Abstract No:
1657
Abstract Type:
Student Poster
Authors:
R Turner1, E Wells1
Institutions:
1Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN
Presenter:
Ryleigh Turner
Purdue University
Faculty Advisor:
Ellen Wells
Purdue University
Description:
Environmental exposure assessment is challenging in conflict settings where environmental monitoring and biomonitoring are often infeasible. This study describes the development of a Composite Exposure Index (CEI) designed to translate civilian exposure histories obtained through structured qualitative surveys into quantitative metrics suitable for environmental health analysis.
Situation/Problem:
Armed conflict produces complex, repeated environmental exposures that are difficult to characterize using conventional industrial hygiene approaches. Infrastructure damage, displacement, and safety constraints often prevent systematic environmental monitoring, and many studies rely on ecological proxies that fail to capture individual exposure variability. Although detailed exposure histories can be collected through qualitative surveys in conflict settings, these data are rarely translated into quantitative exposure metrics.
Methods:
Exposure history data were obtained from structured qualitative surveys conducted with civilian couples in Fallujah, Iraq. The surveys collected exposure histories, health histories, reproductive histories, and dwelling histories. For the present analysis, exposure histories from 115 women were used, representing 512 reported exposure events related to conflict-associated environmental hazards.
Exposure events were sorted into three categories: explosive events, residential proximity to burn pits, and residence in hot houses, and then those events were scored. Exposure events were scored using a structured modifier framework incorporating proximity, duration, frequency, and intensity. Weighted modifier values generated event-level scores, which were aggregated to produce participant-level CEI scores as shown here:
Exposure Event Score = [Explosion × (Proximity × Duration × Frequency × Intensity)] + [Hot House] + [Burn Pit × Distance × Direction]
Total Participant Score = Exposure Event₁ + Exposure Event₂ + Exposure Event₃ + Exposure Event₄
Data processing and scoring were implemented in R, and descriptive statistics were used to characterize exposure distributions and cumulative CEI scores. Data collection for this project is covered under Institutional Review Board approval. Inclusion criteria of participants were adult parents in Anbar province with one or more birth outcomes since 2017. Participants were recruited from Fallujah Women's and Children's Hospital registry.
Results / Conclusions:
CEI scores demonstrated substantial variability in cumulative exposure experiences among participants. Of coded exposures, explosive events accounted for 206 out of 512 events (40.2%), residential proximity to burn pits 140 out of 512 events (27.3%), and hot house residence 166 out of 512 events (32.4%). Across 115 participants, CEI scores ranged from 0.0625 to 1.8785. The median CEI score was 0.74, with the middle 50% of participants scoring between 0.42 and 1.02. Scores below 0.42 represented the lowest exposure quartile, while scores above 1.02 reflected the highest cumulative exposure group. Many participants reported exposure events across multiple domains, indicating overlapping environmental hazards experienced during armed conflict.
These findings demonstrate that exposure metrics can be derived from comprehensive qualitative survey data using a structured scoring framework. The CEI provides a practical method for characterizing cumulative environmental exposures in settings where conventional environmental monitoring or biomonitoring is limited.
Core Competencies:
Exposure Assessment
Secondary Core Competencies:
Community Exposure
Risk Assessment
Choose at least one (1), and up to five, (5) keywords from the following list. These selections will optimize your presentation's search results for attendees.
Asbestos, lead, and dust
Environmental protection and monitoring
Exposure Assessment
Risk assessment and management
Based on the information that will be presented during your proposed session, please indicate the targeted audience practice level: (select one)
Professional: Professional is a job title given to persons who have obtained a baccalaureate or graduate degree in IH/OH, public health, safety, environmental sciences, biology, chemistry, physics, or engineering or who have a degree in another area that meets the standards set forth in the next section, Knowledge and Skill Sets of IH/OH Practice Levels, and has had 4 or more years of practice. One significant way of demonstrating professional competence is to achieve certification by a 3rd party whose certification scheme is recognized by the International Occupational Hygiene Association (IOHA) such as the Board of Global EHS Credentialing (BGC).
Was this session organized by an AIHA Technical Committee, Special Interest Group, Working Group, Advisory Group or other AIHA project Team?
No
Are worker exposure data and/or results of worker exposure data analysis presented?
No
How will this help advance the science of IH/OH?
This work demonstrates how qualitative exposure histories collected in complex environments can be systematically converted into quantitative exposure metrics. Such approaches can expand exposure assessment capacity in situations where traditional industrial hygiene monitoring is infeasible, including disaster response, conflict environments, and other resource-limited settings.
Have you presented this information before?
No
I have read and agree to these guidelines.
Yes