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THE ASSOCIATION OF EXPOSURE TO PARTICULATE MATTER AND RELATED AIR POLLUTANTS WITH SPECIFIC HEALTH EFFECTS IN HEALTHY HIGHWAY PATROL OFFICERS
Citation:
Williams, R W., M. Riediker, L S. Sheldon, R B. Devlin, T. Griggs, P A. Bromberg, L Neas, M. Herbst, AND W. Cascio. THE ASSOCIATION OF EXPOSURE TO PARTICULATE MATTER AND RELATED AIR POLLUTANTS WITH SPECIFIC HEALTH EFFECTS IN HEALTHY HIGHWAY PATROL OFFICERS. Presented at Science Forum 2003, Washington, DC, May 5-7, 2003.
Impact/Purpose:
The overall goal of human exposure research in air toxics is to develop the methods, data, and models of exposure that will provide the scientific basis for EPA to move to a risk-based program and that will enhance NATA. Specific objectives for this measurement task are to:
o Characterize exposure concentrations and variability in critical microenvironments using targeted measurement studies;
o Quantify the relationship of personal exposure to ambient and indoor concentrations;
o Identify critical microenvironments, human activities, and factors influencing exposure to air toxics;
o Develop methods to quantify exposure from background, point or area sources, and microenvironmental sources;
o Evaluate aggregate and cumulative exposures.
Description:
Estimated exposures to ambient respirable particulate matter (PM) and related co-pollutants have been statistically associated with mortality and morbidity in epidemiological studies conducted throughout the world. Although some subpopulations (e.g., asthmatics; elderly, pulmonary-or cardiovascular-impaired) appear to be more susceptible to adverse health effects from these exposures, no specific causal agent or precise mechanisms underlying mortality or morbidity have been clearly identified. In an attempt to address this area of uncertainty, the National Exposure Research Laboratory (NERL) and the National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory (NHEERL) successfully collaborated with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the North Carolina Highway Patrol to investigate the potential health effects of mobile source-related exposures on 9 healthy, non-smoking, North Carolina highway patrol officers. Troopers were monitored over a six week period to determine the association between specific mobile-source related air pollutants and changes in select health effect indicators. Troopers are potentially exposed to high levels of mobile source-related air pollutants because they spend a majority of each day traveling in cars on urban roads. Data has provided the first indication that in-vehicle related PM exposures might be associated with discrete changes in cardiovascular, immunological and other physiological measures in healthy adults. These findings may provide insight as to specific air pollutants (and sources) responsible for adverse health effects observed in sensitive subpopulations. This collaboration was shown to be beneficial and necessary, in that it utilized specific resources and talents of each collaborating organization's staff that otherwise would not have permitted the study to have been performed by a single organization.