Household-Level Environmental Exposure in Rural Arctic Alaska: An Integrated Assessment of Water, Soil, and Indoor...

Households in remote rural Alaska may experience environmental quality concerns associated with decentralized water systems, household water transport and storage, entrance-zone particulate matter, and indoor moisture conditions. However, these environmental media are rarely assessed together within the same residences. This pilot study included drinking-water sampling in nine residences, eight of which provided sufficient data for the integrated cross-media assessment in Tuntutuliak, Alaska. The assessment combined laboratory and rapid field analyses of household drinking water, entrance-zone samples, and indoor and outdoor mold. Chemical analysis of drinking water showed that concentrations of lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), and antimony (Sb) were generally low. However, arsenic (As) was detected at or above the WHO guideline value in more than half of the samples, indicating the need for confirmatory and seasonally repeated water-quality monitoring. Manganese concentrations exceeded the current WHO provisional guideline value of 0.08 mg/L in 10 of the 20 samples, with a maximum concentration approximately 6.2-fold above the guideline. Isolated exceedances were also observed for Cd (three samples, up to threefold), Pb (three samples, 20-40% above the guideline), Sb (one sample), and U (one sample, with one additional sample equaling the guideline value). Rapid field tests reproduced qualitative trends but overestimated concentrations relative to laboratory measurements, demonstrating their utility for screening but limited quantitative accuracy. Entrance-zone samples showed substantial between-household variability, with the most consistent screening-level elevations observed for zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), and chromium (Cr), when compared with published Alaskan soil data and generic residential soil benchmarks. Mycological examination of 36 locations showed the dominance of basidiospores in both indoor and outdoor air samples (75 L), while Cladosporium-type spores dominated surface samples. Using a study-specific weight-of-evidence interpretation, seven of eight participating buildings showed suggestive or strong evidence of possible indoor fungal amplification. These categories describe relative environmental evidence and do not represent validated health-risk thresholds. Within the eight participating households, the findings revealed the co-occurrence of potential chemical, particulate, and biological exposure pathways. These pilot results support the value of integrated household-level assessments but require confirmation through larger, seasonally repeated studies before broader generalization to Tuntutuliak or other rural Arctic communities.