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Air pollution exposure prediction approaches used in air pollution epidemiology studies

Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology volume 23, pages 566–572 (2013)Cite this article

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Abstract

Epidemiological studies of the health effects of outdoor air pollution have traditionally relied upon surrogates of personal exposures, most commonly ambient concentration measurements from central-site monitors. However, this approach may introduce exposure prediction errors and misclassification of exposures for pollutants that are spatially heterogeneous, such as those associated with traffic emissions (e.g., carbon monoxide, elemental carbon, nitrogen oxides, and particulate matter). We review alternative air quality and human exposure metrics applied in recent air pollution health effect studies discussed during the International Society of Exposure Science 2011 conference in Baltimore, MD. Symposium presenters considered various alternative exposure metrics, including: central site or interpolated monitoring data, regional pollution levels predicted using the national scale Community Multiscale Air Quality model or from measurements combined with local-scale (AERMOD) air quality models, hybrid models that include satellite data, statistically blended modeling and measurement data, concentrations adjusted by home infiltration rates, and population-based human exposure model (Stochastic Human Exposure and Dose Simulation, and Air Pollutants Exposure models) predictions. These alternative exposure metrics were applied in epidemiological applications to health outcomes, including daily mortality and respiratory hospital admissions, daily hospital emergency department visits, daily myocardial infarctions, and daily adverse birth outcomes. This paper summarizes the research projects presented during the symposium, with full details of the work presented in individual papers in this journal issue.

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Acknowledgements

The United States Environmental Protection Agency through its Office of Research and Development funded and collaborated in the research described here under Cooperative Agreements: CR-83407201-1, CR-83407-301-1, and CR-83407-401-0 with Rutgers University, Emory University, and University of Washington, respectively. It has been subjected to Agency review and approved for publication. It may not necessarily reflect official Agency policy.

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  1. National Exposure Research Laboratory, US Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA

    Halûk Özkaynak, Lisa K Baxter, Kathie L Dionisio & Janet Burke

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Özkaynak, H., Baxter, L., Dionisio, K. et al. Air pollution exposure prediction approaches used in air pollution epidemiology studies. J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol 23, 566–572 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/jes.2013.15

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