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2003 Progress Report: Assessing Human Exposures to Particulate and Gaseous Air Pollutants
EPA Grant Number: R827353C001Subproject: this is subproject number 001 , established and managed by the Center Director under grant R827353
(EPA does not fund or establish subprojects; EPA awards and manages the overall grant for this center).
Center: EPA Harvard Center for Ambient Particle Health Effects
Center Director: Koutrakis, Petros
Title: Assessing Human Exposures to Particulate and Gaseous Air Pollutants
Investigators: Koutrakis, Petros
Current Investigators: Koutrakis, Petros , Brown, Kathleen Ward , Sarnat, Jeremy , Suh, Helen H.
Institution: Harvard University
EPA Project Officer: Stacey Katz/Gail Robarge,
Project Period: June 1, 1999 through May 31, 2005 (Extended to May 31, 2006)
Project Period Covered by this Report: June 1, 2003 through May 31, 2004
Project Amount: Refer to main center abstract for funding details.
RFA: Airborne Particulate Matter (PM) Centers (1999)
Research Category: Particulate Matter
Description:
Objective:The objectives of this research project are to: (1) estimate the contribution of particles of outdoor and indoor origin to personal particulate matter (PM2.5) exposures; (2) examine the potential for confounding by gaseous pollutants to affect epidemiological study results; and (3) investigate the ability of particles to penetrate from outdoor to indoor environments. To date, we have published several papers addressing these issues (Chang, et al., 2000; Long, et al., 2000; Sarnat, et. al., 2000; Sarnat, et al., 2001; Sarnat, et al., 2002).
This is one of 10 projects funded by the Center. The progress for the other nine projects is reported separately (see reports for R827353C002 through R827353C011).
Progress Summary:Assessing Human Exposures to Particulate and Gaseous Air Pollutants
A central objective of this research project has been the examination of relationships between ambient particles and gases and corresponding personal exposures. During Year 5 of the project, we continued our analysis of data from the Boston and Baltimore panel studies. Pooling results from both locations, we assessed whether the contribution of ambient particles on personal exposures varied by city, season, and cohort. No cohort effect was found on the attenuation factors, which suggests that subjects from each cohort (i.e., seniors, children, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease patients) were exposed to the same fraction of ambient PM2.5, given the same concentrations of ambient PM2.5. A manuscript (Brown, et al., in preparation, 2004) detailing these findings currently is being prepared for publication.
In a recent paper, we analyzed data from a Baltimore multiple pollutant exposure assessment to examine the role of ambient pollutant concentrations in PM2.5 epidemiologic models (Sarnat, et al., 2001). Because the Baltimore analysis was the first to examine the relationships between personal exposures and ambient concentrations for PM2.5 and gaseous pollutants, it was important to conduct a similar analysis for other cities. During Year 5 of the project, we conducted an analysis that included personal exposure and ambient concentration multipollutant data from the Boston panel study. Results from the Boston analysis, which includes data from Baltimore and Boston (see Figure 1), provide further evidence that the ambient gaseous pollutant concentrations are better surrogates of personal PM2.5 exposures, especially personal exposures to PM2.5 of ambient origin, than their respective personal exposures. These findings suggest that using ambient gas concentrations in multiple-pollutant health effects models along with PM2.5 may not be appropriate because both the ambient gaseous and PM2.5 concentrations are serving as surrogates for PM2.5 exposures. In addition, the robustness of these findings was demonstrated by using various analytical methods and model structures. A manuscript entitled, "Relationships Among Personal Exposures and Ambient Concentrations of Particulate and Gaseous Pollutants and Their Implications for Particle Health Effects Studies," has been accepted for publication in Epidemiology, and currently is in press (Sarnat, et al., in press, 2004).
Figure 1. A Summary of the Results From Both Locations
We will continue to: (1) estimate the contribution of particles of outdoor and indoor origin to personal PM2.5 exposures; (2) examine the potential for confounding by gaseous pollutants to affect epidemiological study results; and (3) investigate the ability of particles to penetrate from outdoor to indoor environments.
Journal Articles on this Report: 2 Displayed | Download in RIS Format
| Other subproject views: | All 6 publications | 6 publications in selected types | All 6 journal articles |
| Other center views: | All 149 publications | 149 publications in selected types | All 148 journal articles |
| Type | Citation | ||
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Sarnat JA, Koutrakis P, Suh HH. Assessing the relationship between personal particulate and gaseous exposures of senior citizens living in Baltimore, MD. Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association 2000;50(7):1184-1198. |
R827353 (Final) R827353C001 (2000) R827353C001 (2001) R827353C001 (2002) R827353C001 (2003) R827353C001 (2004) R827353C001 (Final) |
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Sarnat JA, Brown KW, Schwartz J, Coull BA, Koutrakis P. Ambient gas concentrations and personal particulate matter exposures: implications for studying the health effects of particles. Epidemiology 2005;16(3):385-395. |
R827353 (Final) R827353C001 (2003) R827353C001 (2004) R827353C001 (Final) |
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exposure, health effects, susceptibility, metals, public policy, biology, engineering, epidemiology, toxicology, environmental chemistry, monitoring, air pollutants, air pollution, air quality, ambient air, ambient air monitoring, ambient air quality, ambient measurement methods, ambient monitoring, ambient particle health effects, ambient particles, animal inhalation study, assessment of exposure, biological mechanism, biological response, cardiopulmonary, cardiopulmonary response, cardiovascular disease, chemical exposure, children, developmental effects, dosimetry, environmental health hazard, exposure and effects, genetic susceptibility, health risks, human exposure, human health, human health effects, human health risk, human susceptibility, indoor air quality, indoor exposure, inhalation, inhalation toxicology, inhaled particles, lead, measurement methods, particle exposure, particulate exposure, particulates, pulmonary, pulmonary disease, respiratory, respiratory disease, risk assessment, sensitive populations, stratospheric ozone. , Air, Scientific Discipline, Health, RFA, Air Pollution Monitoring, Molecular Biology/Genetics, Toxicology, Biology, indoor air, Risk Assessments, Epidemiology, air toxics, Atmospheric Sciences, Environmental Microbiology, particulate matter, Environmental Chemistry, Environmental Monitoring, ambient measurement methods, cardiopulmonary, exposure assessment, risk assessment, exposure and effects, COPD, ambient air quality, cardiovascular disease, chronic effects, indoor air quality, inhalation, developmental effects, epidemelogy, respiratory disease, inhalation toxicology, air quality, ambient air, indoor exposure, measurement methods, cardiopulmonary responses, human health risk, monitoring, genetic susceptibility, particle exposure, air pollutants, human health effects, particulates, respiratory, sensitive populations, ambient particle health effects, air pollution, ambient monitoring, children, inhaled, lung, ambient air monitoring, chemical exposure, dosimetry, exposure, pulmonary, human health, human exposure, particle size, PM, pulmonary disease
Relevant Websites:
https://cfserver.hsph.harvard.edu/cfdocs/eer/epa/ 
Progress and Final Reports:
1999 Progress Report
2000 Progress Report
2001 Progress Report
2002 Progress Report
Original Abstract
2004 Progress Report
Final Report
Main Center Abstract and Reports:
R827353 EPA Harvard Center for Ambient Particle Health Effects
Subprojects under this Center:
(EPA does not fund or establish subprojects; EPA awards and manages the overall grant for this center).
R827353C001 Assessing Human Exposures to Particulate and Gaseous Air Pollutants
R827353C002 Quantifying Exposure Error and its Effect on Epidemiological
Studies
R827353C003 St. Louis Bus, Steubenville and Atlanta Studies
R827353C004 Examining Conditions That Predispose Towards
Acute Adverse Effects of Particulate Exposures
R827353C005 Assessing Life-Shortening Associated with Exposure to
Particulate Matter
R827353C006 Investigating Chronic Effects of Exposure to Particulate
Matter
R827353C007 Determining the Effects of Particle Characteristics on Respiratory Health of Children
R827353C008 Differentiating the Roles of Particle Size, Particle Composition,
and Gaseous Co-Pollutants on Cardiac Ischemia
R827353C009 Assessing Deposition of Ambient Particles in the Lung
R827353C010 Relating Changes in Blood Viscosity, Other Clotting Parameters,
Heart Rate, and Heart Rate Variability to Particulate and Criteria Gas Exposures
R827353C011 Studies of Oxidant Mechanisms
R827353C012 Modeling Relationships Between Mobile Source Particle Emissions and Population Exposures
R827353C013 Toxicological Evaluation of Realistic Emissions of Source Aerosols (TERESA) Study
R827353C014 Identifying the Physical and Chemical Properties of Particulate Matter Responsible for the Observed Adverse Health Effects
R827353C015 Research Coordination Core
R827353C016 Analytical and Facilities Core
R827353C017 Technology Development and Transfer Core