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Dried Matrix Spot (DMS) is a cost-effective and stable sampling technique used in population-based studies, clinical research, and noninvasive chemical and biomarker screening. DMS is especially useful in developing countries like India, where collaborative initiatives are required for its improved applications.

Polyethoxylated tallow amine (POEA) surfactants in glyphosate formulations are understudied. They may constitute greater health risks than glyphosate itself. Lack of validated biomarkers of exposure and metabolism, as well as analytical methods for measuring POEA, limit the study of a formulation's toxicity and associated risk.

Previous epidemiological studies linking drinking water total trihalomethanes (THM) with pregnancy disorders or bladder cancer have not accounted for specific household cleaning activities that could enhance THM exposures. We examined the relation between household cleaning activities (washing dishes/clothes, mopping, toilet cleaning, and washing windows/surfaces) and urinary THM concentrations accounting for water sources, uses, and demographics. A cross-sectional study (n = 326) was conducted during the summer in Nicosia, Cyprus, linking household addresses to the geocoded public water pipe network, individual household tap water, and urinary THM measurements. Household tap water THM concentrations ranged between 3-129 μg L(-1), while the median (Q1, Q3) creatinine-adjusted urinary THM concentration in females (669 ng g(-1) (353, 1377)) was significantly (p < 0.001) higher than that in males (399 ng g(-1), (256, 681)). Exposure assessment, based on THM exposure equivalency units, showed that hand dishwashing, mopping, and toilet cleaning significantly (p < 0.001) increased urinary THM levels. The effect of dishwashing by females ≥36 y of age remained significant, even after adjusting for potential confounders. No significant (p > 0.05) association was observed between ingestion-based THM exposure equivalency units and urinary THM. Noningestion routes of THM exposures during performance of routine household cleaning activities were shown for the first time to exert a major influence on urinary THM levels. It is warranted that future pregnancy-birth cohorts include monitoring of noningestion household THM exposures in their study design.

With the exception of polycarbonate (PC) baby bottles, little attention has been paid to bisphenol A (BPA) intake from packaged water consumption (PC water dispensers), especially during summer weather conditions. We determined the magnitude and variability of urinary BPA concentrations during summer in 35 healthy individuals largely relying upon PC packaged water to satisfy their potable needs. We used liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry to measure urinary BPA concentrations. A questionnaire was administered in July/August and a spot urine sample was collected on the same day and 7 days after the completion of the interview (without intervention). Linear regression was performed to assess the association of variables, such as water consumption from different sources, on urinary BPA levels for the average of the two urine samples. A significant positive association (p = 0.017) was observed between PC water consumption and urinary BPA levels in females, even after adjusting for covariates in a multivariate regression model. The geometric mean of daily BPA intake back-calculated from urinary BPA data was 118 ng · (kg bw)(-1) · day(-1), nearly double the average intake levels observed in biomonitoring studies worldwide. High urinary BPA levels were partially ascribed to summer's high PC water consumption and weather characteristics (high temperatures, >40 °C; very high UV index values, >8), which could be causing BPA leaching from PC. It is suggested that PC-based water consumption could serve as a proxy for urinary BPA, although the magnitude of its relative contribution to overall daily intake requires further investigation.