Grantee Research Project Results
Final Report: RIOPA Database Development
EPA Grant Number: R828678C015Subproject: this is subproject number 015 , 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: Health Effects Institute (2005 — 2010)
Center Director: Greenbaum, Daniel S.
Title: RIOPA Database Development
Investigators: Weisel, Clifford P.
Institution: University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey
EPA Project Officer: Chung, Serena
Project Period: January 2, 2001 through December 31, 2007 (Extended to December 31, 2008)
RFA: Targeted Research Center (2004) Recipients Lists
Research Category: Hazardous Waste/Remediation , Targeted Research
Objective:
The goal of this project was to make the rich RIOPA and TEACH data sets more widely accessible by other investigators through the development of a web-based database system.
Summary/Accomplishments (Outputs/Outcomes):
For RIOPA, the project included building the code book, building a web-based data set, building the interface, and addressing the privacy/security issues. The database includes data on VOCs, carbonyls, fine particulates matter mass (PM2.5), organic carbon, elemental carbon, and PAHs measured on 48-hour outdoor, indoor, and personal air samples collected simultaneously. Also included are questionnaire data on homes, neighborhoods, and personal activities, as well as air exchange rates for 300 homes. Data were collected in three cities, during various seasons, from adults and children who resided in these homes, which were located in areas with known outdoor sources of pollution. The locations of these homes will be included to the extent allowed by IRBs to protect confidentiality. Investigators obtained IRB approval from their respective universities before releasing the databases publicly.
For the TEACH (Toxic Exposure Assessment, a Columbia Harvard) study, a database to facilitate data use for further analyses was developed by Environmental Health & Engineering (EH&E, Inc). At the request of NUATRC, AER, Inc., provided a proposal to modify the TEACH database by converting it into a relational organization and making the database available online for further analyses and mining. A major consideration was to make this database similar to the RIOPA database also modified by AER, Inc., so that it would facilitate analyses across different exposure datasets, including RIOPA. The TEACH Study database consists of data from 10 categories: volatile organic compound measurements, aldehyde measurements, particulate matter element measurements, home air exchange rate measurements, home environment questionnaire, student survey questionnaire, and sampling locations. The Data Dictionary and Code book provides definitions and coding schemes for all variable contained in the databases provide by the TEACH Investigators. The TEACH study included data on air monitoring in two cities, New York (NYC) and Los Angeles, and in two seasons per city. During each monitoring campaign, simultaneous personal, home indoor, and home outdoor data were collected over 6 to 9 weeks on a group of 30 or more high school students from non-smoking homes. In addition, simultaneous monitoring was carried out at upwind and urban ambient fixed sites. The data collected for TEACH include indoor, outdoor and personal concentrations as well as time-activity data, air-exchange data, demographic information, and home characteristics information. The study design allowed for the assessment of the spatial and temporal (across days and seasons) variability in concentrations.
Conclusions:
The RIOPA database was successfully tested by RIOPA investigators, members of the Health Effects Institute Research Committee, and members of the NUATRC Scientific Advisory Panel.
The TEACH database was successfully tested by TEACH investigators and members of the NUATRC Scientific Advisory Panel.
The Health Effects Institute released a Request for Applications in the Fall of 2008, and funded 2 studies using the RIOPA database.
The databases are complete and published at: http://riopa.aer.com/ and http://teach.aer.com. A user account is required to access the databases. This can be requested by visiting: http://riopa.aer.com/newaccount.php or http://teach.aer.com/newaccount.php.
Supplemental Keywords:
Asthma, particulate matter, morbidity, airway disease, allergic airway disease, exposure, ozone, respiratory disease, air pollution, human exposure, water quality, environmental tobacco smoke, urban environment, airborne urban contaminants, RFA, Health, PHYSICAL ASPECTS, Scientific Discipline, Ecosystem Protection/Environmental Exposure & Risk, HUMAN HEALTH, Aquatic Ecosystems & Estuarine Research, Genetics, Health Risk Assessment, Risk Assessments, Aquatic Ecosystem, Health Effects, Physical Processes, Biochemistry, asthma, particulate matter, morbidity, airway disease, allergic airway disease, exposure, ozone, respiratory disease, air pollution, human exposure, water quality, environmental tobacco smoke, urban environment, airborne urban contaminantsRelevant Websites:
http://riopa.aer.com/
http://teach.aer.com
Progress and Final Reports:
Original AbstractMain Center Abstract and Reports:
R824834 Health Effects Institute (2005 — 2010) 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
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.