Coal Ash and Neurobehavioral Symptoms in Children Aged 6-14 Years Old.

 描述(申请人提供)：电厂燃煤发电时产生的灰烬。火山灰不被归类为危险废物，因此没有联邦法规来管理其使用、储存或处置。大多数火山灰被储存在露天垃圾填埋场或池塘中。美国有800多个火山灰储存点，其中许多位于居民区附近。煤灰包括许多成分，但由细小的球形颗粒组成的飞灰是最大的成分。飞灰的组成各不相同，但它经常含有有毒金属(如砷、镉、铬、铜、铅、锰和汞)、多环芳烃(PAHs)和放射性元素。儿童的神经行为障碍与接触飞灰中含有的许多金属有关。因此，暴露在飞灰中的儿童有可能患上神经行为障碍。儿童通过吸入和摄入来自垃圾填埋场和池塘的逃逸粉尘排放而暴露在飞灰中。该项目将调查FY火山灰对居住在肯塔基州路易斯维尔两个火山灰储存点附近社区的儿童的影响。一些儿童住在距离火山灰垃圾填埋场和池塘不到150英尺的地方。我们将与储灰场10英里内的社区合作，完成四个具体目标：(1)与居住在储煤场更远的儿童相比，(1)确定居住在储煤场附近的儿童在室内暴露于飞灰和重金属的特征，(2)确定与居住在储煤场附近的儿童相比，居住在储煤场附近的儿童的重金属负担是否与居住在储煤场附近的儿童不同，(3)评估接触更多的飞灰和更多的重金属身体负担是否与较差的神经行为表现和更多的神经行为症状有关，(4)利用地图，地理信息系统(地理信息系统)用于家庭招募的空间分析和建模应用、距离衰减效应分析、目标1和2结果的表面内插、以及对飞灰的去向和运输进行模拟。360名6-14岁的儿童将被招募参加这项研究。神经行为表现将使用行为评估研究系统进行测试，神经行为症状将通过儿童行为检查表(CBCL)进行评估。任何CBCL t评分为7分的儿童将通过结构化的DSM障碍诊断临床访谈(SCID)进行进一步评估。房屋的环境采样将完成，以确定是否存在飞灰和金属。将从儿童身上收集脚趾甲样本，并对其进行重金属分析。调查问卷和家庭评估将有助于确定儿童的环境暴露史和健康史。研究结果将为确定灰对环境健康的影响提供依据。

 DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Coal ash is generated when power plants burn coal for energy. Coal ash is not classified as a hazardous waste, so there are no federal regulations that govern its use, storage, or disposal. Most coal ash is stored in open landfills or in ponds. There are over 800 coal ash storage sites in the U.S. and many are located near residential communities. Coal ash includes many components, but fly ash, which is comprised of small, spherical particles, is the greatest component. Composition of fly ash varies, but it frequently contains toxic metals (e.g. arsenic, cadmium, chromium, copper, lead, manganese, and mercury), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and radioactive elements. Neurobehavioral disorders in children are associated with exposure to many of the metals that are contained in fly ash. Thus, children exposed to fly ash are potentially at risk of developing neurobehavioral disorders. Children are exposed to fly ash via inhalation and ingestion from fugitive dust emissions that come off the landfills and the ponds. This project will investigate the effect of fy ash on children who live in neighborhoods near two coal ash storage sites in Louisville, Kentucky. Some children live in homes within 150 feet of coal ash landfills and ponds. Working with neighborhoods within 10 miles of the coal ash storage sites, we will complete four specific aims: (1) Characterize indoor exposure from fly ash and heavy metals in homes of children residing near coal ash store sites compared to children living further away from coal ash storage sites, (2) Determine if the heavy metal body burden differs from children residing near coal ash storage sites compared to children living further away from storage sites, (3) Assess if increased fly ash exposure and greater heavy metal body burden is associated with poorer neurobehavioral performance and more neurobehavioral symptoms, (4) Utilize mapping, spatial analysis and modeling applications of geographic information systems (GIS) for household recruitment, analysis of distance decay effects, surface interpolation of Aims 1 and 2 results, and fate and transport modeling of fly ash. Three hundred and sixty children aged 6-14 will be recruited for this study. Neurobehavioral performance will be tested using the Behavioral Assessment Research System and neurobehavioral symptoms will be assessed by the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). Any child who has a CBCL t score =7 will be further assessed through a Structured Clinical Interview for the Diagnosis of DSM Disorders (SCID). Environmental sampling in the homes will be completed to determine the presence of fly ash and metals. Toenail samples will be collected from the children and analyzed for heavy metals. Questionnaires and an in-home assessment will help to characterize environmental exposure history and health history of the children. The results will provide evidence to define the environmental health impact of coal ash.