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Human Studies Divison
Sample of Current Research
Human Studies Division Navigation
El Paso Children's Health Study
Web site
Previous prevalence studies in the US and Europe suggest that mobile source emissions are associated with increased asthma rates and decreased lung function. The El Paso metropolitan area provided an opportunity to examine whether differences in mobile source emissions within the city are associated with the prevalence of childhood atopy and asthma. Mobile source emissions are the primary source of air pollutants in the El Paso area and El Paso routinely experiences over-night period of air stagnation in the winter months. More than 6,825 4th and 5th grade children representing 53 elementary schools provided respiratory symptom questionnaires. Pulmonary function examinations were performed on a subset of children (2,703) from 20 elementary schools.
National Epidemiological and Environmental Assessment of Recreational (NEEAR) Water Study
Web site
To ensure the safe enjoyment of America's beaches, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is developing a new generation of water quality tests that will provide faster results and reduce the risk of waterborne illness among beachgoers. The National Epidemiological and Environmental Assessment of Recreational (NEEAR) Water Study gives researchers and opportunity to relate actual human health outcomes with water quality data. Beachgoers are asked to provide information about their health after visiting one of several selected beach sites. New 2-hour water quality tests are performed at those same beaches. Predictive relationships between health effects and new water quality tests will be developed and used to help develop guidelines for water quality monitoring.
Detroit Children's Health Study and Mechanistic Indicators of Childhood Asthma Study
Web site
Researchers at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency are launching a study of the effects of air quality on the respiratory health of children in the Detroit and Dearborn areas of Michigan. In cooperation with the Henry Ford Health System, the parents of children between the ages of 8 and 12 will be asked to provide information concerning their children's respiratory health, with a special focus on symptoms of asthma. Follow-up studies of the children's breathing capacity and other potential symptoms of respiratory illness will be conducted with the parent's permission.
National Children's Study
Web site
Congress authorized the planning and implementation of the National Children's Study with the passage of the Children's Health Act of 2000. Over the past six years, the Department of Health and Human Services along with EPA have carried out the necessary planning for the Study as outlined in the Children's Health of 2000. The National Children's Study is designed to examine the effects of environmental influences on the health and development of more than 100,000 children across the United States, following them from before birth until age 21. The goal of the Study is to improve the health and well-being of children. Researchers will analyze how these elements interact with each other and what helpful and/or harmful effects they might have on children's health. By studying children through their different phases of growth and development, researchers would be better able to understand the role of environmental factors on health and disease. The National Children's Study is designed to be a rich information resource available for answering questions related to children's health and development and would form the basis of child health guidance, interventions, and policy for generations to come.
EPA Study Finds Air Pollutants in Cars Cause Health Effects
Web site
As part of ongoing research to reduce the public's exposure to air pollutants, a new study by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has found associations between tiny particles in the air inside automobiles and cardiovascular health. The study, published in the second issue for April 2004 of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, is contributing to the science needed to identify the air pollutants in vehicles that have the greatest concern for public health.