Grantee Research Project Results

2004 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, 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:

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

Progress Summary:

The effect of chronic particulate exposures was examined using the Normative Aging Study cohort. In Year 6, we demonstrated that the effect of PM₁₀ on heart rate variability was enhanced in hypertensive individuals (Park, 2005). A follow-up to that study (Schwartz, et al., 2005) has demonstrated that the effect is also enhanced in the obese, and in persons without the gene to manufacture glutathione S transferase M1. Since obesity increases systemic oxidative stress and GSTM1 is an important part of defenses against oxidative stress, this strongly indicates that oxidative stress is an important pathway for the autonomic effects of PM.

While cohort studies have shown much larger effects of PM on mortality than time series studies, some have argued that these are the results of lifetime or very long term exposure. If so, benefits of reducing air pollution will take a long time to appear. To examine this issue we conducted a further 10-year follow-up of the Six City Study. We compared the covariate adjusted mortality rate in each of the six cities in each of the two follow-up periods to the average exposure in each follow-up period. We found that in cities where exposure fell substantially between the two follow-up periods, the covariate adjusted mortality rate fell substantially, whereas if there was little change in exposure, there was little change in the mortality rate. This indicates that the health improvements from reducing PM exposure should be seen relatively soon after reducing PM concentrations in the air (Laden, et al., 200 6).

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	Laden F, Schwartz J, Speizer FE, Dockery DW. Reduction in fine particulate air pollution and mortality:extended follow-up of the Harvard Six Cities Study. American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine 2006;173(6):667-672.	R827353 (Final) R827353C006 (2004) R827353C006 (Final)	Full-text from PubMed Abstract from PubMed Associated PubMed link Full-text: ATS-Full Text HTML Exit Abstract: ATS-Abstract Exit Other: ATS-Full Text PDF Exit

Supplemental Keywords:

exposure, health effects, susceptibility, metals, public policy, biology, engineering, epidemiology, toxicology, environmental chemistry, monitoring, air pollutants, air pollution, air quality, ambient air, ambient air monitoring, ambient air quality, ambient measurement methods, ambient monitoring, ambient particle health effects, ambient particles, animal inhalation study, assessment of exposure, biological mechanism, biological response, cardiopulmonary, cardiopulmonary response, cardiovascular disease, chemical exposure, children, developmental effects, dosimetry, environmental health hazard, exposure and effects, genetic susceptibility, health risks, human exposure, human health, human health effects, human health risk, human susceptibility, indoor air quality, indoor exposure, inhalation, inhalation toxicology, inhaled particles, lead, measurement methods, particle exposure, particulate exposure, particulates, pulmonary, pulmonary disease, respiratory, respiratory disease, risk assessment, sensitive populations, stratospheric ozone,, 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, epidemelogy, respiratory disease, air quality, health risks, Human Health Risk Assessment, epidemeology, indoor air quality, sensitive populations, health effects, human health, inhaled, biological mechanism , pulmonary disease, ambient monitoring, particle size, stratospheric ozone, ambient air monitoring, elderly, indoor exposure, biological response, respiratory, lung cancer, human exposure, measurement methods , measurement methods, chronic effects, genetic susceptibility, chemical exposure, particulate exposure, cardiopulmonary responses, dosimetry, susceptibility, pulmonary, atmospheric monitoring, lung, monitoring, developmental effects, ambient particle health effects, exposure, children, particulates, inhalation toxicology, inhaled particles, molecular epidemiology, environmental health hazard, indoor air, ambient air, air pollutants, toxics, air pollution, cardiovascular disease, human health risk, assessment of exposure, ambient air quality, human health effects, human susceptibility, cardiopulmonary, particle exposure, cardiopulmonary response, interindividual variability, inhalation, ambient measurement methods, exposure and effects

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.