Biomonitoring of exposure to environmental pollutants in newborns and their parents in Madrid, Spain (BioMadrid): study design and field work results.
In Spain environmental surveillance has mainly relied on measures of selected pollutants in air, water, food and soil. A study was conducted in Madrid to assess the feasibility of implementing a surveillance system of exposure among the general population to specific environmental pollutants, using bio-markers. The project was basically focused on the environment surrounding newborns. Hence, the study population was made up of 145 triplets of pregnant women at around 8 months' gestation, their partners, and newborns from two areas, representing the two main types of urban environments in the region, i.e., the City of Madrid and its outlying metropolitan belt. Multiple biologic substrates were collected from each participant in order to assess the most suitable samples for an environmental surveillance system. The selected contaminants represent the main agents to which a population like that of Madrid is exposed every day, including certain heavy metals, persistent organic pollutants and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, as well as micronuclei in peripheral blood, a commonly used unspecific index of cytogenetic damage. In addition, passive air samplers were placed around subjects' place of residence. This paper reports in detail on the design and response rates, summarizes field work results, and discusses some lessons learned.
Aragonés
Nuria
N
Environmental and Cancer Epidemiology Unit, National Center for Epidemiology, Carlos III Institute of Health (ISCIII), Madrid, Spain. naragones@isciii.es
Pérez-Gómez
Beatriz
B
Astray
Jenaro
J
Gil
Elisa
E
Pérez-Meixeira
Ana María
AM
de Paz
Concha
C
Iriso
Andrés
A
Cisneros
Margot
M
de Santos
Amparo
A
Arias
Pedro
P
Sanz
Juan Carlos
JC
Asensio
Angel
A
Fernández
Mario Antonio
MA
González
María José
MJ
de León
América
A
García-Sagredo
José Miguel
JM
Pollán
Marina
M
López-Abente
Gonzalo
G
Frutos García
José
J
Martínez
Mercedes
M
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D015415:Biomarkers; D002648:Child; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D015162:Micronucleus Tests; D008875:Middle Aged; D010290:Parents; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011247:Pregnancy; D011634:Public Health; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013030:Spain; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014505:Urban Population
D015415:Biomarkers; D004785:Environmental Pollutants