Bloomquist Tessa R, Spaur Maya, Cerna-Turoff Ilan, Kress Amii M, Burjak Mohamad, Kupsco Allison, Casey Joan A, Herbstman Julie B, Nigra Anne E
Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.
Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MA, USA.
J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol. 2024 Aug 4. doi: 10.1038/s41370-024-00699-2.
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) regulates over 80 contaminants in community water systems (CWS), including those relevant to infant health outcomes. Multi-cohort analyses of the association between measured prenatal public water contaminant concentrations and infant health outcomes are sparse in the US.
Our objectives were to (1) develop Zip Code Tabulation Area (ZCTA)-level CWS contaminant concentrations for participants in the Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Cohort and (2) evaluate regional, seasonal, and sociodemographic inequities in contaminant concentrations at the ZCTA-level. The ECHO Cohort harmonizes data from over 69 extant pregnancy and pediatric cohorts across the US.
We used CWS estimates derived from the USEPA's Six-Year Review 3 (2006-2011) to develop population-weighted, average concentrations for 10 contaminants across 7640 ZCTAs relevant to the ECHO Cohort. We evaluated contaminant distributions, exceedances of regulatory thresholds, and geometric mean ratios (with corresponding percent changes) associated with ZCTA sociodemographic characteristics via spatial lag linear regression models.
We observed significant regional variability in contaminant concentrations across the US. ZCTAs were most likely to exceed the maximum contaminant level for arsenic (n = 100, 1.4%) and the health-protective threshold for total trihalomethanes (n = 3584, 64.0%). A 10% higher proportion of residents who were American Indian/Alaskan Native and Hispanic/Latino was associated with higher arsenic (11%, 95% CI: 7%, 15%; and 2%, 95% CI: 0%, 3%, respectively) and uranium (15%, 95% CI: 10%, 21%; and 9%, 95% CI: 6%, 12%, respectively) concentrations.
Nationwide epidemiologic analyses evaluating the association between US community water system contaminant concentration estimates and associated adverse birth outcomes in cohort studies are sparse because public water contaminant concentration estimates that can be readily linked to participant addresses are not available. We developed Zip Code Tabulation Area (ZCTA)-level CWS contaminant concentrations that can be linked to participants in the Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Cohort and evaluated regional, seasonal, and sociodemographic inequities in contaminant concentrations for these ZCTAs. Future epidemiologic studies can leverage these CWS exposure estimates in the ECHO Cohort to evaluate associations with relevant infant outcomes.
美国环境保护局（USEPA）对社区供水系统（CWS）中的80多种污染物进行监管，包括那些与婴儿健康结果相关的污染物。在美国，对测量的产前公共供水污染物浓度与婴儿健康结果之间关联的多队列分析很少。
我们的目标是：（1）为儿童健康结果环境影响（ECHO）队列的参与者制定邮政编码分区（ZCTA）层面的社区供水系统污染物浓度；（2）评估ZCTA层面污染物浓度的区域、季节和社会人口统计学不平等情况。ECHO队列整合了美国69个以上现有妊娠和儿科队列的数据。
我们使用从美国环境保护局的六年审查3（2006 - 2011年）得出的社区供水系统估计值，为与ECHO队列相关的7640个ZCTA中的10种污染物制定人口加权平均浓度。我们通过空间滞后线性回归模型评估污染物分布、监管阈值超标情况以及与ZCTA社会人口统计学特征相关的几何平均比（以及相应的百分比变化）。
我们观察到美国各地污染物浓度存在显著的区域差异。ZCTA最有可能超过砷的最大污染物水平（n = 100，1.4%）和总三卤甲烷的健康保护阈值（n = 3584，64.0%）。美国印第安人/阿拉斯加原住民和西班牙裔/拉丁裔居民比例每高出10%，分别与更高的砷浓度（11%，95%置信区间：7%，15%；和2%，95%置信区间：0%，3%）和铀浓度（15%，95%置信区间：10%，21%；和9%，95%置信区间：6%，12%）相关。
在队列研究中，评估美国社区供水系统污染物浓度估计值与相关不良出生结果之间关联的全国性流行病学分析很少，因为无法获得可轻松与参与者地址相关联的公共供水污染物浓度估计值。我们制定了可与儿童健康结果环境影响（ECHO）队列中的参与者相关联的邮政编码分区（ZCTA）层面的社区供水系统污染物浓度，并评估了这些ZCTA污染物浓度的区域、季节和社会人口统计学不平等情况。未来的流行病学研究可以利用ECHO队列中的这些社区供水系统暴露估计值来评估与相关婴儿结局的关联。
