This research will continue our investigation of the effects of acid aerosol air pollution exposures on human health. Numerous site-years of ambient air acid aerosol, co-pollutant, and meteorological data have now become available for a variety of communities throughout North America as a result of the recent performance of the NYU and Harvard University air pollution exposure/health effects assessment studies. The overall objective of this continuing research will, therefore, be to employ the new knowledge we have gained regarding the nature and occurrence of acid aerosols in the environment in order to conduct a wider range of retrospective epidemiologic assessments of the impacts of acid aerosol exposures on human health. We propose to conduct this research in two phases: 1) the establishment of empirical methods for the retrospective estimation of population exposures to acid aerosols; and 2) the application of these exposure assessment methods to existing large scale epidemiologic data bases. We will use the newly available acid aerosol exposure data to establish generalizable methods and models for estimating past population acid aerosol exposures. This will then allow the merging of modeled acid aerosol exposures with already existing large, quality-assured health outcome data sets for a wide range of retrospective epidemiological investigations into the potential human health effects of acid aerosols. These data bases will include the nationwide cross-sectional records for spirometry from NHANES II, for morbidity from the HIS, and for mortality rates from the U.S. Census, as well as the 1974-1983 Ontario, Canada hospital admissions data compiled by Bates and Sizto. These statistical investigations into the various possible health effects of acid aerosols will address confounding environmental factors and potential contributions by and/or interactions with other air pollutants. Thus, in addition to expanding the methods available for retrospective human exposure assessment, this research will broaden the scope of both locations and health outcomes for which the effects of acid aerosols can be assessed.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01ES004612-07
Application #
2153701
Study Section
Epidemiology and Disease Control Subcommittee 2 (EDC)
Project Start
1987-09-25
Project End
1995-08-31
Budget Start
1994-09-01
Budget End
1995-08-31
Support Year
7
Fiscal Year
1994
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
New York University
Department
Public Health & Prev Medicine
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
004514360
City
New York
State
NY
Country
United States
Zip Code
10012
Gwynn, R C; Thurston, G D (2001) The burden of air pollution: impacts among racial minorities. Environ Health Perspect 109 Suppl 4:501-6
Gwynn, R C; Burnett, R T; Thurston, G D (2000) A time-series analysis of acidic particulate matter and daily mortality and morbidity in the Buffalo, New York, region. Environ Health Perspect 108:125-33
Lippmann, M; Thurston, G D (1996) Sulfate concentrations as an indicator of ambient particulate matter air pollution for health risk evaluations. J Expo Anal Environ Epidemiol 6:123-46
Ozkaynak, H; Xue, J; Zhou, H et al. (1996) Intercommunity differences in acid aerosol (H+)/sulfate (SO4(2-) ratios. J Expo Anal Environ Epidemiol 6:35-55
Thurston, G D; Gorczynski Jr, J E; Jaques, P et al. (1992) An automated sequential sampling system for particulate acid aerosols: description, characterization, and field sampling results. J Expo Anal Environ Epidemiol 2:415-28
Thurston, G D; Ito, K; Kinney, P L et al. (1992) A multi-year study of air pollution and respiratory hospital admissions in three New York State metropolitan areas: results for 1988 and 1989 summers. J Expo Anal Environ Epidemiol 2:429-50