Grantee Research Project Results
2010 Progress Report: A National Study to Assess Susceptibility, Vulnerability, and Effect Modification of Air Pollution Health Risks
EPA Grant Number: R834798C005Subproject: this is subproject number 005 , established and managed by the Center Director under grant R834798
(EPA does not fund or establish subprojects; EPA awards and manages the overall grant for this center).
Center: Center for Integrative Research on Childhood Leukemia and the Environment - 2015
Center Director: Metayer, Catherine
Title: A National Study to Assess Susceptibility, Vulnerability, and Effect Modification of Air Pollution Health Risks
Investigators: Dominici, Francesca , Bell, Michelle L. , Zanobetti, Antonella , Schwartz, Joel
Institution: Harvard University
EPA Project Officer: Chung, Serena
Project Period: January 1, 2011 through December 31, 2015 (Extended to December 31, 2016)
Project Period Covered by this Report: January 1, 2010 through December 31,2010
RFA: Clean Air Research Centers (2009) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Human Health , Air
Objective:
This National study is aimed at identifying factors that explain the heterogeneity of health risks associated with air pollution exposure. We hypothesize that such factors include medical and social conditions, conditions that modify exposure, and differences in pollution composition that modify exposure toxicity. Moreover, we hypothesize that the relevant factors vary among different health outcomes. Our research will be fully interactive with the other Center projects. Our previous results (e.g. diabetic susceptibility) have guided their analyses, and their results have generated specific hypotheses that we will test. We have 3 objectives. In Aims 1 and 2, we will conduct national studies of short- and long-term exposures to individual pollutants, sources, and mixtures. A main focus of our Center is to study established cohorts (NAS, Framingham, and Viva) in Massachusetts and surrounding states using novel, validated approaches to assess exposure. In Aim 3, we will complement those cohort studies, by establishing a cohort of 2.3 million Medicare enrollees residing in the same region and following its members prospectively for cause-specific hospital admissions and mortality for the period 2000-2014, and also by studying all live births in Eastern MA, geo-coded to exact address and followed for adverse birth outcomes.
Progress Summary:
Project 5 has three aims; progress is reported for each aim.
- We have almost completed a manuscript entitled “Effect modifiers of health effect estimates for short-term exposure to ozone and particulate matter: A Review” by Antonella Zanobetti, Michelle L. Bell, and Francesca Dominici. In this manuscript, we review recent literature to summarize the state of scientific evidence on effect modification and identify consistencies across studies. We focus on time series and case-crossover studies of the effects of short-term exposure to PM or ozone on mortality and morbidity.
- We have almost completed a manuscript entitled “Identifying the most harmful chemical components of fine particulate air pollution in 118 U.S. counties: 2000 to 2008” by Christopher Barr, David Diez, Yun Wang and Francesca Dominici. In this manuscript we extend state-of-the-art Bayesian statistical models to identify specific combinations of constituent pollutants most harmful to a Medicare population aged 65 and older in each of 118 individual U.S. counties. Our stochastic search variable selection (SSVS) method allows us to accurately and flexibly evaluate many possible regression models in each county. We consider for inclusion the 6 most common pollution components (sulfate, nitrate, silicon, elemental carbon, organic carbon, and sodium ion), to identify the combination of pollutants most supported by the data. We interpret the full results within the emerging context of multi-pollutant regulation, and highlight the potential for these findings to power regulatory efforts that focus on specific sources within individual counties. Complete results and extensive tools for evaluation of reproducibility are made freely available online.
Future Activities:
Aims 1 and 2: continue analysis of national short- and long-term exposures to individual pollutants, sources, and mixtures. Aim 3: continue development and analysis of a cohort of Medicare enrollees in Massachusetts and surrounding states for cause-specific hospital admissions and mortality; studying all live births in Eastern MA, geo-coded to exact address and followed for adverse birth outcomes.
Journal Articles:
No journal articles submitted with this report: View all 60 publications for this subprojectSupplemental Keywords:
National studies, air pollution, heterogeneity, vulnerability, susceptibility, Scientific Discipline, Air, air toxics, Health Risk Assessment, Air Pollution Effects, Biochemistry, Biology, ambient air quality, children's health, complex mixtures, health effects, sensitive populations, air pollutants, biological sensitivities, exposure and effects, lung epithelial cells, susceptible populations, chemical composition, neurotoxicity, toxicity, coronary artery disease, cardiopulmonary, cardiotoxicity, environmental effects, human health, mortalityRelevant Websites:
http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/clarc/index.html Exit
Progress and Final Reports:
Original AbstractMain Center Abstract and Reports:
R834798 Center for Integrative Research on Childhood Leukemia and the Environment - 2015 Subprojects under this Center: (EPA does not fund or establish subprojects; EPA awards and manages the overall grant for this center).
R834798C001 Relative Toxicity of Air Pollution Mixtures
R834798C002 Cognitive Decline, Cardiovascular Changes, and Biological Aging in Response to Air Pollution
R834798C003 Identifying the Cognitive and Vascular Effects of Air Pollution Sources
and Mixtures in the Framingham Offspring and Third Generation Cohorts
R834798C004 Longitudinal Effects of Multiple Pollutants on Child Growth, Blood Pressure and Cognition
R834798C005 A National Study to Assess Susceptibility, Vulnerability, and Effect Modification of Air Pollution Health Risks
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.
Project Research Results
- Final Report
- 2014 Progress Report
- 2013 Progress Report
- 2012 Progress Report
- 2011 Progress Report
- Original Abstract
59 journal articles for this subproject
Main Center: R834798
474 publications for this center
409 journal articles for this center