Child environmental exposures to water and sand at the beach: Findings from studies of over 68,000 subjects at 12 beaches

Deflorio-Barker, S; Arnold, BF; Sams, EA; Dufour, AP; Colford, JM; Weisberg, SB; Schiff, KC; Wade, TJ

HERO ID

5882729

Reference Type

Journal Article

Year

2018

Language

English

PMID

29115288

HERO ID 5882729
In Press No
Year 2018
Title Child environmental exposures to water and sand at the beach: Findings from studies of over 68,000 subjects at 12 beaches
Authors Deflorio-Barker, S; Arnold, BF; Sams, EA; Dufour, AP; Colford, JM; Weisberg, SB; Schiff, KC; Wade, TJ
Journal Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology
Volume 28
Issue 2
Page Numbers 93-100
Abstract Swimming and recreating in lakes, oceans, and rivers is common, yet the literature suggests children may be at greater risk of illness following such exposures. These effects might be due to differences in immunity or differing behavioral factors such as poorer hygiene, longer exposures to, and greater ingestion of potentially contaminated water and sand. We pooled data from 12 prospective cohorts (n=68,685) to examine exposures to potentially contaminated media such as beach water and sand among children compared with adults, and conducted a simulation using self-reported time spent in the water and volume of water swallowed per minute by age to estimate the total volume of water swallowed per swimming event by age category. Children aged 4-7 and 8-12 years had the highest exposures to water, sand, and algae compared with other age groups. Based on our simulation, we found that children (6-12 years) swallow a median of 36 ml (90th percentile=150 ml), whereas adults aged ≥35 years swallow 9 ml (90th percentile=64 ml) per swimming event, with male children swallowing a greater amount of water compared with females. These estimates may help to reduce uncertainty surrounding routes and durations of recreational exposures and can support the development of chemical and microbial risk assessments.
Doi 10.1038/jes.2017.23
Pmid 29115288
Wosid WOS:000425143400001
Is Certified Translation No
Dupe Override No
Is Public Yes
Language Text English