Grantee Research Project Results
2014 Progress Report: UC Berkeley/Stanford Children's Environmental Health Center
EPA Grant Number: R835435Center: Center for Integrative Research on Childhood Leukemia and the Environment - 2015
Center Director: Metayer, Catherine
Title: UC Berkeley/Stanford Children's Environmental Health Center
Investigators: Hammond, S. Katharine , Shaw, Gary M. , Balmes, John R.
Institution: University of California - Berkeley
EPA Project Officer: Hahn, Intaek
Project Period: July 1, 2013 through June 30, 2018 (Extended to June 30, 2019)
Project Period Covered by this Report: July 1, 2013 through June 30,2014
Project Amount: $4,765,843
RFA: Children's Environmental Health and Disease Prevention Research Centers (with NIEHS) (2012) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Children's Health , Human Health
Objective:
Project 1: To advance scientific understanding of the potential environmental etiologies of birth defects and preterm birth.
Project 2: To determine the molecular mechanisms by which immune dysregulation leads to human disease, specifically the atopic diseases of food allergy, allergic rhinitis, allergic conjunctivitis and allergic asthma in the children exposed to high levels of PAHs (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons).
Project 3: The overarching goal of the Obesity/Glucose Dysregulation (OGD) project is to assess whether exposure to outdoor air pollution during childhood contributes to the development of the metabolic syndrome in adults. The specific research-based goals of the peer-reviewed application have not substantively changed.
Project 4: To test the hypothesis that neighborhood characteristics have a direct and quantifiable relationship with an individual’s transit patterns that affect personal exposures to traffic related air pollution (PAHs, PM2.5, and BC).
Community Outreach and Translation Core: The main objective of the COTC is to develop, implement and evaluate strategies to translate the results of the proposed Children’s Health and Air Pollution (CHAPS) projects.
Biostatistics/ Epidemiology Core: To serve as a vital intellectual forum for the development of a structural framework for our specific hypotheses and guidance for efficient analysis strategies and procedures to implement them.
Exposure Core: To assign individual exposures for relevant time-windows, from in utero to the time of last sample collection, for subjects in all four research projects.
Progress Summary:
Project 1: We have obtained IRB approval to conduct all genetic analysis. We have started to develop the list of single nucleotide polymorphisms (and other gene variants) that will be targeted for this inquiry. Our work on this goal is on schedule.
We are ready to use the geocodes of the study population and the spatio-temporal model for PAHs to assign exposure to each of the locations during early pregnancy in the Fresno area. We are also in the process of expanding the geographic area of study where we could assign exposure. Our work on this goal is on schedule.
We have applied the PAH exposure model to the study population within 20km of the central site in Fresno, CA. We analyzed the relationship between PAH during several periods during pregnancy (entire pregnancy, each trimester and last 6 weeks) with categories of gestational age at birth to determine the association between PAH and levels of preterm birth. We found associations between PAH during the last 6 weeks of pregnancy and birth at 20-27 weeks (OR = 2.74; 95% CI: 2.24-3.34) comparing the highest quartile to the lower three quartiles. When examined for an exposure-response, the association increased across each quartile of PAH exposure (Table 3). Inverse associations were also observed for exposure to PAH during the entire pregnancy and the first trimester and birth at 28-31 weeks and 20-27 weeks. We have completed a draft of a manuscript and plan to submit it for publication in the following month. Our work on this goal is ahead of schedule.
We have combined the data from birth certificates with those of the U.S. Census (e.g., poverty, crowding, income, employment) and additional variables obtained for the neighborhood deprivation index. These include geocoded locations of alcohol and cigarette licenses, grocery and convenience stores, parks, daycares and schools. We have begun to explore these variables in relation to air pollutants and preterm birth. Our work on this goal is on schedule.
Project 2: Much of our resources and time have been spent in preparation and revision for IRB submissions, and performing QA/QC on normal control samples. In January, we completed a Site Initiation Visit and training at the UCSF Fresno Field office in preparation for data collection for the Pregnancy/Newborn, 7-year old and Adolescent/Young Adult cohorts. We do not have results of data analysis or key outcomes to report.
Project 3: The major activities of the OGD project during this initial reporting period include the following:
- Submission of an IRB protocol to the UC Berkeley Office for the Protection of Human Subjects;
- Development of relevant questions for inclusion in the combined questionnaire for the Allergy/Immune Dysregulation and OGD projects, which will be administered during the UCSF-Fresno field office visits;
- Consideration of various methods of dietary assessment that resulted in the selection of both a 24-hour recall instrument and a food frequency instrument to collect both covariate (dietary and physical activity) and outcome data (anthropometry and HbA1c);
- Selection of a feasible bioelectrical impedance method for measuring body fat composition (rather than the Tanita scale as originally proposed);
- Consideration of point-of-care methods for measuring HbA1c before deciding to use the UCSF-Fresno Community Hospital clinical laboratory;
- Training of staff at the UCSF-Fresno field site in anthropometry based on NHANES methods;
- Selection of a feasible accelerometer for assessment of child physical activity;
- Decision to measure child blood pressure following the NHANES protocol because hypertension is a major component of the metabolic syndrome in adults;
- Preparation to begin subject recruitment and data collection as early as possible in 2014.
As this is the first year of the research, we do not have results of data analysis or key outcomes to report.
Project 4: Professors Capitman and Zografos collected information on neighborhood assets and liabilities to address the first aim: define neighborhoods within Fresno by characterizing assets (e.g., bus stops/routes, sidewalks, food outlets) and liabilities (e.g., neighborhood foreclosure rate, density of condemned properties, Toxic Release Inventory sites, and high speed surface street traffic) of the local built environment. During year 1, we focused on collecting publically available or purchasing previously collected data to calculate established neighborhood indices for Fresno, the first of which will be walkability indices.
Professors Capitman and Zografos have also developed a Structured Social Observation (SSO) method for use in Fresno. Together they piloted the method and developed appropriate training materials for student interns. During the spring semester, they introduced the method and materials to student interns enrolled in classes at California State University Fresno. They are currently evaluating the outcome of those trainings and observations.
We decided not to convene Focus Groups of pregnant women to talk to them about neighborhood characteristics and transit usage behavior. In speaking more together as a group, and examining our own progress and research in the past years, we agreed that Fresno does not have small subjective neighborhoods that could be discussed and defined by residents. Second, in part due to funding constraints, we elected to defer the discussion, with pregnant women, of potential neighborhood changes until later in the study, after field collection of personal sampling data and analysis of neighborhood assets and liabilities has been completed.
We have been developing materials for both the field sampling campaigns in years 2 and 3, as well as for the pilot study, which will occur during this funding year. Because of the change of personnel from the time of the application, we have revisited our choice of sampling equipment for personal monitoring. First, we evaluated the GPS logging devices available on the market and under ~$200 each. We narrowed our selection to two models – the Super Trackstick GPS and the GlobalSat BT-335. We did field evaluations of these models, comparing ease of use for both subjects and researchers, power considerations, accuracy, and data management. We selected to use the Super Trackstick GPS logger to record time-location (GPS) data. We developed a consent/assent form for this device, as well as an instruction sheet for both interviewers and participants, and a logsheet for internal use. Because we are no longer using the Sensaris EcoSense monitor to collect GPS information, we are evaluating lower-price monitors for PM2.5 collection, including Dust Trak DRX monitors (TSI 8533, 8534).
We have also submitted an IRB protocol to the UC Berkeley Office for the Protection of Human Subjects, California State University Fresno Office for Protection of Human Subjects, and to the EPA Human Subjects officer.
We also participated in development of relevant questions for inclusion in the combined questionnaire for the Allergy/Immune Dysregulation and OGD projects, which will be administered during the UCSF-Fresno field office visits.
Community Outreach and Translation Core: To communicate regularly with the Community Advisory Board (CAB), larger stakeholder network, and public through newsletters, factsheets, the CHAPS-SJV website and social media, quarterly CAB meetings, and an annual symposium/media event(s) to release and discuss Center results.
In this reporting period, the CHAPS Community Outreach & Translation Core (COTC) recruited 7 new members to the Community Advisory Board (CAB) for a total of 14 members. We replaced four P20 CAB members who discontinued their participation due to new work priorities, and created three new slots that reflect the new research question in the P01. We specifically recruited CAB members with expertise and stake in obesity and diabetes, children’s health, and land use/transit planning interests. These new interests combine well with our already represented interests of asthma, environment, and birth outcomes. The newly involved organizations are: Central Valley Chronic Disease Partnership, First 5 Fresno County, Children’s Hospital Central California, Health Net of California, and the Central California Regional Obesity Prevention Program. Jenny Saklar, the COTC Director of Outreach & Communications, is an active participant with organizations represented by CAB members including the Central Valley Air Quality Coalition, Central Valley Health Policy Institute, and Fresno Metro Ministry.
We held an inaugural P01 CAB meeting on Jan. 15, 2014. Thirteen CAB members and 7 CHAPS team members participated in the meeting. Dr. Hammond presented a detailed overview of each of CHAPS’ four research projects and three cores, as well as CAB member roles and responsibilities. Dr. Kari Nadeau disseminated preliminary results regarding the impact of air pollution exposure on immunity. During a discussion that followed these presentations on how the CAB could translate our results into policy, several CAB members expressed their mutual interest in working together to strategize how best to work with legislators and local advocates on issues related to air quality and public health. Several of the represented NGOs expressed frustration with their own education and translation efforts in the past and were excited to work together to devise new solutions. Nine people who attended the meeting indicated that they were interested in forming a subteam on “Environmental Public Health Literacy.” This subcommittee met in February, several subsequent dialogues have occurred, and we are working to further develop this work.
The COTC also worked to fulfill Goal 1 by updating the existing CHAPS website, and creating a Twitter account and a Facebook page in preparation for dissemination of results. In addition to our P01 research projects and prior publications, the website (http://chaps.berkeley.edu/index.html) now includes a CHAPS mission statement, a primer on air quality and health, and a history of other research that our team has done in the San Joaquin Valley. To communicate with potential partners, media outlets, and the general public, we developed a 2-page easy-to-read CHAPS handout that outlines the objectives of each project and core.
To build youth capacity to understand air quality and environmental health hazards and related health outcomes and to communicate and address their concerns through projects.We have developed a relationship with a unique local high school, the Center for Advanced Research and Technology (CART), a partnership of two large school districts in Fresno and Clovis, CA. Eleventh and 12th grade students attend this school for a half-day and attend their home school for the other half day. There are several “majors” or tracks in the school (each student attends one track). During this period, we met with instructors from the following CART tracks to develop project ideas: Environmental Science & Field Research (3 times) Biomedicine (1 time) and Multimedia Digital and Graphic Design (2 times) (See B6 for proposed projects).
To work with FERN to build the capacity of community residents to identify, monitor, report, and address air quality hazards to improve children’s health outcomes, and to work with other local organizations with similar aims. We have represented CHAPS at 5 monthly Fresno Environmental Reporting Network (FERN) meetings during this time period. Ms. Saklar received a diversity scholarship for and participated in the New Partners for Smart Growth hosted by the Local Government Commission (LGC), a nonprofit organization fostering innovation in environmental sustainability, economic prosperity and social equity. Workshops involved topics such as community engagement, air pollution and proximity to traffic, transit and land use and environmental justice.
Through our outreach to and coordination with the media, Valley National Public Radio aired a well-received report on CHAPS on Jan. 28, 2014: Is The Central Valley's Air Pollution Affecting Our Cells And Genes?. The story was shared in the Maddy Institute’s Maddy Daily newsletter, the UC Davis Region Matters newsletter, California Breathing and School Environmental Health and Asthma Collaborative lists, the Central Valley Air Quality Coalition’s listserv (70+ organizations represented), the Central California Asthma Collaborative listserv and numerous UC Berkeley circles. Also of note, in response to the coverage, the Fresno Bee newspaper highlighted the importance of CHAPS in an editorial on behalf of Bus Rapid Transit for the city.
Biostatistics/ Epidemiology Core:
Data Management, Quality Assurance and Oversight of Quality Control:
- All data collection instruments and forms (e.g., consent/assent, laboratory log sheets) for the CHAPS-reentry cohort have been created. Much of the questionnaire content for the CHAPS reentry cohort was piloted in two previous studies (FACES and P20). In collaboration with the Obesity/Glucose Dysregulation Project, and the Administrative Core, we have developed new sections for the P01, related to nutrition and 24-hour diet recall. We have also modified the questionnaires to obtain pertinent data on heating/cooling of residential, school and work location histories to improve exposure models. We have developed protocols and selected activity monitors and GPS devices to get information on physical activity and locations of study subjects. We have completed several pre-tests and one round of training on each of the new sections of the survey. Development of screening protocols and baseline survey questionnaires for the mothers and newborn cohort is also underway. We have purchased a Computer-Assisted Interview program called CASIC Builder, which our interviewers will use for real-time data entry during interviews. We have begun developing CASIC Builder programs to correspond with our current survey format.
- Data will be collected by entering the responses directly into a computer that has been programmed with the questionnaires. CASIC Builder has the capacity for built in logic checks and question skip patterns, which will be used to improve the accuracy of entered data. We have also established a data storage infrastructure to assure data integrity. Data will be stored and later made available to researchers via a Secure Transfer Protocol (SFTP) in which individual collaborators will have differential access to data and read/write capabilities depending on their research needs. As a rule, collaborators will have access to a dataset with the minimum number of identifiers needed for their specific research aim. Only the data manager and QA/QC manager will have access to writeable files; all others investigators will only be able to access read-only files for download and analysis off the main server. No data have been collected at this time. Data collection is scheduled to begin in April 2014. We plan to develop a data distribution plan as data are collected during Year 2. We will use the SFTP site described in Goal 2 above to distribute quality-assured data on regular intervals.
Develop structural framework:
- We have begun to develop DAGs for each specific project. These diagrams will be used to clarify assumptions and identify the confounders we will need to control for in the exposure-response analyses. For example, in collaboration with the project leader and research team of the Atopic Mechanisms project, we developed the DAG presented in Figure 1. This diagram presents the hypothesized pathways by which ambient PAH exposure impacts immune dysfunction (reduced T regulatory cell function) via methylation and affects pulmonary function via inflammation. The DAG also identifies socioeconomic status (SES) as a potential confounder of the PAH effect on pulmonary function. In Figure 2, for the Obesity and glucose dysregulation study, we see the pathways by which ambient air pollutants (AAP) impact BMI and that neighborhood factors may be confounders of that relationship.
Exposure Core:
- Significant progress was made towards the goal of augmenting the continuous fixed site air monitoring. The air monitoring sites in Fresno and Clovis were selected and agreements granting permission to conduct monitoring at the sites through 2018 were negotiated with the site owners. The equipment to augment the air monitoring was acquired and/or refurbished. Specifically, we purchased two new aethalometers to measure black and brown carbon, and we had the instrument manufacturer perform all recommended maintaince on the five ECOCHEM PAS2000 PAH analyzers that are being used in the study. The aethalometers and PAH analyzers were collocated and intercompared prior to deployment at separate stations to establish “prestudy” empirical calibrations for the instruments. The PAH analyzers were installed and operated at three existing air monitoring stations in Fresno and one existing air monitoring station in Clovis. The fifth PAH analyzer is used for collocated monitoring on a rotating basis for 3-month periods per year at each of the four fixed sites. We also installed and operated the aethalometers at existing air monitoring stations in Fresno and Clovis.
- In this reporting period, we developed much of the design for our new integrated PAH samplers that incorporate a system to chill the samples after collection in order to minimize volatilization losses.
- An important element of the periodic sampling campaigns to characterize the spatial patterns of individual PAH across Fresno is the passive PAH sampler. During this reporting period, we designed a passive PAH samplers evaluation study and executed the field data collection portion of the study. This involved collecting passive samples and active reference method samples at a near-road ambient air monitoring station in Oakland, California. The site was selected not only for its high concentrations of primary mobile source constituents but also the expected high proportion of semi-volatile PAH in the near-road environment. The active samples were collected daily (as 24-hr samples) whereas, the passive samples were collected for multiple 2, 3, and 4-day periods in order to evaluate the efficacy of sampling longer than the standard 2-day period. The samples are now in the freezers and scheduled for laboratory analysis.
- During this reporting period, we developed questionnaires for subject’s home characteristics, residential histories, and school histories, mother’s work histories, transit modes and use patterns, time outdoors, and environmental tobacco smoke exposure. The questionnaires consist of questions that have been informative in previous studies and new questions needed to address specific needs of our projects and exposure methodology. The field staff were trained on the administration of the new exposure questionnaires.
- We tested and selected subject location monitoring devices (GPS loggers). We developed the protocol for the selected location monitor, conducted initial field testing of the protocol, and trained field staff on the protocol.
- The exposure core team members participated in center meetings and project meetings to insure that current and planned exposure assessments will meet the needs of the projects and other cores.
Future Activities:
Project 1: We plan to sample the large study of birth defects and choose candidate genes for the genotyping to explore gene-environment interactions with air pollution. We will identify the laboratory that will conduct the genetic assays, we will extract DNA from patient samples, and will complete genetic assays on a sizable proportion of study subjects.
We plan to assign PAH exposures to these study subjects, and will begin analysis of the relationship between PAH and selected birth defects. We plan to submit our findings for publication and will follow up with further analyses. We plan to continue to analyze these data and to report these data at a symposium on causal inference methods at the International Society for Environmental Epidemiology. We will also submit a manuscript for publication once it is completed.
Project 2: We will recruit the adolescent subjects recruited from our previous P20-funded study (CHAPS reentry subjects) at our UCSF-Fresno field site. During this period, we will also be recruiting participants for the birth and young children cohorts: women who are 20-weeks pregnant who come to a UCSF Fresno Community Medical Centers clinic for a pre-natal visit, and parents of 7-year olds who attend a school in the Fresno Unified School District, respectively. Our goal is to recruit at least 340 subjects (435 field office visits) during the upcoming year.
Project 3: We will recruit the adolescent subjects recruited from our previous P20-funded study (“CHAPS reentry” subjects) at our UCSF-Fresno field site. The data to be collected are necessary to accomplish the goals of the OGD project. During this period, we will also be recruiting participants for the birth and young children cohorts: women who are 20-weeks pregnant who come to a UCSF Fresno Community Medical Centers clinic for a pre-natal visit, and parents of 7-year olds who attend a school in the Fresno Unified School District.
Project 4: We will continue to collect and refine publically available data for neighborhood assets and liabilities. Professors Capitman and Zografos, along with student interns will be collaborating to collect more information using the SSO approach as outlined above in both the spring and fall semesters in the 2014-2015 academic year.
After the pilot sampling for air pollution monitoring is completed, a more detailed field sampling study will collect PAHs, PM2.5 and BC using portable continuous monitors during transportation between different locations by different transportation type. As in the pilot, a group of California State University, Fresno student interns will perform the sample collections on specific routes of transit within Fresno. The routes will be chosen to represent major and minor traffic arterials in the Fresno area. The modes of transportation will include driving vehicles equipped with instruments and walking or taking the bus with a stroller equipped with instruments. PM2.5 and BC will be monitored with the EcoSense and MicroAeth, respectively. PAH will be monitored with a portable EcoChem Analytics PAS200CE (League City, TX). The researchers will also use this opportunity to measure additional pollutants of interest linked to transportation including PM1.0, NO, NO2, O3, formaldehyde, total volatile organic compounds, PM2.5 and ultrafine particles measured with Dust Trak DRX monitors (TSI 8533, 8534) and a Condensation Particle Counter (TSI 3007), particle size distribution measured with a GrayWolf 6 Channel Particle Counter (Shelton, CT). The relationship between the PAH, PM2.5 and BC will be used to inform the larger exposure study.
Community Outreach and Translation Core: Next year, we plan to host quarterly CAB meetings and one CAB strategic planning retreat. We will continue to provide organizational support for the CAB subteam on Environmental Public Health Literacy, if deemed an ongoing priority by the research team.
We will continue to work closely with the CART Environmental Science, Biomedicine and Multimedia Laboratory instructors to implement several group projects with 11th and 12th graders. This spring, all of the students from the Multimedia program in digital and graphics design will create CHAPS logos as part of their classwork. We will work with a faculty member from that program and the students with the winning design to finalize the logo. Each spring the Environmental Sciences & Field Research track has Community Action Projects (CAP). Students work with mentors on a research/field project. We are proposing two CAP projects, both associated with Project 4. In one, students would test a passive PAH monitor as a personal monitoring device. Another proposed project would train students to make neighborhood assessments that incorporate both physical and social environments. We also have proposed to give several lectures in both the Environmental Sciences and Biomedicine programs in fall, 2014. Topics may include: clinical analysis of lung function and volume measurements; biomarkers of immune effects; connections between air pollution exposure and metabolic syndrome; utilization of the Fresno Environmental Reporting Network (FERN) to identify and report environmental concerns; the application of statistical analyses; interpretation and display of data.
Biostatistics/ Epidemiology Core:
Data Management, Quality Assurance and Oversight of Quality Control
- The remaining data collection instruments and forms for the newborn cohort and all data collection instruments and forms for the 7-year old cohort will be developed and tested. CASIC Builder programs for all forms for all cohorts will be completed and interviewers will be trained on proper data collection protocol.
- As data collection proceeds, raw data files will be uploaded to a secure UC Berkeley server via SFTP (see Goal #3 accomplishments in B2). Collected data will be run through an extensive quality assurance process on a quarterly basis. Quality assurance will be done by using SAS programs to be developed that verify the validity of responses based on the responses to relative questions. Checks for completion of entry will be done. A readme file will be established for each quarterly output of data. Any outliers or anomalies will be identified in this file.
- Once the data have been quality assured, at regular intervals, to be determined by the investigative team, all data will be collated and issued a version number and date. These data will then be made available to all investigators in a read-only, downloadable data file for analysis. All analyses conducted for presentation and publication must identify the data version in use. All out-of-date, past versions will be archived and can be retrieved when needed.
Develop structural framework for each project
- We will meet with project teams to develop DAGs.
- Each DAG will be described by a set of nonparametric structural equations.
Service to UCB-Stanford and Other P01 Centers
- We will share the DAGs as they are developed for each project with the rest of the research team. The goal will be to promote cohesion and improve efficiency of data collection, analysis and interpretation of epidemiologic data.
Major changes in personnel: Alan Hubbard, who was a key personnel for this core, has found himself overcommitted, and so he has stepped down as co-Lead of the Core; Professor Ellen Eisen, who was previously co-lead, will now lead the Core. Professor Hubbard will be available for consultation as needed throughout the project.
Exposure Core: We are on schedule to complete the design and fabrication of the integrated samplers by summer 2014 as originally planned. Integrated air sampling will be implemented in the second year of the study.
The Exposure Core’s plans for the next year include fully implementing the air monitoring system augmentation, conducting a saturation field study to characterize spatial patterns of individual PAHs across Fresno, instituting location monitoring on subjects for 1-week periods, and acquisition and analysis of historical air quality data for the San Joaquin Valley (SJV) in the 1997-2011 time period. These plans are entirely consistent with our original proposal.
The continuous air monitoring data for PAH, black carbon, and brown carbon will be collected, quality assured, and analyzed on an on-going basis. To fully augment the air monitoring system, we will finish the design, fabricate, test, install, and operate two new integrated PAH samplers. We expect to complete the testing in June and install the samplers in July. Samples will be collected for subsequent laboratory analysis once every 12 days in the warm season and once every 6 days in the cool season.
The PAH saturation experiment will be designed and the field portion executed in the next year. Laboratory analysis of the samples will be partially completed next year. The study design will capitalize on the detailed knowledge of PAH spatial patterns observed in the Fresno Asthmatic Children’s Environment Study (FACES) (2002-2003) and indicators of current suspected PAH sources. The passive PAH sampler evaluation will be completed and the 10 FACES MEMS samplers will be refurbished in the spring and summer in order for all the sampling equipment to be ready for the fall deployment. The spatial sampling campaign will include three 4-day measurement periods using passive samplers for naphthalene at 50 locations. During the same 4-day periods, targeted source-related active monitoring for the 26 PAHs will be conducted to answer specific questions about source strength and PAH distribution. We will measure PAH and OC/EC for 24-hours on 12 days at 12 sites. Two of the sites will be one with the newly designed PAH integrated samplers. The measurements will be made the fall/winter season (Nov-Feb), but we will avoid the winter holiday period since previous research shows atypical residential burning during this period. We selected the fall/winter period because the prevailing meteorological conditions cause the highest concentrations of primary emission species to occur, for both traffic-related pollution and residential biomass burning.
The personal location monitoring will be instituted in the upcoming year. Initially, we planned to collect 3 or 4 weeks of location data on a subset of subjects, as is common in exercise physiology research. After careful consideration of our modeling needs, however, we determined the individual level modeling would benefit more from having a modest amount (~1 week) of data for all willing subjects rather than having extensive data on 20-30% of the subjects. Thus, the personal location monitoring will be implemented with the goal of collecting one week of data on each mother and subject in the study (excluding infants and toddlers). In the next year, there will be up to 340 subjects who will be asked to carry the GPS loggers.
To support the Birth Defects and Preterm Birth project, we will acquire and analyze historical air quality data for the San Joaquin Valley (SJV) in the 1997-2011 time period. These include the routine ambient air quality measurements of ozone, NO, NO2, CO, PM2.5, and PM10 archived in EPA’s Air Quality System (AQS) and selected special study data like those from FACES and California Regional PM10/PM2.5 Air Quality Study (CRPAQS). Analyses will be carried out to estimate historical PAH concentrations in the major SJV urban areas using the limited PAH data collected outside of Fresno, the extensive PAH data collected in Fresno, and their relationships with other routinely measured pollutants (e.g., NO, CO, and elemental carbon).
Journal Articles: 44 Displayed | Download in RIS Format
| Other center views: | All 126 publications | 45 publications in selected types | All 44 journal articles |
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Alcala E, Cisneros R, Capitman JA. Health care access, concentrated poverty, and pediatric asthma hospital care use in California's San Joaquin Valley: a multilevel approach. Journal of Asthma 2017:1-9. |
R835435 (2018) R835435 (Final) |
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Alcala E, Brown P, Capitman JA, Gonzalez M, Cisneros R. Cumulative impact of environmental pollution and population vulnerability on pediatric asthma hospitalizations:a multilevel analysis of CalEnviroScreen. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2019;16(15):2683.. |
R835435 (Final) |
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Alderete TL, Jones RB, Chen Z, Kim JS, Habre R, Lurmann F, Gilliland FD, Goran MI. Exposure to traffic-related air pollution and the composition of the gut microbiota in overweight and obese adolescents. Environmental Research 2018;161:472-478. |
R835435 (Final) R835441 (2018) |
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Cossi M, Zuta S, Padula AM, Gould JB, Stevenson DK, Shaw GM. Role of infant sex in the association between air pollution and preterm birth. Annals of Epidemiology 2015;25(11):874-876. |
R835435 (2015) R835435 (2016) R835435 (2018) R835435 (Final) |
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Gou P, Chang X, Ye Z, Yao Y, Nguyen PK, Hammond SK, Wang J, Liu S. A pilot study comparing T-regulatory cell function among healthy children in different areas of Gansu, China. Environmental Science and Pollution Research 2017;24(28):22579-22586. |
R835435 (Final) |
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Hew KM, Walker AI, Kohli A, Garcia M, Syed A, McDonald-Hyman C, Noth EM, Mann JK, Pratt B, Balmes J, Hammond SK, Eisen EA, Nadeau KC. Childhood exposure to ambient polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons is linked to epigenetic modifications and impaired systemic immunity in T cells. Clinical & Experimental Allergy 2015;45(1):238-248. |
R835435 (2014) R835435 (2015) R835435 (2016) R835435 (Final) R834596 (2012) R834596 (Final) R834596C003 (Final) R834786 (Final) |
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Kohli A, Garcia MA, Miller RL, Maher C, Humblet O, Hammond SK, Nadeau K. Secondhand smoke in combination with ambient air pollution exposure is associated with increased CpG methylation and decreased expression of IFN-γ in T effector cells and Foxp3 in T regulatory cells in children. Clinical Epigenetics 2012;4(1):17 (16 pp.). |
R835435 (Final) R834596 (2011) R834596 (2012) R834596 (Final) R834596C003 (2011) R834596C003 (2012) R834596C003 (Final) R834786 (2012) |
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Kwon J, Weisel CP, Morandi MT, Stock TH. Source proximity and meteorological effects on residential outdoor VOCs in urban areas: results from the Houston and Los Angeles RIOPA studies. Science of the Total Environment 2016;573:954-964. |
R835435 (2018) |
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Lee EY, Lin J, Noth EM, Hammond SK, Nadeau KC, Eisen EA, Balmes JR. Traffic-related air pollution and telomere length in children and adolescents living in Fresno, CA: a pilot study. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine 2017;59(5):446-452. |
R835435 (2018) R835435 (Final) |
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Lessard LN, Alcala E, Capitman JA. Pollution, poverty, and potentially preventable childhood morbidity in central California. The Journal of Pediatrics 2016;168:198-204. |
R835435 (2014) R835435 (2016) R835435 (Final) |
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Liu J, Zhang L, Winterroth LC, Garcia M, Weiman S, Wong JW, Sunwoo JB, Nadeau KC. Epigenetically mediated pathogenic effects of phenanthrene on regulatory T cells. Journal of Toxicology 2013;2013:967029. |
R835435 (Final) R834596 (2012) R834596 (Final) R834596C003 (2012) R834596C003 (Final) R834786 (2012) |
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Mann JK, Balmes JR, Bruckner TA, Mortimer KM, Margolis HG, Pratt B, Hammond SK, Lurmann FW, Tager IB. Short-term effects of air pollution on wheeze in asthmatic children in Fresno, California. Environmental Health Perspectives 2010;118(10):1497-1502. |
R835435 (Final) R834596 (2010) R834596 (2011) R834596 (2012) R834596 (Final) |
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Nadeau K, McDonald-Hyman C, Noth EM, Pratt B, Hammond SK, Balmes J, Tager I. Ambient air pollution impairs regulatory T-cell function in asthma. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology 2010;126(4):845-852.e10. |
R835435 (Final) R834596 (2010) R834596 (2011) R834596C003 (2010) R834596C003 (2011) R834786 (2011) |
Exit Exit |
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Noth EM, SK Hammond, GS Biging, and IB Tager. 2011. A spatial-temporal regression model to predict daily outdoor residential PAH concentrations in an epidemiologic study in Fresno, CA. Atmospheric Environment 2011;45(14):2394-2403. |
R835435 (Final) R828678C017 (Final) |
Exit Exit |
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Noth EM, Hammond SK, Biging GS, Tager IB. Mapping and modeling airborne urban phenanthrene distribution using vegetation biomonitoring. Atmospheric Environment 2013;77:518-524. |
R835435 (Final) R834596 (Final) |
Exit Exit Exit |
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Noth EM, Lurmann F, Northcross A, Perrino C, Vaughn D, Hammond SK. Spatial and temporal distribution of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and elemental carbon in Bakersfield, California. Air Quality, Atmosphere & Health 2016;9(8):899-908. |
R835435 (2016) R835435 (2018) R835435 (Final) |
Exit Exit |
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Ortega Hinojosa AM, MacLeod K, Balmes JR, Jerrett M. Influence of school environments on childhood obesity in California. Environmental Research 2018;166:100-107. |
R835435 (2018) |
Exit Exit Exit |
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Padula AM, Mortimer K, Hubbard A, Lurmann F, Jerrett M, Tager IB. Exposure to traffic-related air pollution during pregnancy and term low birth weight:estimation of causal associations in a semiparametric model. American Journal of Epidemiology 2012;176(9):815. |
R835435 (Final) |
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Padula AM, Tager IB, Carmichael SL, Hammond SK, Yang W, Lurmann F, Shaw GM. Ambient air pollution and traffic exposures and congenital heart defects in the San Joaquin Valley of California. Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology 2013;27(4):329-339. |
R835435 (Final) R834596 (2011) R834596 (2012) R834596 (Final) R834596C002 (2011) R834596C002 (2012) R834596C002 (Final) |
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Padula AM, Tager IB, Carmichael SL, Hammond SK, Lurmann F, Shaw GM. The association of ambient air pollution and traffic exposures with selected congenital anomalies in the San Joaquin Valley of California. American Journal of Epidemiology 2013;177(10):1074-1085. |
R835435 (Final) R834596 (2011) R834596 (2012) R834596 (Final) R834596C002 (2011) R834596C002 (2012) R834596C002 (Final) |
Exit |
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Padula AM, Tager IB, Carmichael SL, Hammond SK, Yang W, Lurmann FW, Shaw GM. Traffic-related air pollution and selected birth defects in the San Joaquin Valley of California. Birth Defects Research, Part A: Clinical and Molecular Teratology 2013;97(11):730-735. |
R835435 (Final) R834596 (2012) R834596 (Final) R834596C002 (2012) R834596C002 (Final) |
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Padula AM, Mortimer KM, Tager IB, Hammond SK, Lurmann FW, Yang W, Stevenson DK, Shaw GM. Traffic-related air pollution and risk of preterm birth in the San Joaquin Valley of California. Annals of Epidemiology 2014;24(12):888-895e4. |
R835435 (2015) R835435 (2016) R835435 (2018) R835435 (Final) R834596 (2012) R834596 (Final) R834596C001 (2012) R834596C001 (Final) |
Exit Exit Exit |
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Padula AM, Noth EM, Hammond SK, Lurmann FW, Yang W, Tager IB, Shaw GM. Exposure to airborne polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons during pregnancy and risk of preterm birth. Environmental Research 2014;135:221-226. |
R835435 (2014) R835435 (2015) R835435 (2016) R835435 (2018) R835435 (Final) |
Exit Exit Exit |
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Padula AM, Balmes JR, Eisen EA, Mann J, Noth EM, Lurmann FW, Pratt B, Tager IB, Nadeau K, Hammond SK. Ambient polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and pulmonary function in children. Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology 2015;25(3):295-302. |
R835435 (2014) R835435 (2015) R835435 (2016) R835435 (Final) R834596 (2012) R834596 (Final) |
Exit Exit |
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Padula AM, Yang W, Carmichael SL, Tager IB, Lurmann FW, Hammond SK, Shaw GM. Air pollution, neighbourhood socioeconomic factors, and neural tube defects in the San Joaquin Valley of California. Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology 2015;29(6):536-545. |
R835435 (2015) R835435 (2016) R835435 (2018) R835435 (Final) |
Exit Exit |
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Padula AM, Yang W, Schultz K, Tom L, Lin B, Carmichael SL, Lammer EJ, Shaw GM. Gene variants as risk factors for gastroschisis. American Journal of Medical Genetics Part A 2016;170(11):2788-2802. |
R835435 (2018) R835435 (Final) |
Exit Exit |
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Padula AM, Yang W, Carmichael SL, Lurmann F, Balmes J, Hammond K, Shaw GM. Air pollution, neighborhood acculturation factors and neural tube defects among Hispanic women in California. Birth Defects Research 2017;109(6):403-422. |
R835435 (2017) R835435 (2018) R835435 (Final) |
Exit Exit |
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Padula AM, Yang W, Schultz K, Lurmann F, Hammond SK, Shaw GM. Genetic variation in biotransformation enzymes, air pollution exposures, and risk of spina bifida. American Journal of Medical Genetics, Part A 2018 May;176(5):1055-1090. |
R835435 (2018) R835435 (Final) |
Exit Exit |
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Prunicki M, Stell L, Dinakarpandian D, de Planell-Saguer M, Lucas RW, Hammond SK, Balmes JR, Zhou X, Paglino T, Sabatti C, Miller RL, Nadeau KC. Exposure to NO2, CO, and PM2.5 is linked to regional DNA methylation differences in asthma. Clinical Epigenetics 2018;10:2. |
R835435 (2018) R835435 (Final) |
Exit Exit Exit |
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Prunicki, M., et al., Exposure to NO2, CO, and PM2.5 Is Linked to Regional DNA Methylation Differences in Asthma (submitted). |
R835435 (2017) |
not available |
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Tager IB, Lurmann FW, Haight T, Alcorn S, Penfold B, Hammond SK. Temporal and spatial patterns of ambient endotoxin concentrations in Fresno, California. Environmental Health Perspectives 2010;118(10):1490-1496. |
R835435 (Final) |
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Zografos K, Krenz V, Yarmo K, Alcala E. College students’ utilization of protective alcohol-use behaviors. Californian Journal of Health Promotion 201;13(1): 49-58. |
R835435 (Final) |
Exit |
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Gale SL, Noth EM, Mann J, Balmes J, Hammond SK, Tager IB. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon exposure and wheeze in a cohort of children with asthma in Fresno, CA. Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology 2012;22(4):3 86. |
R835435 (Final) |
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Syed A, Hew K, Kohli A, Knowlton G, Nadeau KC. Air pollution and epigenetics. Journal of Environmental Protection 2013;4(08):114. |
R835435 (Final) |
not available |
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Sabounchi S, Bollyky J, Nadeau K. Review of environmental impact on the epigenetic regulation of atopic diseases. Current Allergy and Asthma Reports 2015;15(6):33. |
R835435 (Final) |
Exit |
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Quinn C, Miller-Lionberg DD, Klunder KJ, Kwon J, Noth EM, Mehaffy J, Leith D, Magzamen S, Hammond SK, Henry CS, Volckens J. Personal exposure to PM2.5 black carbon and aerosol oxidative potential using an automated microenvironmental aerosol sampler (AMAS). Environmental Science & Technology 2018;52(19):11267-11275. |
R835435 (Final) |
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Weber KA, Yang W, Carmichael SL, Padula AM, Shaw GM. A machine learning approach to investigate potential risk factors for gastroschisis in California. Birth Defects Research 2019;111(4):212-221. |
R835435 (Final) |
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Padula AM, Yang W, Lurmann FW, Balmes J, Hammond SK, Shaw GM. Prenatal exposure to air pollution, maternal diabetes and preterm birth. Environmental Research 2019;170:160-167. |
R835435 (Final) |
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Prunicki M, Zhou X, Nadeau K. The impact of a prescribed burn versus a wildfire on the immune and cardiovascular systems of children. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology 2019;143(2):AB80. |
R835435 (Final) |
Exit Exit |
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Padula AM, Yang W, Schultz K, Lee C, Lurmann F, Hammond SK, Shaw GM. Gene–environment interactions between air pollution and biotransformation enzymes and risk of birth defects. Birth Defects Research 2021; 113(9):676-686. |
R835435 (Final) |
Exit |
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Prunicki, M and Nadeau, K. (2016) The Air We Breathe:How Extreme Weather Conditions Harm Us in Extreme Weather, Health, and Communities:Interdisciplinary Engagement, Springer Publishers. |
R835435 (2017) |
not available |
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Weber KA, Yang W, Lurmann F, Hammond SK, Shaw GM, Padula AM. Air pollution, maternal hypertensive disorders, and preterm birth. Environmental Epidemiology. 2019 Oct 1;3(5):e062. |
R835435 (Final) |
not available |
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Zografos, K; Alcala, E; & Capitman, J. Integrating Research Experiences into Public Health Curricula:Effects on Undergraduate Students’ Overall Educational Experience. To be submitted to:Pedagogy in Health Promotion. |
R835435 (2017) |
not available |
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Zografos K, Alcala E, Capitman J, Khang L. Integrating research experiences into public health curricula:effects on undergraduate students’ knowledge of neighborhood inequalities, perception of research, and motivation to talk about health issues. Pedagogy in Health Promotion 2019:2373379919881469. |
R835435 (Final) |
not available |
Supplemental Keywords:
Air pollution, birth defects, preterm births, neighborhood effects, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, immune function, allergies, BMI, glucose regulation, obesity, neighborhood effect on exposure, spatial temporal modelingRelevant Websites:
http://chaps.berkeley.edu/
Progress and Final Reports:
Original AbstractThe 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.