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SMALL AIRWAYS FUNCTION RESPONSE IN SMOKERS AND PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE LUNG DISEASE FOLLOWING EXPOSURE TO CONCENTRATED AMBIENT AIR PARTICLES
Impact/Purpose:
These studies will provide important information to the EPA as to whether smokers (with or without accompanying pulmonary disease) are more susceptible to particulate matter (PM) than healthy people of similar ages. Specifically, this work will support efforts to (1): Identify factors of susceptibility and describe mechanisms of health effects of acute PM exposures in susceptible subgroups, and (2) Describe the health effects of concentrated ambient air particles in humans with pulmonary disease.
Description:
Numerous field and epidemiological studies have shown significant associations between particulate matter (PM) exposure and various morbidity outcomes including hospital admissions for bronchitis and asthma. These population based studies indicate that persons with chronic obstructive lung disease (COPD) show increased susceptibility to PM exposure. The objective of this research study is to evaluate and characterize the cardiopulmonary response of persons with minimal to mild COPD following controlled exposure to concentrated ambient fine air particles. Since virtually all people with COPD are heavy lifelong smokers, a preliminary study (for safety reasons) is currently being conducted in which lifelong smokers who have not (yet) developed overt pulmonary disease are exposed to concentrated air particles (CAPS) and a number of cardio-pulmonary changes assessed. We hypothesize that smoking for many years has caused physiological changes in the lungs of these people that renders them more susceptible to PM. Following the completion of this study, we will consider exposing persons with mild COPD to CAPS to determine whether they are more susceptible than smokers without overt evidence of airflow obstruction(i.e. does smoking-induced progression of pulmonary disease render an individual more susceptible to PM?). These results will be compared with results from a similar study of people with COPD exposed to Los Angeles CAPS (we are performing all the cardiac and vascular measurements in that study).