Biomonitoring of DEET and DCBA in Canadian children following typical protective insect repellent use.

N,N-diethyl-m-toluamide (DEET) is an ingredient found in many consumer insect repellents and its use is recommended to Canadians by government agencies, including Health Canada, for protection against insect bites including mosquitos and ticks. The majority of research on DEET exposure and toxicokinetics in humans has focused on adult populations with little information from vulnerable populations, including children. We aimed to fill this knowledge gap by examining real-world exposure data for DEET and its metabolite 3-diethylcarbamoyl benzoic acid (DCBA) in a sample population of Canadian children. We conducted a 24-h observational exposure human biomonitoring study at three overnight summer camps in Ontario, Canada through July and August 2019. Participating children aged 7-13 years provided multiple spot urine samples over a 24-h period and completed a journal to document insect repellent use and factors that could influence absorption of DEET. Children were instructed to use insect repellent as they usually would while attending a summer camp. Exposure was quantified using the information from the participant's journal and the change in the mass of their insect repellent containers over the course of the study. A total of 389 urine samples were collected from 124 children. Among participants using insect repellent, urinary levels of DEET were elevated between 2 and 8 h post-application and decreased thereafter but remained qualitatively higher than concentrations in participants who did not use insect repellent on the study day, even at 18-22 h post-application. DCBA was the predominant metabolite of DEET exposure in urine. DCBA was elevated between 8 and 14 h post-application, and declined thereafter, but not to the level observed among those who did not use insect repellent on the study day. Children who used more insect repellent, or used higher concentration insect repellent (10%-30% DEET) excreted higher levels of DEET and DCBA. Excreted DEET and DCBA accounted for 0.001% (median) and 1.3% (median) of the estimated applied DEET, respectively. Children did not reach an undetectable level of DEET or DCBA in urine, even among those not using insect repellent during the study day, indicating a potentially complex multi-route exposure to insect repellents in a real world scenario. This work provides targeted biomonitoring data for children intentionally using DEET-based insect repellents for normal protective use, and will support the risk re-evaluation of DEET by Health Canada.

Development of an observational exposure human biomonitoring study to assess Canadian children's DEET exposure during protective use.

Biomonitoring data of N,N-diethyl-meta-toluamide (DEET) in children is scarce and limited to controlled exposure and surveillance studies. We conducted a 24-hour observational exposure and human biomonitoring study designed to estimate use of and exposure to DEET-based insect repellents by Canadian children in an overnight summer camp setting. Here, we present our study design and methodology. In 2019, children between the ages of 7 and 13 took part in the study (n = 126). Children controlled their use of DEET-based insect repellents, and provided an account of their activities at camp that could impact insect repellent absorption. Children provided a total of 389 urine samples throughout the study day, and reported the time that they applied insect repellent, which allowed us to contextualize urinary DEET and metabolite concentrations with respect to the timing of insect repellent application. DEET (2.3%

Nutrition status of junior elite Canadian female soccer athletes.

CONTEXT: Adolescent female team-sport athletes are faced with the challenge of meeting nutrition requirements for growth and development, as well as sport performance. There is a paucity of evidence describing the dietary adequacy of this population in respect to these physiological demands. Therefore, the aim of this study was to comprehensively evaluate the nutrition status of junior elite female soccer athletes. METHOD: A total of 33 athletes (15.7 ± 0.7 yr) completed anthropometric assessment, 4-day food records analyzed for macro- and micronutrient intake, and hematological analysis. Energy expenditure was estimated using predictive equations. RESULTS: Mean sum of 7 skinfolds was 103.1 ± 35.2 mm, and body-mass index was 22.7 ± 2.7. Mean energy intake was 2,079 ± 460 kcal/day, and estimated energy expenditure was 2,546 ± 190 kcal/day. Of the athletes, 51.5% consumed <5g/kg carbohydrate, 27.3% consumed <1.2g/kg protein, and 21.2% consumed <25% of energy intake from fat. A large proportion of athletes did not meet Dietary Reference Intakes for pantothenic acid (54.5%), vitamin D (100%), folate (69.7%), vitamin E (100%), and calcium (66.7%). Compared with recommendations for athletes, 89.3% and 50.0% of participants had depleted iron and 25-hydroxyvitamin D, respectively. CONCLUSION: A high proportion of players were not in energy balance, failed to meet carbohydrate and micronutrient recommendations, and presented with depleted iron and vitamin D status. Suboptimal nutrition status may affect soccer performance and physiological growth and development. More research is needed to understand the unique nutrition needs of this population and inform sport nutrition practice and research.

Education and training of sport dietitians in Canada: a review of current practice.

PURPOSE: The study was undertaken to evaluate the education and training background of Canadian registered dietitians (RDs) practising in sport and exercise nutrition, as well as learning opportunities in the practice area. METHODS: A secondary analysis of a 2009 Dietitians of Canada (DC) Sport Nutrition Network survey of members (n=70) was conducted to describe members' educational background. Through the use of publicly available information, Canadian dietetic internship, undergraduate, and graduate sport nutrition educational opportunities were identified. RESULTS: Most (72.9%) respondents indicated they had some type of formal education in sport nutrition; learning from undergraduate courses and conference sessions was cited most frequently. The majority (86.7%) of accredited universities offered undergraduate courses in sport/exercise nutrition. No DC-accredited internship program offered sport nutrition as a mandatory rotation, while 15.8% of graduate programs in Canada had faculty with research interests in the area. Among respondents, 91.4% felt sport nutrition education in Canada was inadequate; all expressed interest in participating in more formal learning experiences, and 97.1% were interested in a specialized credential. CONCLUSIONS: Canadian dietitians working in sport and exercise nutrition have diverse educational backgrounds and must direct their own learning. Improved career development pathways and more available formal education are desired and needed.

Nutrition needs assessment of young Special Olympics participants.

BACKGROUND: Children with intellectual disability (ID) are at increased risk for obesity and nutrition-related health concerns, yet there is a paucity of data describing their nutrition status. The purpose of this study was to evaluate nutritional challenges of young participants (2?10 years of age) enrolled in Special Olympics Canada (SOC) programs. METHOD: A validated nutrition screening tool was mailed to 52 parents/caregivers of participants across 18 SOC programs in British Columbia, Canada. RESULTS: Of the 29 (55.8%) questionnaires returned, 62.1% scored as "high" nutrition risk. Nutrition concerns included feeding (84.2%), oral motor (57.9%), and dental problems (26.3%), food allergies/intolerances (26.3%), constipation (15.8%), anaemia (10.3%), and diarrhoea (5.3%). Body mass index (BMI) for age data classified 16.7% of participants as overweight/obese and 22.2% as underweight. CONCLUSIONS: This study identifies some of the unique nutrition issues faced by children with ID. These data can help inform future ID health-related nutrition, prevention, and treatment programs.

Emerging persistent chemicals in human biomonitoring for populations in the Arctic: A Canadian perspective.

The future of human biomonitoring in the Arctic will be influenced by the presence of emerging persistent chemicals. Many modelling studies have attempted to predict which contaminants will be of concern next in the Arctic based on chemical and physical properties as well as known risk factors from existing Arctic contaminants of concern. An amalgamated list of emerging persistent chemicals identified through predictive modelling cross referenced with Arctic wildlife monitoring results provides a basis upon which to prioritize future human biomonitoring in the Arctic. Persistent chemicals identified by this analysis are those in common across models (i.e., HCCPD, PCTP, 1,3,5-triBB, 1,2,4,5-tetrachlorobenzene, hexaBDE, pentabromochlorocyclohexane) and those both identified by models and found in Artic biota (e.g., PFNA, PFUnDA, PFDA, PFTrDA, HCBD, HBCDD, PCA, PFDoDA, BTBPE, PCNB, Endosulfan, etc.). Tracking the appearance of new chemicals in environmental monitoring will allow human biomonitoring to keep pace with emerging issues.

Hydration status and fluid and sodium balance in elite Canadian junior women's soccer players in a cool environment.

Dehydration can impair mental and on-field performance in soccer athletes; however, there is little data available from the female adolescent player. There is a lack of research investigating fluid and electrolyte losses in cool temperatures. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the pretraining hydration status, fluid balance, and sweat sodium loss in 34 female Canadian junior elite soccer athletes (mean age ± SD, 15.7 ± 0.7 years) in a cool environment. Data were collected during two 90 min on-field training sessions (9.8 ± 3.3 °C, 63% ± 12% relative humidity). Prepractice urine specific gravity (USG), sweat loss (pre- and post-training body mass), and sweat sodium concentration (regional sweat patch method) were measured at each session. Paired t tests were used to identify significant differences between training sessions and Pearson's product moment correlation analysis was used to assess any relationships between selected variables (p ≤ 0.05). We found that 45% of players presented to practice in a hypohydrated state (USG > 1.020). Mean percent body mass loss was 0.84% ± 0.07% and sweat loss was 0.69 ± 0.54 L. Although available during each training session, fluid intake was low (63.6% of players consumed <250 mL). Mean sweat sodium concentration was 48 ± 12 mmol·L⁻¹. Despite low sweat and moderate sodium losses, players did not drink enough to avoid mild fluid and sodium deficits during training. The findings from this study highlights the individual variations that occur in hydration management in athletes and thus the need for personalized hydration guidelines.