The Mickey Leland National Urban Air Toxics Research Center

(NUATRC)

Overview of the Mission, Goals,Current, and Future Research

Lata Shirnamé-Moré, Ph.D.

Air Toxics Workshop: What We Know, What We Don’t Know, and

What We Need to Know

October 17-18, 2005    University of Houston Hilton – Houston, Texas

NUATRC Origin and Organization

Authorized by Congress in the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments to address residual public health risks to urban air toxics.

Established as a public/private research organization to sponsor research on human health effects of air toxics.

Led by a nine member Board of Directors appointed by the President, Senate Majority Leader, and Speaker of the House of Representatives.

Advised on the peer-reviewed research program by an expert Scientific Advisory Panel.

Congressionally funded via EPA and the private sector.

Main Elements of NUATRC Research Mission

To develop and support research on potential risks posed to human health by exposure to air toxics

Research program developed by scientific experts from academia, industry and government

Fill the gaps in scientific data in order to be able to make sound environmental health policy decisions

Fulfill mission by contributing meaningful and relevant data to the peer-reviewed scientific literature

Current Scientific Advisory Panel

John C. Bailar IIIUniversity of Chicago

Michael BrauerUniversity of British Columbia

James J. Collins* – Chair Dow Chemical Company

Michael L. Cunningham*NIEHS

David H. Garabrant*University of Michigan

Bert Hakkinen*European Commission

Dennis PaganoUS EPA – OAPQS

Dennis J. PaustenbachChemrisk, Inc.

Bertram Price*Price Associates, Inc.

Joel SchwartzHarvard University

Linda Sheldon*US EPA

*Moderating Air Toxics Workshop Panel

Research and Review Process

Quality and Availability of Scientific Data – Major Priorities for Center-Sponsored Studies

The SAP with NUATRC Staff input selects areas of specific research

The awards are made via a peer-reviewed process following NIH guidelines

The funded studies are overseen by SAP subgroups, which monitor progress, make suggestions for improvement to produce research of highest scientific quality and integrity that can be published in the peer-reviewed literature

The SAP advises on dissemination of the study results to all stake holders.

NUATRC Research Goals

Strategic Research Focus Personal Exposure to Air ToxicsFocus on non-cancer health effects: respiratory,

cardiopulmonary, immune and developmental

Four Research Goals & Core Areas Identified Personal Exposure AssessmentTechnology DevelopmentHuman Health EffectsInvolvement of Communities

Personal Exposure Assessment

NUATRC-NCHS- NHANES Collaborative VOC Exposure Project Individual VOC exposure data in 1000 person subset of 20,000 person

national study population. Obtain profile of VOC personal exposures in a national population.

Urban Air Toxics Exposure of High School Children (TEACH Study) (Columbia University) Descriptive data for minority children living in the central core

neighborhood of two largest urban areas of the United States

Relationship Between Indoor, Outdoor, and Personal Air (RIOPA) (EOHSI) Experimental study of people living downwind of air toxics emission

sources in Elizabeth, NJ, Houston, TX, Los Angeles, CA; Co-sponsored by HEI

Relationship between Indoor, Outdoor and Personal Air (RIOPA)

The Houston RIOPA Component: University of Texas Houston Health Science Center, School of Public Health, Drs. Morandi and Stock, PI.

Overall Objectives Investigate the relationships of indoor, outdoor, and personal air

concentrations of VOCs, carbonyl compounds, and PM2.5, and in-vehicle concentrations of carbonyl compounds.

Quantify the outdoor contribution to indoor and personal air concentrations of the measured pollutants.

Specific Aims Compare indoor, outdoor, and personal air (and in-vehicle for carbonyl

compounds) concentrations of the pollutants measured in the RIOPA. Examine the effects of a number of variables (e.g., season, house type,

city/state) on measured concentrations and indoor/outdoor relationships. Quantify the contribution of outdoor sources to indoor concentrations. Determine indoor source strengths of the measured pollutants that are

primarily generated indoors.

Volatile OrganicCompounds:• 1,3-butadiene• Methylene chloride• Methyl tert butyl ether• Chloroprene• Chloroform• Carbon tetrachloride• Benzene• Trichloroethylene• Toluene• Tetrachloroethylene• Ethyl benzene• o,m & p-xylenes• Styrene• 1,4-dichlorobenzene• d-limonene• α- and β-pinene

CarbonylCompounds:• Formaldehyde• Acetaldehyde• Acrolein• Crotonaldehyde• Glyoxal• Methylglyoxal• Acetone• Propionaldehyde• Benzaldehyde• Hexaldehyde• Isovaleraldehyde• Valeraldehyde• o-tolualdehyde• m&p-tolualdehyde

PMComponents:• PM2.5

Air Toxics Measured

Final Report

Detailed data collection methods and quality control measures

Descriptive analyses of data distributions and relationships among indoor, outdoor, personal and in-vehicle concentrations, using the pooled dataset

Data distribution by city, season, house-type, personal concentrations

Indoor source strengths and relative contributions of outdoor sources to measured indoor concentrations on a home-by-home basis. (Indoor concentrations, outdoor concentrations, air exchange rates,

and room volumes were simultaneously measured.)

Wealth of Information from RIOPA Study

Information on study population Age, gender, housing type, volume, employment status geographic

identifiers, questionnaire data-activity pattern data, residential ventilation system type and usage, indoor sources

Information on measured concentrations: VOCs, Carbonyls, PM (PM2.5 mass, EC/OC); PAHs (total gas

and particulate, elemental composition; residential air exchange rates)

Information of measured concentration by various factors: Season, by proximity to different source types; by housing

type/features, by air exchange rate ranges ventilation system type/use, etc.

In-vehicle concentrations by season, traffic density indicators Personal concentrations by age/gender categories, by employment

status, by time spent indoors/outdoors/in-vehicles

Future Research – Personal Exposure Assessment

Further analysis of RIOPA, TEACH, and NHANES Examination of exposures is representative samples

Development of innovative and cost-effective methods for these measurements

Studies in defined or susceptible populations or demographic subgroups Determine what is driving their exposures: their susceptibility; age,

exposure factors, their residence, socioeconomics. Source based studies

Focus on chemical from the same source, rather than individual or suite of chemicals from different sources, and identify potential exposures

Evaluate and refine models Compare EPA model prediction data with personal exposure data.

Technology Development Development of a New Generation Personal Sampler

Cascade Impactor Sampler for Particulate Matter, the Sioutas Sampler – (USC)

Development of a High Efficiency Pump for the Personal Particulate Matter Sampler – The Leland Legacy Pump (SKC, Inc.)

Leland Legacy Pump used in a US Army Deployable Kit

The US Army needed a small kit that was “deployable” for the soldiers in the Persian Gulf exposed to sandstorms and PM10.

The Army liked the Leland Legacy Pump because of the 24-hour capabilities of the battery operated pump and its light weight. 

Future Research: Technology Development

New micro sensors and nano or wireless technology For monitoring personal exposure to chemical toxicants; Piggyback on existing breakthroughs in medical technology to

determine exposures or key metabolites that are predictors of exposure or disease, respectively.

Development of novel methods that can link different environmental databases With the availability of fast internet connection link air toxics

exposure and monitoring data bases to other global and satellite databases.

Development of novel markers of exposures.

Linking Exposures to Health Effects

Cardiopulmonary Responses to Particulate Matter (Harvard School of Public Health) Prospective epidemiological study to investigate role of PM2.5 and

associated metals (V, Ni, Cd, Mn, Cr & Fe) in respiratory and cardiovascular responses in a cohort of boilermakers with and without chronic bronchitis; will assess several biological parameters in relation to real time personal exposure

Testing the Metals Hypothesis in Spokane (Washington State University) Seven year time series study; examine associations between fine PM

metal content and health endpoints; apportion sources; elderly people and individuals with asthma

ATAC –Air Toxics and Asthma in Children (University of Texas, SPH) Association Between Exposures to Oxygenated Air Toxics and Asthma:

An Exposure and Health Effects Study of Houston Area School Children.

ATAC –Air Toxics and Asthma in Children

University of Texas, Houston Health Science Center, School of Public Heath; Dr. George Delclos , PI.

The primary study objectives are: To evaluate the association between personal air concentrations of

total carbonyls and variability of lung function (peak expiratory flow rate [PEFR] and forced expired volume in the first second [FEV1]) in a sample of middle school children with labile, persistent asthma.

To evaluate the association between personal air concentrations of total carbonyls and the variability of selected clinical indicators (asthma symptoms and medication use) in a sample of middle school children with labile, persistent asthma.

Future Research: Linking Health to Exposures

Potential associations between personal exposure data and health status data collected in the NHANES Project.

Health effects due to air toxics exposures may not be population wide, but only in certain groups, for example the upper tail of exposure or those in hotspots

Association between exposure to air toxics and proximity to vehicular traffic and potential health effects as a result of exposures.

Develop and conduct short term research projects on health effects associated with exposures to air toxics during fetal, perinatal and infant periods.

Relationship between changes in sources of exposure and health. Impact of mitigation on exposures and health.

Community Based Projects

VOC Exposure in an Industry Impacted Community (Johns Hopkins) Personal, indoor, outdoor VOC measurements in 40 South Baltimore

homes; measurement of urinary benzene biomarker & apportionment of sources.

Source Apportionment of Indoor PAHs in Urban Residences, (University of Illinois) Measurement of 16 PAHs in indoor & outdoor residential environments

Impact of Exposure to Urban Air Toxics on Asthma Utilization for the Pediatric Medicaid Population in Dearborn, (Michigan Department of Community Health) Assess the relationship between exposures to ambient air toxics measured

by outdoor air monitors, and utilization of urgent care facilities by children enrolled in Medicaid in Dearborn, Michigan

A Pilot Geospatial Analysis of Exposure to Air Pollutants and Hospital Admissions in Harris County, Texas; (Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX) Study potential spatial relationships between hospital admissions and air

pollution, due to air toxics, in Harris Count

A Pilot Geospatial Analysis of Exposure to Air Pollutants and Hospital Admissions in

Harris County Texas Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, P.I. Dr. W. Hamilton

Study goal is to analyze potential spatial relationships between hospital admissions and air pollution due to air toxics in Harris County, TX

Hypothesis: The rate of Harris County residents hospitalized during the study period differs geographically among the 337 4 x 4 km domains, and correlates with exposure to modeled air pollutants, after adjusting for available individual and domain-specific demographic confounders.

Uses US EPA’s Community Multiscale Air Quality with Air Toxics (CMAQ-AT) model to estimate pollutant concentrations and the ArcGIS geospatial modeling software to extract and or combine exposure, admissions and demographic data.

Symposia and Workshops

NUATRC Symposium on “Effects of Air Pollution on the Health of Older Adults” – June 2005, Washington DC. Examine the trends of environmental exposures to toxics air

pollutants that the elderly are exposed to in their daily environments.

Determine the potential health risks as a result of these exposures. Determine measures that can be taken to prevent or reduce these

exposures. Air Toxics Workshop: What We Know, What We Don’t

Know, and What We Need to Know, Oct 14-15, 2005, Houston, TX.

Publications

NUATRC Research Reports – 7 Total Peer-reviewed Publications - 44

University of Texas, Houston, Health Science Center – “Development of Passive Monitor for Volatile Organic Compounds” – 2

Environmental and Occupational Health Science Institute (EOHSI) – “Relationship between Indoor, Outdoor and Personal Air” RIOPA Study P.I.: Clifford P. Weisel – 7

Harvard University – “Cardiopulmonary Response to Particulate Exposure”, P.I. David Christiani – 6

Johns Hopkins University – “VOC Exposure in an Industry Impacted Community” – P.I. Timothy Buckley – 2

Publications (continued)

Washington State University – “Testing the Metals Hypothesis in Spokane”- P.I. Dr. Candis Claiborn – 5

University of Illinois at Chicago – “Source Apportionment of Indoor PAHs in Urban Residences” P.I. Dr. An Li – 3

Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, “Exposures to Air Toxics Among Teenagers in New York City and Los Angeles Columbia Harvard Study – TEACH”, P.I. Dr. Patrick Kinney – 4

USC “Development of a New Generation Personal Sampler for Particulate Matter” P.I. Dr. Constantinos Sioutas – 3

NUATRC Sponsored Symposia - 5

Summary

“The Mickey Leland National Urban Air Toxics Research Center contributes significantly to personal exposure approaches which will help reduce uncertainty in future risk assessments at multiple scales.”

Air Toxics Research Strategy, U.S. EPA

Center’s unique position as a public-private partnership allows discourse with various stakeholders affected by air quality research

These dialogues are not only important in determining research areas of common interest, but can foster better understanding and acceptance of the results