title: Pathways of inhalation exposure to manganese in children living near a ferromanganese refinery: A structural equation modeling approach.
abstract: Manganese (Mn) is both essential element and neurotoxicant. Exposure to Mn can occur from various sources and routes. Structural equation modeling was used to examine routes of exposure to Mn among children residing near a ferromanganese refinery in Marietta, Ohio. An inhalation pathway model to ambient air Mn was hypothesized. Data for model evaluation were obtained from participants in the Communities Actively Researching Exposure Study (CARES). These data were collected in 2009 and included levels of Mn in residential soil and dust, levels of Mn in children's hair, information on the amount of time the child spent outside, heat and air conditioning in the home and level of parent education. Hair Mn concentration was the primary endogenous variable used to assess the theoretical inhalation exposure pathways. The model indicated that household dust Mn was a significant contributor to child hair Mn (0.37). Annual ambient air Mn concentration (0.26), time children spent outside (0.24) and soil Mn (0.24) significantly contributed to the amount of Mn in household dust. These results provide a potential framework for understanding the inhalation exposure pathway for children exposed to ambient air Mn who live in proximity to an industrial emission source.
authors.affiliation: National Exposure Research Laboratory, US Environmental Protection Agency, United States.
authors.forename: Florence
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Fulk
authors.affiliation: College of Medicine, Department of Environmental Health, University of Cincinnati, United States.
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Succop
authors.affiliation: College of Medicine, Department of Environmental Health, University of Cincinnati, United States.
authors.forename: Timothy J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Hilbert
authors.affiliation: Neighbors for Clean Air, United States.
authors.forename: Caroline
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Beidler
authors.affiliation: Marietta College, Department of Biology and Environmental Science, United States.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.affiliation: College of Medicine, Department of Environmental Health, University of Cincinnati, United States.
authors.forename: Tiina
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Reponen
authors.affiliation: College of Medicine, Department of Environmental Health, University of Cincinnati, United States. Electronic address: Erin.Haynes@uc.edu.
authors.forename: Erin N
authors.initials: EN
authors.lastname: Haynes
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D019570:Inhalation Exposure / Q000032:analysis* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D007501:Iron; D008297:Male; D008345:Manganese; D008669:Metallurgy; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D009820:Ohio
chemical_list: C083456:ferro-manganese alloy; D008345:Manganese; D007501:Iron
keywords: Blood; Dispersion modeling; Dust; Hair; Structural equation model (SEM)