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CHARACTERIZATION OF PARTICULATE MATTER AND CO-POLLUTANTS EXPOSURES FOR COMPROMISED AND HEALTHY ELDERLY ADULTS IN SEATTLE, WA, 1999-2001
Citation:
Liu, L. S., D. Kalman, J. Kaufman, J. Q. Koenig, T. V. Larson, L. Sheppard, J Lewtas, AND L A. Wallace. CHARACTERIZATION OF PARTICULATE MATTER AND CO-POLLUTANTS EXPOSURES FOR COMPROMISED AND HEALTHY ELDERLY ADULTS IN SEATTLE, WA, 1999-2001. Presented at International Society for Exposure Analysis 2002 Conference, Vancouver, Canada, August 11-15, 2002.
Impact/Purpose:
The primary study objectives are:
1.To quantify personal exposures and indoor air concentrations for PM/gases for potentially sensitive individuals (cross sectional, inter- and intrapersonal).
2.To describe (magnitude and variability) the relationships between personal exposure, and indoor, outdoor and ambient air concentrations for PM/gases for different sensitive cohorts. These cohorts represent subjects of opportunity and relationships established will not be used to extrapolate to the general population.
3.To examine the inter- and intrapersonal variability in the relationship between personal exposures, and indoor, outdoor, and ambient air concentrations for PM/gases for sensitive individuals.
4.To identify and model the factors that contribute to the inter- and intrapersonal variability in the relationships between personal exposures and indoor, outdoor, and ambient air concentrations for PM/gases.
5.To determine the contribution of ambient concentrations to indoor air/personal exposures for PM/gases.
6.To examine the effects of air shed (location, season), population demographics, and residential setting (apartment vs stand-alone homes) on the relationship between personal exposure and indoor, outdoor, and ambient air concentrations for PM/gases.
Description:
This paper presents results from a 2-year comprehensive exposure assessment study that examined the PM exposures and health effects in individuals with and without chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and cardiovascular (CV) diseases. Forty-six COPD, 21 CV, and 42 healthy subjects living in private and group homes participated in the monitoring sessions between fall 1999 and Spring 2001. Personal, indoor, and outdoor PM10, PM2.5, CO, NO2, SO2 were monitored for 10 consecutive days for each subject. Harvard impactors (HI) and Nephelometers were used for PM2.5, PM10, and PM1 measurements at indoor, outdoor, and central sites. Harvard personal environmental monitors (HPEM) and personal DataRAMs were used for personal PM2.5 and PM10 monitoring. This paper focuses on relationship between fixed site and personal PM and co-pollutants measurements among susceptible subpopulations. No significant differences in PM and co-pollutants exposures were observed between COPD and healthy subjects. Longitudinal correlation for personal exposures to PM2.5 and alveolar CO concentrations ranged between 0 and 0.78 (median=0.11). Cross-sectionally, central site PM2.5 and PM10 were weakly but significantly related to personal PM2.5 exposures (r=0.17-0.29) in both elderly COPD and healthy sub-populations. The longitudinal correlation coefficients for personal PM2.5 exposures and central site measurements calculated for each subject ranged between 0 and 0.79. The average daily PM2.5 outside the individual home sites was significantly correlated with PM2.5 measured at the central site (R2 = 0.92, slope = 1.00). Using the random component superposition model, we estimated that 40% of the personal PM2.5 exposures could be contributed to ambient sources, while 60% was from non-ambient sources. Exposure models are constructed to determine factors affecting the strengths of the relationships between personal exposures and central site measurements.
This abstract has been reviewed in accordance with US Environmental Protection Agency's peer and administrative review policies and approved for publication.