Abstract No:
1692
Abstract Type:
Student Poster
Authors:
S Amin1, S Liu2
Institutions:
1Purdue University, West-Lafayette, IN, 2Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN
Presenter:
Sanzida Amin
Purdue University
Faculty Advisor:
Sa Liu
Purdue University
Description:
Description:
Tetrachloroethylene (PCE) is a toxic solvent used in dry cleaning and metal degreasing. Martinsville, Indiana overlies four contaminated groundwater sites, where PCE is detected in soil and water, creating vapor-intrusion risks and potential inhalation exposure. Our previous study detected elevated level of PCE in residents' exhaled breath; however, there was no statistically significant difference in levels between households near the waste site and those in more distant areas .This underscores the need for comparison with a non-contaminated community.
Situation/Problem:
Situation/Problem:
To better understand whether these exposures were related to the contaminated groundwater or other background sources (household products, etc.), we conducted a comparison study with a nearby community that had no known environmental contamination. In this study both indoor air and exhaled breath samples were measured independently. This comparison between two communities is crucial to the understanding of exposure sources, pathways and the development of interventions.
Methods:
Methods:
Our ongoing main study recruited 297 participants from Martinsville, Indiana. An additional 22 participants were recruited as a comparison group from Mooresville, Indiana (nearby community). We collected exhaled breath and Indoor air samples. Exhaled-breath samples were collected using plastic sampling bags and analyzed within hours of collection using proton-transfer-reaction mass spectrometry (PTR‑MS) in a mobile laboratory. The indoor air sample from Martinsville (n=10) and Mooresville (n=11) was collected in real time using the same mobile laboratory. The raw PTR‑MS output was processed in PTR‑MS Viewer, then cleaned and structured in Microsoft Excel to create the analytic dataset for import into SPSS. Descriptive statistics and Mann Whitney U test were performed using SPSS.
Results / Conclusions:
Results: Demographics were comparable between Martinsville (n=297) and Mooresville (n=22): age 41.6±13.4 vs 49.5±13.5 years; males 31% vs 36%; education HS 32% vs 36%, college 35% vs 41%.
For exhaled breath PCE concentrations, Martinsville showed median value of 0.15 ppb (mean 0.34 ± 0.76 ppb; range 0.02-9.72 ppb), while Mooresville had identical median 0.15 ppb (mean 0.31 ± 0.41 ppb; range 0.04-1.72 ppb). The Mann-Whitney U test indicated no statistically significant difference between Martinsville and Mooresville residents (p = 0.62).
For indoor air PCE concentrations, Martinsville showed median value of 0.09 ppb (mean 0.18 ± 0.33 ppb; range 0.04-1.11 ppb), while Mooresville had median 0.07 ppb (mean 0.31 ± 0.60 ppb; range 0.02-2.00 ppb). The Mann-Whitney U test indicated no statistically significant difference (p=0.085).
Conclusion: Preliminary analysis shows comparable PCE levels in exhaled breath and indoor air between Martinsville and Mooresville, which suggests that observed PCE levels may reflect PCE from other sources rather than contamination sites. No statistically significant differences were found between sites. Further research needs to be conducted to confirm this.
Core Competencies:
Exposure Assessment
Secondary Core Competencies:
Community Exposure
Indoor Air Quality
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.
Environmental protection and monitoring
Exposure Assessment
Indoor air quality
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 will help in understanding exposure sources, pathways, and development of interventions for the Martinsville community. On the other hand, as PCE is a chemical often found in industrial hygiene settings, the findings will also enhance practices in industrial and occupational health.
Have you presented this information before?
No
I have read and agree to these guidelines.
Yes