Assessing the External Exposome Using Wearable Passive Samplers and High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry among South African Children Participating in the VHEMBE Study

Children in low- and middle-income countries are often exposed to higher levels of chemicals and are more vulnerable to the health effects of air pollution. Little is known about the diversity, toxicity, and dynamics of airborne chemical exposures at the molecular level. We developed a workflow employing state-of-the-art wearable passive sampling technology coupled with high-resolution mass spectrometry to comprehensively measure 147 children’s personal exposures to airborne chemicals in Limpopo, South Africa, as part of the Venda Health Examination of Mothers, Babies, and Their Environment (VHEMBE). 637 environmental exposures were detected, many of which have never been measured in this population; of these 50 airborne chemical exposures of concern were detected, including pesticides, plasticizers, organophosphates, dyes, combustion products, and perfumes. Biocides detected in wristbands included p,p′-dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (p,p′-DDT), p,p′-dichlorodiphenyldichloroethane (p,p′-DDD), p,p′-dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (p,p′-DDE), propoxur, piperonyl butoxide, and triclosan. Exposures differed across the assessment period with 27% of detected chemicals observed to be either higher or lower in the wet or dry seasons.