1. Biomonitoring II EnviroChem Connections Mini-Talk 1 on CDC’s 3rd Report Suzanne Snedeker Cornell University Sprecher Institute for Comparative Cancer Research

2. Biomonitoring What is biomonitoring? The direct measurement of chemicals or metabolites in humans Reflects “internal dose” - what the body has actually taken up Reflects all sources of exposure

3. Biomonitoring Source of Samples Blood (whole or serum) Urine (for chemicals rapidly excreted) Adipose tissue (fat) Breast milk Toenails or hair Exhaled breath

4. CDC 3rd Report - NHANES National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) Done every 2 years by the CDC Surveys 5,000 people in the U.S. Home interview Physical examination in “mobile unit” Obtain blood sample (over 1 year) Obtain urine sample (over 6 years) Analysis done on a random sample

5. CDC 3rd Report -Scope of study design 148 chemicals or their metabolites Three age ranges: 6-11 years, 12-19 years, 20-59 years 1-5 years for some chemicals [lead] Three ethnic / racial groups Mexican Americans Non-Hispanic Blacks Non-Hispanic Whites

6. Types of chemicals Metals Organochlorine insecticides Organophosphate insecticides Pyrethroid Pesticides Herbicides Tobacco smoke (cotinine)

7. Types of Chemicals Phthalates Phytoestrogens PAHs (polyaromatic hydrocarbons) PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) PCDDs (polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins) PCDFs (polychlorinated dibenzofurans)

8. Environmental Public Health Tracking - What it can provide Direct assay of chemical body burden from all sources of exposure Tracks trends in exposures over time Identifies at-risk populations Establishes “reference ranges” for chemicals for which we have little/no data Helps evaluate if prevention efforts work Provides direction for further research and monitoring efforts

9. Major findings - New data First-time exposure data for 38 chemicals - “reference ranges” Aldrin, endrin, and dieldrin Some PAHs (benzo[a]pyrene) Additional phthalate metabolites Additional dioxins, furans and PCBs Additional insecticides and herbicides Photo:www.cdc.gov/nceh/dls/national_biomonitoring_program.htm

10. Major findings - Blood Lead Blood lead levels continue to decline There is no “safe” level of blood lead Percentage of children 1-5 years old with blood lead levels at or above 10 ug/dl 1976-1980 88.2% 1988-1991 8.6% 1991-1994 4.4% 1999-2002 1.6% Photos: www.cdc.gov/nceh/dls/lead.htm

11. Major findings -Urinary Cadmium (Cd) 5% of US population has levels above 1  g Cd/g creatinine (? kidney effects ?) Significance of Cd findings for breast cancer risk is not known, but provides much needed exposure data. Cd can support the growth of breast tumor cell lines; may affect mammary development (lab animal studies)

12. Major findings - Phthalates Phthalate metabolites New, more sensitive biomarkers Data on exposure at different ages For most phthalate metabolites, levels in the urine of children 6-11 years of age were higher than levels in adults (sometimes twice as high) Levels in US population at or higher than levels reported in Germany

13. Major findings -Organochlorine pesticides p,p’-DDE Levels in Mexican Americans Two-fold high than non-Hispanic blacks Three-fold higher in non-Hispanic whites Other organochlorines Many were below the limits of detection Including: DDT, aldrin, endrin, dieldrin, heptachlor epoxide, mirex)

14. Major findings - Smoking Environmental tobacco smoke Dramatic decrease in exposure to environmental tobacco smoke in non-smokers (median cotinine levels) Compared to 1988-91 data, saw: 68% decrease in children 69% decrease in adolescents 75% decrease in adults Photo: www.cdc.gov/nceh/dls/tobacco_smoking.htm

15. New chemicals to be monitored in future reports Metals (arsenic and methyl mercury) Volatile Organic Chemicals (VOCs) Polybrominated compounds Phenols (bisphenol A, nonylphenol and octylphenol – estrogen mimics) Perfluorinated compounds Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)

16. New chemicals to be monitored in future reports Additional pesticides in these classes Organochlorine pesticides Organophosphate pesticides Chloroacetanilide herbicides Acetochlor and metolachlor metabolites Pyrethrins Photo: www.cdc.gov/biomonitoring/overview.htm

17. What the current CDC report does not provide Levels by region (state, county, zip code) Seasonal variations in levels Environmental levels (air, water, food, soil) Duration or intensity of exposures Use of particular products Whether levels are associated with a particular health effect

18. CDC - Spokes in the wheel Environmental Public Health Tracking Biomonitoring program Provides state funding Targeted research projects Improve infrastructure to integrate biomonitoring and health indicator data Develops new biomarkers Provides sample analysis for breast cancer studies