Grantee Research Project Results
2023 Progress Report: Early Life Vulnerability to Climate-driven Wildfire Events on Pregnancy and Child Developmental Health Outcomes in Underserved Populations
EPA Grant Number: R840484Title: Early Life Vulnerability to Climate-driven Wildfire Events on Pregnancy and Child Developmental Health Outcomes in Underserved Populations
Investigators: Schmidt, Rebecca , Corsi, Richard L. , Kleeman, Michael J. , Nuno, Miriam , Conlon, Kathryn , Raffuse, Sean , Bennett, Deborah , Hertz-Piccotto, Irva , Taiwo, Tanya Khemet , Rtiz, Beate , Sossa, Natalia Deeb
Institution: University of California Davis , University of California - Los Angeles
EPA Project Officer: Hahn, Intaek
Project Period: September 1, 2022 through August 31, 2025
Project Period Covered by this Report: September 1, 2022 through August 31,2023
Project Amount: $1,349,979
RFA: Cumulative Health Impacts at the Intersection of Climate Change, Environmental Justice, and Vulnerable Populations/Lifestages: Community-Based Research for Solutions (2021) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Human Health , Environmental Justice
Objective:
Our research, guided by community-based participatory research principles with culturally and linguistically appropriate approaches, will address parent concerns by identifying which populations are most impacted by wildfire-associated air pollution exposures and whether these exposures increase risk for adverse birth and child neurodevelopmental outcomes. We will determine critical periods of developmental susceptibility and vulnerability factors that compound risk, in order to identify who would benefit most from education and resources for exposure mitigation. Partnership with community members will inform culturally relevant research questions, aid with the interpretation and dissemination of results, guide education efforts and interventions to help mitigate wildfire smoke exposure, and to promote good health in children.
Progress Summary:
We submitted a comprehensive Project Management and Quality Assurance Plan for approval in April 2023. We received IRB approval of exempt status from UCD IRB on 11/03/2022. The UCLA collaborators obtained IRB approval for this project to be added to their current birth records linkage study on 08/24/2022 and obtained state birth records and California Department of Developmental Services data for years 2000-2022. We discussed across the team how to best prepare to link other data to these data and geocoded addresses. Fire emissions were estimated by Sean Raffuse and shared with Dr. Kleeman. Dr. Kleeman is leading Chemical Transport Model (CTM) simulations for California for the years 2000 through 2021 with 24km resolution (statewide) and 4km resolution (Southern California and central California). Dr. Jason Su at UC Berkeley, generated and shared the air pollution estimates using LUR models for years 2000-2021 in December. Daily exposures were assigned using these surfaces and averaged for the relevant exposure periods. ACS 5-year datasets for 2000 and 2009 to 2021 were downloaded, along with ACS geospatial data for the corresponding years at the tract level, and CalEnviroScreen for 2021, 2017, 2014, and 2013. We created data dictionaries for each dataset and ACS data was merged with the other datasets using ArcGIS. These were shared with the UCLA team via a shared Box folder. ACS 1-year datasets for 2001-2008 were downloaded at the county level and are being prepared for analysis. We met with existing community partners (CP) and the CP liaisons for Knights Landing and March of Dimes. We developed a 1-pager for the lay public and CPs describing the study goals and a job description with a lay description of the role for CPs. After receiving feedback from community members on another project that some populations find the box fan filters too big, noisy and cumbersome to use regularly in their homes, we are planning to hold off on implementing Community Education Sessions until we work with our CPs to discuss alternative air cleaning strategies. We made a number of connections with new potential CPs.
Future Activities:
We plan to conduct statistical analysis for Objectives 1-3 this year. For Objective 1, we will determine which geographic areas and families were exposed to the highest wildfire air pollution concentrations for California in years 2000-2021, and examine co-occurrence with other environmental and contextual factors that could increase vulnerability. For Objective 2, we will examine wildfire-specific air pollution exposures in preconception and each trimester of pregnancy in association with birth weight and gestational age, and whether these associations are modified by background environmental, neighborhood, and contextual factors. For Objective 3, we will evaluate perinatal and early childhood wildfire-specific air pollution exposures in association with neurodevelopmental outcomes, including ASD and DD, and whether these associations are modified by background environmental, neighborhood, and contextual factors. Community partner (CP) engagement and activities for Objective 4 will expand after the results on most impacted communities are available. We have met with current CPs and developed a plan for new CPs. Our community partners and pregnant people will inform how to best interpret and disseminate research results, and facilitate educational campaigns and tools in vulnerable populations to help mitigate wildfire smoke exposure and to promote good health in children.
Journal Articles:
No journal articles submitted with this report: View all 3 publications for this projectSupplemental Keywords:
Environmental justice, exposure mitigation, environmental education, air filtrationThe 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.