The document discusses the practical challenges of conducting an exposome study from birth to death. It notes that while tracking internal and external exposures is difficult, location and physical activity data collected from devices like smartphones and fitness trackers provide a practical starting point for exposome research. Effective data management is also a major challenge for long-term exposome studies.

1. People and place
John Cherrie
PDC Session: The exposome and exposure in the workplace

2. Let’s take a minute to think…
Ÿ Work with the person next to you and think
about how practical is it to design an
exposome study
Ÿ From birth to death
Ÿ Recording environmental and occupational
exposures
Ÿ Is it a practical prospect,
even in a restricted way?

3. Summary…
Ÿ Issues in tracking internal exposure
Ÿ Issues in tracking external exposure
Ÿ So what can we do?
Ÿ Location
Ÿ Physical activity
Ÿ The core of our exposome (today)

4. Internal exposure…
Ÿ Biomarkers of exposure
Ÿ Half-life and pattern of exposure
Ÿ Sensitivity
Ÿ Attribution to factors in the environment
Ÿ Necessity to biobank over a lifetime
Ÿ Continuity
Ÿ Long-term stability
Ÿ Obsolescence

5. Untargeted analysis
cannot reliably measure
below 0.1 µM in 50 µL
of serum
Rappaport et al (2014). The Blood Exposome and Its Role in Discovering Causes of
Disease. Environmental Health Perspectives, 1–6.

6. External exposure…
Ÿ Plethora of sensors
Ÿ Sensitivity
Ÿ Specificity
Ÿ Cost
Ÿ “Big data”
Ÿ Supermarket loyalty data
Ÿ Travel smart cards
Ÿ etc.

7. Data management…
Ÿ Data processing and management is a
major undertaking
Ÿ Need accurate descriptive metadata
Ÿ title, creator, subject, content, date etc...
Ÿ Necessity to store data over a lifetime
Ÿ Continuity
Ÿ File format obsolescence
Ÿ Physical media obsolesce

8. Criteria for practical
exposome data collection…
Ÿ Portable and unobtrusive to the wearer
Ÿ “Low-cost”
Ÿ widespread deployment of sensors is a practical
Ÿ Able to collect, store and transmit high-time
resolution data
Ÿ Useable by anyone
Ÿ Need minimal engagement to collect the data
Ÿ Connect to the internet for remote storage

9. Location…
Ÿ GPS or GPS-enabled smartphone
Ÿ The importance of indoor/outdoor
assignment
Ÿ Use location, light, temperature, cell phone
signal etc.
Ÿ Ideally linked to activities

10. Temperature - in and out

11. Data processing is a
problem…

12. Moves app…
Ÿ Advantage of Moves
is it’s ability to
identify locations
and activity and
summarise the data
Ÿ However…
Ÿ Need your phone
with you
Ÿ Activity data biased
http://www.moves-app.com

13. Time
Example:
Moves v Paper log

14. Moves v pedometer

15. Activity…
Ÿ Data-logging activity monitors
Ÿ Fitbit
Ÿ Actigraph, etc.
Ÿ Latest versions measure
steps (distance), heart rate,
stairs climbed
Ÿ Day-time and night (sleep)

16. www.fitbit.com

17. Accuracy and precision…
Ÿ Like all measurements
you need to calibrate
the device
Ÿ Precision is probably
better than accuracy
Ÿ How big is a step?
Ÿ Calibration not typically
done by consumers

18. How can we use this type of
data?
Ÿ Using activity as an exposure metric
Ÿ Modeling exposure using time-activity
data
Ÿ Air pollutants
Ÿ UV exposure
Ÿ Noise
Ÿ Identifying exposure associated with
specific activities

19. Confidentiality?
Ÿ Exposome projects will collect sensitive personal
data
Ÿ However, we mostly share personal data already
Ÿ And sharing data will become commonplace
Ÿ Researchers will need to act under
normal rules of medical ethics
Ÿ Practitioners may need to develop
clear guidelines

20. Summary…
Ÿ At the moment activity and location are
most amenable to exposome data
collection
Ÿ These data are relevant to reconstructing
exposure to a number of other factors