Evaluating Indoor Air Phthalates and Volatile Organic Compounds in Nail Salons in the Greater New York City Area: A Pilot Study

The Greater New York City area ranks highest in the United States in the number of nail salon technicians, primarily Asian immigrant women. Nail salon technicians are exposed to toxic phthalates and volatile organic compounds daily in nail salons. The purpose of this pilot study was to measure a mixture of phthalates and volatile organic compounds in nail salons in the Greater New York City area, and to characterize work-related determinants of indoor air quality in these nail salons. Working with four Asian nail salon organizations in the Greater New York City area, we measured indoor air phthalates and volatile organic compounds at 20 nail salons from February to May 2021 using silicone wristbands and passive samplers, respectively. Nail salon characteristics were also examined. We measured six phthalates and 31 volatile organic compounds. Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate and Diethyl phthalate had the highest concentrations among the six phthalates measured. Concentrations of toluene, d -limonene, methyl methacrylate, and ethyl methacrylate were higher than that of the rest. Manicure/pedicure tables, the number of customers per day, and application of artificial nail (acrylic) services were positively associated with the levels of phthalates and volatile organic compounds. Given the large number of people employed in the nail industry and the even larger number of customers visiting such establishments, exposures to these toxic chemicals are likely to be widespread

The relationship between prenatal exposure to organophosphate insecticides and neurodevelopmental integrity of infants at 5-weeks of age

IntroductionOrganophosphate (OP) insecticides are among the most abundantly used insecticides worldwide. Thailand ranked third among 15 Asian countries in its use of pesticides per unit hectare and fourth in annual pesticide use. More than 40% of Thai women of childbearing age work on farms where pesticides are applied. Thus, the potential for pregnant women and their fetuses to be exposed to pesticides is significant. This study investigated the relationship between early, mid, and late pregnancy maternal urine concentrations of OP metabolites and infant neural integrity at 5 weeks of age.MethodWe enrolled women employed on farms from two antenatal clinics in the Chiang Mai province of northern Thailand. We collected urine samples monthly during pregnancy, composited them by early, mid and late pregnancy and analyzed the composited samples for dialkylphosphate (DAP) metabolites of OP insecticides. At 5 weeks after birth, nurses certified in use of the NICU Network Neurobehavioral Scale (NNNS) completed the evaluation of 320 healthy infants. We employed generalized linear regression, logistic and Poisson models to determine the association between NNNS outcomes and DAP concentrations. All analyses were adjusted for confounders and included creatinine as an independent variable.ResultsWe did not observe trimester specific associations between DAP concentrations and NNNS outcomes. Instead, we observed statistically significant inverse associations between NNNS arousal (β = −0.10; CI: −0.17, −0.002; p = 0.0091) and excitability [0.79 (0.68, 0.92; p = 0.0026)] among participants with higher average prenatal DAP concentrations across pregnancy. We identified 3 NNNS profiles by latent profile analysis. Higher prenatal maternal DAP concentrations were associated with higher odds of being classified in a profile indicative of greater self-regulation and attention, but arousal and excitability scores below the 50th percentile relative to US normative samples [OR = 1.47 (CI: 1.05, 2.06; p = 0.03)]. Similar findings are also observed among infants with prenatal exposure to substances of abuse (e.g., methamphetamine).DiscussionOverall, the associations between prenatal DAP concentrations and NNNS summary scores were not significant. Further evaluations are warranted to determine the implications of low arousal and excitability for neurodevelopmental outcomes of attention and memory and whether these results are transitory or imply inadequate responsivity to stimulation among children as they develop

Metabolite of the pesticide DDT and incident type 2 diabetes in urban India

BACKGROUND: Previous epidemiological studies, largely conducted in high-income countries and cross-sectional, have suggested a relatively strong association between exposure to dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (DDE), a metabolite of the pesticide dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT), and type 2 diabetes. DDT is widely used in India and the prevalence of type 2 diabetes there is increasing, but the association between these factors has not been explored to date. OBJECTIVE: The objective was to estimate the association of the p,p' isomer of DDE with incident type 2 diabetes in India. METHODS: A nested case-control study was conducted in a representative prospective cohort of adults from two cities in India. Participants were enrolled in 2010-11 (n = 12,271) and followed for annual assessment of chronic diseases including type 2 diabetes. Baseline plasma samples from incident cases of diabetes (n = 193) and sex-city-matched controls (n = 323) were selected for analysis of p,p-DDE. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were estimated using conditional logistic regression. RESULTS: At baseline, cases had higher p,p-DDE concentrations: geometric mean (95% CI) 330 (273-399) ng/g lipid compared to 223 (189-262) ng/g lipid among controls. Delhi participants had higher p,p-DDE concentrations: 579 (521-643) ng/g lipid compared to 122 (102-145) ng/g lipid in Chennai. In unadjusted models, being in the highest versus lowest quartile of p,p-DDE was associated with a more than doubling of the odds of diabetes: unadjusted OR (95% CI), 2.30 (1.19, 4.43). However, this effect was no longer significant after adjustment for age: adjusted (95% CI), 0.97 (0.46, 2.06). DISCUSSION: Results suggest that levels of p,p'-DDE in Delhi are exceptionally high, but we did not observe a significant association between p,p-DDE and incident type 2 diabetes. As this is the first study to evaluate this association in India, more studies are needed to inform our understanding of the association in this context, including potential routes of exposure

Somporn Chantara and Prasak Thavornyutikarn, Levels of LEVOGLUCOSAN and 2-Methoxyphenol on Pm10 from Indoor Air in Northern Ethnic Thai Highlander Houses Using Wood for Cooking

Background: Indoor air quality (IAQ) is crucial for the health of all habitats. Northern ethnic Thai highlanders are among high risk groups from exposure to wood smoke from cooking and warming in their home. Fire wood from orchard trees is inexpensive, and a convenient source of energy among thoseliving in the highland. Objective: In the present study, we employed PM10, levoglucosan and 2-methoxyphenol to investigate the indoor air quality of the houses using wood burning for cooking. Results: Mean concentrations of PM10, levoglucosan and 2-methoxyphenol from the studied houses were significantly higher than the control in both wet and dry seasons. In wet season, mean±SD concentrations of PM10, levoglucosan and 2-methoxyphenol from the studied houses were 124.5±70.1 μg/m3, 6.2±7.1 μg/m3 and 20.7±7.4 ng/m3, respectively. In dry season, mean±SD concentrations of PM10, levoglucosan and 2-methoxyphenol from the studied houses were 162.5±56.5 μg/m3, 8.7±6.9 μg/m3 and 14.7±6.6 ng/m3, respectively. Meanwhile in the control house in wet season, mean±SD concentrations of PM10 and 2-methoxyphenol were 43.0±18.2 μg/m3 and 10.9±7.4 ng/m3, respectively and levoglucosan was not detected, while in the dry season they were 49.6±9.0 μg/m3 ,0.2±0.2 μg/m3 and 7.9±4.1 ng/m3, respectively. Conclusion: The present study shows that those living in the houses using wood fire indoor may prone to health risk from exposure to indoor air pollutants

Degradation of Organophosphorus and Pyrethroid Insecticides in Beverages: Implications for Risk Assessment

Since urinary insecticide metabolites are commonly used as biomarkers of exposure, it is important that we quantify whether insecticides degrade in food and beverages in order to better perform risk assessment. This study was designed to quantify degradation of organophosphorus and pyrethroid insecticides in beverages. Purified water, white grape juice, orange juice, and red wine were fortified with 500 ng/mL diazinon, malathion, chlorpyrifos, permethrin, cyfluthrin, cypermethrin, and deltamethrin, and aliquots were extracted several times over a 15-day storage period at 2.5 °C. Overall, statistically significant loss of at least one insecticide was observed in each matrix, and at least five out of seven insecticides demonstrated a statistically significant loss in all matrices except orange juice. An investigation of an alternative mechanism of insecticide loss—adsorption onto the glass surface of the storage jars—was carried out, which indicated that this mechanism of loss is insignificant. Results of this work suggest that insecticides degrade in these beverages, and this degradation may lead to pre-existing insecticide degradates in the beverages, suggesting that caution should be exercised when using urinary insecticide metabolites to assess exposure and risk

Temporal Trends of Phenol, Paraben, and Triclocarban Exposure in California Pregnant Women during 2007–2014

Little is known about temporal trends of pregnant women's exposures to environmental phenols and parabens. We quantified four phenols [bisphenol A (BPA), bisphenol F, bisphenol S, and triclosan), four parabens [butyl paraben, ethyl paraben (ETPB), methyl paraben (MEPB), and propyl paraben (PRPB)], and triclocarban in 760 urine samples collected during 2007-2014 from 218 California pregnant women participating in a high-familial risk autism spectrum disorder cohort. We applied multiple regression to compute least square geometric means of urinary concentrations and computed average annual percent changes. We compared our urinary concentrations with those of other study populations to examine geographic variations in pregnant women's exposure to these target compounds. Urinary concentrations of BPA, MEPB, ETPB, and PRPB in this study population decreased over the study period [percent change per year (95% confidence interval): -5.7% (-8.2%, -3.2%); -13.0% (-18.1%, -7.7%); -5.5% (-11.0%, 0.3%); and -13.3% (-18.3%, -8.1%), respectively] and were consistently lower than those in pregnant women in other U.S. regions during the same study period. In recent years, certain phenols and parabens with known adverse health effects are being regulated or replaced with alternatives, which explains decreased body burdens observed in this study population. Either the national regulations or the advocacy campaigns in California may have influenced exposures or consumer product choices

HPLC-MS/MS Method for the Measurement of Insecticide Degradates in Baby Food

A solid phase extraction method was developed to isolate four insecticide degradates from baby food that were measured subsequently using high-performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry. The degradates [parent insecticide] measured were malathion dicarboxylic acid [malathion], 3,5,6-trichloro-2-pyridinol [chlorpyrifos, chlorpyrifos methyl] (TCPy), <i>cis</i>/<i>trans</i>-3-(2,2-dichlorovinyl)-2,2-dimethylcyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid [permethrin, cypermethrin, cyfluthrin], and 3-phenoxybenzoic acid [general pyrethroid]. All degradates produced recoveries between 80 and 120% except TCPy in fruit (122% recovery), and all relative standard deviations were <16%. Use of this method demonstrated that insecticide degradates were found in baby foods frequently purchased in the United States, supporting the need for this method. These data will assist in differentiating whether biomarker levels of insecticide metabolites are the result of exposures to the toxic insecticide or its preformed degradate

Evaluating Indoor Air Phthalates and Volatile Organic Compounds in Nail Salons in the Greater New York City Area: A Pilot Study

The Greater New York City area ranks highest in the United States in the number of nail salon technicians, primarily Asian immigrant women. Nail salon technicians are exposed to toxic phthalates and volatile organic compounds daily in nail salons. The purpose of this pilot study was to measure a mixture of phthalates and volatile organic compounds in nail salons in the Greater New York City area, and to characterize work-related determinants of indoor air quality in these nail salons. Working with four Asian nail salon organizations in the Greater New York City area, we measured indoor air phthalates and volatile organic compounds at 20 nail salons from February to May 2021 using silicone wristbands and passive samplers, respectively. Nail salon characteristics were also examined. We measured six phthalates and 31 volatile organic compounds. Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate and Diethyl phthalate had the highest concentrations among the six phthalates measured. Concentrations of toluene, d-limonene, methyl methacrylate, and ethyl methacrylate were higher than that of the rest. Manicure/pedicure tables, the number of customers per day, and application of artificial nail (acrylic) services were positively associated with the levels of phthalates and volatile organic compounds. Given the large number of people employed in the nail industry and the even larger number of customers visiting such establishments, exposures to these toxic chemicals are likely to be widespread