A comparison of human toxics exposure and environmental contamination by census division

National Human Adipose Tissue Survey (NHATS) data and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) STORET data were used to test for relationships between human exposure and environmental contamination according to census division. Regions were ranked according to the mean concentration of 43 toxic substances (pesticides, polychlorinated biphenyls, semi-volatiles, and volatiles) in human adipose tissue and environmental media (sediment, fish tissue, and groundwater). Correlation analyses between regional human and environmental ranks indicated that fish tissue data were good predictors of regional pesticide exposure, sediment data were good predictors of PCB exposure, and groundwater data were good predictors of exposure to semi-volatile compounds. None of the environmental data used were good predictors of exposure to volatile chemical compounds. Groundwater appeared to be a better predictor of overall regional toxics exposure than other types of environmental data.