San Diego State received the highest designation for research universities. Several students are testing to see if it can read contaminants in the air. NBC 7’s Joe Little reports.
Millions of people wear them every day to support their team or favorite cause. Chances are most of those people don’t know they may be wearing the latest advancement in science.
“We use these (wristbands) to collect environmental contaminants in the air,” said Manar Karzoun, a graduate student at SDSU Research Foundation.
Karzoun and her fellow researchers are studying whether the simple wristbands can also be great measuring sticks for secondhand smoke.
“How much of that are they going to be soaking in from the environment around them,” Karzoun elaborated.
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“Silicone wristbands absorb chemicals very similar to how a human absorbs them,” said Penelope Quintana, Ph.D. MPH.
Dr. Quintana is a professor with San Diego State’s School of Public Health. She’s also leading the team exploring the usefulness of the wristbands. Quintana said science has already proven the wristbands absorb cigarette smoke, but people are also exposed to vaping and marijuana.
“And if we can measure people's exposure, then we can see if our interventions are working,” smiled Quintana.
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Electric and often noisy air monitors are the traditional way of testing for secondhand smoke. The wristbands could prove to be a far cheaper and easier tool, especially with younger participants.
“Anyone can put on a silicone wristband. These are the ones that you buy online,” Quintana said.
The ingenuity is one of the many reasons why San Diego State University received an “R1” designation from the Carnegie Foundation and the American Council on Education. An SDSU spokesperson said fewer than 5% of the universities in the United States receive that distinction.
“I am very excited to see what it's going to do for SDSU and the difference it's going to make in our research,” said Karzoun.
For fewer than three weeks, study volunteers wear a wristband and hang one on their wall. An SDSU lab will examine the wristbands to determine whether they’re getting an accurate reading. If so, the cheap wristbands could become a valuable scientific tool.
“We can actually save lives by doing this,” Dr. Quintana said.
The SDSU Research Foundation is still looking for participants. If you are interested, contact the researchers at wristband.sdsu@gmail.com.
