About

Professor Scott M. Bartell is a faculty member at the University of California, Irvine, serving in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health within the Joe C. Wen School of Population & Public Health. He holds a Ph.D. in Epidemiology from the University of California, Davis, obtained in 2003, and an M.S. in Statistics from the same institution earned in 2001. Additionally, he earned an M.S. in Environmental Health from the University of Washington in 1996 and a B.A. in Environmental Sciences from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1994. His research interests focus on quantitative research methods in environmental health, including exposure assessment, risk assessment, and environmental epidemiology. Dr. Bartell's work specifically involves the study of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). He holds multiple academic appointments, including Professor of Environmental and Occupational Health and Professor of Statistics, and serves as Vice Dean of Academic Affairs at the Joe C. Wen School of Population & Public Health. His professional activities include developing tools such as the Serum PFAS Calculator and engaging in graduate education through programs in Public Health and Environmental Health Sciences.

Research topics

• Medicine
• Environmental health
• Internal medicine
• Immunology
• Biology
• Environmental chemistry
• Physiology
• Virology
• Chemistry
• Demography
• Emergency medicine
• Environmental planning
• Environmental science
• Gerontology
• Oncology

Selected publications

• SARS-CoV-2 antibody seroprevalence among firefighters in Orange County, California

  Occupational and Environmental Medicine · 2021 · 6 citations

  • Medicine
  • Environmental health
  • Virology

  OBJECTIVES: We conducted serological SARS-CoV-2 antibody testing from October to November 2020 to estimate the SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence among firefighters/paramedics in Orange County (OC), California. METHODS: OC firefighters employed at the time of the surveillance activity were invited to participate in a voluntary survey that collected demographic, occupational and previous COVID-19 testing data, and a SARS-CoV-2 immunoglobulin (Ig)G antibody blood test. We collected venous blood samples using mobile phlebotomy teams that travelled to individual fire stations, in coordination with an annual tuberculosis testing campaign for firefighters employed by OC Fire Authority (OCFA), and independently for firefighters employed by cities. We estimated seroprevalence and assessed several potential predictors of seropositivity. RESULTS: The seroprevalence was 5.3% among 923 OCFA personnel tested, with 92.2% participating. Among firefighters self-reporting a previous positive COVID-19 antibody or PCR test result, twenty-one (37%) did not have positive IgG tests in the current serosurvey. There were no statistically significant differences in demographic characteristics between cases and non-cases. Work city was a significant predictor of case status (p=0.015). Seroprevalence (4.8%) was similar when aggregated across seven city fire departments (42%-65% participation). In total, 1486°C fire personnel were tested. CONCLUSION: Using a strong serosurvey design and large firefighter cohort, we observed a SARS-CoV-2 IgG seroprevalence of 5.3%. The seroprevalence among OC firefighters in October 2020 was lower than the general county population estimated seroprevalence (11.5%) in August. The difference may be due in part to safety measures taken by OC fire departments at the start of the pandemic, as well as differences in antibody test methods and/or duration of antibody response.

  PublisherDOI

• Estimated seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies among adults in Orange County, California

  Scientific Reports · 2021 · 54 citations

  • Medicine
  • Demography
  • Environmental health

  Clinic-based estimates of SARS-CoV-2 may considerably underestimate the total number of infections. Access to testing in the US has been heterogeneous and symptoms vary widely in infected persons. Public health surveillance efforts and metrics are therefore hampered by underreporting. We set out to provide a minimally biased estimate of SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence among adults for a large and diverse county (Orange County, CA, population 3.2 million). We implemented a surveillance study that minimizes response bias by recruiting adults to answer a survey without knowledge of later being offered SARS-CoV-2 test. Several methodologies were used to retrieve a population-representative sample. Participants (n = 2979) visited one of 11 drive-thru test sites from July 10th to August 16th, 2020 (or received an in-home visit) to provide a finger pin-prick sample. We applied a robust SARS-CoV-2 Antigen Microarray technology, which has superior measurement validity relative to FDA-approved tests. Participants include a broad age, gender, racial/ethnic, and income representation. Adjusted seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection was 11.5% (95% CI: 10.5-12.4%). Formal bias analyses produced similar results. Prevalence was elevated among Hispanics (vs. other non-Hispanic: prevalence ratio [PR] = 1.47, 95% CI 1.22-1.78) and household income < $50,000 (vs. > $100,000: PR = 1.42, 95% CI: 1.14 to 1.79). Results from a diverse population using a highly specific and sensitive microarray indicate a SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence of ~ 12 percent. This population-based seroprevalence is seven-fold greater than that using official County statistics. In this region, SARS-CoV-2 also disproportionately affects Hispanic and low-income adults.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• O-369 SARS-CoV-2 antibody seroprevalence among firefighters in Orange County, California

  Oral Presentations · 2021

  • Medicine
  • Environmental health
  • Emergency medicine

  <h3>Introduction</h3> Firefighters play a vital role in Orange County (OC) California (CA) communities by assisting in emergencies, providing emergency medical treatment, and transporting ill or injured individuals, in addition to performing traditional firefighting duties. Antibody testing can be a useful tool in understanding seroprevalence within an occupational cohort by detecting past immune response. <h3>Objectives</h3> We conducted serological SARS-CoV-2 antibody testing from October-November 2020 to estimate the SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence among firefighters/paramedics in Orange County. <h3>Methods</h3> OC firefighters employed at the time of the surveillance activity were invited to participate in a voluntary survey that collected demographic, occupational, and previous COVID-19 testing data, and a SARS-CoV-2 immunoglobulin (Ig)G antibody blood test. We collected venous blood samples using mobile phlebotomy teams that traveled to individual fire stations, in coordination with an annual tuberculosis testing campaign for firefighters employed by OC Fire Authority (OCFA), and independently for firefighters employed by cities. We estimated seroprevalence and assessed several potential predictors of seropositivity. <h3>Results</h3> The seroprevalence was 5.3% among 923 OCFA personnel tested, with 92.2% participating. Among firefighters self-reporting a previous positive COVID-19 test result, twenty-one (37%) were no longer positive. There were no statistically significant differences in demographic characteristics between cases and non-cases. Work city was a significant predictor of case status (p=0.015). Seroprevalence (4.8%) was similar when aggregated across seven city fire departments (42–65% participation). In total, 1,486 OC fire personnel were tested. <h3>Conclusion</h3> Using a strong serosurvey design and large firefighter cohort, we observed a SARS-CoV-2 IgG seroprevalence of 5.3%. The seroprevalence among OC firefighters in October 2020 was lower than the general county population estimated seroprevalence (11.5%) in August. The difference may be due in part to safety measures taken by OC fire departments at the start of the pandemic, as well as differences in antibody test methods and/or duration of antibody response.

  PublisherDOI

• Critical review on PFOA, kidney cancer, and testicular cancer

  Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association · 2021 · 139 citations

  1st authorCorresponding
  • Medicine
  • Oncology
  • Physiology

  : Our review meta-analysis indicates an average increase in cancer risk per 10 ng/mL increase in serum PFOA for kidney and testicular cancers. These associations are most likely causal, but results are limited by the small number of studies for testicular cancer, the overlapping study populations for several studies, and the lack of measured or modeled serum PFOA concentrations for several studies. The weight of evidence could be even stronger with the addition of future studies conducted in large cohorts.

  DOI

• Review: Evolution of evidence on PFOA and health following the assessments of the C8 Science Panel

  Environment International · 2020 · 150 citations

  • Environmental science
  • Environmental health
  • Environmental chemistry

  BACKGROUND: The C8 Science Panel was composed of three epidemiologists charged with studying the possible health effects of PFOA in a highly exposed population in the mid-Ohio Valley. The Panel determined in 2012 there was a 'probable link' (i.e., more probable than not based on the weight of the available scientific evidence) between PFOA and high cholesterol, thyroid disease, kidney and testicular cancer, pregnancy-induced hypertension, and ulcerative colitis. OBJECTIVE: Here, former C8 Science Panel members and collaborators comment on the PFOA literature regarding thyroid disorders, cancer, immune and auto-immune disorders, liver disease, hypercholesterolemia, reproductive outcomes, neurotoxicity, and kidney disease. We also discuss developments regarding fate and transport, and pharmacokinetic models, and discuss causality assessment in cross-sectional associations among low-exposed populations. DISCUSSION: For cancer, the epidemiologic evidence remains supportive but not definitive for kidney and testicular cancers. There is consistent evidence of a positive association between PFOA and cholesterol, but no evidence of an association with heart disease. There is evidence for an association with ulcerative colitis, but not for other auto-immune diseases. There is good evidence that PFOA is associated with immune response, but uneven evidence for an association with infectious disease. The evidence for an association between PFOA and thyroid and kidney disease is suggestive but uneven. There is evidence of an association with liver enzymes, but not with liver disease. There is little evidence of an association with neurotoxicity. Suggested reductions in birthweight may be due to reverse causality and/or confounding. Fate and transport models and pharmacokinetic models remain central to estimating past exposure for new cohorts, but are difficult to develop without good historical data on emissions of PFOA into the environment. CONCLUSION: Overall, the epidemiologic evidence remains limited. For a few outcomes there has been some replication of our earlier findings. More longitudinal research is needed in large populations with large exposure contrasts. Additional cross-sectional studies of low exposed populations may be less informative.

  DOI

Recent grants

• Bayesian integration of biomarkers and spatial exposure data

  NIH · $386k · 2013–2016

Frequent coauthors

• Verónica M. Vieira

  University of California, Irvine

  62 shared

• Kyle Steenland

  Emory University

  33 shared

• Thomas H. Inge

  Lurie Children's Hospital

  24 shared

• Todd M. Jenkins

  University of Cincinnati

  24 shared

• Elaine M. Faustman

  University of Washington

  24 shared

• Stavra A. Xanthakos

  University of Cincinnati Medical Center

  23 shared

• Tony Fletcher

  Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene

  20 shared

• Justin R. Ryder

  Lurie Children's Hospital

  20 shared

Education

• B.A., Environmental Sciences

  University of California, Berkeley

  1994

• M.S., Environmental Health

  University of Washington

  1996

• M.S., Statistics

  University of California, Davis

  2001

• Ph.D., Epidemiology

  University of California, Davis

  2003

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