Grantee Research Project Results

2003 Progress Report: Assessing Life-Shortening Associated with Exposure to Particulate Matter

EPA Grant Number: R827353C005
Subproject: this is subproject number 005 , 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: Assessing Life-Shortening Associated with Exposure to Particulate Matter
Investigators: Schwartz, Joel
Current Investigators: Schwartz, Joel , Bateson, Thomas F , Zanobetti, Antonella , Coull, Brent , O'Neill, M.
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, 2003 through May 31, 2004
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:

During the first 2 years of this project, the research dealt with issues related to harvesting. The objective for the next year is to develop statistical methods for investigating confounding, dose-response relationships, and other particle health effects issues.

This is one of 10 projects funded by the Center. The progress for the other nine projects is reported separately (see reports for R827353C001 through R827353C004, and R827353C006 through R827353C011).

Progress Summary:

We continued analyses investigating harvesting in 10 European cities by examining all cause, respiratory, and cardiovascular deaths for all ages and stratifying by age groups. Our research project confirms that most of the effect of air pollution is not simply advanced by a few weeks and that effects persist for more than 1 month after exposure. We found that the effect size estimate for PM10 doubles when longer term effects for all mortality and cardiovascular mortality were considered and becomes five times higher for respiratory mortality. We found similar effects when stratifying by age groups (Zanobetti, et al., 2003).

A great deal of work was focused on the reanalysis of all of the previous studies that used generalized additive models to assess particulate matter (PM) health outcomes. In particular, recent work has shown that current approaches misestimate the standard errors of parametric terms when controlling for smooth functions, and this has raised questions about the entire approach. In addition to reanalyzing these data using different convergence criteria and natural splines, we have developed alternative approaches, including the penalized spline method (Zanobetti and Schwartz, 2003c). The results of the reanalysis did not change substantially from previously reported results (Schwartz, et al., 2003; Zanobetti and Schwartz, 2003b; Zanobetti and Schwartz, 2003c).

Future Activities:

We will continue to develop statistical methods for investigating confounding, dose-response relationships, and other particle health effects issues.

Journal Articles on this Report : 9 Displayed | Download in RIS Format

Publications Views
Other subproject views:	All 22 publications	22 publications in selected types	All 22 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	Bateson TF, Schwartz J. Selection bias and confounding in case-crossover analyses of environmental time-series data. Epidemiology 2001;12(6):654-661.	R827353 (Final) R827353C004 (2002) R827353C004 (2003) R827353C004 (2004) R827353C004 (Final) R827353C005 (2001) R827353C005 (2002) R827353C005 (2003) R827353C005 (Final)	Abstract from PubMed Full-text: Epidemiology-Full Text HTML Exit Abstract: Epidemiology-Abstract Exit Other: Epidemiology-Full Text PDF Exit
Journal Article	Braga ALF, Zanobetti A, Schwartz J. Do respiratory epidemics confound the association between air pollution and daily deaths? European Respiratory Journal 2000;16(4):723-728.	R827353 (Final) R827353C005 (2000) R827353C005 (2002) R827353C005 (2003) R827353C005 (Final)	Abstract from PubMed Full-text: European Respiratory Journal-Full Text PDF Exit Abstract: European Respiratory Journal-Abstract Exit
Journal Article	Braga ALF, Zanobetti A, Schwartz J. The lag structure between particulate air pollution and respiratory and cardiovascular deaths in 10 US cities. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine 2001;43(11):927-933.	R827353 (Final) R827353C005 (2001) R827353C005 (2002) R827353C005 (2003) R827353C005 (Final)	Abstract from PubMed Full-text: ResearchGate-Full Text PDF Exit Abstract: JOEM-Abstract Exit
Journal Article	Dockery DW. Epidemiologic evidence of cardiovascular effects of particulate air pollution. Environmental Health Perspectives 2001;109(Suppl 4):483-486.	R827353 (Final) R827353C005 (2002) R827353C005 (2003) R827353C005 (Final)	Full-text from PubMed Abstract from PubMed Associated PubMed link
Journal Article	Goodman PG, Dockery DW, Clancy L. Cause-specific mortality and the extended effects of particulate pollution and temperature exposure. Environmental Health Perspectives 2004;112(2):179-185.	R827353 (Final) R827353C005 (2003) R827353C005 (Final) R827353C006 (Final)	Full-text from PubMed Abstract from PubMed
Journal Article	O'Neill MS, Loomis D, Borja Aburto VH, Gold D, Hertz-Picciotto I, Castillejos M. Do associations between airborne particles and daily mortality in Mexico City differ by measurement method, region, or modeling strategy? Journal of Exposure Analysis and Environmental Epidemiology 2004;14(6):429-439.	R827353 (Final) R827353C005 (2003) R827353C005 (Final)	Abstract from PubMed Full-text: Nature-Full Text PDF Exit Abstract: Nature-Abstract & Full Text HTML Exit Other: Research Gate-Abstract & Full Text Exit
Journal Article	Schwartz J, Zanobetti A. Using meta-smoothing to estimate dose-response trends across multiple studies, with application to air pollution and daily death. Epidemiology 2000;11(6):666-672.	R827353 (Final) R827353C005 (2000) R827353C005 (2002) R827353C005 (2003) R827353C005 (Final)	Abstract from PubMed Full-text: Epidemiology-Full Text HTML Exit Abstract: Epidemiology-Abstract & PDF Link Exit Other: Epidemiology-Full Text PDF Exit
Journal Article	Schwartz J, Ballester F, Saez M, Perez-Hoyos S, Bellido J, Cambra K, Arribas F, Canada A, Perez-Boillos MJ, Sunyer J. The concentration-response relation between air pollution and daily deaths. Environmental Health Perspectives 2001;109(10):1001-1006.	R827353 (Final) R827353C005 (2000) R827353C005 (2002) R827353C005 (2003) R827353C005 (Final)	Full-text from PubMed Abstract from PubMed Associated PubMed link
Journal Article	Zanobetti A, Schwartz J. Cardiovascular damage by airborne particles:are diabetics more susceptible? Epidemiology 2002;13(5):588-592.	R827353 (Final) R827353C004 (2001) R827353C004 (2002) R827353C004 (2003) R827353C004 (Final) R827353C005 (2003) R827353C005 (Final)	Abstract from PubMed Full-text: Epidemiology-Full Text HTML Exit Abstract: Epidemiology-Abstract Exit Other: Epidemiology-Full Text PDF Exit

Supplemental Keywords:

exposure, health effects, susceptibility, mortality, cardiovascular mortality, biology, epidemiology, toxicology, air pollutants, air pollution, air quality, ambient air, ambient air monitoring, ambient air quality, ambient monitoring, ambient particle health effects, ambient particles, exposure assessment, biological mechanism, biological response, cardiopulmonary, cardiopulmonary response, cardiovascular disease, chemical exposure, environmental health hazard, exposure and effects, health risks, human exposure, human health, human health effects, human health risk, human susceptibility, indoor air quality, indoor exposure, outdoor exposure, inhalation, inhalation toxicology, inhaled particles, particle exposure, particulate exposure, particulates, pulmonary, pulmonary disease, respiratory, respiratory disease, risk assessment, sensitive populations., RFA, Health, Air, Scientific Discipline, Geographic Area, Susceptibility/Sensitive Population/Genetic Susceptibility, Risk Assessments, State, particulate matter, Biology, genetic susceptability, Environmental Chemistry, Epidemiology, Microbiology, Environmental Microbiology, Molecular Biology/Genetics, Atmospheric Sciences, Toxicology, Environmental Engineering, Environmental Monitoring, air quality, health risks, Human Health Risk Assessment, indoor air quality, sensitive populations, epidemelogy, respiratory disease, pulmonary disease, biological mechanism , elderly, human exposure, indoor exposure, respiratory, risk assessment, ambient air monitoring, lung cancer, cardiopulmonary responses, dosimetry, pulmonary, genetic susceptibility, particulate exposure, chemical exposure, children, exposure, particulates, developmental effects, ambient particle health effects, inhaled particles, molecular epidemiology, Illinois (IL), toxics, inhalation toxicology, air pollution, ambient air quality, cardiovascular disease, human health effects, human health risk, Connecticut (CT), human susceptibility, pre-existing conditions, ambient measurement methods, cardiopulmonary response, inhalation, interindividual variability, Massachusetts (MA), Utah (UT), particle exposure

Relevant Websites:

https://cfserver.hsph.harvard.edu/cfdocs/eer/epa/ 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.