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Quantification of soil/dust (SD) on the hands of children from Hubei Province, China using hand wipes
Siyu Wang1, Jin Ma1, Libo Pan1
1State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing 100012, China.
Insights
Children
Area of Science:
- Environmental Health
- Pediatric Health
- Soil Science
Background:
- Hand-to-mouth behavior is a significant exposure pathway for children.
- Soil ingestion (SD) is a concern, especially in developing regions.
- Understanding hand SD levels is crucial for assessing children's health risks.
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantify hand SD amounts in children aged 2–17 years.
- To investigate factors influencing hand SD levels.
- To estimate daily soil ingestion rates for different age groups.
Main Methods:
- Random sampling of 120 children from Wuhan City and Wufeng County, China.
- Collection of hand SD samples using hand wipes.
- Analysis of soil elements (Ce, Y, V) to estimate SD amounts.
Main Results:
- Hand SD amounts ranged from 6.35 to 85.42mg (median: 20.62mg).
- Estimated mean hand SD: 1.07mg (Ce), 1.00mg (Y), 0.92mg (V).
- Higher SD in primary schoolers, males, and rural children; lower in kindergarten/middle schoolers, females, and urban children.
Conclusions:
- Significant variations in hand SD exist among different child demographics.
- Daily soil ingestion rates varied by age group, with primary schoolers having the highest estimated intake.
- Findings highlight the importance of hand hygiene and environmental exposure assessment in children.
Abstract:
A total of 120 children (58 males and 62 females) between the ages of 2 and 17 years were randomly selected from Wuhan City and Wufeng County in Hubei Province, China. We gathered hand SD samples from these children using hand wipes. We determined approximate amounts of hand SD and concentrations of three tracer soil elements (Ce, Y, V) in these samples. The approximate amounts of hand SD ranged from 6.35 to 85.42mg with a median value of 20.62mg. In addition, mean amounts of hand SD estimated using concentrations of Ce, Y, and V in samples were 1.07, 1.00, and 0.92mg, respectively. The amounts of hand SD varied greatly among age groups: primary school children had more hand SD than kindergarten and middle school children, males had more hand SD than females, and children from rural areas had more hand SD than those from urban areas. The rates of daily ingestion of hand SD for kindergarten, primary school, and middle school children were estimated as 1.79, 2.12, and 0.49mg/d, respectively.
