Air Pollution–Associated Changes in Lung Function among Asthmatic Children in Detroit

In a longitudinal cohort study of primary-school–age children with asthma in Detroit, Michigan, we examined relationships between lung function and ambient levels of particulate matter ≤ 10 μm and ≤ 2.5 μm in diameter (PM(10) and PM(2.5)) and ozone at varying lag intervals using generalized estimating equations. Models considered effect modification by maintenance corticosteroid (CS) use and by the presence of an upper respiratory infection (URI) as recorded in a daily diary among 86 children who participated in six 2-week seasonal assessments from winter 2001 through spring 2002. Participants were predominantly African American from families with low income, and > 75% were categorized as having persistent asthma. In both single-pollutant and two-pollutant models, many regressions demonstrated associations between higher exposure to ambient pollutants and poorer lung function (increased diurnal variability and decreased lowest daily values for forced expiratory volume in 1 sec) among children using CSs but not among those not using CSs, and among children reporting URI symptoms but not among those who did not report URIs. Our findings suggest that levels of air pollutants in Detroit, which are above the current National Ambient Air Quality Standards, adversely affect lung function of susceptible asthmatic children

Characterization of personal exposures to ambient and indoor particulate matter among children with asthma in Detroit, Michigan.

The asthma prevalence among children has increased dramatically and has become a growing concern. A large body of epidemiological data has closely linked mortality and morbidity with elevated mass concentrations of ambient particulate matter (PM); many studies have also implicated PM in asthma exacerbation. To date, intensive studies in urban communities of children's exposures to PM together with detailed measures of their asthma status have not been reported. As part of Community Action Against Asthma, a community-based participatory research project in Detroit, MI, two-week seasonal measurement campaigns were conducted from 1999--2002 in which daily ambient and indoor measurements of PM2.5 and PM10 were collected at two elementary schools representing community-level exposure and exposure in the classroom, respectively. Concurrent measurements of PM2.5 and PM10 inside the homes of 20 asthmatic children, and personal measurements of PM10 for the same 20 children using personal exposure monitors, were also performed. Evaluation of the PM for mass and chemical constituents permitted characterization of the sources directly impacting the children's personal exposures, and the data collected in the multiple environments provides us with a greater basis for source comparison. The children recorded spending, on average, 16 hours at home and five hours at school which represents approximately 88% of their day. The children's mean 24-hour personal exposures to PM10 were consistently greater than the concentrations measured in the ambient environment and in the classroom. Similarly, the environments in which the children spent the most time were reflected in the elemental concentrations in the children's personal exposures. The trace element concentration observed among the children in both smoking and non-smoking households were strongly and significantly correlated to their home concentrations. The main sources of the children's PM10 mass were consistently environmental tobacco smoke, secondary sulfate, and windblown dust, which represent more than half of the source-contributed mass and explained a majority of the day-to-day variability that was observed in the mass. Mass measurements helped in characterizing the magnitude of the children's PM exposure, but the addition of elemental composition data enabled us to gain insight into the causes of elevated exposures and the sources that influenced the variability. These data will be extremely useful when ultimately evaluating potential sources that can lead to the exacerbation of asthma symptoms.Ph.D.Environmental scienceHealth and Environmental SciencesPublic healthUniversity of Michigan, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studieshttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/124344/2/3137970.pd

Public Perceptions of Environmental Public Health Risks in the United States

Understanding public perceptions about environmental health hazards, exposures, and health impacts can help environmental public health practitioners to target and prioritize community activities, policy needs, and communication strategies. The online cross-sectional 2013 summer wave of the ConsumerStyles survey sampled U.S. adults and used questions from the Centers for Disease Control’s Environmental Public Health Tracking Program to measure public awareness of governmental efforts to track environmental exposures and links to health impacts, as well as perceptions of environmental health issues. Unadjusted and adjusted logistic regressions examined the associations between demographic characteristics and level of awareness of government environmental public health efforts or level of concern about health risks associated with environmental pollutants. Responses were received from 4033 participants, yielding a response rate of 66.0%. More than half of respondents (57.8%) noted concerns about health risks from environmental pollutants. More than one-third (40.0%) of respondents reported awareness of government efforts. Nearly 40% of respondents felt that none of the health impacts listed in the survey were related to environmental issues. Multiple logistic regression models showed that non-Hispanic blacks, other races, females, people with a college or higher education, and people living in the Midwest or South regions were more likely than their counterparts to be concerned about how the environment affects their health. Future work should focus on improving risk communication, filling the information gap on environmental health issues, and understanding how perceptions change over time