Characterizing variability in personal chemical exposure to improve exposomics.
Lisa M Bramer1, Holly M Dixon2, Alison E Clark2
1Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Biological Sciences Division, Richland, WA, USA.
Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology
|November 17, 2025
Summary
Chemical exposure variability within and between individuals is crucial for understanding the exposome. This study highlights the importance of longitudinal data collection across studies to accurately assess personal chemical exposure.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Health Sciences
- Exposure Science
- Toxicology
Background:
- Characterizing the exposome requires understanding chemical exposure variability within and between individuals over time.
- Variability in chemical exposure remains an understudied aspect of exposomic research, hindering a comprehensive understanding of lifetime exposures.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate trends in chemical exposure variability, both within and between individuals, across different study designs.
- To quantify sources of variability in personal chemical exposure data using variance partitioning.
Main Methods:
- Utilized silicone wristbands worn by 81 participants across two Oregon locations (Eugene and St. Helens) over multiple seasons.
- Analyzed 586 wristbands for 94 (Eugene) and 58 (St. Helens) chemicals, including 43 common polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs).
- Employed generalized mixed effects models and variance partitioning to assess variability from environmental factors and inter-/intra-individual differences.
Main Results:
- Observed consistency in certain polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) within individuals across different days.
- Found limited agreement between studies for a subset of PAHs, underscoring the need for multi-time point data.
- Environmental variables explained less than 10% of the data variability for most chemicals, though specific factors (e.g., fine particulate matter, smoke density) were informative for certain compounds in Eugene.
Conclusions:
- This study represents a large investigation into intra- and inter-individual variability in silicone wristband chemical concentrations.
- Findings emphasize the critical importance of measuring chemical data at diverse time points across studies for accurate exposome characterization.
- Environmental factors alone are insufficient to explain most of the observed variability in personal chemical exposure.
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