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A feasibility study on assessing public health impacts of cumulative air pollution reduction activities in a small geographic area
Citation:
LOBDELL, D. T., H. A. OZKAYNAK, V. Isakov, J. Touma, J. M. BURKE, AND M. Smuts. A feasibility study on assessing public health impacts of cumulative air pollution reduction activities in a small geographic area. Presented at International Society for Environmental Epidemiology (ISEE), Dublin, Northern Ireland, IRELAND, August 25 - 28, 2009.
Impact/Purpose:
With traditional epidemiologic study designs significant reductions in air pollution are often needed in small communities, such as New Haven, to assess the health impacts ofenvironmental actions. Alternative study designs incorporating the air quality and exposure models that can provide intra urban gradients may be a more powerful alternative that warrants further exploration.
Description:
Background and Objective: The rnain objective ofthis study was to examine the feasibility ofconducting a local (e.g., city level) assessment ofthe public health impacts ofcumulative air pollution reduction activities (a.k.a. accountability) from the federal, state, local and voluntary actions in the City ofNew Haven, CT (population -127,288) for a variety ofhealth outcomes. Methods: First we examined the availability ofexisting health (e.g., hospital discharge, mortality, vital records, school absenteeism), ambient air quality, and exposure related data (e.g., emissions related to pollution control actions, ambient concentrations, transportation data) for the city of New-Haven, CT. Next, a hybrid modeling approach that combines regional and local-scale air quality models was used as inputs into human air exposure models (SHEDS and HAPEM). Ambient and exposure concentrations for multiple air pollutants (e.g., PM2.5, NOx, benzene, and formaldehyde) were then estimated for base year 2001 emissions as well as projected emissions for years 2010, 2020, and 2030. Finally, a feasibility assessment for conducting an accountability study was performed for 34 different pollutantlhealth outcomelinkages. Results: Model simulations indicated a modest overall decrease (-10%-30%) in median pollutant concentrations mainly from local sources and mostly between 2001 and 2010 but greater than 60% decreases were projected for NOx. Considerable spatial variability in concentrations was found within the city for most pollutants. The only feasible pollutantlhealth outcome linkages were found for NOx related improvements with all-cause mortality, asthma diagnosis for children, and respiratory hospitalizations. Conclusion: With traditional epidemiologic study designs significant reductions in air pollution are often needed in small communities, such as New Haven, to assess the health impacts ofenvironmental actions. Alternative study designs incorporating the air quality and exposure models that can provide intra urban gradients may be a more powerful alternative that warrants further exploration.