Silicone bracelets will measure air quality. Free Technical Library News

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Silicone wristbands measure air quality

01.08.2021

A study by researchers at the Texas A&M University School of Public Health shows that inexpensive and convenient devices such as silicone wristbands can be used to provide quantitative data on air quality, which is especially important during periods of increased sensitivity, such as pregnancy. Prenatal exposure to PAHs has been shown to lead to adverse health outcomes in children.

The team found that the wristbands, when used as passive samplers, have the ability to bind lower molecular weight semi-volatile polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), a class of chemicals that occur naturally in coal, crude oil and gasoline and are produced by burning coal, oil, gas, wood, garbage and tobacco - similar to active sampling.

The study focused on pregnant women in Hidalgo County in South Texas. This particular area of Texas was chosen because of the region's increased prevalence of childhood asthma, as well as a higher rate of prematurity (14,8 percent) compared to the rest of the state (12,9 percent).

Scientists have quantified the effects of PAHs on pregnant women living in McAllen. For data collection, participants carried backpacks with air sampling equipment. A silicone wristband was attached to each backpack. After three non-consecutive 24-hour periods, air sampling equipment and wristbands were analyzed for PAH content.

When the researchers analyzed and compared the data from the air sampling equipment and the wristbands, they found that the wristbands gave similar results to more traditional testing methods. The researchers suggest that the use of silicone wristbands as a passive sampler may be useful in the study of semi-volatile PAHs.

"The use of wristbands is attractive because they are inexpensive and comfortable to wear," said co-author Itza Mendoza-Sanchez, assistant professor of environmental and occupational health (EOH). "Wristbands have been used to detect a number of contaminants, but qualification of these contaminants remains a challenge. Our the aim was to evaluate the extent to which we can use the wristbands as passive samplers to quantify PAHs in air We found that the detection patterns are similar for small molecule compounds and that attaching the wristbands to a backpack strap is a good sampling method to evaluate conditions under which wristbands can be used to quantify PAHs in air.

"Maternal exposure to PAHs during pregnancy is particularly detrimental to the health of children as this is a phase of rapid human growth and development," Johnson said. "Thus, simple methods for quantifying PAH exposure are essential to assess risk and develop effective intervention strategies."

Johnson said the results of the study confirm that wristbands used as passive samplers could be useful in future studies to assess adverse health effects from prenatal exposure to PAHs.

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