Impact/Purpose:

Develop simple questionnaires and measures for input into models to classify children's exposures to CRPs, PM, and air toxics.

Quantify personal, indoor air, outdoor and ambient site concentrations for CRP/PM/air toxics for the participants in this pilot study.

Identify and model key factors contributing to the inter- and intra-personal variability between personal measures and corresponding indoor, outdoor, and ambient air concentrations for CRP/PM/air toxics.

Evaluate the contribution of ambient sources to indoor air and personal concentration measurements for CRP/PM/air toxics.

Apply the scientific tools developed and information gained from this pilot in the NCS to assess children's exposures.

Description:

This task is part of the work being performed under an integrated asthma research plan that was developed for the Office of Research and Development (ORD) to ensure a coordinated program across the Laboratories and Centers of the ORD. The research under this plan was a collaborative effort between NHEERL, NERL, and NRMRL that will build the research base for including asthma as a health outcome in future studies like the National Children's' Study (NCS). This is one of a series of pilot studies focused on evaluating (a) simple, cost-effective methods for assessing environmental exposures relevant to asthma and (b) techniques for the early assessment of asthma-related health outcomes. The Tampa Asthmatic Children's Study (TACS) research project focused on the evaluation of methods for collection of data to understand the factors that contribute to indoor concentrations and exposures to combustion related products (CRPs), particulate matter (PM), and air toxics. The goal of this task was to develop and assess simple questionnaires and measurements for classifying children's exposures. The questionnaires and methods were used in a nine-home field monitoring study in Tampa, Florida. These research tools will be used to identify and quantify the microenvironmental factors (including penetration and deposition rates) associated with children's exposures in a real-world environment. The study data will be used to develop simple models for estimating children's exposure in future large epidemiological studies, such as the National Children's Study.

Record Details:

Record Type:PROJECT

Start Date:10/01/2001

Projected Completion Date:09/01/2005

Record ID: 56074

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Project Information:

Progress :Preparations for the field measurement study and collection of the field data were completed in FY 2003.

Presentation of data to study participants and the Florida Department of the Environment has been completed.

Analyses of a majority of the field samples were completed in 2004 (Elemental analysis and organics analysis are planned for 2005).

Verification and validation of the assembled data have been initiated.

Preliminary data analyses have been performed.

Preliminary data were presented at the annual conference of the International Society of Exposure Analysis in October 2004.

A draft "Lessons Learned" report was prepared.



Relevance :The research project will provide scientific tools and information that may be used in large epidemiology studies to assess exposure and asthma prevalence. The research will provide fundamental information on CRP/PM/air toxics exposures and microenvironmental factors associated with asthmatic children. It will also provide information on factors that influence penetration of ambient CRPs, PM and air toxics into homes and their deposition onto interior surfaces. It will provide valuable information on methodologies proposed for the collection of PM and air toxics in the Detroit Exposure and Aerosol Research Study and the Detroit Children's Health Study (DCHS). This pilot study will develop questions, simple measurements, and models that can be used to effectively assess exposures for large numbers of participants in the NCS-like studies.

Clients : EPA/ORD/NHEERL (Lucas Neas), EPA/NCEA (William Wilson), EPA/NRMRL (Marc Menetrez), EPA/OAQPS (Ted Palma) , National Children Study coordinator (Carol Kimmele), Scientific community

Project IDs:

ID Code :11711

Project type :OMIS