals they may be exposed to while cleaning. We measured air concentrations of 46 VOCs and SVOCs of concern released from conventional and "green" cleaning products during both real-world household cleaning and a controlled chamber environment, with a focus on chemicals that might increase women's risk of breast cancer, including possible carcinogens, reproductive/developmental toxicants, or endocrine disruptors.

Changes in Latina Women's Exposure to Cleaning Chemicals Associated with Switching from Conventional to "Green" Household Cleaning Products: The LUCIR Intervention Study.

Background: Household cleaning products may be a significant source of chemical exposures, including carcinogens and suspected endocrine disruptors.

Objectives: We characterized exposures during routine household cleaning and tested an intervention to reduce exposures to cleaning product chemicals.

Methods: The Lifting Up Communities with Interventions and Research (LUCIR) Study is a youth-led, community-based intervention project.

Volatile aldehyde emissions from "sub-ohm" vaping devices.

"Sub-ohm" atomizers with reduced resistance can deliver more power than conventional electronic cigarettes. Typical battery outputs are 100 W or more. These devices are particularly popular among young users, and can be a significant source of volatile carbonyls in the indoor environment.

Emissions from Heated Terpenoids Present in Vaporizable Cannabis Concentrates.

Vaporizable cannabis concentrates (VCCs) consumed as a liquid (vaping) or a waxy solid (dabbing) are becoming increasingly popular. However, their associated emissions and impacts have not been fully described. Mixtures containing different proportions of 12 VCC terpenoids and high MW compounds were heated at 100-500 °C inside a room-sized chamber to simulate emissions.

Chemical changes in thirdhand smoke associated with remediation using an ozone generator.

Ozonation is a common remediation approach to eliminate odors from mold, tobacco and fire damage in buildings. Little information exists to: 1) assess its effectiveness; 2) provide guidance on operation conditions; and 3) identify potential risks associated with the presence of indoor ozone and ozonation byproducts. The goal of this study is to evaluate chemical changes in thirdhand smoke (THS) aerosols induced by high levels of ozone, in comparison with THS aerosols aged under similar conditions in the absence of ozone.

Low Molecular Weight Volatile Organic Compounds Indicate Grazing by the Marine Rotifer on the Microalgae .

Microalgae produce specific chemicals indicative of stress and/or death. The aim of this study was to perform non-destructive monitoring of algal culture systems, in the presence and absence of grazers, to identify potential biomarkers of incipient pond crashes. Here, we report ten volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that are robustly generated by the marine alga, , in the presence and/or absence of the marine grazer, .

Phthalate exposure and risk assessment in California child care facilities.

Approximately 13 million U.S. children less than 6 years old spend some time in early childhood education (ECE) facilities where they may be exposed to potentially harmful chemicals during critical periods of development.

Flame retardant exposures in California early childhood education environments.

Infants and young children spend as much as 50h per week in child care and preschool. Although approximately 13 million children, or 65% of all U.S.

Volatile organic compounds in small- and medium-sized commercial buildings in California.

While small- and medium-sized commercial buildings (SMCBs) make up 96% of the commercial buildings in the U.S., serving a large variety of uses, little information is available on indoor air quality (IAQ) in SMCBs.

Effect of temperature and humidity on formaldehyde emissions in temporary housing units.

The effect of temperature and humidity on formaldehyde emissions from samples collected from temporary housing units (THUs) was studied. The THUs were supplied by the U.S.

Rapid and sensitive gas chromatography-ion-trap tandem mass spectrometry method for the determination of tobacco-specific N-nitrosamines in secondhand smoke.

Tobacco-specific nitrosamines (TSNAs) are some of the most potent carcinogens in tobacco and cigarette smoke. Accurate quantification of these chemicals is needed to help assess public health risks. We developed and validated a specific and sensitive method to measure four TSNAs adsorbed to model surfaces and secondhand smoke (SHS) particles using gas chromatography-ion-trap tandem mass spectrometry.

Formaldehyde and other volatile organic chemical emissions in four FEMA temporary housing units.

Indoor concentrations of 33 volatile organic chemicals were measured in four unoccupied temporary housing units (THUs) belonging to the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA).

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in edible grain: a pilot study of agricultural crops as a human exposure pathway for environmental contaminants using wheat as a model crop.

The concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were investigated in a pilot study of field wheat grain as a model indicator for environmental contamination. The edible grain would serve as a portal for human exposure. Wheat grain was initially studied since it is one of the major food crops consumed internationally by many including infants and children.

Controlled exposure chamber study of uptake and clearance of airborne polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons by wheat grain.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) can partition from the atmosphere into agricultural crops, contributing to exposure through the dietary pathway. In this study, controlled environmental chamber experiments were conducted to investigate the transfer of PAHs from air into wheat grain, which is a major food staple. A series of PAHs ranging in size from naphthalene to pyrene were maintained at elevated gas-phase concentrations in the chamber housing mature and dry wheat grain both on the plant and with the husk removed.

Plant uptake of organic pollutants from soil: bioconcentration estimates based on models and experiments.

The role of terrestrial vegetation in transferring chemicals from soil and air into specific plant tissues (e.g., stems, leaves, and roots) is still not well characterized.

Applications of contaminant fate and bioaccumulation models in assessing ecological risks of chemicals: a case study for gasoline hydrocarbons.

Mass balance models of chemical fate and transport can be applied in ecological risk assessments for quantitative estimation of concentrations in air, water, soil, and sediment. These concentrations can, in turn, be used to estimate organism exposures and ultimately internal tissue concentrations that can be compared to mode-of-action-based critical body residues that induce toxic effects. From this comparison, risks to the exposed organism can be evaluated.

Standardized approach for developing probabilistic exposure factor distributions.

The effectiveness of a probabilistic risk assessment (PRA) depends on the quality and relevance of the output from exposure and risk models, which, in turn, depends on the critical inputs to the assessment. These critical inputs are often in the form of probabilistic exposure factor distributions that are derived for the given risk scenario. Deriving probabilistic distributions for model inputs can be time consuming and subjective.

Contribution of locally grown foods in cumulative exposure assessments.

Both laboratory and field studies confirm the importance of vegetation for scavenging semivolatile organic chemicals (SVOCs) from the atmosphere and a number of exposure studies have found that the dietary pathway is often a significant contributor to cumulative exposure for these chemicals. However, little information exists on the atmospheric source-to-dietary intake linkage for SVOCs. Because of higher SVOC emissions to urban regions, this linkage is particularly important for foods that are grown, distributed and consumed in or near urban regions.