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2005 Progress Report: Urban Air Pollution and Persistent Early Life Asthma
EPA Grant Number: R831861C001Subproject: this is subproject number 001 , established and managed by the Center Director under grant R831861
(EPA does not fund or establish subprojects; EPA awards and manages the overall grant for this center).
Center: USC Center for Children’s Environmental Health
Center Director: Gilliland, Frank
Title: Urban Air Pollution and Persistent Early Life Asthma
Investigators: Gilliland, Frank
Institution: University of Southern California
EPA Project Officer: Fields, Nigel
Project Period: November 1, 2003 through October 31, 2008
Project Period Covered by this Report: November 1, 2004 through October 31, 2005
RFA: Centers for Children's Environmental Health and Disease Prevention Research (2003)
Research Category: Children's Health , Health Effects
Description:
Objective:The objective of this community-based participatory research project is to evaluate the relationship between early life asthma and traffic-related air pollution. We are examining this question in a case-control study of asthma persisting to school entry, but with onset earlier in life, in children resident in the same home since before age 2. We hypothesized that susceptibility to ambient air pollution will vary based on genotype for GSTM1, GSTP1, NQO1, HO-1, and TNFα, genes involved in the biologic response to oxidant air pollutants. Lifetime exposure will be assessed by calibrating home measurements to the extensive historical exposure assessment from a monitor in each community, which will operate continuously during the lifetime of participants. Community participation in promoting the study to participants and in data collection and interpretation will enhance both the quality of Center research and the environmental action plans for families of children with asthma in ongoing projects of the community partners. A steering committee representing university and community research partners and policy makers will work closely with the Community Outreach and Translation Core (COTC) to provide the scientific basis necessary for developing policy for the more widespread protection of children from the effects of air pollution.
The specific objectives of the research project are to: (1) identify the population for the proposed case-control study; (2) collect information from parents of participants to assess asthma, activity patterns, and risk factors for asthma, using a structured telephone interview, which also will be administered by Community Study Liaisons; (3) assess the relationship between residential exposure to ambient traffic-related air pollutants and asthma among cases and controls, using information from the Exposure Assessment and Modeling Core; (4) develop tools for assessment of traffic within 100 meters of homes with COTC Neighborhood Assessment Teams composed of community volunteers selected by community research partners; (5) genotype cases and controls for polymorphisms in GSTM1, GSTP1, HO-1, NQO1, and TNFα and assess how these polymorphisms modify the relationship between air pollutants and asthma; (6) assess the burden of asthma-related disease attributable to air pollution in all children living in two communities represented by the community partners, using results from this study and from existing literature; (7) develop a series of community forums with the COTC to discuss the public health burden of air pollution for asthma; (8) integrate new information on air pollution into the environmental action plans developed with families of children with asthma by all community health workers working in service programs of community partners; (9) foster discussion among partners through an active steering committee and through presentation of results at meetings of partner organizations; and (10) participate with the COTC in seminars, community forums, and in the critique of policy initiatives by providing the best scientific evidence available on air pollution and childhood asthma.
Progress Summary:Recruitment for the case-control study and the first round of home air pollution sampling is complete in all communities, although results are pending and interviews still are underway. Buccal cell collection is almost complete. We have a manuscript in review describing the relationship between asthma and modeled exposure to traffic-related pollutants in the entire source population. In additional analyses still underway using modeled exposure, there is indication that ozone and traffic-related pollutants, which vary inversely, are competing risks for asthma. The Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) steering committee has continued to meet monthly, and teams from both community partners are being trained to do traffic counts and to measure short-term particulate exposure. These are focused on two schools of special interest to the communities because they have heavy truck and rail pollutant exposure. This will provide the basis for the development of methods for evaluating other schools and perhaps homes in the study. Several workshops have occurred to develop this aspect of the project, and investigators participated in a successful workshop on port-related pollution, a common theme of interest to both community partners. Community partners were trained to present the Center video, “Breath of AIR”, and they have shown it to parent organizations. We have cosponsored or presented in several other CBPR-COTC activities.
Significance
The preliminary results from modeled exposure data suggest that there is an appreciable public health risk associated with residence near a large road.
Future Activities:We plan to complete all data collection, except the community partner measurements of exposure at selected sites, during the coming year. We also plan to develop preliminary estimates of the burden of exposure in two communities.
Journal Articles on this Report: 4 Displayed | Download in RIS Format
| Other subproject views: | All 6 publications | 4 publications in selected types | All 4 journal articles |
| Other center views: | All 210 publications | 196 publications in selected types | All 193 journal articles |
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Gauderman WJ, Avol E, Lurmann F, Kuenzli N, Gilliland F, Peters J, McConnell R. Childhood asthma and exposure to traffic and nitrogen dioxide. Epidemiology 2005;16(6):737-743. |
R831861 (2004) R831861 (2005) R831861C001 (2005) R827352 (Final) R827352C007 (Final) R827352C009 (Final) |
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McConnell R, Milam J, Richardson J, Galvan J, Jones C, Thorne PS, Berhane K. Educational intervention to control cockroach allergen exposure in the homes of hispanic children in Los Angeles: results of the La Casa study. Clinical & Experimental Allergy 2005;35(4):426-433. |
R831861 (2004) R831861 (2005) R831861C001 (2005) R826708 (2000) R826708 (2001) R826708 (2002) R826708 (Final) R826708C003 (Final) |
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McConnell R, Berhane K, Yao L, Lurmann FW, Avol E, Peters JM. Predicting residential ozone deficits from nearby traffic. Science of the Total Environment 2006;363(1-3):166-174. |
R831861 (2004) R831861 (2005) R831861C001 (2005) R827352 (Final) R827352C007 (Final) |
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Salam MT, Gilliland F, Li Y-F, Langholz B. Early life environmental risk factors for asthma: Findings from the Children’s Health Study. Environmental Health Perspectives 2004;112(6):760-765. |
R831861 (2004) R831861 (2005) R831861C001 (2005) R826708 (2000) R826708 (2001) R826708 (2002) R826708 (Final) |
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asthma, children, susceptibility, community, children’s health, health effects, risk assessment, airway disease, allergen, asthma, childhood respiratory disease, children’s environmental health, community-based intervention, outreach and education, respiratory problems,
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HUMAN HEALTH, ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT, Air, Scientific Discipline, Health, RFA, Health Effects, Risk Assessment, Health Risk Assessment, Children's Health, Biochemistry, Environmental Chemistry, Environmental Monitoring, mobile sources, automotive exhaust, engine exhaust, allergen, respiratory problems, children's environmental health, childhood respiratory disease, susceptibility, outreach and education, community-based intervention, airway disease, automotive emissions, ambient particle pollution, asthma, Human Health Risk Assessment
Relevant Websites:
http://www.usc.edu/schools/medicine/research/centers_programs/cehc/
http://www.usc.edu/schools/medicine/departments/preventive_medicine/divisions/occupational/occ_environmental/cehc/index.html
Progress and Final Reports:
2004 Progress Report
Original Abstract
Main Center Abstract and Reports:
R831861 USC Center for Children’s Environmental Health
Subprojects under this Center:
(EPA does not fund or establish subprojects; EPA awards and manages the overall grant for this center).
R831861C001 Urban Air Pollution and Persistent Early Life Asthma
R831861C002 Pollution-Enhanced Allergic Inflammation and Phase II Enzymes
R831861C003 Air Pollution, Exhaled Breath Markers, and Asthma in Susceptible Children