Grantee Research Project Results

2002 Progress Report: Investigating Chronic Effects of Exposure to Particulate Matter

EPA Grant Number: R827353C006
Subproject: this is subproject number 006 , established and managed by the Center Director under grant R827353
(EPA does not fund or establish subprojects; EPA awards and manages the overall grant for this center).
Center: Health Effects Institute (2015 - 2020)
Center Director: Greenbaum, Daniel S.
Title: Investigating Chronic Effects of Exposure to Particulate Matter
Investigators: Dockery, Douglas W.
Current Investigators: Dockery, Douglas W. , Laden, Francine , Schwartz, Joel
Institution: Harvard University
EPA Project Officer: Chung, Serena
Project Period: June 1, 1999 through May 31, 2005 (Extended to May 31, 2006)
Project Period Covered by this Report: June 1, 2001 through May 31, 2002
Project Amount: Refer to main center abstract for funding details.
RFA: Airborne Particulate Matter (PM) Centers (1999) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Particulate Matter , Air Quality and Air Toxics , Air

Objective:

The objective of this research project is to assess the cumulative effect of long-term exposures to particulate matter (PM).

Progress Summary:

We have followed up with the Six Cities Study cohort in an effort to assess the cumulative effect of long-term exposures on the incidence of lung cancer, nonmalignant respiratory disease, cardiovascular disease, and cause-specific mortality. More specifically, vital status was determined for the 8,111 participants in the Harvard Six Cities adult cohort for an additional 9 years of followup (1990-1998). We identified 1,430 additional deaths bringing the total to 2,737 deaths. Survival analyses of all-cause mortality shows that life expectancy continues to be reduced in the more polluted cities, with the survival relative ranking being the same as that observed in the original study. During the followup-period, 1990-1998, air pollution levels decreased in two of the cities, while they remained about the same in the other four. Accordingly, the relative risk from mortality decreased in these same two cities as compared to the other four. This project has been completed; however, elemental carbon data may be provided by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which will make it possible to relate morbidity and mortality outcomes to tracers of traffic and power plant emissions. A paper is in preparation by Laden, et al., and an abstract was presented at the 2002 International Society for Environmental Epidemiology Meeting.

We have completed an analysis of the effects of control of particulate air pollution on mortality in Dublin, Ireland (Clancy et al., 2002). Because of high particulate (Black Smoke) levels, the Irish government banned the sale of coal within the city of Dublin as of September 1990. We showed that mean Black Smoke concentrations dropped by 36 µg/m³ following the ban. After adjusting for the age distribution of the population, weather, influenza epidemics, and background mortality in the rest of Ireland, Dublin total mortality rates dropped by 6 percent, respiratory mortality rates dropped by 16 percent, and cardiovascular mortality rates dropped by 10 percent. This analysis is being extended to other Irish cities that subsequently banned coal sales.

References:

Lippman M, Frampton M, Schwartz J, Dockery DW, Schlesinger R, Koutrakis P, Froines J. The EPA's particulate matter (PM) health effects research centers program: a mid-course (2 1/2 year) report of status, progress, and plans. Environmental Health Perspectives (in press, 2003).

Future Activities:

Future activities include the assessment of the effects of chronic air pollution exposures (using ambient measurements and geographic information systems) on the incidence of disease among participants in ongoing chronic disease studies based on national samples. In the past year of the project, we have added two new investigators who currently are exploring different modeling approaches to assess chronic exposures. To date, the results are very encouraging and it is anticipated that these efforts will be continued over the next 2 years. There are no plans for the collection of health data, because this project will focus exclusively on exposure assessment.

Journal Articles on this Report : 1 Displayed | Download in RIS Format

Publications Views
Other subproject views:	All 4 publications	4 publications in selected types	All 4 journal articles
Other center views:	All 207 publications	205 publications in selected types	All 204 journal articles

Publications
Type	Citation	Sub Project	Document Sources
Journal Article	Clancy L, Goodman P, Sinclair H, Dockery DW. Effect of air-pollution control on death rates in Dublin, Ireland:an intervention study. Lancet 2002;360(9341):1210-1214.	R827353 (Final) R827353C006 (2001) R827353C006 (2002) R827353C006 (2003) R827353C006 (Final)	Abstract from PubMed Full-text: ScienceDirect-Full Text HTML Exit Abstract: Lancet-Abstract Exit Other: ScienceDirect-Full Text PDF Exit

Supplemental Keywords:

air pollution, air pollutants, particulates, particles, fine particulates, PM, PM2.5, exposure, health effects, Harvard Six Cities Study, lung cancer, nonmalignant respiratory disease, cardiovascular disease, mortality, pulmonary disease, urban air, elemental carbon, morbidity, traffic emissions, power plant emissions, Ireland, Dublin, black smoke, respiratory mortality, cardiovascular mortality., Health, RFA, Air, Scientific Discipline, PHYSICAL ASPECTS, ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT, Susceptibility/Sensitive Population/Genetic Susceptibility, Physical Processes, Risk Assessments, particulate matter, Biology, genetic susceptability, Environmental Chemistry, Epidemiology, tropospheric ozone, Microbiology, Environmental Microbiology, Molecular Biology/Genetics, Children's Health, Atmospheric Sciences, Toxicology, air toxics, Environmental Engineering, Environmental Monitoring, Risk Assessment, air quality, health effects, health risks, Human Health Risk Assessment, indoor air quality, inhaled, sensitive populations, human health, epidemelogy, epidemeology, respiratory disease, ambient monitoring, particle size, pulmonary disease, stratospheric ozone, biological mechanism , elderly, human exposure, indoor exposure, respiratory, measurement methods, ambient air monitoring, lung cancer, measurement methods , biological response, cardiopulmonary responses, chronic effects, dosimetry, lung, monitoring, pulmonary, susceptibility, genetic susceptibility, atmospheric monitoring, particulate exposure, chemical exposure, children, exposure, particulates, developmental effects, ambient particle health effects, air pollutants, ambient air, indoor air, inhaled particles, molecular epidemiology, toxics, environmental health hazard, inhalation toxicology, air pollution, ambient air quality, cardiopulmonary, cardiovascular disease, human health effects, human health risk, assessment of exposure, human susceptibility, ambient measurement methods, cardiopulmonary response, exposure assessment, inhalation, interindividual variability, particle exposure

Relevant Websites:

http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/epacenter/ Exit

Progress and Final Reports:

Original Abstract

Main Center Abstract and Reports:

R827353 Health Effects Institute (2015 - 2020)

Subprojects under this Center: (EPA does not fund or establish subprojects; EPA awards and manages the overall grant for this center).
R827353C001 Assessing Human Exposures to Particulate and Gaseous Air Pollutants
R827353C002 Quantifying Exposure Error and its Effect on Epidemiological Studies
R827353C003 St. Louis Bus, Steubenville and Atlanta Studies
R827353C004 Examining Conditions That Predispose Towards Acute Adverse Effects of Particulate Exposures
R827353C005 Assessing Life-Shortening Associated with Exposure to Particulate Matter
R827353C006 Investigating Chronic Effects of Exposure to Particulate Matter
R827353C007 Determining the Effects of Particle Characteristics on Respiratory Health of Children
R827353C008 Differentiating the Roles of Particle Size, Particle Composition, and Gaseous Co-Pollutants on Cardiac Ischemia
R827353C009 Assessing Deposition of Ambient Particles in the Lung
R827353C010 Relating Changes in Blood Viscosity, Other Clotting Parameters, Heart Rate, and Heart Rate Variability to Particulate and Criteria Gas Exposures
R827353C011 Studies of Oxidant Mechanisms
R827353C012 Modeling Relationships Between Mobile Source Particle Emissions and Population Exposures
R827353C013 Toxicological Evaluation of Realistic Emissions of Source Aerosols (TERESA) Study
R827353C014 Identifying the Physical and Chemical Properties of Particulate Matter Responsible for the Observed Adverse Health Effects
R827353C015 Research Coordination Core
R827353C016 Analytical and Facilities Core
R827353C017 Technology Development and Transfer Core

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The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.