Grantee Research Project Results

2001 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, 2000 through May 31, 2001
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 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. Due to time constraints and research staff availability this project was initiated just recently. This is a new project under Theme II: Identifying Populations Susceptible to the Health Effects of Particulate Air Pollution.

Progress Summary:

To date, we have analyzed the stored samples for elemental carbon using the reflectance method. Sulfate concentrations were determined by ion chromatography as part of the original Twenty-Four Cities study. Due to the large cost of the x-ray fluorescence (XRF) elemental analysis, we have decided not to pursue these measurements as we had originally proposed. The forthcoming statistical analysis will investigate the air pollution-caused respiratory effects in relation to traffic sources (elemental carbon concentrations) and regional sources (sulfate concentrations).

We have undertaken a collaborative inter-center assessment of the effects of chronic particulate exposures on respiratory health of children. The Harvard Twenty- Four Cities Study assessed respiratory health and particle exposures of 13,364 fourth and fifth grade school children in the United States and Canada between 1988 and 1991. The University of Southern California Children's Health Study has similarly assessed respiratory health and particle exposures of approximately 4,000 fourth and fifth grade school children in twelve communities in Southern California. In coordination with the Southern California Particulate Matter (PM) Center (Drs. John Peters, Robert McConnel, Frank Gillilard, and Ed Avol), we are preparing for a pooled analysis of these two cohorts. We have shipped our spirometers and calibration equipment to Dr. Bill Linn of Rancho Los Amigos, who is conducting a cross calibration of this equipment. We have exchanged questionnaires and have had one meeting to compare health assessments. The Harvard study was designed to assess effects of power plant particles, while the Southern California Study is assessing mobile source particles. The Harvard Study includes one Southern California community (Simi Valley) and two other California sites (Monterey and Livermore). We expect that pooling these studies will greatly improve our ability to assess the relative contribution of power plant versus mobile source particles on respiratory health of children.

Future Activities:

In the coming year, we will continue to examine the effects of particle composition on the respiratory health of children.

Supplemental Keywords:

particulate matter, PM, particle, respiratory, children, ion chromatography, Harvard Twenty-Four Cities Study, Southern California PM Center., 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 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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