For the study, the LIH collected hair samples of 256 children under 13 years of age who live in Luxembourg. The samples were then tested for 153 different chemical compounds. The researchers also used questionnaires to collect information on the children’s living conditions, e.g., whether they own any pets, their place of residence, and their dietary habits.
The results showed that each child had an average of 61 compounds in their hair, with values ranging from 29 to 88 per sample. The highest concentration was found in bisphenol A (BPA), which is frequently used in the production of plastics.
The information on the children’s living conditions revealed that those who ate a predominantly organic diet had significantly lower concentrations of 17 pollutants in their hair. Whether the children lived in urban or rural areas mainly affected the type of pollutants they were exposed to rather than the total amount.
Children who lived with pets were found to have an increased exposure to chemicals found in pet parasiticides, which the researchers say pose “risks such as eye, skin and respiratory problems even with short-term exposure”.
The study was the first of its kind to examine the chemical exposome of children (the sum of all that children are exposed to over time) and the determinants of exposure using hair analyses in Luxembourg. Hair is able to store chemical precursors and metabolites longer than urine and blood and is therefore particularly well suited for the investigation of chronic exposure to pollutants.
The results of the study will be published in Environment International under the title “Investigating children’s chemical exposome – Description and possible determinants of exposure in the region of Luxembourg based on hair analysis”.
