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Collecting urine samples from young children using cotton gauze for pesticide studies
1Analytical and Chemical Sciences, Research Triangle Institute, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina 27709, USA. yhu@rti.org
Insights
Cotton gauze pads offer a simple method for collecting children's urine samples to measure pesticide exposure. This technique reliably preserves pesticide metabolites and creatinine for up to 24 hours, aiding environmental health studies.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Health
- Toxicology
- Biomonitoring
Background:
- Assessing pesticide exposure in young children is crucial for public health.
- Current urine collection methods are challenging for infants and toddlers in diapers.
- Field-compatible techniques for pediatric urine sampling are needed.
Purpose of the Study:
- To validate cotton gauze pads for collecting pediatric urine samples.
- To assess the stability of pesticide metabolites and creatinine on gauze pads over 24 hours.
Main Methods:
- Urine samples spiked with specific pesticide metabolites (2,4-D, 3-PBA, atrazine, malathion, diazinon) and creatinine were applied to cotton gauze pads.
- Samples were stored at 37°C for up to 24 hours.
- Urine was expressed from pads at various time points and analyzed for metabolite and creatinine concentrations.
Main Results:
- Recoveries for target analytes ranged from 70% to 130%.
- Concentrations of pesticide metabolites and creatinine remained stable over the 24-hour period.
- No significant degradation was observed in expressed urine or control samples.
Conclusions:
- Cotton gauze pads are a viable and stable medium for collecting urine samples from diaper-wearing children.
- This method facilitates biomonitoring of pesticide exposure in pediatric populations.
- The technique supports field studies requiring feasible urine sample collection.
Abstract:
To estimate pesticide exposure, urine samples are often needed to analyze pesticide metabolites. However, this is difficult for children wearing diapers because simple and feasible techniques suitable for field collection are not available. The objectives of this study were to test the validity of using cotton gauze pad as a medium for collecting urine samples from young children and to examine the stability of the recoveries for creatinine and pesticide metabolites over 24 h. Urine spiked with a pesticide and four metabolites, 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (which is mainly eliminated from urine unchanged), 3-phenoxybenzoic acid (metabolite for synthetic pyrethroids), atrazine mercapturate (metabolite for atrazine), malathion dicarboxylic acid (metabolite for malathion), and 2-isopropyl-4-methyl-6-hydroxypyrimidine (metabolite for diazinon) was added to the gauze pads and kept in jars at 37 degrees C in a water bath. Urine was expressed from the gauze pads immediately and after 1, 2, 4, 8, and 24 h, then analyzed. The recoveries, calculated as the percentage of concentration in expressed urine divided by that of the control urine sample, were within a range of 70-130%. The metabolite and creatinine concentrations did not change with time in either expressed urine samples or controls. The results suggest that cotton gauze pad is a promising candidate for collecting urine samples from young children wearing diapers for studies in which these five urinary pesticide metabolites are to be analyzed.
