Worry About Deportation and Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors Among Adult Women: The Center for the Health Assessment of Mothers and Children of Salinas Study.

Background: U.S. Latinos report high levels of concern about deportation for themselves or others. No previous research has tested the link between worry about deportation and clinical measures of cardiovascular risk. Purpose: We estimate the associations between worry about deportation and clinically measured cardiovascular risk factors. Methods: Data come from the Center for the Health Assessment of Mothers and Children of Salinas study. The analytic sample includes 545 Mexican-origin women. Results: In multivariable models, reporting a lot of worry about deportation was significantly associated with greater body mass index, greater risk of obesity, larger waist circumference, and higher pulse pressure. Reporting moderate deportation worry was significantly associated with greater risk of overweight and higher systolic blood pressure. Significant associations between worry about deportation and greater body mass index, waist circumference, and pulse pressure, respectively, held after correcting for multiple testing at p < .05. Conclusions: Worry about deportation may be an important cardiovascular risk factor for ethnic minority populations in the USA.

Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers, Polychlorinated Biphenyls, and 2,2-Bis(4-chlorophenyl)-1,1-dichloroethene in 7- and 9-Year-Old Children and Their Mothers in the Center for the Health Assessment of Mothers and Children of Salinas Cohort.

We report longitudinal serum concentrations of select persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in children at ages 7 and 9 years and in their mothers prenatally and again when the children were 9 years old. The participating families were enrolled in the Center for the Health Assessment of Mothers and Children of Salinas (CHAMACOS), a longitudinal birth cohort study of low-income Hispanic families residing in the Salinas Valley, California. We observed decreasing concentrations in the mothers with year of serum collection (2009 vs 2011) for six out of seven polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) congeners and for 2,2',4,4',5-pentachlorobiphenyl (CB-99; p < 0.05). The 9-year-old children had similarly decreasing serum concentrations of all seven PBDE congeners, CB-99, and 2,2',3,4,4',5'- and 2,3,3',4,4',6-hexachlorobiphenyl (CB-138/158) with year of serum collection (2009 vs 2011; p < 0.05). In mixed effect models accounting for weight gain as the children aged from 7 to 9 years, we observed an annual decrease (-8.3% to -13.4%) in tri- to hexaBDE concentrations (p < 0.001), except for 2,2',3,4,4'-tetrabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-85) and 2,2',4,4',5,5'-hexabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-153). The concentrations of these congeners were not associated with time of serum collection and instead showed an -0.9% to -2.6% decrease per kilogram of weight gain during the study period (p < 0.05). In the case of tetra- to heptachlorobiphenyls, we observed -0.5% to -0.7% decrease in serum concentration per kilogram of weight gain (p < 0.05) and -3.0% to -3.7% decrease in serum concentration per year of aging (p < 0.05), except for 2,3',4,4',5-pentachlorobiphenyl (CB-118) and 2,2',4,4',5,5'-hexachlorobiphenyl (CB-153), which were not associated with time of serum draw. 2,2-Bis(4-chlorophenyl)-1,1-dichloroethene (p,p'-DDE) decreased -2.4%/kg of weight gain between the two sampling points (p < 0.001). These findings suggest that as children grow, dilution in a larger body size plays an important role in explaining reductions in body burden in the case of traditional POPs such as PCBs and p,p'-DDE. By contrast, in the case of PBDEs, reductions are likely explained by reduction in exposure, as illustrated by decreased concentrations in more recent years, possibly amplified by presumed shorter biological half-life than other POPs.

A task-based assessment of parental occupational exposure to pesticides and childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

OBJECTIVES: Associations between parental occupational pesticide exposure and childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) vary across studies, likely due to different exposure assessment methodologies. METHODS: We assessed parental occupational pesticide exposure from the year before pregnancy to the child's third year of life for 669 children diagnosed with ALL and 1021 controls. We conducted expert rating using task-based job modules (JM) to estimate exposure to pesticides among farmer workers, gardeners, agricultural packers, and pesticide applicators. We compared this method to (1) partial JM using job titles and a brief description, but without completing the task-based questionnaire, and (2) job exposure matrix (JEM) linking job titles to the International Standard Classifications of Occupation Codes. We used unconditional logistic regression to calculate odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) for ALL cancer risk and pesticide exposure adjusting for child's sex, age, race/ethnicity and household income. RESULTS: Compared to complete JMs, partial JMs and JEM led to 3.1% and 9.4% of parents with pesticide exposure misclassified, respectively. Misclassification was similar in cases and controls. Using complete JMs, we observed an increased risk of ALL for paternal occupational exposure to any pesticides (OR=1.7; 95% CI=1.2, 2.5), with higher risks reported for pesticides to treat nut crops (OR=4.5; 95% CI=0.9, 23.0), and for children diagnosed before five years of age (OR=2.3; 95% CI: 1.3, 4.1). Exposure misclassification from JEM attenuated these associations by about 57%. Maternal occupational pesticide exposure before and after birth was not associated with ALL. CONCLUSIONS: The risk of ALL was elevated in young children with paternal occupational pesticide exposure during the perinatal period, using more detailed occupational information for exposure classification.

A task-based assessment of parental occupational exposure to organic solvents and other compounds and the risk of childhood leukemia in California.

PURPOSE: Data on parental occupational exposures and risk of childhood leukemia lack specificity. Using 19 task-based job modules, we examined the relationship between occupational exposure to organic solvents and other compounds and the risk of leukemia in children. METHODS: Latino (48%) and non-Latino (52%) children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL; n=670), acute myeloid leukemia (AML; n=104), and controls (n=1021) were enrolled in a study in California (2000-2008). Logistic regression models were used to estimate the odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs), adjusted for socio-demographic factors. RESULTS: Among children with non-Latino fathers, none of the exposures evaluated were associated with risks of ALL and AML. In contrast, exposure to any organic solvents in Latino fathers was associated with an increased risk of childhood ALL (OR=1.48; 95% CI: 1.01-2.16); in multivariable analyses, the OR for chlorinated hydrocarbons was 2.28 (95% CI: 0.97-5.37) while the ORs were close to one for aromatic hydrocarbons, glycol ethers, and other hydrocarbon mixtures. We also observed an increased risk of ALL with exposure to combustion exhaust/polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) (ORs=1.70; 95% CI: 1.16-2.57, and 1.46; 95% CI: 0.94-2.26 with and without adjustment for chlorinated hydrocarbons, respectively). Moderately elevated risks of ALL were seen with exposure to metals, paints, and wood dust, although not statistically significant. An increased risk was reported for asbestos based on small numbers of exposed Latino fathers. No associations were reported between maternal exposures to any exposures and childhood ALL and AML. CONCLUSIONS: Our data support associations between paternal occupational exposures to chlorinated hydrocarbons, combustion exhaust, metals, and possibly asbestos and the risk of ALL in the children of Latino fathers only.

Persistent organic pollutants in dust from older homes: learning from lead.

OBJECTIVES: We aimed to (1) evaluate the relation between home age and concentrations of multiple chemical contaminants in settled dust and (2) discuss the feasibility of using lead hazard controls to reduce children's exposure to persistent organic pollutants. METHODS: As part of the California Childhood Leukemia Study, from 2001 to 2007, we used a high-volume small surface sampler and household vacuum cleaners to collect dust samples from 583 homes and analyzed the samples for 94 chemicals with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. We evaluated relations between chemical concentrations in dust and home age with Spearman rank correlation coefficients. RESULTS: Dust concentrations of lead, polychlorinated biphenyls, organochlorine insecticides, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were correlated with home age (ρ > 0.2; P < .001), whereas concentrations of pyrethroid insecticides and polybrominated diphenyl ethers were not. CONCLUSIONS: Dust in older homes contains higher levels of multiple, persistent chemicals than does dust in newer homes. Further development of strategies to reduce chemical exposures for children living in older homes is warranted.

Determinants of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon levels in house dust.

Estimation of human exposures to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) is often desired for the epidemiological studies of cancer. One way to obtain information about indoor levels of PAHs is to measure these chemicals in house dust. In this study, we evaluated the predictive value of self-reported and geographic data for estimating measured levels of nine PAHs in house dust from 583 households in the Northern California Childhood Leukemia Study (NCCLS). Using multivariable linear regression models, we evaluated the effects on house-dust PAH concentrations from the following covariates: residential heating sources, smoking habits, house characteristics, and outdoor emission sources. House dust was collected from 2001 to 2007, using both high-volume surface samplers and household vacuum cleaners, and was analyzed for nine PAHs using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. All nine PAHs were detected in more than 93% of dust samples, with median concentrations ranging from 14 to 94 ng/g dust. Statistically significant effects on PAH concentrations in house dust were found for gas heating, outdoor PAH concentrations, and residence age. Yet, the optimal regression model only explained 15% of the variation in PAH levels in house dust. As self-reported data and outdoor PAH sources were only marginally predictive of observed PAH levels, we recommend that PAH concentrations be measured directly in dust samples for use in epidemiological studies.

Linkage of the California Pesticide Use Reporting Database with spatial land use data for exposure assessment.

BACKGROUND: The State of California maintains a comprehensive Pesticide Use Reporting Database (CPUR). The California Department of Water Resources (CDWR) maps all crops in agricultural counties in California about once every 5 years. OBJECTIVE: We integrated crop maps with CPUR to more accurately locate where pesticides are applied and evaluated the effects for exposure assessment. METHODS: We mapped 577 residences and used the CPUR and CDWR data to compute two exposure metrics based on putative pesticide use within a 500-m buffer. For the CPUR metric, we assigned pesticide exposure to the residence proportionally for all square-mile Sections that intersected the buffer. For the CDWR metric, we linked CPUR crop-specific pesticide use to crops mapped within the buffer and assigned pesticide exposure. We compared the metrics for six pesticides: simazine, trifluralin (herbicides), dicofol, propargite (insecticides), methyl bromide, and metam sodium (fumigants). RESULTS: For all six pesticides we found good agreement (88-98%) as to whether the pesticide use was predicted. When we restricted the analysis to residences with reported pesticide use in Sections within 500 m, agreement was greatly reduced (35-58%). The CPUR metric estimates of pesticide use within 500 m were significantly higher than the CDWR metric for all six pesticides. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings may have important implications for exposure classification in epidemiologic studies of agricultural pesticide use using CPUR. There is a need to conduct environmental and biological measurements to ascertain which, if any, of these metrics best represent exposure.

Traffic density in California: socioeconomic and ethnic differences among potentially exposed children.

Motor vehicles are the main source of many hazardous air pollutants in California. Previous studies have shown that low-income and minority populations are more likely to live near industrial sources of pollution and in areas that do not meet national air quality standards. We estimated neighborhood exposures to motor vehicle emissions from a road network with daily traffic counts using a geographic information system. To calculate traffic density, we summed the average daily vehicle miles of travel per square mile of land area for each census block group in the state. We used 1990 census data to characterize the population by age, race and socioeconomic status in block groups with high traffic density. Block groups with more than 500,000 vehicle miles of travel per square mile were defined to be high traffic density. Statewide, about 5% of all block groups met this criterion and more than 215,000 children under 15 years of age lived in these high traffic density areas. Block groups in the lowest quartile of median family income were three times more likely to have high traffic density than block groups in the highest income quartile. The percentage of children living in high traffic density block groups increased with decreasing median family income for all race and ethnicities except White. Overall, children of color were about three times more likely to live in high-traffic areas than were white children. Based on this analysis, low-income and children of color have higher potential exposure to vehicle emissions. Future exposure assessment studies should target the highest traffic density areas, and health studies should consider the differences by income and race or ethnicity during design.