Environmental Health: Biomonitoring

There is an urgent need for expanding our biomonitoring in rural Wisconsin. Over 25% of residents live in rural areas and over 900,000 households rely on drinking water from private wells. Due to Wisconsin’s unique geology and agricultural practices, many of these wells are vulnerable to natural and human sources of contamination like heavy metals, pesticides, and other chemicals.

State testing found that almost half of private wells sampled were at levels above one or more water quality standards that were developed to help protect people’s health. With less than 10% of private well owners testing their wells regularly, there is a lack of data on the environmental exposures faced by rural residents in the state.

Wisconsin also has a lot of farms and acres of harvested cropland. The state's largest crop yields are in corn and soybeans, which have some of the heaviest application of pesticides in the U.S. Exposure to pesticides can lead to both short-term and long-term health effects, depending on the type of pesticide, amount of exposure, and an individual’s sensitivity.

This project aims to support rural communities throughout Wisconsin by increasing awareness and understanding of:

• How pesticides and heavy metals can impact health.
• How to reduce one’s risk of exposure to pesticides and heavy metals.
• The importance of regular private well water testing.

Findings from this project will increase our understanding of:

• Exposure to heavy metals and pesticides among Wisconsin's rural residents.
• What characteristics (for example, geographic, social, behavioral, demographic) are associated with higher environmental chemical levels.
• How environmental chemical levels may have changed in the last 10-15 years.

Results from this project can also inform health services and outreach, improve policies, and advance our understanding of environmental health in rural communities.

Our biomonitoring project is taking place among rural communities that have a higher risk of exposure to groundwater chemicals and depend on private wells and groundwater for drinking water. Residents in rural areas that regularly carry out agricultural practices have an increased risk of exposure to harmful pesticides. With less than 10% of private well owners regularly testing their wells, this population may be unaware of their potential exposures through contaminated drinking water. They may also have fewer resources to reduce or address any environmental exposures, if they occur.

Project participants are rural community members who previously had urine samples and survey data collected with the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Real-world Evidence to Advance Community Health (REACH) Program, formerly called the Survey of the Health of Wisconsin (SHOW). Working with these participants will help us understand how environmental chemical exposures may have changed over time.

Eligible participants are selected from this group by looking at residents living in three rural regions of Wisconsin with a high likelihood of pesticide exposure, as measured by a high percentage of agricultural crop cover in the area immediately surrounding their residence. We are focusing on the south central, central sands, and western regions of the state. The central sands region refers to the sandy soil left by glacial deposits. It is a distinct feature of this heavily farmed area.

The project will include approximately 600 participants who consented to participate in future studies and who have their data saved with REACH. We will follow up with approximately 300 of those 600 participants to collect new urine samples and survey data on demographic, housing, and behavioral characteristics.

The environmental chemicals that we are studying include different types of pesticides as well as the heavy metals arsenic and lead. We chose to study these chemicals based on their potential health effects, common use of the selected pesticides in commercial agriculture, and recommendations from experts.

Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS)

DHS manages the grant’s logistics and facilitates the program’s biomonitoring advisory group.

University of Wisconsin-Madison Real-world Evidence to Advance Community Health Program (REACH)

REACH coordinates participant recruitment and sample collection.

Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene (WSLH)

WSLH has developed laboratory methods to measure the levels of pesticides and heavy metals in samples. In addition, they process and analyze the samples.

Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP)

DATCP provides well water testing for qualifying participants.

Advisory group

An important part of this work is being transparent and promoting collaboration between DHS and the communities we are reaching out to for this project. To support these efforts, we have formed an advisory group of representatives from local community and state agencies, including the south central, central sands, and western regions. Our advisory group members have an interest in, and can provide expertise in, agriculture, rural communities, and environmental chemicals.

The advisory group will help us stay on course with the goals of this project by providing feedback on our methods, performance measures, and educational materials, while continually representing the interests of the communities.

Represented organizations

• Clean Wisconsin
• Columbia County Health Department
• Dodge County Health Department
• Dunn County Health Department
• Dunn County Land & Water Conservation Division
• Eau Claire City-County Health Department
• Pierce County Health Department
• UW REACH
• UW School of Medicine and Public Health, Population Health Institute
• UW-Stevens Point, Center for Watershed Science and Education
• Waupaca County Health Department
• Wisconsin DATCP
• Wisconsin DHS
• Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
• Wisconsin SLH
• Wood County Health Department