EOHSI

Since 2004, an innovative methodology to estimate a toddler’s exposure to environmental toxicants has been developed and validated at EOHSI.  In response to concerns raised over the EPA CHEERS program, an ethical and practical alternative for measuring childhood exposures has been a priority.

Dr. Stuart Shalat, with Drs. Gedi Mainelis and Paul Lioy, have explored the use of robot surrogates to collect environmental samples.  The Pre-toddler Inhalable Particulate Environmental Robotic (PIPER) sampler is one solution.  PIPER is a fully autonomous robot programmed to mimic the activity patterns of young children, based upon the Division’s previous research into the behavior of young children at play. The initial version of PIPER was funded by EOHSI’s NIEHS Center for Environmental Exposure and Disease (CEED), and is now supported by the NIEHS and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. The PIPER Mark IV can carry two air sampling devices and can collect wipe samples to document transfer to children’s skin and clothing of loose particulate.  Current applications are for allergen exposures and childhood asthma and exposure to lead on artificial turf fields.

Source: Robotics and Beyond: How Technology is Transforming Therapy. RWJ Medicine Magazine, Spring 2010 Issue

Citations

Shalat S.L., Lioy P.J., Schmeelck K. and Mainelis G. (2007). Improving estimation of indoor exposure to inhalable particles for children in the first year of life. J Air Waste Manag Assoc 57(8): 934-9. PMID:17824283

Shalat S.L., Stambler A.A., Wang Z., Mainelis G., Emoekpere O.H., Hernandez M., Lioy P.J. and Black K. (2011). Development and in-home testing of the Pretoddler Inhalable Particulate Environmental Robotic (PIPER Mk IV) sampler. Environ Sci Technol 45(7): 2945-50. PMCID:PMC3069648.

Share on Facebook

Tweet