Wadsworth Center's Human Health and Exposure Analysis Resource (WC-HHEAR)

Wadsworth Center, Menands NY

Investigators

Linked publications & trials

Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY / ABSTRACT The overall objective of this supplement proposal is to provide the Wadsworth Center’s Human Health and Exposure Analysis Resource (WC-HHEAR) the resources to support unanticipated additional work associated with the Chronic Kidney Disease of UnceRtain Etiology (CKDu) in Agricultural Communities (CURE) Research Consortium. WC-HHEAR provides CURE with access to state-of-the-art analyses for exploring the effects of environmental contaminants on chronic kidney disease. WC-HHEAR’s extensive infrastructure, expertise, and reputation as a world-class trace elements laboratory located within the NY State Department of Health’s Wadsworth Center is widely recognized. Within the Center’s Division of Environmental Health Sciences (DEHS), biospecimens are analyzed for toxic metals within the Trace Elements Lab (TREL). Dr. Patrick Parsons is the Director of DEHS and is the Principal Investigator for the TREL. Dr. Parsons has more than 40 years of experience in analytical chemistry applied to measuring trace elements in human tissues and body fluids. The TREL group analyzes biospecimens for up to 41 trace elements that include toxic (lead, cadmium, mercury, and arsenic) and essential (copper, selenium, zinc) elements in whole blood, urine, and serum/plasma, plus the 16 rare earth elements, which includes the lanthanides series. The TREL has extensive expertise analyzing non- traditional matrices such as placenta, cord blood, baby teeth, dried blood spots, hair, nails, amniotic fluid, breast milk, saliva, and other tissues. This supplement leverages Wadsworth’s capacity and capability to provide high complexity laboratory analyses to support the additional needs of the CURE consortium. Specifically, WC- HHEAR has the capability and capacity to analyze an additional 600 blood specimens for 24 trace elements and an additional 600 urine specimens for 24 trace elements using well validated clinical methods based on tandem inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS/MS). Since WC-HHEAR is a CLIA-certified laboratory, some of these test results may be reported back to study subjects. In addition to analyzing 600 urine specimens for a suite of trace elements, WC-HHEAR has the capability and capacity to analyze 300 urine specimens for 5 arsenic species using a well validated method based on Liquid Chromatography coupled to ICP-MS/MS.