Urinary Naphthalene Metabolites in California Schoolchildren, 2021

69 urine samples were collected from 18 children aged 5-13 in Stockton, California, USA in 2021. The dataset, created by Susan Hurley and published on figshare, compares metabolite levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and volatile organic compounds to national reference data. Naphthalene metabolite levels were found to be nearly three-fold higher than in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

Use Cases

• Assessing disparities in naphthalene exposure based on demographic factors like age and ethnicity mentioned in the description
• Comparing local pollutant metabolite levels to national reference data (NHANES) as described in the study
• Analyzing temporal trends in PAH and VOC exposure in children, as suggested by the comparison to data collected 3–11 years earlier
• Identifying potential sources of elevated naphthalene exposure in specific communities, as the study calls for

Strengths

• Data is directly comparable to a national reference dataset (NHANES) collected 3–11 years earlier
• Includes specific demographic details: 18 children, ages 5-13, 78% Hispanic
• Focuses on a vulnerable population (children) in a community described as heavily burdened by air pollution

Limitations

• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download
• The dataset is very small (21.1 KB), indicating limited scope and sample size

Provenance

Source

figshare

Collection Method

Pilot study involving urine sample collection and laboratory analysis for PAH and VOC metabolites.

Time Range

2021

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-10 05:59:14; freshness should be verified

Geography

Stockton, California, USA