Silicone wristband based passive sampling methods development and evaluation for use in community exposure studies

Level of Education of Students Involved

Undergraduate

Faculty Sponsor

Julie Peller

College

College of Arts & Sciences (CAS)

Discipline(s)

Environmental Chemistry

Presentation Type

Oral Presentation

Symposium Date

Spring 4-30-2026

Abstract

Indoor air quality is a critical determinant of human health, particularly in communities located near industrial activity, where residents experience disproportionate exposure to harmful pollutants and spend a greater proportion of time indoors. Outdoor sources of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) include emissions from industrial processes, vehicle exhaust, fuel storage, and manufacturing operations. Indoor environments further contribute to personal exposure, as they are emitted from building materials, paints, adhesives, carpets, furniture, cleaning agents, personal care products, and consumer electronics. Combined, these sources create complex exposure profiles associated with adverse health outcomes, including respiratory disease, neurological impairment, endocrine disruption, and cancer. As part of the Northern Lake County Environmental Partnership, this study evaluates two laboratory-based analytical strategies for characterizing VOCs using silicone wristbands as a passive sampling medium. Method development was initially conducted using commonly reported pollutants in Lake County, and subsequently extended to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and phthalates. One approach employs solid-phase microextraction (SPME) fibers for analyte collection before gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis. In a second approach, wristbands were infused with a PAH mixture via sonification, resulting in the detection of four PAHs (phenanthrene, acenaphthene, chrysene, and perylene) by GC-MS. Preliminary SPME results demonstrate recovery of representative hydrocarbons (e.g., n-hexadecane, n-octane, toluene), phthalates (e.g., dihexyl phthalate), and alcohols (e.g., 2-n-propyl-1-heptanol). Ongoing work focuses on evaluating the reproducibility of both analytical approaches, expanding the range of target analytes, and increasing the deployment of wristbands across the community to better characterize real-world exposure patterns.

Biographical Information about Author(s)

Emily Broniewicz, senior undergraduate student at Valparaiso University (Biology and Chemistry)

Sophie Novak, senior undergraduate student at Hope College (Chemistry and PreMed)

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