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Abrahamsson D, Brueck CL, Prasse C, Lambropoulou DA, Koronaiou LA, Wang M, Park JS, Woodruff TJ. Extracting Structural Information from Physicochemical Property Measurements Using Machine Learning─A New Approach for Structure Elucidation in Non-targeted Analysis. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2023; 57:14827-14838. [PMID: 37746919 PMCID: PMC10569036 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.3c03003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2023] [Revised: 08/29/2023] [Accepted: 08/30/2023] [Indexed: 09/26/2023]
Abstract
Non-targeted analysis (NTA) has made critical contributions in the fields of environmental chemistry and environmental health. One critical bottleneck is the lack of available analytical standards for most chemicals in the environment. Our study aims to explore a novel approach that integrates measurements of equilibrium partition ratios between organic solvents and water (KSW) to predictions of molecular structures. These properties can be used as a fingerprint, which with the help of a machine learning algorithm can be converted into a series of functional groups (RDKit fragments), which can be used to search chemical databases. We conducted partitioning experiments using a chemical mixture containing 185 chemicals in 10 different organic solvents and water. Both a liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometer (LC-QTOF MS) and a LC-Orbitrap MS were used to assess the feasibility of the experimental method and the accuracy of the algorithm at predicting the correct functional groups. The two methods showed differences in log KSW with the QTOF method showing a mean absolute error (MAE) of 0.22 and the Orbitrap method 0.33. The differences also culminated into errors in the predictions of RDKit fragments with the MAE for the QTOF method being 0.23 and for the Orbitrap method being 0.31. Our approach presents a new angle in structure elucidation for NTA and showed promise in assisting with compound identification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dimitri Abrahamsson
- Department
of Pediatrics, New York University Grossman
School of Medicine, New York, New York 10016, United States
- Department
of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, Program on Reproductive
Health and the Environment, University of
California, San Francisco, California 94107, United States
| | - Christopher L. Brueck
- Department
of Environmental Health and Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, United States
- Exponent, Environmental and Earth Sciences Practice, Bellevue, Washington 98007, United States
| | - Carsten Prasse
- Department
of Environmental Health and Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, United States
- Risk
Sciences
and Public Policy Institute, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, United States
| | - Dimitra A. Lambropoulou
- Department
of Chemistry, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, University Campus, 54124 Thessaloniki Greece
- Laboratory
of Environmental Pollution Control, Department of Chemistry, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, GR-541 24 Thessaloniki, Greece
- Center for
Interdisciplinary Research and Innovation (CIRI-AUTH), Balkan Center, Thessaloniki, GR-57001, Greece
| | - Lelouda-Athanasia Koronaiou
- Department
of Chemistry, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, University Campus, 54124 Thessaloniki Greece
- Laboratory
of Environmental Pollution Control, Department of Chemistry, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, GR-541 24 Thessaloniki, Greece
- Center for
Interdisciplinary Research and Innovation (CIRI-AUTH), Balkan Center, Thessaloniki, GR-57001, Greece
| | - Miaomiao Wang
- Department
of Toxic Substances Control, Environmental Chemistry Laboratory, California Environmental Agency, Berkeley, California 94710, United States
| | - June-Soo Park
- Department
of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, Program on Reproductive
Health and the Environment, University of
California, San Francisco, California 94107, United States
- Department
of Toxic Substances Control, Environmental Chemistry Laboratory, California Environmental Agency, Berkeley, California 94710, United States
| | - Tracey J. Woodruff
- Department
of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, Program on Reproductive
Health and the Environment, University of
California, San Francisco, California 94107, United States
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Ateia M, Sigmund G, Bentel MJ, Washington JW, Lai A, Merrill NH, Wang Z. Integrated data-driven cross-disciplinary framework to prevent chemical water pollution. ONE EARTH (CAMBRIDGE, MASS.) 2023; 6:10.1016/j.oneear.2023.07.001. [PMID: 38264630 PMCID: PMC10802893 DOI: 10.1016/j.oneear.2023.07.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2024]
Abstract
Access to a clean and healthy environment is a human right and a prerequisite for maintaining a sustainable ecosystem. Experts across domains along the chemical life cycle have traditionally operated in isolation, leading to limited connectivity between upstream chemical innovation to downstream development of water-treatment technologies. This fragmented and historically reactive approach to managing emerging contaminants has resulted in significant externalized societal costs. Herein, we propose an integrated data-driven framework to foster proactive action across domains to effectively address chemical water pollution. By implementing this integrated framework, it will not only enhance the capabilities of experts in their respective fields but also create opportunities for novel approaches that yield co-benefits across multiple domains. To successfully operationalize the integrated framework, several concerted efforts are warranted, including adopting open and FAIR (findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable) data practices, developing common knowledge bases/platforms, and staying vigilant against new substance "properties" of concern.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohamed Ateia
- United States Environmental Protection Agency, Center for Environmental Solutions & Emergency Response, Cincinnati, OH 45220, USA
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Rice University, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Gabriel Sigmund
- Environmental Geosciences, Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science, University of Vienna, Josef-Holaubeck-Platz 2, 1090 Vienna, Austria
- Environmental Technology, Wageningen University & Research, P.O. Box 17, 6700 AA Wageningen, the Netherlands
| | - Michael J. Bentel
- Department of Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634, USA
| | - John W. Washington
- United States Environmental Protection Agency, Center for Environmental Measurement and Modeling, Athens, GA 30605, USA
| | - Adelene Lai
- Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine (LCSB), University of Luxembourg, 6 Avenue du Swing, 4367 Belvaux, Luxembourg
- Institute for Inorganic and Analytical Chemistry, Friedrich-Schiller-University, 07743 Jena, Germany
| | - Nathaniel H. Merrill
- United States Environmental Protection Agency, Center for Environmental Measurement and Modeling, Narragansett, RI, USA
| | - Zhanyun Wang
- Empa Swiss – Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, Technology and Society Laboratory, 9014 St. Gallen, Switzerland
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Bǎlan S, Andrews DQ, Blum A, Diamond ML, Fernández SR, Harriman E, Lindstrom AB, Reade A, Richter L, Sutton R, Wang Z, Kwiatkowski CF. Optimizing Chemicals Management in the United States and Canada through the Essential-Use Approach. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2023; 57:1568-1575. [PMID: 36656107 PMCID: PMC9893722 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.2c05932] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2022] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
Chemicals have improved the functionality and convenience of industrial and consumer products, but sometimes at the expense of human or ecological health. Existing regulatory systems have proven to be inadequate for assessing and managing the tens of thousands of chemicals in commerce. A different approach is urgently needed to minimize ongoing production, use, and exposures to hazardous chemicals. The premise of the essential-use approach is that chemicals of concern should be used only in cases in which their function in specific products is necessary for health, safety, or the functioning of society and when feasible alternatives are unavailable. To optimize the essential-use approach for broader implementation in the United States and Canada, we recommend that governments and businesses (1) identify chemicals of concern for essentiality assessments based on a broad range of hazard traits, going beyond toxicity; (2) expedite decision-making by avoiding unnecessary assessments and strategically asking up to three questions to determine whether the use of the chemical in the product is essential; (3) apply the essential-use approach as early as possible in the process of developing and assessing chemicals; and (4) engage diverse experts in identifying chemical uses and functions, assessing alternatives, and making essentiality determinations and share such information broadly. If optimized and expanded into regulatory systems in the United States and Canada, other policymaking bodies, and businesses, the essential-use approach can improve chemicals management and shift the market toward safer chemistries that benefit human and ecological health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simona
A. Bǎlan
- California
Department of Toxic Substances Control, Sacramento, California 95814, United States
- University
of California, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
| | - David Q. Andrews
- Environmental
Working Group, Washington, D.C. 20005, United States
| | - Arlene Blum
- University
of California, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
- Green
Science Policy Institute, Berkeley, California 94709, United States
| | | | | | - Elizabeth Harriman
- University
of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, Massachusetts 01852, United States
| | | | - Anna Reade
- Natural
Resources Defense Council, San Francisco, California 94104, United States
| | | | - Rebecca Sutton
- San
Francisco Estuary Institute, Richmond, California 94804, United States
| | - Zhanyun Wang
- Empa-Swiss
Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology,
Technology and Society Laboratory, 9014 St. Gallen, Switzerland
- Institute of Environmental Engineering,
ETH Zurich, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Carol F. Kwiatkowski
- Green
Science Policy Institute, Berkeley, California 94709, United States
- North
Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695, United States
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Bangma J, Guillette TC, Strynar M, Lindstrom A, McCord J, Hill D, Lau C, Chernoff N, Lang JR. A rapid assessment bioaccumulation screening (RABS) study design for emerging per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances in mice exposed to industrially impacted surface water. CHEMOSPHERE 2022; 308:136159. [PMID: 36064024 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2022.136159] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2022] [Revised: 08/04/2022] [Accepted: 08/19/2022] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
The shift away from PFOS and PFOA production in the past 20 years towards shorter chain and replacement PFAS has led to the environmental release of complex mixtures of emerging PFAS for which bioaccumulation potential and toxicology are largely unknown. The rate at which emerging PFAS can be prioritized for research in these complex mixtures is often limited by the lack of available chemical standards. We developed a study design that rapidly assesses which emerging PFAS in an environmentally derived mixture have the potential for mammalian bioaccumulation and thus prioritize these emerging chemicals for standard synthesis and toxicity testing. Surface water was collected at an impacted site downstream of an industrial fluorochemical manufacturing outfall and concentrated 100-fold via weak anion exchange, solid-phase extraction. The concentrated extract contained 13 previously identified emerging PFAS, including hexafluoropropylene oxide-dimer acid (HFPO-DA). BALB/c mice were orally dosed with surface water concentrate once a day for seven days. Twenty-four hours after the last dose, liver, serum, urine, and feces were collected and the emerging PFAS were semi-quantified based on peak area counts. Of the 13 emerging PFAS, Nafion byproduct-2 (Nafion BP2), Hydro-EVE, PFO4DA, and PFO5DoA had the largest increases in percent composition when comparing serum and liver to the dosing solution, suggesting that these PFAS may have the highest bioaccumulation potential. This finding supports other studies that detected bioaccumulation of the same four PFAS in human serum collected from communities with contaminated drinking water. In the future, the Rapid Assessment Bioaccumulation Screening (RABS) study design can be extended to other complex industrial chemical mixtures impacting surface water in order to better inform chemical prioritization for acquisition and in vitro/in vivo toxicity testing of the potential pollutants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacqueline Bangma
- Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, Oak Ridge, TN, 37831, USA; Center for Environmental Measurement and Modeling, Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 109 T.W. Alexander Drive, Research Triangle Park, NC, 27711, USA.
| | | | - Mark Strynar
- Center for Environmental Measurement and Modeling, Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 109 T.W. Alexander Drive, Research Triangle Park, NC, 27711, USA
| | - Andrew Lindstrom
- Center for Environmental Measurement and Modeling, Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 109 T.W. Alexander Drive, Research Triangle Park, NC, 27711, USA
| | - James McCord
- Center for Environmental Measurement and Modeling, Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 109 T.W. Alexander Drive, Research Triangle Park, NC, 27711, USA
| | - Donna Hill
- Center for Public Health and Environmental Assessment, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC, 27711, USA
| | - Christopher Lau
- Center for Public Health and Environmental Assessment, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC, 27711, USA
| | - Neil Chernoff
- Center for Public Health and Environmental Assessment, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC, 27711, USA
| | - Johnsie R Lang
- Arcadis G&M of North Carolina, Inc. 5420 Wade Park Blvd Suite 350, Raleigh, NC, 27607, USA
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Rayasam S, Koman PD, Axelrad DA, Woodruff TJ, Chartres N. Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Implementation: How the Amended Law Has Failed to Protect Vulnerable Populations from Toxic Chemicals in the United States. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2022; 56:11969-11982. [PMID: 35980084 PMCID: PMC9454241 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.2c02079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Exposures to industrial chemicals are widespread and can increase the risk of adverse health effects such as cancer, developmental disorders, respiratory effects, diabetes, and reproductive problems. The amended Toxic Substances Control Act (amended TSCA) requires the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to evaluate risks of chemicals in commerce, account for risk to potentially exposed and susceptible populations, and mitigate risks for chemicals determined to pose an unreasonable risk to human health and the environment. This analysis compares EPA's first 10 chemical risk evaluations under amended TSCA to best scientific practices for conducting risk assessments. We find EPA's risk evaluations underestimated human health risks of chemical exposures by excluding conditions of use and exposure pathways; not considering aggregate exposure and cumulative risk; not identifying all potentially exposed or susceptible subpopulations, and not quantifying differences in risk for susceptible groups; not addressing data gaps; and using flawed systematic review approaches to identify and evaluate the relevant evidence. We present specific recommendations for improving the implementation of amended TSCA using the best available science to ensure equitable, socially just safeguards to public health. Failing to remedy these shortcomings will result in continued systematic underestimation of risk for all chemicals evaluated under amended TSCA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Swati
D.G. Rayasam
- Program
on Reproductive Health and the Environment, Department of Obstetrics,
Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, University
of California San Francisco School of Medicine, San Francisco, California 94143, United States
| | - Patricia D. Koman
- Environmental
Health Sciences, University of Michigan
School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States
| | | | - Tracey J. Woodruff
- Program
on Reproductive Health and the Environment, Department of Obstetrics,
Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, University
of California San Francisco School of Medicine, San Francisco, California 94143, United States
- Environmental
Research and Translation for Health, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology
and Reproductive Sciences, University of
California San Francisco School of Medicine, San Francisco, California 94143, United States
| | - Nicholas Chartres
- Program
on Reproductive Health and the Environment, Department of Obstetrics,
Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, University
of California San Francisco School of Medicine, San Francisco, California 94143, United States
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