2022

The body of evidence on air pollution and health has led to increasingly large risk estimates associated with air pollution in the Global Burden of Disease, and more stringent Air Quality Guidelines from the World Health Organization in 2021. While evidence is increasing, actual adoption of enforceable air quality standards varies for countries and regions around the world, and the resulting standards span a wide range. This session will discuss and contrast air quality standard setting processes in the United States and Europe, the driving forces in each case, and plans for potential changes to future standards in the context of the new WHO guidelines. We will present an overview of current projects at HEI, including the literature review on traffic-related air pollution, continuing collaborative research on health effects at low exposure concentrations, new research underway for our health effects of air pollution and energy programs, and updates on our Global Health program. effects on air quality and health, as well as associated inequities among specific subpopulations in the United States. Climate change produces changes in local temperatures and patterns of cloud cover, biogenic emissions, and large-scale atmospheric circulation patterns. All of these can increase ground-level ozone concentrations in large areas of the United States and elsewhere. This session examines the effects of climate-related changes in ground-level ozone, exposure patterns and their primary drivers, and the resulting risks to human health associated with both acute and long-term exposures. This session also discusses challenges that regulators and policymakers encounter when setting national ozone standards. evaluating how fine-particle exposure affects the development of prefrontal connections and emotional behaviors during the transition from childhood to adolescence and whether this, in turn, contributes to greater risk for neuropsychiatric disorders. evaluating whether air pollution is associated with increased incidence of asthma in three cohorts in Denmark. Shiraiwa investigating the mechanisms of formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) by different types of secondary organic aerosols (SOAs), distinguishing between ROS formed by pollutants entering lung lining fluid (chemically) and by macrophages producing ROS as an inflammatory response (biologically). The Jane Warren Trainee Conference Award is given to graduate students or postdocs at academic or research organizations in North America and Europe, whose research is related to air pollution, exposure, and health. Selection is based on the scientific merit of their research, quality of the submitted abstract, and relevance to HEI’s mission. The award is named in memory of the late Dr. Jane Warren, who joined HEI in the 1980s and led HEI’s scientific activities as Director of Science from 1999 until her retirement in 2008. Ms. Lin investigated changes in spatiotemporal variability in airborne heavy metal concentrations in Baltimore, Maryland over 18 years, coinciding with remediation and redevelopment efforts. Ms. Raheja assessed regional trends and reductions in PM 2.5 concentrations in the sub-Saharan metropolises Accra, Ghana and Lomé, Togo based on low-cost sensor networks, and intercomparisons between low-cost and reference monitors. Mr. Rivera compared PM 2.5 concentration measurements from low-cost sensors and a reference monitor in the Buzzard Point, Washington, D.C. neighborhood, and evaluated accuracy of the low-cost monitors. Dr. Singh investigated health and economic benefits attributed to changes in air quality and traffic emissions induced by COVID-19 emergency measures in Oxford City, UK, using a novel machine learning technique. Dr. Ye assessed the effects of a liquefied petroleum gas stove intervention on gestational blood pressure in pregnant women in Guatemala, India, Peru, and Rwanda, using both intention-to-treat and exposure–response findings from the Household Air Pollution Intervention Network (HAPIN) trial. Ms. Wang investigated disparities in NO 2 exposures in the United States across racial and social groups, using high-resolution NO 2 concentration estimates. Characterizing Spatiotemporal Years in Baltimore, MD * PM 2.5 Sensor Intercomparisons and Regional Trend Assessments Low-Cost Sensor Networks in Accra, and Lomé, Sunyer are assessing the effects of maternal exposure to traffic-related pollution on birth weight, fetal growth trajectories, and placental function in a new pregnancy cohort in Barcelona. Dr. Franklin is evaluating environmental factors affecting stress in children and their contribution to health effects in the most recent cohort of the Children’s Health Study in southern California. Dr. Raaschou-Nielsen is evaluating myocardial infarction, stroke, diabetes, and related biomarkers diabetes in three large Danish cohorts. All three studies are estimating exposure to several pollutants and transportation noise, and evaluating the roles of socioeconomic status, green space, physical activity, diet, and stress.