Grantee Research Project Results
2011 Progress Report: Effects-Based Cumulative Risk Assessment in a Low-Income Urban Community near a Superfund Site
EPA Grant Number: R834577Title: Effects-Based Cumulative Risk Assessment in a Low-Income Urban Community near a Superfund Site
Investigators: Levy, Jonathan , Korrick, Susan A. , Hammitt, James K. , Subramanian, S V , Fuentes, Freddie , Sexton, Ken , Ezzati, Majid , Rosario, Maria , French, Robert
Current Investigators: Levy, Jonathan , Korrick, Susan A. , Fabian, Maria Patricia , Ayala, Arlene , Pina, Jordan , Peters, Junenette , Rosario, Maria , French, Robert
Institution: Boston University , NorthStar Learning Centers , Channing Laboratory
Current Institution: Boston University , NorthStar Learning Centers
EPA Project Officer: Hahn, Intaek
Project Period: September 1, 2010 through February 28, 2014 (Extended to February 28, 2015)
Project Period Covered by this Report: June 1, 2011 through May 31,2012
Project Amount: $749,662
RFA: Understanding the Role of Nonchemical Stressors and Developing Analytic Methods for Cumulative Risk Assessments (2009) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Human Health
Objective:
The primary objective of our study is to develop and apply novel statistical and analytical methods for cumulative risk assessment, focusing on a low-income community (New Bedford, MA) living near a Superfund site. We are focusing on specific neurobehavioral and cardiovascular outcomes, ADHD-like behavior and blood pressure, and we are considering contributions of multiple chemical stressors to these outcomes in the presence of significant non-chemical stressors. We are leveraging data from public databases and an ongoing birth cohort study in the New Bedford area to predict exposures as a function of individual and neighborhood characteristics. Those exposures are then linked with dose-response functions for key chemical and non-chemical stressors, providing health risk characterization with geospatial and demographic variability. The models will be built and outputs will be communicated to community partners in a manner that informs future studies or intervention strategies.
Progress Summary:
We have made progress in four major areas over the past year. First, we built predictive exposure models for key chemical and non-chemical stressors influencing ADHD-like behavior, based on data from a New Bedford area cohort. Common predictors of prenatal biomarker measures of lead (Pb), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (DDE) and mercury (Hg) included mothers date of birth, country of birth, and household income. Food consumption patterns (e.g., fish and organ meat consumption) were associated with prenatal exposure to DDE, PCB and Hg, while home attributes (e.g., construction year and assessed value) were associated with postnatal blood Pb concentrations. To make these models applicable to the general population, we also needed to predict food consumption and predictors from the New Bedford cohort as a function of public data. We used structural equation models to predict information only available from the New Bedford cohort as a function of variables available from the U.S. Census and American Community Survey, while at the same time predicting stressor concentrations as a function of cohort data.
Future Activities:
In Year 3 (9/1/12-8/31/13), we plan for a few key activities. First, we will complete the analyses and related manuscripts for the work described above. Related to these efforts, we will start to develop formal outreach and presentation materials, and we will present study findings at relevant community forums. We will focus new analytical efforts in Year 3 on the development of dose-response functions, utilizing the structural equation modeling outputs but also considering evidence from other epidemiological studies and the toxicological literature. During the second half of Year 3, we will also start integrating the exposure and dose-response information to construct risk maps.
Journal Articles:
No journal articles submitted with this report: View all 20 publications for this projectSupplemental Keywords:
ADHD, blood pressure, cadmium, cumulative risk assessment, lead, mercury, non-chemical stressor, PCBs, superfundRelevant Websites:
http://www.southcoasttoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2011102130328 Exit
Progress and Final Reports:
Original AbstractThe 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.