In this graphical abstract of the Texas study, the center photo shows an actual active air sampler backpack, with a wristband affixed to the outside. The wristband collects data related to volatile and semivolatile PAHs: phenanthrene, biphenyl, 1-methylnaphthalene, and 2-methylnaphthalene. The backpack active air sampler also gathers data related to 2,6-dimethylnaphthalene, a particulate PAH. Credit: Natalie M. Johnson
How Can Wristbands Monitor Pollution, PAHs, and Prenatal Care?
By Alka Tripathy-Lang
August 27, 2021
Wildfires, vehicle emissions, petroleum by-products, and even cooking can conjure images of climate change. Each category also produces polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, or PAHs, which are products of incomplete combustion. This group of hundreds of chemical species is toxic to human health, and as the world warms, more extreme weather will further exacerbate their presence in the atmosphere, said Natalie Johnson, an environmental toxicologist at Texas A&M University. Monitoring human exposure to these air pollutants, she said, is a public health issue.
Head over to Eos for the full story.