Grantee Research Project Results

2000 Progress Report: Determining the Effects of Particle Characteristics on Respiratory Health of Children

EPA Grant Number: R827353C007
Subproject: this is subproject number 007 , 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: Determining the Effects of Particle Characteristics on Respiratory Health of Children
Investigators: Dockery, Douglas W.
Current Investigators: Dockery, Douglas W. , Luttmann-Gibson, Heike
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, 1999 through May 31, 2000
RFA: Airborne Particulate Matter (PM) Centers (1999) RFA Text |  Recipients Lists
Research Category: Particulate Matter , Air Quality and Air Toxics , Air

Objective:

This project is one of four projects under Theme II: Identifying Populations Susceptible to the Health Effects of Particulate Air Pollution of our proposal. As part of this project we will follow up the Six Cities Study cohort up to 24 years in an effort to assess the cumulative effect of long-term exposures on the incidence of lung cancer, nonmalignant respiratory disease, cardiovascular disease, and cause-specific mortality. Another objective of this project is to estimate the years lost associated with particulate exposure. This project was intended to address Particulate Matter Research Topics 2 and 5 identified by the National Research Council (NRC)—Biologically Important Constituents and Characteristics of Particulate Matter.

The main objective of this project is to examine the effects of particle composition on the respiratory health of children using particle samples collected as part of the Harvard Twenty-Four Cities Study. We previously reported that daily mortality in six U.S. cities was associated with PM2.5 but not with coarse particle mass. We now have used the elemental composition data for these same fine particles to estimate the association of source-specific fine particle mass with daily mortality (Laden et al, 2000). Using factor analysis, we estimated fine particle mass concentrations from soil and crustal material, motor vehicles, coal combustion, and up to two additional factors in each city. In a combined analysis across the six cities, a 10 µg/m³ increase in PM2.5 from mobile sources was associated with a 3.4 percent increase (95 percent CI 1.7 percent to 5.3 percent) in total daily mortality. An equivalent increase in coal combustion PM2.5 was associated with an increase of 1.1 percent (5 percent CI 0.2 percent to 2.0 percent). There was no increase in daily mortality associated with soil or crustal source fine particles.

Progress Summary:

Due to time constrains and research staff availability this project has not been initiated yet. We hope to select and analyze the samples this coming year and do the statistical analysis in the next year.

Future Activities:

We propose to characterize particle exposures of children previously examined in the Twenty-Four and Five Cities studies by analyses of archived filter samples. Based on hypothesized mechanisms responsible for adverse effects, these archived samples would be analyzed for elemental composition by x-ray fluorescence with particular attention to concentrations of metals (Fe, Ni, Cu, Mn, Mg, Vn, Se). The respiratory health status of the participants in these studies has been collected and previously analyzed compared to fine particle and gaseous pollutants. As in the completed daily mortality study described above, we will examine element specific associations as well as estimate associations with source-specific components of the fine particle mass.

Supplemental Keywords:

particulate matter, PM2.5, PM10, air pollutants, particulates, health effects, exposure, ambient particles, susceptibility, metals, public policy, biology, engineering, epidemiology, toxicology, environmental chemistry, monitoring., Health, RFA, Scientific Discipline, Air, Geographic Area, Susceptibility/Sensitive Population/Genetic Susceptibility, Risk Assessments, State, particulate matter, Biology, genetic susceptability, Environmental Chemistry, Epidemiology, Microbiology, Environmental Microbiology, Molecular Biology/Genetics, Children's Health, indoor air, Atmospheric Sciences, Toxicology, air toxics, Environmental Monitoring, air quality, health effects, health risks, Human Health Risk Assessment, indoor air quality, sensitive populations, human health, California (CA), epidemelogy, epidemeology, animal inhalation study, respiratory disease, ambient monitoring, lead, pulmonary disease, biological mechanism , human exposure, indoor exposure, respiratory, risk assessment, ambient air monitoring, biological response, cardiopulmonary responses, dosimetry, monitoring, pulmonary, susceptibility, genetic susceptibility, particulate exposure, chemical exposure, children, exposure, particulates, developmental effects, ambient particle health effects, air pollutants, ambient air, inhaled particles, molecular epidemiology, environmental health hazard, inhalation toxicology, air pollution, ambient air quality, cardiopulmonary, cardiovascular disease, human health effects, human health risk, Georgia (GA), assessment of exposure, human susceptibility, ambient measurement methods, cardiopulmonary response, exposure assessment, inhalation, interindividual variability, PM 2.5, Maryland (MD), Massachusetts (MA), particle exposure

Relevant Websites:

http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/epacenter/homeframe.htm Exit

Progress and Final Reports:

Original Abstract

1999

2001 Progress Report

2002 Progress Report

2003

2004

Final Report

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