Lisa M. Bramer, Holly M. Dixon, Alison E. Clark, Diana Rohlman, Katrina M. Waters, Kim A. Anderson
{"title":"Characterizing variability in personal chemical exposure to improve exposomics","authors":"Lisa M. Bramer, Holly M. Dixon, Alison E. Clark, Diana Rohlman, Katrina M. Waters, Kim A. Anderson","doi":"10.1038/s41370-025-00822-x","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41370-025-00822-x","url":null,"abstract":"Understanding how chemical exposure varies within and between people over time is a critical component of characterizing the exposome—the totality of lifetime exposures. However, variability remains an understudied aspect of exposomic research. Our objective was to investigate trends in variability for chemical exposure data between and within people that appear across differing study designs. Thirty-five people in Eugene, Oregon, and 46 people in St. Helens, Oregon, wore silicone wristbands over multiple seasons, including a span of heavy wildfire smoke in Eugene. Each participant wore between four and 14 wristbands. We analyzed 586 wristbands for 94 (Eugene) and 58 (St. Helens) chemicals. While analytic tests differed between the studies, the same 43 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were measured in both studies. We also evaluated three environmental variables for their impact on chemical concentrations. We fit generalized mixed effects models to each chemical, and used variance partitioning to understand and quantify sources of variability across environmental factors and inter- and intra-individual variables. We observed PAHs that were consistent within people across different days. For a subset of these PAHs, results did not agree well between studies, indicating the importance of measuring chemical data at different time points across studies. Environmental variables were not sufficient for explaining data variability for most chemicals. Only 21% and 30% of the modeled chemicals for Eugene and St. Helens, respectively, had a combined environmental variable R2 at or above 0.1. Yet, environmental factors still revealed valuable information; we observed higher combined R2 values for styrene, o-xylene, ethylbenzene, and phenanthrene in the Eugene detection model, which came from a combination of fine particulate matter and smoke density information.","PeriodicalId":15684,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology","volume":"36 2","pages":"221-230"},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-11-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12826124/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145544881","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Ettie M. Lipner, Collin Powell, Stephen Nelson, Jonathan R. Fintzi, Joshua P. French, Rachel A. Mercaldo, Joseph O. Falkinham III, D. Rebecca Prevots
{"title":"The risk of NTM pulmonary infection associated with trace metal exposure from public distribution system water in the United States","authors":"Ettie M. Lipner, Collin Powell, Stephen Nelson, Jonathan R. Fintzi, Joshua P. French, Rachel A. Mercaldo, Joseph O. Falkinham III, D. Rebecca Prevots","doi":"10.1038/s41370-025-00807-w","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41370-025-00807-w","url":null,"abstract":"The prevalence of nontuberculous mycobacterial (NTM) pulmonary infection (NTM PI) varies geographically in the United States (US). Previous studies indicate that trace metals in environmental source water increase NTM PI risk. To examine the effect of trace metals, chromium (Cr), cobalt (Co), molybdenum (Mo), strontium (Sr), and vanadium (V) in public distribution system water on NTM PI risk among susceptible persons in the US. We studied NTM PI risk as a function of trace metal exposure from public distribution system water in two US patient populations: (1) The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Patient Registry. (2) The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Patient data were extracted for the period 2010–2019. We obtained data on trace metal concentrations from the US Environmental Protection Agency, Third Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule dataset. We used logistic and negative binomial generalized linear models to estimate NTM PI risk as a function of trace metal exposure in treated drinking water at the county level. Our models were adjusted for patient demographics, source water type, climate variables, and the type of disinfectant used. Our cystic fibrosis (CF) population comprised 14,251 persons with CF, including 4020 NTM cases and 10,231 controls. Our Medicare population comprised 27,146,753 beneficiaries, including 84,075 NTM cases. In the Medicare analysis, V was associated with increased NTM PI risk in the Midwest, South, and West, while Mo increased NTM PI risk in the West. In the CF analysis, V increased NTM PI risk in the South, while Mo was associated with increased NTM PI risk in the West. In both the CF and Medicare populations, using chloramine as a disinfectant significantly increased NTM PI risk. Mo and V in treated water was associated with increased risk among persons susceptible to NTM PI. The effect of trace metals varies by geographic region","PeriodicalId":15684,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology","volume":"36 2","pages":"375-385"},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-11-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.nature.comhttps://www.nature.com/articles/s41370-025-00807-w.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145534069","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Stephanie A. Foster, Molly L. Kile, Perry Hystad, Miriam L. Diamond, Piush J. Mandhane, Theo J. Moraes, Jacqueline Pei, James A. Scott, Elinor Simons, Padmaja Subbarao, Tim K. Takaro, Sukhpreet K. Tamana, Stuart E. Turvey, Jeffrey R. Brook
{"title":"Organophosphate ester flame retardants and plasticizers in house dust and Child Behavior Checklist outcomes: A nested study in the Canadian CHILD Birth Cohort","authors":"Stephanie A. Foster, Molly L. Kile, Perry Hystad, Miriam L. Diamond, Piush J. Mandhane, Theo J. Moraes, Jacqueline Pei, James A. Scott, Elinor Simons, Padmaja Subbarao, Tim K. Takaro, Sukhpreet K. Tamana, Stuart E. Turvey, Jeffrey R. Brook","doi":"10.1038/s41370-025-00821-y","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41370-025-00821-y","url":null,"abstract":"Organophosphate esters and plasticizers (OPEs) are used in consumer materials to meet flammability standards. Toxicological and epidemiological evidence suggests some OPEs are developmental neurotoxicants. We investigated associations between OPE exposures as measured in house dust and emotional and behavioral problems in young children. We used data from the CHILD Cohort Study (n = 601), a prospective birth cohort recruited in 5 cities across Canada (2008-2012). OPEs were measured in house dust at 3-4 months postpartum, and parents completed the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), which measures emotional and behavioral problems when their child was 5 years. We used logistic regression to examine associations between OPE Z-scores (individual and summed chlorinated [ΣOPECl] and non-chlorinated [ΣOPENCl]) and CBCL problem scale scores (borderline and clinical T-scores ≥60 and normal <60). Tris(2-chloroethyl) phosphate (TCEP) showed strong, positive associations with CBCL Total and Externalizing scores at or above the clinical cutoff, meaning children with higher levels of TCEP in house dust postpartum had higher odds of developing clinically relevant behavioral problems in early childhood compared to children with lower levels (Total ORadj: 1.37, 95% CI: 1.01, 1.87; Externalizing ORadj: 1.36, 95% CI: 1.00, 1.85). Similarly, 4-isopropylphenyl diphenyl phosphate, a Firemaster 550 component, had a strong, positive association with Internalizing scores (ORadj: 1.24, 95% CI: 1.02, 1.51). We observed a weak association between ΣOPECl and Total scores (Odds Ratio [OR] adjusted: 1.14, 95% Confidence Intervals [CI]: 0.97, 1.33) and null associations for ΣOPENCl. Associations were generally stronger among boys (ΣOPECl Total ORadj: 1.31, 95% CI: 1.02, 1.68).","PeriodicalId":15684,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology","volume":"36 2","pages":"322-333"},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-11-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145472000","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Nail F. Bashan, Yang Zhang, Michelle L. Bell, Qi R. Wang
{"title":"Mobility-driven estimate reveals elevated air pollution exposure and socioeconomic disparities beyond residence-based approaches in Boston","authors":"Nail F. Bashan, Yang Zhang, Michelle L. Bell, Qi R. Wang","doi":"10.1038/s41370-025-00820-z","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41370-025-00820-z","url":null,"abstract":"Residence-based air pollution exposure assessments ignore daily human mobility and may misrepresent exposure levels and disparities across population groups. We hypothesize that incorporating high-resolution mobility trajectories into exposure modeling will reveal higher average PM2.5 exposures and uncover sociodemographic disparities that traditional residence-based methods underestimate or conceal. We analyzed 155,000 trip records from 990 Boston-area participants (June–December 2023) collected via smartphone GPS, linked to PM2.5 measurements from 294 calibrated PurpleAir air quality sensors collected at 2-min intervals. For each stay location, we computed a daily adjusted exposure as the average PM2.5 within a 4 km buffer minus the region’s daily average. We compared these mobility-informed exposures to home-based estimates, assessed temporal (weekday vs. weekend, peak vs. off-peak) and spatial variability (Moran’s I), and used weighted least squares regressions and t-tests to evaluate differences across race, income, education, age, and occupation. Mobility-informed exposures averaged 0.10 µg/m3 higher than residence-based estimates on weekdays (up to 0.45 µg/m3 on high-pollution days). Employed and higher-income individuals, as well as White participants, experienced significantly elevated exposures during peak travel hours (up to +0.30 µg/m3; p < 0.01). Spatial clustering of mobility exposures was stronger on weekdays (Moran’s I = 0.4) than weekends (I = 0.2), and regression coefficients confirmed systematic underestimation by traditional methods. These findings demonstrate that neglecting mobility systematically underestimates exposure levels and obscures environmental injustices. Integrating dynamic mobility data with hyperlocal air quality monitoring provides a refined framework for accurate exposure assessment, informing equitable public health policies and targeted interventions.","PeriodicalId":15684,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology","volume":"36 2","pages":"267-275"},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-11-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.nature.comhttps://www.nature.com/articles/s41370-025-00820-z.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145472674","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Marc-André Verner, Jonathan Thornburg, Ana María Rule
{"title":"Proceedings of the International Society of Exposure Science Annual Meeting 2024—exposures that impact health in vulnerable populations","authors":"Marc-André Verner, Jonathan Thornburg, Ana María Rule","doi":"10.1038/s41370-025-00812-z","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41370-025-00812-z","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":15684,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology","volume":"36 3","pages":"615-615"},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-11-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.nature.comhttps://www.nature.com/articles/s41370-025-00812-z.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145440400","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Toki Fillman, Scott Coffin, Brandon Ta, Emily Beglarian, Wendy Linck, Hyoung-Gee Baek, Songmei Gao, Sabrina Smith, June-Soo Park, Nerissa Wu, Kathleen Attfield
{"title":"Associations between PFAS in public water system drinking water and serum among Southern California adults","authors":"Toki Fillman, Scott Coffin, Brandon Ta, Emily Beglarian, Wendy Linck, Hyoung-Gee Baek, Songmei Gao, Sabrina Smith, June-Soo Park, Nerissa Wu, Kathleen Attfield","doi":"10.1038/s41370-025-00817-8","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41370-025-00817-8","url":null,"abstract":"Studies from areas with high level per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance (PFAS) contamination have reported significant contributions of drinking water to overall exposure but few studies have focused on general populations. To examine the association between PFAS in public water system drinking water and concentrations in serum among a general population of California adults. The CARE (California Regional Exposure) biomonitoring study measured PFAS in serum of Southern and Eastern California adults between 2018 and 2020. Participant addresses were geocoded and geographically assigned to public water systems (PWS). Between 2019 and 2022, the California State Water Resources Control Board issued investigative PFAS monitoring orders to potentially impacted PWS, focusing primarily on source wells. PFAS detections above the required reporting limit (4 ng/L for PFAS included in the final analysis) were used to assess associations with serum PFAS levels. Out of 563 participants in Southern California included in the final analysis, 314 (56%) lived in a PWS service area with at least one PFAS detected in their untreated source water and/or treated drinking water. Serum perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (PFHxS) geometric mean concentrations were 31.9% (95% CI: 11.1–56.6%) higher among participants whose PWS had at least one PFHxS detection compared to those without detectable levels. For participants with post-treatment drinking water data (n = 235), serum PFAS geometric mean concentrations were higher compared to those without detections for all modeled PFAS: PFHxS 79.9% (38.3–133.9%), perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) 30.4% (5.5–61.2%), perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) 31.2% (0.7–70.9%), and ∑5 PFAS 42.0% (14.5–76.1%).","PeriodicalId":15684,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology","volume":"36 2","pages":"311-321"},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-10-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.nature.comhttps://www.nature.com/articles/s41370-025-00817-8.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145411313","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Effects of noise on health-related quality of life: The roles of outdoor noise, indoor noise, and noise sensitivity","authors":"Sang Hee Park, Pyoung Jik Lee","doi":"10.1038/s41370-025-00816-9","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41370-025-00816-9","url":null,"abstract":"The relationship between transportation noise and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) has been established, but its specific effects on residents of multi-story buildings, who are also exposed to neighbour noise, require further investigation. This study sought to investigate the effects of transportation noise on HRQoL among adults residing in such buildings. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 400 participants recruited from four apartment complexes. Transportation noise was measured over a 24-h period, and the resulting data were used to create noise maps. HRQoL was assessed using the RAND-36, which measures physical (PCS) and mental (MCS) component summaries. The results revealed significant negative associations between outdoor noise exposure (overall, road traffic, and railway) and both PCS and MCS, with road traffic noise showing the strongest effects. Noise sensitivity, indoor acoustic satisfaction, and outdoor noise annoyance were identified as significant effect modifiers, with higher sensitivity and annoyance levels exacerbating the negative impacts of noise on HRQoL.","PeriodicalId":15684,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology","volume":"36 2","pages":"398-408"},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-10-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.nature.comhttps://www.nature.com/articles/s41370-025-00816-9.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145395921","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
K. E. Knox, J. L. Ohayon, Erin Carrera, R. A. Rudel, R. Morello-Frosch
{"title":"Breast cancer-related occupational exposures facing immigrant women","authors":"K. E. Knox, J. L. Ohayon, Erin Carrera, R. A. Rudel, R. Morello-Frosch","doi":"10.1038/s41370-025-00808-9","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41370-025-00808-9","url":null,"abstract":"Immigrants comprise roughly 14% of the U.S. population, and studies indicate that breast cancer increases among some immigrant groups after relocating to the U.S. We characterized exposures to breast cancer-relevant chemicals in jobs commonly occupied by U.S. immigrant women, aged 18–65. We analyzed data from the American Community Survey Public Use Microdata Sample to profile which occupations are most prevalent for immigrant women and integrated these results with data on occupational chemical exposures from the Women’s Occupations and Risk from Chemicals tool, which identifies occupations with probable and possible chemical exposures of relevance for breast cancer. Immigrant women most commonly work as house cleaners, nurses, cashiers, janitors, and care aides, and comprise 71% of manicurists. We prioritize the occupations house cleaners and nurses for their combination of high potential exposures and the large number of immigrant women employed in these occupations. Chemicals of interest are those found in fragrances, and cleaning and maintenance products, including phthalates, antimicrobials, and alkylphenols. Many of these compounds are mammary gland carcinogens and developmental toxicants, and/or endocrine disruptors.","PeriodicalId":15684,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology","volume":"36 2","pages":"355-360"},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-10-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.nature.comhttps://www.nature.com/articles/s41370-025-00808-9.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145338378","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Neurobehavioral performance of dual exposure to organophosphate pesticides and PAHs among farmers in rural agriculture communities","authors":"Noppharath Sangkarit, Ajchamon Thammachai, Boonsita Suwannakul, Surat Hongsibsong, Juthasiri Rohitrattana, Jinjuta Panumasvivat, Pheerasak Assavanopakun, Ratana Sapbamrer","doi":"10.1038/s41370-025-00815-w","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41370-025-00815-w","url":null,"abstract":"Farmers in Northern Thailand are chronically exposed to organophosphate pesticides (OPs) through agricultural activities and to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from seasonal biomass burning. Both toxicants have been linked to neurobehavioral impairments, but little is known about their combined effects. This study aimed to investigate the association between urinary biomarkers of exposure to OPs and PAHs and neurobehavioral performance among farmers in rural agricultural communities, including potential interaction effects of co-exposure. A total of 115 farmers aged 20–70 years in Northern Thailand were recruited. Urinary dialkyl phosphate (DAP) metabolites, biomarkers of OPs exposure, and 1-hydroxypyrene (1-OHP), a biomarker of PAHs exposure, were measured. Neurobehavioral performance was assessed using the digit span test (DST), Purdue pegboard test (PEG), and visual-motor integration (VMI) test. Higher urinary dimethylphosphate (DMP) levels were significantly associated with lower DST forward digit span (β ± SE = −0.807 ± 0.284) and maximum forward digit span scores (β ± SE = −0.350 ± 0.159), indicating cognitive impairment. Increased 1-OHP levels were significantly correlated with lower VMI raw (β ± SE = −0.529 ± 0.236) and standard scores (β ± SE = −3.188 ± 1.239), suggesting impaired visual-motor integration. Notably, significant interaction effects were observed between DMP and 1-OHP on forward digit span (β ± SE = −0.244 ± 0.104) and VMI raw scores (β ± SE = −0.311 ± 0.121), and between DEP and 1-OHP on VMI performance (β ± SE = −0.264 ± 0.131 for raw score and −1.755 ± 0.686 for standard score), indicating that co-exposure may amplify neurobehavioral deficits.","PeriodicalId":15684,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology","volume":"36 2","pages":"343-354"},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-10-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145294913","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Sara N. Lupolt, Guofeng Zhang, Jiahao Wang, Stacey Tang, Qinfan Lyu, Jamie Cho, Christina Huynh, Qihao Liu, Jiawei Peng, Xingrui Wang, Junjie Oscar Yin, Xiaoding Yuan, Yi Zhang, Alan L. Yuille, Kristin M. Voegtline, Keeve E. Nachman
{"title":"Development and evaluation of a computer vision algorithm for quantification of children’s microactivities","authors":"Sara N. Lupolt, Guofeng Zhang, Jiahao Wang, Stacey Tang, Qinfan Lyu, Jamie Cho, Christina Huynh, Qihao Liu, Jiawei Peng, Xingrui Wang, Junjie Oscar Yin, Xiaoding Yuan, Yi Zhang, Alan L. Yuille, Kristin M. Voegtline, Keeve E. Nachman","doi":"10.1038/s41370-025-00814-x","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41370-025-00814-x","url":null,"abstract":"Estimates of microactivity (e.g., hand- and object-to-mouth contact) frequencies are essential for modeling children’s environmental exposures but are challenging to obtain due to the time and human costs of manually labeling behaviors from pre-recorded videos. We aim to develop and evaluate a computer vision model to quantify microactivities for young children. The vision model was trained and validated using video footage (collected via four concurrent Go-Pro cameras) of 25 children 6–18 months playing in their homes in Baltimore, MD. We leveraged computer vision techniques to develop an algorithm to assess children’s pose by identifying and tracking 3D key points (e.g., locations of children’s eyes, hands, wrists, elbows, etc.). We enabled automatic measurement to track the distance between the child’s hands and mouth in every video frame. When the distance reached a minimum threshold, the model logged a “contact event.” We compared the timing and number of events for three microactivities (left- and right-hand-to-mouth, and object-to-mouth) yielded by the vision model to the outputs from comparable human behavioral coding. Our method recognizes children’s microactivities. The timing and number of contact events detected were accurate (96–99%) on a second-level basis with minimal counting errors (<0.04–2.18 per video). We observed higher rates of object-to-mouth contacts (mean = 27 contacts/h) compared to hand-to-mouth contacts (mean = 3 contacts/h).","PeriodicalId":15684,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology","volume":"36 4","pages":"725-733"},"PeriodicalIF":5.9,"publicationDate":"2025-10-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145294895","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}