Assessing the external exposome of South African children using wearable passive samplers and high-resolution mass spectrometry

Children in low- and middle-income countries are often exposed to higher levels of, and more vulnerable to, the health effects of air pollution. Little is known about the diversity, toxicity, and dynamics of airborne chemical exposures at the molecular level. We developed a workflow employing state-of-the-art wearable passive sampling technology coupled with high-resolution mass spectrometry to comprehensively measure 147 children’s personal exposures to airborne chemicals in Limpopo, South Africa, as part of the VHEMBE study. 637 environmental exposures were detected, many of which have never been measured in this population, including 50 airborne chemical exposures of concern in the children, including biocides, plasticizers, organophosphates, dyes, combustion products, and perfumes. Biocides detected in wristbands included p,p' -DDT, p,p' -DDD, p,p' -DDE, propoxur, piperonyl butoxide, and triclosan. 27% of exposures were significantly different across seasons. Our study provides the first report covering hundreds of chemical exposures among African children, demonstrating chemical exposures warranting further study.