Friday, May 3, 2024
5/3/2024
In this application, we propose a NYS Environmental Biomonitoring Program (Program) to expand our biomonitoring capacities and capabilities, highlight the importance of biomonitoring in environmental and public health practice, and address exposures among New Yorkers to emerging and legacy contaminants. NYS is a diverse state covering almost 55,000 square miles stretching from the industrial Great Lakes region to the metropolitan NY City (NYC) area. Across the state there is a diversity of exposures to a variety of environmental contaminants. Over 40% of the NYS’s population of 19 million live in NYC which is the largest and most densely populated city in the U.S. Another 20% reside in the suburban counties surrounding NYC, while the remaining 40% live in upstate counties, made up of smaller cities, their suburbs and rural areas. The Program will follow NHANES sampling strategies and methodology as closely as possible. The objective is to produce results which are nationally consistent and can be readily compared to results from the National Report, as well as from other states, and to produce a statewide representative sample that characterizes all regions of the state. We will focus on emerging contaminants including PFAS, and legacy contaminants including toxic metals and pesticide metabolites. Although not as comprehensive as the panel of contaminants evaluated in NHANES, we will collect baseline data for approximately 45 environmental contaminants of public health significance and establish statewide reference exposure levels for: Per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS); Universal Pesticides that include Organophosphates, Phenoxy Acids, and Pyrethroids, and Metals/Metalloids. This application describes 5 Specific Activities under Components A, B, and C. Activity 1: will assess general population exposure to PFAS in NYS and NYC; Activity 2: will assess general population (NYS residents residing outside of NYC) exposure to common pesticid es comprising: Organophosphates; Phenoxy acids; Pyrethroids; a suite of 17 toxic metals including Hg, Pb, Cd, Mn and the metalloids As and Se; Activity 3: will include targeted biomonitoring of at-risk communities for exposure to PFAS in Newburgh and Hoosick Falls. Activity 4: will involve more extensive biomonitoring method validation studies and provide additional documentation for several classes of organic and inorganic contaminants that are currently only measured for research purposes but that require more extensive documentation and additional characterization to meet CLIA standards. The ultimate goal will be to ensure all biomonitoring methods are CLIA-approved so that clinical test reports can be issued to individuals. Activity 5: will increase analytical expertise, capacity and throughput, by developing and validating new, improved biomonitoring assays for: organic (VOC metabolites in urine) and inorganic (Hg speciation analysis) analytes. Activities will build upon a well-established collaborative relationship between two key centers of the NYS Department of Health’s Office of Public Health: (1) the Wadsworth Center, the department’s research-intensive public health laboratory; and (2) the Center for Environmental Health. This collaboration is further strengthened by the involvement of long-time collaborators from NYU School of Medicine’s Department of Epidemiology, the NYC DOHMH, and the University at Albany’s School of Public Health. Short-term outcomes include: enhanced data on state-specific environmental chemical exposures; improved response to exposures above a known toxicity threshold; increased awareness about environmental exposures in targeted populations and the scientific community; increased use of high-quality methods for biomonitoring; increased capability, capacity, and expertise in biomonitoring; CLIA compliance for all biomonitoring methods; and stronger collaborations between the laboratory, epidemiologists, and environmental health sta keholders.
HHS’ Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS) website provides access to detailed descriptions of grants, loans, aggregated direct payments and other types of financial assistance awarded by the HHS Operating Divisions (OPDIVs) and the Office of the Secretary Staff Divisions (STAFFDIVs).
