 |
| Silicone wristbands could help scientists monitor for chemicals. (Venier Lab photo via The Conversation CC) |
These synthetic chemicals, often found in water systems,
soils and consumer products, have been a growing public concern and become more
prevalent in everyday environments, Essandoh explains.
Traditional monitoring tools for measuring their exposure have
only used samples from a single point in time and can be invasive, like drawing
someone’s blood or testing soil or water from one location on one day, reports
Essandoh. However, Essandoh found from his environmental chemistry research
that people or animals living in the same environment “showed very different
chemical profiles.”
Since people are exposed continuously throughout the day,
new noninvasive tools are becoming more popular to monitor exposure over a
period of time, Essandoh reports. One such tool is the silicone wristbands, made of silicone
polymer, which “absorb chemicals from the surrounding environment over time,
similar to how skin or fur interacts with air, dust and surfaces." Researchers can then extract these compounds from the wristband and examine
the pattern of exposure, once the wristband is worn for multiple days or weeks.
Other noninvasive methods scientists have started using to
track exposure include “passive air samplers placed in homes or small wearable
devices,” explains Essandoh. These types of devices can also be used for animals
and wildlife, instead of drawing their blood, to better understand how PFAS affect their ecosystems and to identify emerging risks sooner.
Noninvasive monitoring tools aren’t meant to eliminate
traditional monitoring, Essandoh explains, but to provide additional context to
how exposure moves through time and space and to entice more volunteers to
participate in studies. “They offer ways to better understand cumulative
exposure, identify overlooked pathways and inform environmental health and
conservation decisions.”
No comments:
Post a Comment