Research Hub

Race and ethnicity are consequential constructs when it comes to exposure to air pollution. Persistent environmental racial/ethnic inequalities call for attention to identifying the factors that maintain them. We examined associations between racial residential segregation and racial/ethnic inequalities in exposure to three types of air pollutants. Using data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (1990–2011), the U.S. Census (1990–2010), and the Environmental Protection Agency, we tested the independent and joint contributions of race/ethnicity and metropolitan-level residential segregation on individual levels of exposure to air pollution nationwide. We found that racial and ethnic minorities were exposed to significantly higher levels of air pollution compared to Whites. The difference between minorities and Whites in exposure to all three types of air pollution was most pronounced in metropolitan areas with high levels of residential segregation. The environmental inequities observed in this study call for public health and policy initiatives to ameliorate the sources of racial/ethnic gaps in pollution exposure. Given the links between the physical environment and health, addressing such uneven environmental burdens may be a promising way to improve population health and decrease racial/ethnic inequalities therein.

Published Oct 15, 2018

Woo, B., Kravitz-Wirtz, N., Sass, V., Crowder, K., Teixeira, S., & Takeuchi, D. T. (2019). Residential Segregation and Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Ambient Air Pollution. Race and Social Problems, 11(1), 60–67. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12552-018-9254-0

Outlines the scope of air pollution's effect on physical activity.

Published Sep 20, 2018

Aguilera, J., Jeon, S., Chavez, M., Whigham, ; Leah, & Li, W.-W. (2018). Moderate to vigorous physical activity levels negatively correlate with traffic related air pollutants in children with asthma attending a school near a freeway.

Open burning of sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum) has a large impact in regional atmospheric pollution and global climatic change. In this research, pollutant emissions from sugarcane residues burning were measured in order to determine the emission factors (EFs) of elemental carbon (EC), organic carbon (OC), 18 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), K, Na, Ca, Mg, NO3−, SO42−, NH4+, and Cl− contained in particulate matter (PM), as well as EFs of the gaseous pollutants, carbon dioxide (CO2), carbon monoxide (CO), methane (CH4) and 37 volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Experiments were carried out in an open combustion chamber equipped with isokinetic sampling, following EPA 5 and modified EPA 201-A methods. Preliminary tests showed that continuous feeding of residues does not represent the open burning carried out in the field since flaming stage is sustained, thus batch feeding of residues was used to perform around 30 experiments. Gaseous pollutants EFs were 1618 ± 108, 25.7 ± 2.04 and 2.29 ± 0.13 g kg−1 for CO2, CO and CH4 respectively, while C2 compounds have the highest EF of VOCs. PM10 and PM2.5 accounted for 55% and 36% of total PM mass, whereas carbonaceous species (EC and OC) accounted for 66% in PM2.5 and 58% in PM10 and total PM mass. Emission factors of EC varied from 0.34 to 0.37 g kg−1, and EF of OC were 0.44, 0.67 and 1.2 g kg−1 for PM2.5, PM10 and total PM, respectively. Highest EFs of determined elements and anions were K and Cl−, respectively. Heavy PAHs such as benzo[b]fluoranthene, bezo[k]fluranthene and benzo[a]pyrene presented the greatest EFs with 0.265 ± 0.04, 0.264 ± 0.08 and 0.254 ± 0.015 mg kg−1 respectively. Kruskal Wallis tests indicated that EFs had no significant differences among sugarcane varieties harvested in sites with different altitudes and climate, thus they can be applied for inventories estimations in world regions similar to Mexico, as well as in air quality forecasting models and climatic model allowing a better knowledge of air pollution and climatic change scenarios. The results of this research can be the base to design and establish public policies in order to regulate and eventually eliminate the practices of pre-harvest and post-harvest sugarcane burning.

Published Sep 13, 2018

Mugica-Álvarez, V., Hernández-Rosas, F., Magaña-Reyes, M., Herrera-Murillo, J., Santiago-De La Rosa, N., Gutiérrez-Arzaluz, M., de Jesús Figueroa-Lara, J., & González-Cardoso, G. (2018). Sugarcane burning emissions: Characterization and emission factors. Atmospheric Environment, 193, 262–272. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2018.09.013

Epidemiological studies have demonstrated that air pollution particulate matter (PM) and adsorbed toxicants (organic compounds and trace metals) may affect child development already in utero. Recent studies have also indicated that PM may be a risk factor for neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs). A pattern of increasing prevalence of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has been suggested to partly be linked to environmental pollutants exposure, including PM. Epidemiological studies suggest associations between pre- or postnatal exposure to air pollution components and ADHD symptoms. However, many studies are cross-sectional without possibility to reveal causality. Cohort studies are often small with poor exposure characterization, and confounded by traffic noise and socioeconomic factors, possibly overestimating the study associations. Furthermore, the mechanistic knowledge how exposure to PM during early brain development may contribute to increased risk of ADHD symptoms or cognitive deficits is limited. The closure of this knowledge gap requires the combined use of well-designed longitudinal cohort studies, supported by mechanistic in vitro studies. As ADHD has profound consequences for the children affected and their families, the identification of preventable risk factors such as air pollution exposure should be of high priority.

Published Sep 1, 2018

Myhre, Oddvar, et al. “Early Life Exposure to Air Pollution Particulate Matter (PM) as Risk Factor for Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD): Need for Novel Strategies for Mechanisms and Causalities.” Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology, vol. 354, 2018, pp. 196–214., doi:10.1016/j.taap.2018.03.015.

This paper examines the effect of both cumulative and transitory exposures to air pollution for the same individuals over time on cognitive performance by matching a nationally representative longitudinal survey and air quality data in China according to the exact time and geographic locations of the cognitive tests. We find that long-term exposure to air pollution impedes cognitive performance in verbal and math tests. We provide evidence that the effect of air pollution on verbal tests becomes more pronounced as people age, especially for men and the less educated. The damage on the aging brain by air pollution likely imposes substantial health and economic costs, considering that cognitive functioning is critical for the elderly for both running daily errands and making high-stake decisions.

Published Aug 27, 2018

Zhang, X., Chen, X., & Zhang, X. (2018). The impact of exposure to air pollution on cognitive performance. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 115(37), 9193–9197. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1809474115

publication in the Federal Register. NHTSA and EPA have taken steps to ensure the accuracy of this Internet version of the Final Rule. However, once available, please refer to the official version of the forthcoming Federal Register publication, which will appear on the Government Printing Office's FDSys website (www.federalregister.gov) and on Regulations.gov (https://www.regulations.gov/docket?D=NHTSA-2018-0067 and https://www.regulations.gov/docket?D=EPA=HQ-OAR-2018-0283). Once the official version of this document is published in the Federal Register, this version will be removed from the Internet and replaced with a link to the official version.

Published Aug 24, 2018

David L. Greene, P. (2018). An Analysis of Deficiencies in the Benefit-Cost Analysis of the Safer Affordable Fuel-Efficient (SAFE) Vehicles Rule for Model Years 2021–2026 Passenger Cars and Light Trucks, 83 Fed. Reg. 42,986. https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/sites/default/files/2018-10/10-21-2018_Greene_UTenn-Consumer_Behavior_Modeling.pdf

In this paper, we investigate the relationships between dwelling conditions and pediatric asthma prevalence, merging multiple data sources to unpack disproportionate pediatric asthma prevalence in Memphis, TN, USA. Using 32 097 pediatric asthma encounter data from a children's hospital, we map the patient distributions in Memphis. Connecting these data with 244 000 property quality data and census data, we show that pediatric asthma is disproportionately prevalent in the bad quality neighborhoods, even after controlling for ethnicity and poverty level. Furthermore, we show that the neighborhood inequality has a more negative effect than the overall neighborhood degeneration. Our novel data integration provides a unique opportunity to directly test the relationship between residential qualities and asthma prevalences at the macro-level, and to the best of our knowledge, this study is the first study that investigates the association between the detailed property quality and pediatric asthma with a relatively large sample size. Moreover, directly connecting health outcomes with the detailed housing quality data enables us to unpack how the inequality in living conditions yields disproportionate public health outcome distributions. To further improve public health decision making, the health issue should be approached with a more holistic view with taking into account environmental, residential, and social conditions. Integrating multiple data sources helps us not only discover the hidden links between quality of housing and childhood asthma in an urban community but also provide more efficient health surveillance guidelines to identify the population at risk. We show that neighborhood blight and inequality are closely associated with childhood asthma and other consecutive health problems, and therefore, any effective health intervention should also consider consolidation of housing policies and procedures. In addition, the detailed neighborhood level data helps us to reveal the pathways of social inequalities to health disparities and improve the public health through a properly designed surveillance system.

Published Aug 20, 2018

Shin, E. K., & Shaban-Nejad, A. (2018). Urban Decay and Pediatric Asthma Prevalence in Memphis, Tennessee: Urban Data Integration for Efficient Population Health Surveillance. IEEE Access, 6, 46281–46289. https://doi.org/10.1109/ACCESS.2018.2866069

Overview of propossed emissions guidelines for 2019 by the EPA. Surveys development, background, policy, cost, climate benefits, and energy impacts

Published Aug 1, 2018

US EPA Integrated Risk Information System Division. (2018). Regulatory Impact Analysis for the Proposed Emission Guidelines for Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Existing Electric Utility Generating Units; Revisions to Emission Guideline Implementing Regulations; Revisions to New Source Review Program. https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2018-08/documents/utilities_ria_proposed_ace_2018-08.pdf

Coal and oil power plant retirements reduce air pollution nearby, but few studies have leveraged these natural experiments for public health research. We used California Department of Public Health birth records and US Energy Information Administration data from 2001–2011 to evaluate the relationship between the retirements of 8 coal and oil power plants and nearby preterm (gestational age of <37 weeks) birth. We conducted a difference-in-differences analysis using adjusted linear mixed models that included 57,005 births—6.3% of which were preterm—to compare the probability of preterm birth before and after power plant retirement among mothers residing within 0–5 km and 5–10 km of the 8 power plants. We found that power plant retirements were associated with a decrease in the proportion of preterm birth within 5 km (−0.019, 95% CI: −0.031, −0.008) and 5–10 km (−0.015, 95% CI: −0.024, −0.007), controlling for secular trends with mothers living 10–20 km away. For the 0–5-km area, this corresponds to a reduction in preterm birth from 7.0% to 5.1%. Subgroup analyses indicated a potentially larger association among non-Hispanic black and Asian mothers than among non-Hispanic white and Hispanic mothers and no differences in educational attainment. Future coal and oil power plant retirements may reduce preterm birth among nearby populations.

Published Aug 1, 2018

Casey, J. A., Karasek, D., Ogburn, E. L., Goin, D. E., Dang, K., Braveman, P. A., & Morello-Frosch, R. (2018). Retirements of Coal and Oil Power Plants in California: Association With Reduced Preterm Birth Among Populations Nearby. American Journal of Epidemiology, 187(8), 1586–1594. https://doi.org/10.1093/AJE/KWY110

Human exposure to elevated air pollution has many negative health outcomes. Communicating elevated air pollution concentrations with an air quality (health) index is one an approach to reduce population exposure. The indices translate a cocktail of air pollutants to a single value that can be understood by the general public. People can use the index to avoid activities that will elevate their exposure. Most indices report the health risk for an entire city or large area as a single value. Research into air pollution spatial variability shows that major variations can occur within cities and neighborhoods, so air quality index information, while valuable, may mislead citizens when they estimate their own risk. This chapter describes the development of a neighborhood level, real time, internet enabled air pollution map that can be used by citizens to become aware of their localized air quality health risks and then take appropriate actions.

Published Jun 29, 2018

Adams, M., Corr, D., & Requia, W. (2018). Mapping air pollution health risk: An application of Canada’s AQHI. In The Practice of Spatial Analysis: Essays in memory of Professor Pavlos Kanaroglou (pp. 359–372). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-89806-3_17