Assessing gestational exposure to trace elements in an area of unconventional oil and gas activity: comparison with reference populations and evaluation of variability.
Biomonitoring
Exposure assessment
Inter- and intra-individual variability
Pregnant women
Trace elements
Unconventional oil and gas
Journal
Journal of exposure science & environmental epidemiology
ISSN: 1559-064X
Titre abrégé: J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol
Pays: United States
ID NLM: 101262796
Informations de publication
Date de publication:
01 2023
01 2023
Historique:
received:
11
07
2022
accepted:
24
11
2022
revised:
23
11
2022
pubmed:
24
12
2022
medline:
21
1
2023
entrez:
23
12
2022
Statut:
ppublish
Résumé
Located in Northeastern British Columbia, the Montney formation is an important area of unconventional oil and gas exploitation, which can release contaminants like trace elements. Gestational exposure to these contaminants may lead to deleterious developmental effects. Our study aimed to (1) assess gestational exposure to trace elements in women living in this region through repeated urinary measurements; (2) compare urinary concentrations to those from North American reference populations; (3) compare urinary concentrations between Indigenous and non-Indigenous participants; and (4) evaluate inter- and intra-individual variability in urinary levels. Eighty-five pregnant women participating in the Exposures in the Peace River Valley (EXPERIVA) study provided daily spot urine samples over 7 consecutive days. Samples were analyzed for 20 trace elements using inductively-coupled mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Descriptive statistics were calculated, and inter- and intra-individual variability in urinary levels was evaluated through intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) calculation for each trace element. When compared with those from North American reference populations, median urinary levels were higher in our population for barium (~2 times), cobalt (~3 times) and strontium (~2 times). The 95th percentile of reference populations was exceeded at least 1 time by a substantial percentage of participants during the sampling week for barium (58%), cobalt (73%), copper (29%), manganese (28%), selenium (38%), strontium (60%) and vanadium (100%). We observed higher urinary manganese concentrations in self-identified Indigenous participants (median: 0.19 µg/g creatinine) compared to non-Indigenous participants (median: 0.15 µg/g of creatinine). ICCs varied from 0.288 to 0.722, indicating poor to moderate reliability depending on the trace element. Our results suggest that pregnant women living in this region may be more exposed to certain trace elements (barium, cobalt, copper, manganese, selenium, strontium, and vanadium), and that one urine spot sample could be insufficient to adequately characterize participants' exposure to certain trace elements. Unconventional oil and gas (UOG) is an important industry in the Peace River Valley region (Northeastern British Columbia, Canada). Information on the impacts of this industry is limited, but recent literature emphasizes the risk of environmental contamination. The results presented in this paper highlight that pregnant women living near UOG wells in Northeastern British Columbia may be more exposed to some trace elements known to be related to this industry compared to reference populations. Furthermore, our results based on repeated urinary measurements show that one urine sample may be insufficient to adequately reflect long-term exposure to certain trace elements.
Sections du résumé
BACKGROUND
Located in Northeastern British Columbia, the Montney formation is an important area of unconventional oil and gas exploitation, which can release contaminants like trace elements. Gestational exposure to these contaminants may lead to deleterious developmental effects.
OBJECTIVES
Our study aimed to (1) assess gestational exposure to trace elements in women living in this region through repeated urinary measurements; (2) compare urinary concentrations to those from North American reference populations; (3) compare urinary concentrations between Indigenous and non-Indigenous participants; and (4) evaluate inter- and intra-individual variability in urinary levels.
METHODS
Eighty-five pregnant women participating in the Exposures in the Peace River Valley (EXPERIVA) study provided daily spot urine samples over 7 consecutive days. Samples were analyzed for 20 trace elements using inductively-coupled mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Descriptive statistics were calculated, and inter- and intra-individual variability in urinary levels was evaluated through intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) calculation for each trace element.
RESULTS
When compared with those from North American reference populations, median urinary levels were higher in our population for barium (~2 times), cobalt (~3 times) and strontium (~2 times). The 95th percentile of reference populations was exceeded at least 1 time by a substantial percentage of participants during the sampling week for barium (58%), cobalt (73%), copper (29%), manganese (28%), selenium (38%), strontium (60%) and vanadium (100%). We observed higher urinary manganese concentrations in self-identified Indigenous participants (median: 0.19 µg/g creatinine) compared to non-Indigenous participants (median: 0.15 µg/g of creatinine). ICCs varied from 0.288 to 0.722, indicating poor to moderate reliability depending on the trace element.
SIGNIFICANCE
Our results suggest that pregnant women living in this region may be more exposed to certain trace elements (barium, cobalt, copper, manganese, selenium, strontium, and vanadium), and that one urine spot sample could be insufficient to adequately characterize participants' exposure to certain trace elements.
IMPACT STATEMENT
Unconventional oil and gas (UOG) is an important industry in the Peace River Valley region (Northeastern British Columbia, Canada). Information on the impacts of this industry is limited, but recent literature emphasizes the risk of environmental contamination. The results presented in this paper highlight that pregnant women living near UOG wells in Northeastern British Columbia may be more exposed to some trace elements known to be related to this industry compared to reference populations. Furthermore, our results based on repeated urinary measurements show that one urine sample may be insufficient to adequately reflect long-term exposure to certain trace elements.
Identifiants
pubmed: 36564511
doi: 10.1038/s41370-022-00508-8
pii: 10.1038/s41370-022-00508-8
doi:
Substances chimiques
Trace Elements
0
Selenium
H6241UJ22B
Manganese
42Z2K6ZL8P
Copper
789U1901C5
Vanadium
00J9J9XKDE
Barium
24GP945V5T
Creatinine
AYI8EX34EU
Cobalt
3G0H8C9362
Strontium
YZS2RPE8LE
Types de publication
Journal Article
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Langues
eng
Sous-ensembles de citation
IM
Pagination
94-101Subventions
Organisme : CIHR
ID : 156206
Pays : Canada
Organisme : CIHR
ID : 159262
Pays : Canada
Investigateurs
Roland Willson
(R)
Clarence Willson
(C)
Theresa Davis
(T)
Robyn Fuller
(R)
Asher Atchiqua
(A)
Informations de copyright
© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature America, Inc.
Références
BC Oil and Gas Commission. British Columbia’s Oil and Gas Reserves and Production Report 2019. 2020.
National Energy Board, BC Oil and Gas Commission, Alberta Energy Regulator, Ministry of Natural Gas Development. Energy briefing note - The ultimate potential for unconventional petroleum from the Montney Formation of British Columbia and Alberta. 2013 Nov. Report No.: ISSN 1917-506X.
BC Oil and Gas Commission. British Columbia’s Oil and Gas Reserves and Production Report 2018. 2020.
Adams C, Janicki E, Balogun A. (2016): Summary of shale gas activity in Northeast British Columbia 2013; in Oil and Gas Reports 2016, British Columbia Ministry of Natural Gas Development, 1-39.
Chittick EA, Srebotnjak T. An analysis of chemicals and other constituents found in produced water from hydraulically fractured wells in California and the challenges for wastewater management. J Environ Manage. 2017;2041:502–9.
doi: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2017.09.002
Lester Y, Ferrer I, Thurman EM, Sitterley KA, Korak JA, Aiken G, et al. Characterization of hydraulic fracturing flowback water in Colorado: implications for water treatment. Sci Total Environ. 2015;512–513:637–44.
doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2015.01.043
Sun Y, Wang D, Tsang DCW, Wang L, Ok YS, Feng Y. A critical review of risks, characteristics, and treatment strategies for potentially toxic elements in wastewater from shale gas extraction. Environment International. 2019;125:452–69.
doi: 10.1016/j.envint.2019.02.019
Pichtel J. Oil and Gas Production Wastewater: Soil Contamination and Pollution Prevention. Applied and Environmental Soil Science [Internet]. 2016 [cited 2021 Jun 8];2016(Article ID 2707989). Available from: https://www.hindawi.com/journals/aess/2016/2707989/
Vengosh A, Kondash A, Harkness J, Lauer N, Warner N, Darrah TH. The geochemistry of hydraulic fracturing fluids. Procedia Earth Planet Sci. 2017;17:21–4.
doi: 10.1016/j.proeps.2016.12.011
Ferrer I, Thurman EM. Chemical constituents and analytical approaches for hydraulic fracturing waters. Trends Environmental Analytical Chemistry. 2015;5(Feb):18–25.
doi: 10.1016/j.teac.2015.01.003
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. U.S. EPA. Hydraulic Fracturing for Oil and Gas: Impacts from the Hydraulic Fracturing Water Cycle on Drinking Water Resources in the United States (Final Report). Washington, DC; 2016. Report No.: EPA/600/R-16/236F.
Council of Canadian Academies. Environmental Impacts of Shale Gas Extraction in Canada. Ottawa (ON): The Expert Panel on Harnessing Science ans Technology to Understand the Environmental Impacts of Shale Gas Extraction; 2014.
Vengosh A, Jackson RB, Warner N, Darrah TH, Kondash A. A critical review of the risks to water resources from unconventional shale gas development and hydraulic fracturing in the United States. Environ Sci Technol. 2014;48:8334–48.
doi: 10.1021/es405118y
Wisen J, Chesnaux R, Werring J, Wendling G, Baudron P, Barbecot F. A portrait of wellbore leakage in northeastern British Columbia, Canada. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 2020;117:913–22.
doi: 10.1073/pnas.1817929116
Cozzarelli IM, Kent DB, Briggs M, Engle MA, Benthem A, Skalak KJ, et al. Geochemical and geophysical indicators of oil and gas wastewater can trace potential exposure pathways following releases to surface waters. Sci Total Environ. 2021;755(Feb):142909.
doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.142909
GWSolutions. Peace river regional district water quality database and analysis. Nanaimo, BC: Coming Clean; 2016.
Bamber AM, Hasanali SH, Nair AS, Watkins SM, Vigil DI, Van Dyke M, et al. A systematic review of the epidemiologic literature assessing health outcomes in populations living near oil and natural gas operations: study quality and future recommendations. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2019;16:2123.
Caron-Beaudoin É, Whitworth KW, Bosson-Rieutort D, Wendling G, Liu S, Verner MA. Density and proximity to hydraulic fracturing wells and birth outcomes in Northeastern British Columbia, Canada. J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol. 2021;31:53–61.
doi: 10.1038/s41370-020-0245-z
Deziel NC, Brokovich E, Grotto I, Clark CJ, Barnett-Itzhaki Z, Broday D, et al. Unconventional oil and gas development and health outcomes: A scoping review of the epidemiological research. Environ Res. 2020;182:109124.
doi: 10.1016/j.envres.2020.109124
Hill EL. Shale gas development and infant health: Evidence from Pennsylvania. J Health Econ. 2018;61:134–50.
doi: 10.1016/j.jhealeco.2018.07.004
Currie J, Greenstone M, Meckel K. Hydraulic fracturing and infant health: New evidence from Pennsylvania. Sci Adv. 2017;3:e1603021.
doi: 10.1126/sciadv.1603021
Stacy SL, Brink LL, Larkin JC, Sadovsky Y, Goldstein BD, Pitt BR, et al. Perinatal outcomes and unconventional natural gas operations in southwest Pennsylvania. PLOS ONE. 2015;10(Jun):e0126425.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0126425
Casey JA, Savitz DA, Rasmussen SG, Ogburn EL, Pollak J, Mercer DG, et al. Unconventional natural gas development and birth outcomes in Pennsylvania, USA. Epidemiology. 2016;27:163–72.
Whitworth KW, Marshall AK, Symanski E. Maternal residential proximity to unconventional gas development and perinatal outcomes among a diverse urban population in Texas. PLoS One. 2017;12:e0180966.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0180966
McKenzie LM, Guo R, Witter RZ, Savitz DA, Newman LS, Adgate JL. Birth outcomes and maternal residential proximity to natural gas development in rural Colorado. Environ Health Perspect. 2014;122:412–7.
doi: 10.1289/ehp.1306722
McKenzie LM, Allshouse W, Daniels S. Congenital heart defects and intensity of oil and gas well site activities in early pregnancy. Environ Int. 2019;132:104949.
doi: 10.1016/j.envint.2019.104949
Janitz AE, Dao HD, Campbell JE, Stoner JA, Peck JD. The association between natural gas well activity and specific congenital anomalies in Oklahoma, 1997-2009. Environ Int. 2019;122:381–8.
doi: 10.1016/j.envint.2018.12.011
Caserta D, Graziano A, Lo Monte G, Bordi G, Moscarini M. Heavy metals and placental fetal-maternal barrier: a mini-review on the major concerns. Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci. 2013;17:2198–206.
Skogheim TS, Weyde KVF, Engel SM, Aase H, Surén P, Øie MG, et al. Metal and essential element concentrations during pregnancy and associations with autism spectrum disorder and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in children. Environ Int. 2021;152:106468.
doi: 10.1016/j.envint.2021.106468
Hu J, Xia W, Pan X, Zheng T, Zhang B, Zhou A, et al. Association of adverse birth outcomes with prenatal exposure to vanadium: a population-based cohort study. Lancet Planet Health. 2017;1:e230–41.
doi: 10.1016/S2542-5196(17)30094-3
Zhao H, Tang J, Zhu Q, He H, Li S, Jin L, et al. Associations of prenatal heavy metals exposure with placental characteristics and birth weight in Hangzhou Birth Cohort: Multi-pollutant models based on elastic net regression. Sci Total Environ. 2020;742:140613.
doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.140613
Caron-Beaudoin É, Bouchard M, Wendling G, Barroso A, Bouchard MF, Ayotte P, et al. Urinary and hair concentrations of trace metals in pregnant women from Northeastern British Columbia, Canada: a pilot study. J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol. 2019;29:613–23.
doi: 10.1038/s41370-019-0144-3
Caron-Beaudoin É, Valter N, Chevrier J, Ayotte P, Frohlich K, Verner MA. Gestational exposure to volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in Northeastern British Columbia, Canada: A pilot study. Environ Int. 2018;110:131–8.
doi: 10.1016/j.envint.2017.10.022
Health Canada. Second report on human biomonitoring of environmental chemicals in Canada: results of the Canadian Health Measures Survey Cycle 2 (2009-2011). Ottawa, Canada; 2012. Report No.: ISBN 978-1-100-22140-3.
Centers for disease control and prevention. Fourth National Report on Human Exposure to Environmental Chemicals. Updated Tables, January 2019, Volume One. 2019.
Calafat AM. Contemporary Issues in Exposure Assessment Using Biomonitoring. Curr Epidemiol Rep. 2016;3:145–53.
doi: 10.1007/s40471-016-0075-7
Perrier F, Giorgis-Allemand L, Slama R, Philippat C. Within-subject pooling of biological samples to reduce exposure misclassification in biomarker-based studies. Epidemiology. 2016;27:378–88.
doi: 10.1097/EDE.0000000000000460
Smolders R, Koch HM, Moos RK, Cocker J, Jones K, Warren N, et al. Inter- and intra-individual variation in urinary biomarker concentrations over a 6-day sampling period Part 1: metals. Toxicol Lett. 2014;231:249–60.
doi: 10.1016/j.toxlet.2014.08.014
Wang YX, Feng W, Zeng Q, Sun Y, Wang P, You L, et al. Variability of metal levels in spot, first morning, and 24-hour urine samples over a 3-month period in healthy adult Chinese men. Environ Health Perspect. 2016;124(Apr):468–76.
doi: 10.1289/ehp.1409551
Gunier RB, Horn-Ross PL, Canchola AJ, Duffy CN, Reynolds P, Hertz A, et al. Determinants and within-person variability of urinary cadmium concentrations among women in northern California. Environ Health Perspect. 2013;121:643–9.
doi: 10.1289/ehp.1205524
Wang YX, Pan A, Feng W, Liu C, Huang LL, Ai SH, et al. Variability and exposure classification of urinary levels of non-essential metals aluminum, antimony, barium, thallium, tungsten and uranium in healthy adult men. J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol. 2019;29:424–34.
doi: 10.1038/s41370-017-0002-0
Chen HG, Chen YJ, Chen C, Tu ZZ, Lu Q, Wu P, et al. Reproducibility of essential elements chromium, manganese, iron, zinc and selenium in spot samples, first-morning voids and 24-h collections from healthy adult men. Br J Nutr. 2019;122(Aug):343–51.
doi: 10.1017/S0007114519001193
Liljequist D, Elfving B, Skavberg Roaldsen K. Intraclass correlation—A discussion and demonstration of basic features. PLoS One. 2019;14:e0219854.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0219854
Matthias G, Lemon J, Ian Fellows Puspendra Singh. irr: Various coefficients of interrater reliability and agreement [Internet]. 2019. Available from: https://CRAN.R-project.org/package=irr
Koo TK, Li MY. A guideline of selecting and reporting intraclass correlation coefficients for reliability research. J Chiropr Med. 2016;15:155–63.
doi: 10.1016/j.jcm.2016.02.012
Zota AR, Ettinger AS, Bouchard M, Amarasiriwardena CJ, Schwartz J, Hu H, et al. Maternal blood manganese levels and infant birth weight. Epidemiology. 2009;20:367–73.
doi: 10.1097/EDE.0b013e31819b93c0
Yu XD, Zhang J, Yan CH, Shen XM. Prenatal exposure to manganese at environment relevant level and neonatal neurobehavioral development. Environ Res. 2014;133:232–8.
doi: 10.1016/j.envres.2014.04.012
Bouchard MF, Sauvé S, Barbeau B, Legrand M, Brodeur MÈ, Bouffard T, et al. Intellectual impairment in school-age children exposed to manganese from drinking water. Environ Health Perspect. 2011;119:138–43.
doi: 10.1289/ehp.1002321
Wright RO, Amarasiriwardena C, Woolf AD, Jim R, Bellinger DC. Neuropsychological correlates of hair arsenic, manganese, and cadmium levels in school-age children residing near a hazardous waste site. Neurotoxicology. 2006;27:210–6.
doi: 10.1016/j.neuro.2005.10.001
Sanders AP, Claus Henn B, Wright RO. Perinatal and childhood exposure to cadmium, manganese, and metal mixtures and effects on cognition and behavior: a review of recent literature. Curr Environ Health Rep. 2015;2:284–94.
doi: 10.1007/s40572-015-0058-8
Egbobawaye EI. Whole-Rock Geochemistry and Mineralogy of Triassic Montney Formation, Northeastern British Columbia, Western Canada Sedimentary Basin. Int J Geosci. 2016;07:91.
doi: 10.4236/ijg.2016.71008
Wisen J, Chesnaux R, Wendling G, Werring J, Barbecot F, Baudron P. Assessing the potential of cross-contamination from oil and gas hydraulic fracturing: A case study in northeastern British Columbia, Canada. J Environ Manage. 2019;246:275–82.
doi: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2019.05.138
DiGiulio DC, Jackson RB. Impact to underground sources of drinking water and domestic wells from production well stimulation and completion practices in the Pavillion, Wyoming, Field. Environ Sci Technol. 2016;50:4524–36.
doi: 10.1021/acs.est.5b04970
Shrestha N, Chilkoor G, Wilder J, Gadhamshetty V, Stone JJ. Potential water resource impacts of hydraulic fracturing from unconventional oil production in the Bakken shale. Water Res. 2017;108:1–24.
doi: 10.1016/j.watres.2016.11.006
Fontenot BE, Hunt LR, Hildenbrand ZL, Carlton DD Jr., Oka H, Walton JL, et al. An evaluation of water quality in private drinking water wells near natural gas extraction sites in the Barnett Shale Formation. Environ Sci Technol. 2013;47:10032–40.
doi: 10.1021/es4011724
Alawattegama SK, Kondratyuk T, Krynock R, Bricker M, Rutter JK, Bain DJ, et al. Well water contamination in a rural community in southwestern Pennsylvania near unconventional shale gas extraction. J Environ Sci Health A Tox Hazard Subst Environ Eng. 2015;50:516–28.
doi: 10.1080/10934529.2015.992684
DiGiulio DC, Wilkin RT, Miller C, Oberley G. Draft investigation of ground water contamination near Pavillion, Wyoming. Ada, Oklahoma: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; 2011. Report No.: EPA 600/R-00/000.
Rozell DJ, Reaven SJ. Water pollution risk associated with natural gas extraction from the marcellus shale. Risk Analysis. 2012;32:1382–93.
doi: 10.1111/j.1539-6924.2011.01757.x
Vidic RD, Brantley SL, Vandenbossche JM, Yoxtheimer D, Abad JD. Impact of shale gas development on regional water quality. Science. 2013;340:1235009.
doi: 10.1126/science.1235009