Grantee Research Project Results

Prospective Study of Atherosclerosis, Clinical Cardiovascular Disease, and Long-Term Exposure to Ambient Particulate Matter and Other Air Pollutants in a Multi-Ethnic Cohort (MESA Air)

EPA Grant Number: R831697
Title: Prospective Study of Atherosclerosis, Clinical Cardiovascular Disease, and Long-Term Exposure to Ambient Particulate Matter and Other Air Pollutants in a Multi-Ethnic Cohort (MESA Air)
Investigators: Kaufman, Joel D. , Sheppard, Lianne (Elizabeth) A. , Barr, R. Graham , Liu, Kiang J. , Burke, Gregory L. , Kinney, Patrick L. , Diez Roux, Ana V. , Larson, Timothy V. , Folsom, Aaron , Astor, Brad , OLeary, Daniel , Siscovick, David , Jacobs, David , Daviglus, Martha , Saad, Mohammed , Gross, Myron , Seixas, Noah , Sampson, Paul , Kronmal, Richard , Detrano, Robert , Liu, Sally , Shea, Steven , Lumley, Thomas , Nyerges, Timothy , Wang, Yinhai
Current Investigators: Kaufman, Joel D. , Sheppard, Lianne (Elizabeth) A. , Adar, Sara D. , Barr, R. Graham , Liu, Kiang J. , Burke, Gregory L. , Diez Roux, Ana V. , Larson, Timothy V. , Szpiro, Adam , Navas-Acien, Ana , Siscovick, David , Jacobs, David , Goldstein, James , Watson, Karol , Daviglus, Martha , Budoff, Matthew , Sampson, Paul , Kronmal, Richard
Institution: University of Washington , Northwestern University , Tufts University , University of California - Los Angeles , The Johns Hopkins University , Columbia University in the City of New York , University of Minnesota , University of Vermont , University of Michigan , Wake Forest University
Current Institution: University of Washington , Columbia University in the City of New York , Northwestern University , Tellus Institute , The Johns Hopkins University , University of California - Los Angeles , University of Michigan , University of Minnesota
EPA Project Officer: Chung, Serena
Project Period: August 1, 2004 through July 31, 2014
Project Amount: $32,999,090
RFA: Epidemiologic Research on Health Effects of Long-Term Exposure to Ambient Particulate Matter and Other Air Pollutants (2003) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Air Quality and Air Toxics , Human Health , Particulate Matter , Air

Objective:

The proposal has two general aims:

To prospectively examine the relation between an individual level assessment of long-term ambient air pollution exposures (including PM2.5 and gaseous co-pollutants) and progression of subclinical cardiovascular disease in a multi-city, multi-ethnic cohort, by repeated assessment of coronary artery calcification, intima-media thickness of the common carotid artery, and plasma markers of inflammation, oxidative stress, and endothelial activation, and;
To prospectively examine the relation between an individual level assessment of long-term ambient air pollution exposures and the incidence of cardiovascular disease, including myocardial infarction and cardiovascular death.

Approach:

8700 subjects aged 50-89 (6600 enrolled in the NHLBI-funded Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis, 300 recruited specifically for this study, and 1800 recruited for the MESA Family Study) will be followed over the 10-year project period for the occurrence of cardiovascular disease events. Long-term individual-level exposure to ambient air pollutants for each subject will be assessed using community-scale monitoring, outdoor spatial variation, subject proximity to pollution sources, pollutants infiltration efficiency, and personal time-activity information. The exposure models will be validated using detailed monitoring in a subset of subjects. On two occasions, 3600 subjects residing in nine locales will undergo computed tomography scanning to assess presence and extent of coronary artery calcification (CAC), and ultrasound of the carotid artery to determine intima-media thickness (IMT); CAC and IMT are validated subclinical measures of components of atherosclerosis. Plasma markers of inflammation, oxidative damage, and endothelial function in 720 subjects will be obtained. The study will assess if ambient air pollution (e.g., long-term exposure to PM2.5) is associated with changes over time in subclinical measures of atherosclerosis and plasma markers of inflammation, oxidative damage, and endothelial activation in a longitudinal data model, adjusting for age, race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and specific cardiovascular risk factors (such as diabetes, hypertension, smoking, and diet). Similarly, the study will assess if the incidence of cardiovascular events is associated with long-term exposure to ambient air pollution, using a proportional hazards model. The study will also assess the relation between air pollutants and cardiovascular disease using alternate exposure metrics focusing on ultrafine particle number counts, chemical composition of particles, and aldehydes. The study includes refinement of statistical tools, and explores joint/independent effects of acute and long-term pollutant exposure in the occurrence of cardiovascular disease.

Expected Results:

This study will provide new and critically important information to understand the relation between ambient air pollution and cardiovascular morbidity and mortality.

Publications and Presentations:

Publications have been submitted on this project: View all 300 publications for this project

Journal Articles:

Journal Articles have been submitted on this project: View all 175 journal articles for this project

Supplemental Keywords:

epidemiology, health effects, human health., RFA, Scientific Discipline, Health, PHYSICAL ASPECTS, Air, particulate matter, Health Risk Assessment, Epidemiology, Risk Assessments, Biochemistry, Physical Processes, ambient aerosol, lung injury, long term exposure, lung disease, airway disease, exposure, airborne particulate matter, atherosclerosis, cardiovascular vulnerability, ambient particle health effects, human exposure, epidemiological studies, aersol particles, cardiovascular disease

Progress and Final Reports:

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.