Project Results for California Regional Exposure Study, Region 3 (CARE-3)

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Results on page last updated:

Project: California Regional Exposure Study, Region 3 (CARE-3)

Study Group: 90 adults (age 18 and up) living in San Diego and Orange counties
Sample Collection Date: 2020

Chemical Group: Environmental Phenols

Measured in: Urine
Study Group Subset: Adults

Unweighted Results

Chemical measured	Indicates Exposure to	Adjusted for	Units	Number of people tested	Geometric mean	95% Confidence Interval		Selected Percentiles				Detection Frequency	Reporting limit, wet weight	Notes
Chemical measured	Indicates Exposure to	Adjusted for	Units	Number of people tested	Geometric mean	Lower	Upper	25th	50th	75th	90th	Detection Frequency	Reporting limit, wet weight	Notes
Benzophenone-3	Benzophenone-3	NA	µg/L	90	14.4	9.16	22.6	3.70	13.1	47.4	190	90.0%	0.500 µg/L	⌂
BPA	Bisphenol A	NA	µg/L	90	0.287	0.233	0.352	0.124	0.281	0.598	0.895	82.2%	0.100 µg/L	⌂
BPF	Bisphenol F	NA	µg/L	90	*	*	*	<LOD	<LOD	0.573	2.03	41.1%	0.200 µg/L	⌂
BPS	Bisphenol S	NA	µg/L	90	*	*	*	<LOD	0.288	0.875	2.85	64.4%	0.100 µg/L	⌂
Butyl paraben	Butyl paraben	NA	µg/L	90	*	*	*	<LOD	<LOD	<LOD	0.114	11.1%	0.100 µg/L	⌂
Ethyl paraben	Ethyl paraben	NA	µg/L	90	*	*	*	<LOD	<LOD	0.212	8.92	25.6%	0.200 µg/L	⌂
Methyl paraben	Methyl paraben	NA	µg/L	90	8.33	5.15	13.5	1.01	9.57	57.1	152	80.0%	0.500 µg/L	⌂
Propyl paraben	Propyl paraben	NA	µg/L	90	*	*	*	<LOD	<LOD	13.5	42.5	50.0%	0.200 µg/L	⌂
Triclocarban	Triclocarban	NA	µg/L	90	*	*	*	<LOD	<LOD	<LOD	<LOD	5.6%	0.100 µg/L	⌂
Triclosan	Triclosan	NA	µg/L	90	*	*	*	<LOD	<LOD	<LOD	1.82	18.9%	1.00 µg/L	⌂

Footnotes

⌂Due to the COVID-19 emergency, CARE-3 was stopped early and only 90 people completed all study steps. The results from this small non-representative sample cannot be generalized to the population of San Diego and Orange counties.
*Geometric mean was not calculated because the chemical was found in less than 65% of the study group.

Chemical Group: Metals

Measured in: Blood
Study Group Subset: Adults

Unweighted Results

Chemical measured	Indicates Exposure to	Adjusted for	Units	Number of people tested	Geometric mean	95% Confidence Interval		Selected Percentiles				Detection Frequency	Reporting limit, wet weight	Notes
Chemical measured	Indicates Exposure to	Adjusted for	Units	Number of people tested	Geometric mean	Lower	Upper	25th	50th	75th	90th	Detection Frequency	Reporting limit, wet weight	Notes
Cadmium	Cadmium	NA	µg/L	88	0.279	0.235	0.332	0.156	0.289	0.48	0.629	95.5%	0.0750 µg/L	⌂
Lead	Lead	NA	µg/dL	88	0.690	0.606	0.785	0.474	0.706	0.900	1.42	100%	0.0250 µg/dL	⌂
Manganese	Manganese	NA	µg/L	88	9.13	8.46	9.87	7.12	9.54	11.9	14.1	100%	0.250 µg/L	⌂
Mercury	Mercury	NA	µg/L	88	1.03	0.809	1.30	0.500	1.16	2.34	4.04	98.7%	0.0750 µg/L	⌂

Footnotes

⌂Due to the COVID-19 emergency, CARE-3 was stopped early and only 90 people completed all study steps. The results from this small non-representative sample cannot be generalized to the population of San Diego and Orange counties.

Chemical Group: Metals

Measured in: Urine
Study Group Subset: Adults

Unweighted Results

Chemical measured	Indicates Exposure to	Adjusted for	Units	Number of people tested	Geometric mean	95% Confidence Interval		Selected Percentiles				Detection Frequency	Reporting limit, wet weight	Notes
Chemical measured	Indicates Exposure to	Adjusted for	Units	Number of people tested	Geometric mean	Lower	Upper	25th	50th	75th	90th	Detection Frequency	Reporting limit, wet weight	Notes
Antimony	Antimony	NA	µg/L	90	*	*	*	<LOD	<LOD	<LOD	0.0558	20.0%	0.0300 µg/L	⌂
Arsenic	Arsenic	NA	µg/L	90	6.13	4.57	8.21	2.46	4.44	18.5	40.0	100%	0.100 µg/L	⌂
Cadmium	Cadmium	Creatinine	µg/g creatinine	90	0.240	0.201	0.287	0.123	0.231	0.403	0.714	91.1%	0.0300 µg/L	⌂
Cobalt	Cobalt	NA	µg/L	90	0.171	0.133	0.220	0.0715	0.182	0.319	0.846	92.2%	0.0300 µg/L	⌂
Manganese	Manganese	NA	µg/L	90	*	*	*	<LOD	<LOD	<LOD	0.132	18.9%	0.100 µg/L	⌂
Mercury	Mercury	NA	µg/L	90	0.156	0.121	0.201	0.0667	0.156	0.369	0.643	88.9%	0.0300 µg/L	⌂
Molybdenum	Molybdenum	NA	µg/L	90	24.5	19.8	30.3	12.1	26.2	58.1	85.2	100%	0.300 µg/L	⌂
Thallium	Thallium	NA	µg/L	90	0.108	0.0909	0.129	0.0607	0.119	0.208	0.273	98.9%	0.0100 µg/L	⌂
Uranium	Uranium	NA	µg/L	90	*	*	*	<LOD	<LOD	0.0164	0.0326	40.0%	0.0100 µg/L	⌂

Footnotes

*Geometric mean was not calculated because the chemical was found in less than 65% of the study group.
⌂Due to the COVID-19 emergency, CARE-3 was stopped early and only 90 people completed all study steps. The results from this small non-representative sample cannot be generalized to the population of San Diego and Orange counties.

Chemical Group: Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFASs)

Measured in: Serum
Study Group Subset: Adults

Unweighted Results

Chemical measured	Indicates Exposure to	Adjusted for	Units	Number of people tested	Geometric mean	95% Confidence Interval		Selected Percentiles				Detection Frequency	Reporting limit, wet weight	Notes
Chemical measured	Indicates Exposure to	Adjusted for	Units	Number of people tested	Geometric mean	Lower	Upper	25th	50th	75th	90th	Detection Frequency	Reporting limit, wet weight	Notes
Et-PFOSA-AcOH	Et-PFOSA-AcOH	NA	ng/mL	89	*	*	*	<LOD	<LOD	<LOD	0.0250	16.9%	0.0115 ng/mL	⌂
Me-PFOSA-AcOH	Me-PFOSA-AcOH	NA	ng/mL	88	0.0363	0.0266	0.0494	<LOD	0.0332	0.082	0.238	65.9%	0.0114 ng/mL	⌂
PFBS	PFBS	NA	ng/mL	79	*	*	*	<LOD	<LOD	<LOD	<LOD	2.5%	0.0303 ng/mL	⌂
PFDA	PFDA	NA	ng/mL	89	0.0942	0.0802	0.111	<LOD	0.0926	0.174	0.234	67.4%	0.0560 ng/mL	⌂
PFDoA	PFDoA	NA	ng/mL	80	*	*	*	<LOD	<LOD	<LOD	<LOD	5.0%	0.110 ng/mL	⌂
PFHpA	PFHpA	NA	ng/mL	82	*	*	*	<LOD	<LOD	0.0377	0.0690	39.0%	0.0256 ng/mL	⌂
PFHxS	PFHxS	NA	ng/mL	89	0.670	0.517	0.868	0.393	0.796	1.33	2.69	97.8%	0.0177 ng/mL	⌂
PFNA	PFNA	NA	ng/mL	89	0.295	0.245	0.356	0.216	0.335	0.524	0.762	92.1%	0.0424 ng/mL	⌂
PFOA	PFOA	NA	ng/mL	89	0.901	0.733	1.11	0.702	1.03	1.48	2.21	95.5%	0.0606 ng/mL	⌂
PFOS	PFOS	NA	ng/mL	89	1.75	1.34	2.28	1.01	2.30	3.92	5.22	95.5%	0.0615 ng/mL	⌂
PFOSA	PFOSA	NA	ng/mL	89	*	*	*	<LOD	<LOD	<LOD	0.0328	20.2%	0.0144 ng/mL	⌂
PFUnDA	PFUnDA	NA	ng/mL	89	0.0804	0.066	0.098	0.0372	0.0839	0.161	0.286	80.9%	0.0285 ng/mL	⌂

Footnotes

*Geometric mean was not calculated because the chemical was found in less than 65% of the study group.
⌂Due to the COVID-19 emergency, CARE-3 was stopped early and only 90 people completed all study steps. The results from this small non-representative sample cannot be generalized to the population of San Diego and Orange counties.

Explanation of Terms

95% Confidence interval for the geometric mean

A 95% confidence interval for the geometric mean (CI-GM) is a range of values between two numbers called the lower bound and upper bound. These bounds are calculated based on sample data collected from a subset of a larger population. In repeated random sampling, the CI-GMs calculated for the various samples will contain the population value of the geometric mean 95 percent of the time. If convenience sampling is used to collect sample data, the CI-GM should be interpreted with caution. This is because a convenience sample may not be representative of the larger population.

95% Confidence interval for the geometric mean - lower

95% Confidence interval for the geometric mean - upper

Adjusted for

Chemical concentrations in urine can be adjusted for urine dilution using creatinine or specific-gravity. Chemical concentrations in serum can be adjusted for lipids. In the results tables, unadjusted chemical concentrations are denoted by NA.

Below the limit of detection (<LOD)

Below the limit of detection (< LOD) means that the laboratory could not detect the chemical. This may have been because the chemical was not present at all or because it was present at such a low level that the laboratory could not measure it.

Below the limit of quantification (<LOQ)

Below the limit of quantification (<LOQ) means that the chemical was not present or that it was present at such a low level that the laboratory could not measure it quantitatively with acceptable accuracy.

Chemical measured

The chemical that was analyzed in blood or urine samples. The chemical measured is sometimes the parent chemical and sometimes a metabolite of the parent chemical.

Detection frequency (percent detected)

The percentage of blood or urine samples with a measurable level of a chemical.

Geometric mean

The geometric mean is an estimated middle value of a set of numbers.This is different than the average, also called the "arithmetic mean". A geometric mean is sometimes calculated when the set of numbers contains some extreme values. For example, the geometric mean of the set of numbers "1, 2, 2, 3, 4, 5, 5, 6, 10, 100" is calculated by multiplying all ten numbers together and then raising to the 1/10th power, giving 4.8. To compare, the arithmetic mean is calculated by adding all ten numbers and dividing by 10, giving 14.

In the data tables, an asterisk (*) means the geometric mean was not calculated because the chemical was found in less than 65% of the study group.

Indicates exposure to

The chemical(s) listed in this column is the chemical(s) to which a person may have been exposed through various sources (e.g., via drinking water or use of a consumer product). This chemical is commonly called the parent chemical.

Number of people tested

The number of individuals whose blood or urine samples were analyzed for a particular chemical.

Reporting limit, wet weight

The limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) are indicators of the lowest level of a chemical the lab can measure with acceptable accuracy and precision. For some projects, this is reported as an LOD. For others, it is reported as an LOQ. The wet-weight LOD/LOQ is presented as an amount of a chemical per liter of a sample (for example, microgram of a chemical per liter of urine, or µg/L). This is often the way that biomonitoring results are reported as well (for example, µg/L urine or µg/L serum). In some cases, however, biomonitoring results are presented as lipid-adjusted concentrations (µg/g lipid) or creatinine-adjusted concentrations (µg/g creatinine). For these cases, the units for the wet-weight LOD/LOQ will differ from the units used to report the biomonitoring results. For more information on lab results and protocols, please contact us.

Sample collection date

The time period during which blood or urine samples were collected from participants in Biomonitoring California projects or laboratory collaborations.

Selected percentiles

A range of values calculated to show the distribution of measured chemical levels. See specific percentiles below for examples.

Selected percentiles - 25th

If the 25th percentile is 0.3 µg/L, for example, this means that 25% of participants had levels less than or equal to 0.3 µg/L.

Selected percentiles - 50th

If the 50th percentile is 0.6 µg/L, for example, this means that 50% of participants had levels less than or equal to 0.6 µg/L.

Selected percentiles - 75th

If the 75th percentile is 1.2 µg/L, for example, this means that 75% of participants had levels less than or equal to 1.2 µg/L.

Selected percentiles - 90th

If the 90th percentile is 1.5 µg/L, for example, this means that 90% of participants had levels less than or equal to 1.5 µg/L.

Selected percentiles - 95th

If the 95th percentile is 1.9 µg/L, for example, this means that 95% of participants had levels less than or equal to 1.9 µg/L.

Study group

A brief description of the people who provided blood and/or urine samples for analysis in a particular study.

Units

Human biomonitoring data are commonly reported as an amount of a chemical present in a specified volume of a bodily fluid (such as blood or urine). For example, a chemical measurement expressed in units of µg/L urine tells us the number of micrograms (µg) of the chemical present per one liter (L) of urine. Using standard units allows for comparison across different studies. For more examples, see definition for: Units used by Biomonitoring California.

Unweighted Results

Unweighted results summarize the measurements collected from study participants but may not apply to a wider group of Californians.

Weighted Results

Weighted results are results that have been calculated using a statistical method that adjusts over-represented and under-represented samples. Weighted results adequately reflect a wider population in California.

Project Results for California Regional Exposure Study, Region 3 (CARE-3)

Project: California Regional Exposure Study, Region 3 (CARE-3)

Chemical Group: Environmental Phenols

Unweighted Results

Chemical Group: Metals

Unweighted Results

Chemical Group: Metals

Unweighted Results

Chemical Group: Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFASs)

Unweighted Results

Explanation of Terms

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