The project aims are to critically review the literature on current applications of silicone wristbands (SWB), along with conducting an interlaboratory study to resolve critical analytical issues undermining SWP deployment. Analytical testing will be conducted with innovative approaches for suspect/non target screening of chemicals. These are necessary steps towards validating SWB as innovative multi-chemical sampling tools for large population studies.
Background
SWB have emerged over the last decade as passive, non-invasive and cost-effective personal samplers. SWB are typically worn over many days and present a new approach for community-based chemical exposure assessment, as they are thought to reflect the environmental and occupational exposure to multiple classes of chemicals. Yet their use as samplers is not thoroughly validated and best practices for sourcing, preparation and analyses are not generally harmonised.
Project activities
This study will provide a proof-of-concept to validate the use of SWB as broad-spectrum chemical samplers, followed by innovative High Resolution Mass Spectrometry (HRMS) analyses technique for suspects/non target screening (SS/NTS). The analytes are classes of chemicals of emerging concern including, among others, plasticisers, pesticides and flame retardants. The project is run in parallel with a case-study application of SWB to occupational waste management exposure within PARC.
STAMI is a leading contributor to the critical literature review on the SWB for human biomonitoring, aimed to identify critical analytical issues hampering their wider application. Aspects of analytical sensitivity, background contamination, harmonisation of methods and use of data will be addressed with laboratory activities to be conducted within the PARC consortium, where we will contribute to the laboratory tests focussing on pre-sampling cleaning procedures for analytical background improvement.
Outcomes
Demonstrating the validity of SWB as personal samplers for occupational exposure will contribute a relevant new sampling method in the field of exposure sciences.
The literature review will contribute to knowledge and competence in the European network of PARC.
Project leader:
Erika Zardin Brinchmann
Project participant: Steen Mollerup
External collaborators: Project lead by the French National Research and Safety Institute for the Prevention of Occupational accidents and Diseases – INRS, and by Luxembourg’s National Health Laboratory, LNS, coordinating 4 more partners within the PARC consortium.
Project number: PARC P4.3.2b – Innovative Methods: Occupational Sampling.
Funding: This project is co-founded by the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under Grant Agreement n° 101057014
More information is to be found on the Norwegian project page.