Grantee Research Project Results
Informing school decision-making during wildfire events: evaluation of indoor PM2.5 exposures and associated health impacts in children
EPA Grant Number: R840232Title: Informing school decision-making during wildfire events: evaluation of indoor PM2.5 exposures and associated health impacts in children
Investigators: Reid, Colleen Elizabeth
Institution: University of Colorado Boulder
EPA Project Officer: Chung, Serena
Project Period: September 1, 2021 through April 23, 2025
Project Amount: $549,919
RFA: Interventions and Communication Strategies to Reduce Health Risks of Wildland Fire Smoke Exposures (2021) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Watersheds , Endocrine Disruptors , Environmental Engineering , Early Career Awards , Air Quality and Air Toxics , Airborne Particulate Matter Health Effects , Wildfires
Objective:
Current guidance states that schools should determine whether to close when impacted by wildfire smoke based on whether schools or children’s homes are likely to have better indoor air quality. Most schools and communities, however, do not have reliable information on PM2.5 levels inside and outside of their schools and homes to inform decisions about where children should shelter. This proposal addresses the first research area of this RFA by collecting data to inform the intervention of whether schools should stay open or closed during wildfire air pollution events. The three objectives of the study are to (1) evaluate to what extent indoor PM2.5 levels at schools are affected by wildfire smoke and which school-level factors influence the infiltration of PM2.5 into schools during wildfire events, (2) compare indoor school PM2.5 levels to indoor PM2.5 levels at students’ homes to inform decision-making related to keeping schools open during wildfire events, and evaluate which home-level factors influence the infiltration of PM2.5 into homes, and (3) assess the relationship between PM2.5 levels inside and outside of schools and children’s respiratory health.
Approach:
We will place low-cost PM2.5 sensors at 20 schools in Denver that already have outdoor low-cost PM2.5 sensing and at 30 homes near those schools per wildfire season (for a total of 90 homes). The low-cost sensors will be initially calibrated against EPA regulatory monitors in Denver. School- and home-level characteristics will be assessed through site visits. We will obtain daily counts of time-stamped asthma rescue medication usage by school from the DPS nurse coordinator and daily symptom reports from students through Qualtrics. We will analyze whether school and home characteristics influence the indoor/outdoor PM2.5 ratios at those locations using ANOVA tests. We will compare indoor school-day PM2.5 concentrations at homes and schools using descriptive statistics and Wilcoxon rank sum tests. Epidemiological analyses of the relationship between PM2.5 concentrations (modeled as a continuous variable and as categorical AQI categories) and two health outcomes (asthma medication usage and reported daily symptoms) will be analyzed with mixed-effects regression models adjusted for relevant confounding variables. Although we expect wildfire smoke to affect air quality in Denver during the three years of our study, we have contingency plans to work with other school districts in the state if they are impacted when Denver is not. Letters of support and intent show the vast network of collaborators for this study across Colorado.
Expected Results:
The findings from this project will inform public health guidance for school districts’ decision making on if (based on school and nearby home characteristics) and when (i.e., at what Air Quality Index (AQI) or PM2.5 concentration levels) schools should close when impacted by wildfire smoke to protect the children’s health.
Supplemental Keywords:
air, health effects, human health, children, particulates, decision making, epidemiology, monitoring, surveys, Colorado (CO)Progress and Final Reports:
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.