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2007 Progress Report: Testing the Metals Hypothesis in Spokane
EPA Grant Number: R828678C010Subproject: this is subproject number 010 , established and managed by the Center Director under grant R824834
(EPA does not fund or establish subprojects; EPA awards and manages the overall grant for this center).
Center: Mickey Leland National Urban Air Toxics Research Center (NUATRC)
Center Director: Beskid, Craig
Title: Testing the Metals Hypothesis in Spokane
Investigators: Claiborn, Candis , Larsen, Timothy , Sheppard, Lianne
Institution: Washington State University , University of Washington
EPA Project Officer: Stacey Katz/Gail Robarge,
Project Period: May 1, 1999 through June 30, 2005
Project Period Covered by this Report: May 1, 2006 through June 30, 2007
RFA: Mickey Leland National Urban Air Toxics Research Center (NUATRC) (1997)
Research Category: Air Quality and Air Toxics , Targeted Research
Description:
Objective:The study was funded in response to NUATRC RFA 98-02, “Contribution of Metals in Ambient Particles to Particulate Associated Health Effects.” A no-cost extension was granted through June 30, 2005 to complete analyses of the full data set and to complete the final report. The study is in compliance with Institutional Review Board of Washington State University. The project is also in compliance with appropriate quality control and quality assurance procedures as per NUATRC and EPA guidelines.
The objective of this study was to evaluate the associations between ambient levels of particulate matter toxic metals (Sb, As, Cr, Co, Mn, Hg, Se, Cd and Ni) and transition metals (Ti, V and Fe), and several health endpoints that include, emergency department (ED) visits for asthma, hospital admissions for asthma and other respiratory outcomes; and, total respiratory mortality. This was to be accomplished using time-series and source apportionment methods on a Spokane, WA daily data set some 7 years long. The investigators analyzed archived daily fine and course particulate samples collected in Spokane over 4 years (1995-1998) collected via an EPA grant and added to this 3 years worth of samples that were collected during the period of NUATRC support. Thus, a total of 7 years worth of data was available for analysis. PM metals content on both archived samples and samples collected during this period of support was determined via a combination of energy-dispersive x-ray fluorescence (EDXRF) and instrument neutron activation (INAA). These INAA analyses were conducted via support from the US EPA. Susceptible populations that were targeted for study include both elderly and non-elderly age groups and individuals with pre-existing chronic conditions such as asthma. Health outcomes that were examined include:
- Hospital admissions for respiratory or cardiovascular causes only, for both causes, and for specific respiratory cause (eg. asthma). Both elderly and non-elderly subgroups were monitored.
- Emergency room visits for asthma.
- Respiratory and cardiovascular mortality in elderly and non-elderly.
The Draft Final Report was received on June 20, 2007. SAP Subgroup members agreed that they were satisfied with the report, pending substantial editing. The technical editor reviewed the report and sent the edited report to Dr. Claiborn, along with some additional comments and questions.
Dr. Claiborn submitted a revised report in October of 2007. The report is now in the final stages of the printing process, and will be published in February 2008.
Findings:
The initial Chemical Mass Balance (CMB) modeling work on the first 3 years of data found six sources: industrial heating and boilers (15%), automobiles (4%), airborne soil (9%), biomass burning (46%), secondary aerosols (10%), and metal processing (1%). The initial positive matrix factorization (PMF) analysis identified seven sources: vegetative burning (44%), sulfate aerosol (19%), motor vehicles (11%), nitrate aerosol (9%), airborne soil (9%), a chlorine-rich source (6%), and metal processing (3%).
The multivariate analysis conducted on the full data set using three models (Positive Matrix Factorization [PMF], UNMIX, and Multilinear Engine V. 2 [ME2]) identified an eighth source (an arsenic- [As-] rich combustion source). These three models yielded consistent results, with vegetative burning being the most abundant source of fine PM. A log-linear generalized linear model (GLM) was used to compare daily averages of PM (four sizes: PM1, PM2.5, PM10, and coarse PM [(particles collected with a sampler that has a 1 μm, 2.5 μm, 10 μm, and coarse 50% cutpoint diameter, respectively]) and carbon monoxide (CO) with daily counts of morbidity and mortality outcomes, from January 1995 through June 2001.
Overall, no association was found between respiratory ED visits and any size fraction of PM; however, there was some evidence for a greater respiratory effect from fine PM when compared to coarse fraction PM (PMCF). CO, a marker for combustion sources, was associated with all respiratory ED visits and with visits for asthma at the 3-day lag.
Three hypotheses related to metals were tested: 1) as a general combustion source representative, there will be the strongest association between total carbon (TC) and cardiac hospital admissions; 2) a strong association will be observed between zinc (Zn) (as a tracer/marker for a motor vehicle source) in PM2.5 and either cardiac hospital admissions or respiratory ED visits; and 3) a strong association will be observed between As (as a tracer/marker for a wood smoke source) in PM2.5 and all respiratory ED visits. These hypotheses were tested by regressing the desired health effect against daily chemical data, using Poisson regression with a generalized additive model (GAM) and exact GAM standard error estimate. All analyses were conducted using the statistical software package S-Plus™ 6.1.
Overall, none of these hypotheses were found to hold. In addition to As and Zn, both of which were strongly associated with specific sources, other metal species found in Spokane fine PM, along with TC, were also investigated in a hypothesis-generating way for possible associations with all respiratory ED visits, using Poisson regression with a GAM and exact GAM standard error estimate. The relative risks (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) indicated an overall lack of association between the selected toxic metals and all respiratory ED visits, with the exception of Zn, for which an increased RR was found at the 2- and 3-day lags. TC was found to be significantly associated with all respiratory ED visits at 1-, 2-, and 3-day lags.
Future Activities:Publication of Final Report.
Journal Articles on this Report: 7 Displayed | Download in RIS Format
| Other subproject views: | All 13 publications | 7 publications in selected types | All 7 journal articles |
| Other center views: | All 122 publications | 54 publications in selected types | All 46 journal articles |
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Claiborn CS, Larson T, Sheppard L. Testing the metals hypothesis in Spokane, Washington. Environmental Health Perspectives 2002;110(Suppl 4):547-552. |
R828678C010 (2002) R828678C010 (2003) R828678C010 (2004) R828678C010 (2005) R828678C010 (2006) R828678C010 (2007) R827355 (2001) R827355 (Final) R827355C008 (2002) R827355C008 (Final) |
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Finn D, Rumburg B, Claiborn C, Bamesberger L, Siems WF, Koenig J, Larson T, Norris G. Sampling artifacts from the use of denuder tubes with glycerol based coatings in the measurement of atmospheric particulate matter. Environmental Science & Technology 2001;35(1):40-44. |
R828678C010 (2001) R828678C010 (2003) R828678C010 (2004) R828678C010 (2005) R828678C010 (2006) R828678C010 (2007) |
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Kim E, Larson TV, Hopke PK, Slaughter C, Sheppard LE, Claiborn C. Source identification of PM2.5 in an arid Northwest U.S. City by positive matrix factorization. Atmospheric Research 2003;66(4):291-305. |
R828678C010 (2003) R828678C010 (2004) R828678C010 (2005) R828678C010 (2006) R828678C010 (2007) R827354 (Final) R827354C001 (Final) R827355 (2004) R827355 (Final) R827355C008 (2002) R827355C008 (Final) R827355C009 (2003) |
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Rumburg B, Alldredge R, Claiborn C. Statistical distributions of particulate matter and the error associated with sampling frequency. Atmospheric Environment 2001;35(16):2907-2920. |
R828678C010 (2001) R828678C010 (2003) R828678C010 (2004) R828678C010 (2005) R828678C010 (2006) R828678C010 (2007) |
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Schreuder AB, Larson TV, Sheppard L, Claiborn CS. Ambient woodsmoke and associated respiratory emergency department visits in Spokane, Washington. International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Health 2006;12(2):147-153. |
R828678C010 (2007) R827355 (Final) R827355C008 (Final) |
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Slaughter JC, Kim E, Sheppard L, Sullivan JH, Larson TV, Claiborn C. Association between particulate matter and emergency room visits, hospital admissions and mortality in Spokane, Washington. Journal of Exposure Analysis and Environmental Epidemiology 2005;15(2):153-159. |
R828678C010 (2003) R828678C010 (2004) R828678C010 (2005) R828678C010 (2006) R828678C010 (2007) |
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Vaughan JK, Claiborn C, Finn D. April 1998 Asian dust event over the Columbia Plateau. Journal of Geophysical Research 2001;106(D16):18381-18402. |
R828678C010 (2001) R828678C010 (2003) R828678C010 (2004) R828678C010 (2005) R828678C010 (2006) R828678C010 (2007) |
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, POLLUTANTS/TOXICS, Air, Geographic Area, Scientific Discipline, Health, RFA, Engineering, Chemistry, & Physics, Risk Assessments, Health Risk Assessment, Epidemiology, Air Pollution Effects, air toxics, Chemicals, Biochemistry, particulate matter, Air Pollution, Environmental Monitoring, State, heavy metals, airborne urban contaminants, air sampling pump, cardiovascular disease, health effects, Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), Washington (WA), urban air, environmental contaminants, chemical detection techniques, lung inflamation, chemical composition, aerosol particles, air sampling, inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, human health risk, air pollutants, human health effects, atmospheric particles, urban air quality, urban air pollution, human health, biomarker, human exposure, particulate exposure
Progress and Final Reports:
2001 Progress Report
2002 Progress Report
2003 Progress Report
2004 Progress Report
2005 Progress Report
2006 Progress Report
Original Abstract
Main Center Abstract and Reports:
R824834 Mickey Leland National Urban Air Toxics Research Center (NUATRC)
Subprojects under this Center:
(EPA does not fund or establish subprojects; EPA awards and manages the overall grant for this center).
R824834C001 Air Toxics Exposures Among Teenagers in New York City and Los Angeles - A Columbia-Harvard Study (TEACH)
R824834C002 Cardiopulmonary Response to Particulate Exposure
R824834C003 VOC Exposure in an Industry Impacted Community
R824834C004 A Study of Personal Exposure to Air Toxics Among a Subset of the Residential U.S. Population (VOC Project)
R824834C005 Methods Development Project for a Study of Personal Exposures to Toxic Air Pollutants
R824834C006 Relationship Between Indoor, Outdoor and Personal Air (RIOPA)
R824834C007 Development of the "Leland Legacy" Air Sampling Pump
R824834C008 Source Apportionment of Indoor Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) in Urban Residences
R824834C009 Development of a Personal Cascade Impactor Sampler (PCIS)
R824834C010 Testing the Metals Hypothesis in Spokane
R828678C001 Air Toxics Exposures Among Teenagers in New York City and Los Angeles—A Columbia-Harvard Study (TEACH)
R828678C002 Cardiopulmonary Effects of Metal-Containing Particulate Exposure
R828678C003 VOC Exposure in an Industry Impacted Community
R828678C004 A Study of Personal Exposure to Air Toxics Among a Subset of the Residential U.S. Population (VOC Project)
R828678C005 Oxygenated Urban Air Toxics and Asthma Variability in Middle School Children: A Panel Study (ATAC–Air Toxics and Asthma in Children)
R828678C006 Relationship between Indoor, Outdoor and Personal Air (RIOPA). Part II: Analyses of Concentrations of Particulate Matter Species
R828678C007 Development of the “Leland Legacy” Air Sampling Pump
R828678C008 Source Apportionment of Indoor PAHs in Urban Residences 98-03B
R828678C009 Development of a Personal Cascade Impactor Sampler (PCIS)
R828678C010 Testing the Metals Hypothesis in Spokane
R828678C011 A Pilot Geospatial Analysis of Exposure to Air Pollutants (with Special Attention to Air Toxics) and Hospital Admissions in Harris County, Texas
R828678C012 Impact of Exposure to Urban Air Toxics on Asthma Utilization for the Pediatric Medicaid Population in Dearborn, Michigan
R828678C013 Field Validation of the Sioutas Sampler and Leland Legacy Pump – Joint Project with EPA’s Environmental Technology Validation Program (ETV)
R828678C014 Performance Evaluation of the 3M Charcoal Vapor Monitor for Monitor Low Ambient Concentrations of VOCs
R828678C015 RIOPA Database Development
R828678C016 Contributions of Outdoor PM Sources to Indoor and Personal Exposures: Analysis of PM Species Concentrations” Focused on the PM Speciation and Apportioning of Sources
R828678C017 The Short and Long-Term Respiratory Effects of Exposure to PAHs from Traffic in a Cohort of Asthmatic Children