Grantee Research Project Results
2013 Progress Report: Air Pollution-Exposure-Health Effect Indicators: Mining Massive Geographically-Referenced Environmental Health Data to Identify Risk Factors for Birth Defects
EPA Grant Number: R834790Title: Air Pollution-Exposure-Health Effect Indicators: Mining Massive Geographically-Referenced Environmental Health Data to Identify Risk Factors for Birth Defects
Investigators: Zhan, F. Benjamin , Brender, Jean D. , Langlois, Peter H. , Yang, Jing
Institution: Texas State University , Texas Department of State Health Services , University of North Carolina at Charlotte , Texas A & M University
Current Institution: Texas State University , Texas A & M University , Texas Department of State Health Services , University of North Carolina at Charlotte
EPA Project Officer: Hahn, Intaek
Project Period: February 1, 2011 through January 31, 2014 (Extended to January 31, 2015)
Project Period Covered by this Report: February 1, 2013 through January 31,2014
Project Amount: $499,987
RFA: Exploring Linkages Between Health Outcomes and Environmental Hazards, Exposures, and Interventions for Public Health Tracking and Risk Management (2009) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Climate Change , Air Quality and Air Toxics , Human Health
Objective:
Existing environmental public health indicators do not adequately address the relationships among air pollution, exposure, and health effects. This project aims to fill this gap. It develops and uses air pollution exposure assessment methods, visual data mining tools, and epidemiological analysis procedures to define new environmental public health indicators that cover three components (air pollution, exposure, and health effects) in the hazards-exposure-health effects-intervention paradigm. These new indicators are called “Air Pollution-Exposure-Health Effect Indicators.” The researchers will use air pollutants emitted from industrial facilities and birth defects data in Texas to develop and evaluate the new indicators.
Progress Summary:
The project team closely followed the project timeline and completed all planned research activities for the reporting period (February 1, 2013 through January 31, 2014). Specifically, the team completed the planned research activities related to Tasks 5 to 8 from a list of the eight tasks during this reporting period. These eight tasks are: (1) collection of environmental data, geocoding of Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) facilities in Texas from 1996 to 2008, and development of GIS databases of these facilities; (2) air pollution modeling and exposure assessment; (3) linking air pollution exposure data and birth defects research control/case birth data; (4) development of a visual data mining tool that can be used to visually explore the linked air pollution exposure data and control and case births for identifying risk factors related to some selected birth defects; (5) identification of potential risk factors; (6) epidemiological analysis based on identified risk factors and selected birth defects; (7) Development of air pollution-exposure-health effect indicators; (8) Preparation of reports and manuscripts. The selected birth defects examined in this project include heart defects, limb reduction defects, neural tube defects, and oral cleft defects.
Details about the tasks completed in the reporting period are provided below.
Completion of Task 4: Development of a visual data mining tool. The team completed the task related to the development of the visual data mining tool and added additional functionalities to the tool during the reporting period.
Completion of Task 5: Identification of potential risk factors. There were 449 chemicals released into the air from TRI facilities in Texas from 1996 to 2008. Figure 1 is a word cloud showing these 449 chemicals. Task 5 of the project is to select a limited number of chemicals from the 449 chemicals that are most likely to be correlated with each of the four types of birth defects (neural tube defects, heart defects, oral clefts, and limb reduction defects).
Completion of Task 6: Epidemiological analysis. The team completed the epidemiological analyses based on the results of Task 5 as described above. Table 1 and Figure 2 below are examples showing some of the results obtained in this reporting period. Results from Table 1 and Figure 2 suggest that there is an elevated risk for neural tube defects in offspring when mothers live in areas with relatively higher levels of maleic anhydride emissions. Results shown in Figures 3 to 5 can be interpreted similarly.
Progress of completing Task 7: Development of air pollution-exposure-health effect indicators. Based on the results from Tasks 5 and 6 described above, the team has been developing several air pollution-exposure-health effect indicators as described in the project proposal. Based on the results from the epidemiological analyses, the team developed four demonstration air pollution-exposure-health effect indicators, one for each of the four types of birth defects.
Progress of completing Task 8: Preparation of reports and manuscripts. Members of the team completed one manuscript and submitted the manuscript to a peer-reviewed conference at the end of March 2013. An extended abstract describing the development of the visual data mining tool was published in the proceedings of IEEE VIS 2013. Five additional manuscripts are being prepared. In addition, a research monograph in a book format is being prepared.
Future Activities:
In the extended period (Year 4) of this project, the research team will finalize the results related to Tasks 7-8 as described in the proposal. More information about these research activities is provided below.
Completion of Task 7: Development of air pollution-exposure-health effect indicators. Based on the results from epidemiology analysis, the team will finalize the development of air pollution-exposure-health effect indicators.
Completion of Task 8: Preparation of reports and manuscripts. Members of the team plan to complete five manuscripts for publication in journals and a research monograph in book format in 2014. These articles and monograph describe the methods used in the project and findings from the project.
Journal Articles:
No journal articles submitted with this report: View all 13 publications for this projectSupplemental Keywords:
Environmental health indicators, public health, air pollution, exposure assessment, risk assessment, birth defects, health effects, GIS, data mining, visual analyticsProgress 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.