Grantee Research Project Results

Development and Deployment of an Instrumentation Suite for Comprehensive Air Quality Characterization Including Aerosol ROS

EPA Grant Number: R834799C001
Subproject: this is subproject number 001 , established and managed by the Center Director under grant R834799
(EPA does not fund or establish subprojects; EPA awards and manages the overall grant for this center).
Center: The Southeastern Center for Air Pollution and Epidemiology: Multiscale Measurements and Modeling of Mixtures
Center Director: Tolbert, Paige
Title: Development and Deployment of an Instrumentation Suite for Comprehensive Air Quality Characterization Including Aerosol ROS
Investigators: Weber, Rodney J. , Sarnat, Stefanie Ebelt , Strickland, Matthew J , Nenes, Athanasios , Mulholland, James , Sarnat, Jeremy , Bergin, Michael
Institution: Georgia Institute of Technology , Emory University
Current Institution: Georgia Institute of Technology , Duke University , Emory University , University of Nevada - Reno
EPA Project Officer: Chung, Serena
Project Period: January 1, 2011 through December 31, 2016
RFA: Clean Air Research Centers (2009) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Human Health , Air

Objective:

Through new instrument development and extensive field studies Project 1 will comprehensively measure and characterize gas/particle mixtures of air pollutants for this Center’s multiscale air quality model validation, health impact assessments and source/process studies. The data will complement and extend current pollutant observations across multiple scales greatly enhancing existing air quality data sets to include more exotic species for retrospective and prospective health studies in other urban settings. A focus of these new measurements will be on identifying and quantifying agents that have been implicated in causing oxidative stress.

Approach:

An online instrument to measure and broadly speciate aerosol Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) will be developed for stationary and in-vehicle measurements and included in an instrumentation package focused on semi-continuous measurements of trace gas and aerosol species. Measurements will be taken across a variety of locations in different seasons to characterize spatial, temporal and chemical distributions, sources, and physicochemical processes or linkages between components of gas/particle pollutant mixtures implicated in adverse health outcomes. Species to be measured include fine particle ROS, redox-active metals, quinones, PAHs, speciated carbonaceous compounds, and ultrafine, fine and coarse particles, along with gas-phase oxidants, VOCs, NOR, and CO.

Expected Results:

For different locations and seasons, this project will generate a unique high quality data set with new components that will extensively characterize the ambient air pollutant mix in different urban environments. The data will inform air quality modeling and health studies by specifically addressing Research Question 2 (RQ 2) of the Request for Applications on the origins, transport and transformation of constituents of multipollutant atmospheres that are relevant to human health effects. Predictive parameterizations of the more exotic components of the air pollutant mixture measured in this project by air quality parameters routinely recorded by monitoring agencies will be used to extend the project’s unique data set to retrospective health studies and to studies in other urban settings. Identification of chemical linkages and physicochemical mechanisms relating to PM2.5 ROS concentrations will provide a better understanding of sources, processing and health impacts. Therefore, results from Project I will contribute to the ability of Center Projects 2 through 4 to address RQ 1 (explaining regional and temporal differences in air pollution risk) and RQ 5 (health impacts of single pollutants in a multi-pollutant context).

Publications and Presentations:

Publications have been submitted on this subproject: View all 62 publications for this subproject | View all 338 publications for this center

Journal Articles:

Journal Articles have been submitted on this subproject: View all 17 journal articles for this subproject | View all 135 journal articles for this center

Supplemental Keywords:

ambient air, atmosphere, health effects, human health, exposure, air quality modeling, monitoring, measurement methods, aerosol, particulates, PM2.5, organics, elemental carbon, metals, ozone, oxidants, PAH, ROS, sulfates, source characterization, mobile sources, Georgia, GA, Southeast,, Scientific Discipline, Health, Health Risk Assessment, Risk Assessments, Environmental Monitoring, Biochemistry, children's health, particulate matter, ambient air monitoring, climate change, air pollution, airshed modeling, ambient particle health effects, human health risk

Progress and Final Reports:

Main Center Abstract and Reports:

R834799 The Southeastern Center for Air Pollution and Epidemiology: Multiscale Measurements and Modeling of Mixtures

Subprojects under this Center: (EPA does not fund or establish subprojects; EPA awards and manages the overall grant for this center).
R834799C001 Development and Deployment of an Instrumentation Suite for Comprehensive Air Quality Characterization Including Aerosol ROS
R834799C002 Examining In-Vehicle Pollution and Oxidative Stress in a Cohort of Daily Commuters
R834799C003 Novel Estimates of Pollutant Mixtures and Pediatric Health in Two Birth Cohorts
R834799C004 A Multi-City Time-Series Study of Pollutant Mixtures and Acute Morbidity

Top of Page

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.