Neighborhood deprivation, race/ethnicity, and urinary metal concentrations among young girls in California. (May 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Gonzales, Felisa A.; Jones, Rena R.; Deardorff, Julianna; Windham, Gayle C.; Hiatt, Robert A.; Kushi, Lawrence H.
• Is Part Of: Environment international. Volume 91(2016:Jun.)
• Page Start: 29
• Page End: 39
• Publication Date: 2016-05
• Subjects: CYGNET Cohort Study of Young Girls' Nutrition, Environment, and Transitions -- KPNC Kaiser Permanente of Northern California; Environmental health disparities -- Metals -- Vulnerability -- Lead -- Children; Environmental protection -- Periodicals; Environmental health -- Periodicals; Environmental monitoring -- Periodicals; Environmental Monitoring -- Periodicals; Environnement -- Protection -- Périodiques; Hygiène du milieu -- Périodiques; Environnement -- Surveillance -- Périodiques; Environmental health; Environmental monitoring; Environmental protection; Periodicals; 333.705
• DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2016.02.004
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0160-4120

Abstract

Abstract: Background: Although metals can adversely impact children's health, the distribution of exposures to many metals, particularly among vulnerable subpopulations, is not well characterized. Objectives: We sought to determine whether neighborhood deprivation was associated with urinary concentrations of thirteen metals and whether observed relationships varied by race/ethnicity. Methods: We obtained neighborhood characteristics from the 2005–2009 American Community Survey. Demographic information and urine samples from 400 healthy young girls in Northern California were obtained during a clinical visit. Urine samples were analyzed for metals using inductively-coupled plasma-mass spectrometry and levels were corrected for creatinine. We ran analysis of variance and generalized linear regression models to estimate associations of urinary metal concentrations with neighborhood deprivation and race/ethnicity and stratified multivariable models to evaluate possible interactions among predictors on metals concentrations. Results: Urinary concentrations of three metals (barium, lead, antimony) varied significantly across neighborhood deprivation quartiles, and four (barium, lead, antimony, tin) varied across race/ethnicity groups. In models adjusted for family income and cotinine, both race/ethnicity ( F 3, 224 = 4.34, p = 0.01) and neighborhood deprivation ( F 3, 224 = 4.32, p = 0.01) were associated with antimony concentrations, but neither were associated with lead, barium, or tin, concentrations. Examining neighborhood deprivation within race/ethnicity groups, barium levels ( p interaction < 0.01) decreased with neighborhood deprivation among Hispanic girls ( p trend < 0.001) and lead levels ( p interaction = 0.06) increased with neighborhood deprivation among Asian girls ( p trend = 0.04). Conclusions: Our results indicate that children's vulnerability to some metals varies by neighborhood deprivation quartile and race/ethnicity. These differential distributions of exposures may contribute to environmental health disparities later in life. Highlights: The distribution of exposures to metals among children is not well characterized. We examined associations between neighborhood deprivation and metal metabolites. Patterns of associations were not consistent across racial/ethnic groups. Individual/community stressors may contribute to environmental health disparities.