Grantee Research Project Results

2001 Progress Report: Oxygenated Urban Air Toxics and Asthma Variability in Middle School Children: A Panel Study (ATAC–Air Toxics and Asthma in Children)

EPA Grant Number: R828678C005
Subproject: this is subproject number 005 , established and managed by the Center Director under grant R824834
(EPA does not fund or establish subprojects; EPA awards and manages the overall grant for this center).
Center: Center for Environmental Health Sciences
Center Director: Holian, Andrij
Title: Oxygenated Urban Air Toxics and Asthma Variability in Middle School Children: A Panel Study (ATAC–Air Toxics and Asthma in Children)
Investigators: Delclos, George , Morandi, Maria T. , Lai, Dejian , Sockrider, Marianna , Hanania, Nicola , Abramson, Stuart , Stock, Tom
Institution: The University of Texas at Houston , Baylor College of Medicine
EPA Project Officer: Chung, Serena
Project Period: December 6, 2001 through December 6, 2004 (Extended to December 6, 2005)
Project Period Covered by this Report: December 6, 2001 through December 6, 2002
RFA: Mickey Leland National Urban Air Toxics Research Center (NUATRC) (1997) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Air Quality and Air Toxics , Targeted Research

Objective:

The primary objective of this project is to conduct a prospective, pilot panel study to investigate the association between exposure to oxygenated air toxics (total carbonyl concentration) and asthma health outcomes among labile, persistent asthmatic middle school children in Houston, using a repeat measurement design over a 12-month period. The study population will center on labile, persistent asthmatics on the basis that they are likely to manifest greater variability in health outcomes following exposure to airborne stimuli. Given the highly individual nature of asthma, as well as budget and time constraints, the most efficient study design is one of repeated measures of health outcomes and relevant exposure variables over time, in which each participant serves as her/his own control. Four 1-week measurement periods, for each of the main independent (exposure) and dependent (health outcome) variables, will be performed over a 12-month observation period. Repeat measurement of established confounder variables also will be performed serially over the 12-month period. The results of this study should make an important contribution to the body of knowledge regarding important environmental triggers of asthma in children. Specifically, this is the first effort, to the best of our knowledge, to examine the relationship between measured personal exposure to carbonyl-containing toxic air pollutants and aggravation of asthma. This survey of exposures in a susceptible population is especially important, because very little is known about the variability of microenvironmental levels of these compounds, and the major determinants of concentrations and exposures.

The study objectives are to: (1) evaluate the association between personal air concentrations of total carbonyls and variability of lung function (peak expiratory flow rate and forced expired volume in the first second) in a sample of middle school children with labile, persistent asthma; and (2) evaluate the association between personal air concentrations of total carbonyls and the variability of selected clinical indicators (asthma symptoms and medication use) in a sample of middle school children with labile, persistent asthma.

Progress Summary:

This project was developed in response to RFA 2000-02 entitled: "Association Between Exposures to Oxygenated Air Toxics and Asthma: An Exposure and Health Effects Study of Houston Area School Children." The contract was signed on December 6, 2001. The study is in compliance with the Institutional Review Board of the University of Texas. Human consent procedures meet governmental guidelines.

Future Activities:

Subject recruitment will begin early in 2002. Field data collection and analysis will continue throughout 2002.

Journal Articles:

No journal articles submitted with this report: View all 2 publications for this subproject

Supplemental Keywords:

asthma, children, exposure, air pollution, respiratory disease., RFA, Health, Scientific Discipline, PHYSICAL ASPECTS, Air, INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION, ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT, POLLUTANTS/TOXICS, HUMAN HEALTH, particulate matter, Environmental Chemistry, Health Risk Assessment, air toxics, Exposure, Chemicals, Epidemiology, Risk Assessments, Susceptibility/Sensitive Population/Genetic Susceptibility, Health Effects, Physical Processes, Children's Health, Atmospheric Sciences, Environmental Policy, Biology, Risk Assessment, asthma triggers, asthma, copollutant exposures, sensitive populations, atmospheric particulate matter, urban air, fine particles, PM 2.5, long term exposure, inhaled pollutants, acute cardiovascular effects, acute lung injury, airway disease, air pollution, susceptible subpopulations, cardiac arrest, children, chronic health effects, lung inflammation, particulate exposure, assessment of exposure, human exposure, Acute health effects, inhaled, human susceptibility, children's environmental health, indoor air, Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), air contaminant exposure, air quality, co-pollutants, environmental hazard exposures, toxics, airborne urban contaminants, acute exposure, human health risk

Relevant Websites:

Previously Funded Project: R824834C005

Progress and Final Reports:

Original Abstract

Main Center Abstract and Reports:

R824834 Center for Environmental Health Sciences

Subprojects under this Center: (EPA does not fund or establish subprojects; EPA awards and manages the overall grant for this center).
R824834C001 Air Toxics Exposures Among Teenagers in New York City and Los Angeles - A Columbia-Harvard Study (TEACH)
R824834C002 Cardiopulmonary Response to Particulate Exposure
R824834C003 VOC Exposure in an Industry Impacted Community
R824834C004 A Study of Personal Exposure to Air Toxics Among a Subset of the Residential U.S. Population (VOC Project)
R824834C005 Methods Development Project for a Study of Personal Exposures to Toxic Air Pollutants
R824834C006 Relationship Between Indoor, Outdoor and Personal Air (RIOPA)
R824834C007 Development of the "Leland Legacy" Air Sampling Pump
R824834C008 Source Apportionment of Indoor Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) in Urban Residences
R824834C009 Development of a Personal Cascade Impactor Sampler (PCIS)
R824834C010 Testing the Metals Hypothesis in Spokane
R828678C001 Air Toxics Exposures Among Teenagers in New York City and Los Angeles—A Columbia-Harvard Study (TEACH)
R828678C002 Cardiopulmonary Effects of Metal-Containing Particulate Exposure
R828678C003 VOC Exposure in an Industry Impacted Community
R828678C004 A Study of Personal Exposure to Air Toxics Among a Subset of the Residential U.S. Population (VOC Project)
R828678C005 Oxygenated Urban Air Toxics and Asthma Variability in Middle School Children: A Panel Study (ATAC–Air Toxics and Asthma in Children)
R828678C006 Relationship between Indoor, Outdoor and Personal Air (RIOPA). Part II: Analyses of Concentrations of Particulate Matter Species
R828678C007 Development of the “Leland Legacy” Air Sampling Pump
R828678C008 Source Apportionment of Indoor PAHs in Urban Residences 98-03B
R828678C009 Development of a Personal Cascade Impactor Sampler (PCIS)
R828678C010 Testing the Metals Hypothesis in Spokane
R828678C011 A Pilot Geospatial Analysis of Exposure to Air Pollutants (with Special Attention to Air Toxics) and Hospital Admissions in Harris County, Texas
R828678C012 Impact of Exposure to Urban Air Toxics on Asthma Utilization for the Pediatric Medicaid Population in Dearborn, Michigan
R828678C013 Field Validation of the Sioutas Sampler and Leland Legacy Pump – Joint Project with EPA’s Environmental Technology Validation Program (ETV)
R828678C014 Performance Evaluation of the 3M Charcoal Vapor Monitor for Monitor Low Ambient Concentrations of VOCs
R828678C015 RIOPA Database Development
R828678C016 Contributions of Outdoor PM Sources to Indoor and Personal Exposures: Analysis of PM Species Concentrations” Focused on the PM Speciation and Apportioning of Sources
R828678C017 The Short and Long-Term Respiratory Effects of Exposure to PAHs from Traffic in a Cohort of Asthmatic Children

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