Conditions Leading to Elevated PM at Near-Road Monitoring Sites: Case Studies in Denver and Indianapolis.

We examined two near-road monitoring sites where the daily PM readings were among the highest of any near-road monitoring location in the U.S. during 2014-2016: Denver, Colorado, in February 2014 and Indianapolis, Indiana, in November 2016.

Costs of coronary heart disease and mortality associated with near-roadway air pollution.

Background: Emerging evidence indicates that the near-roadway air pollution (NRAP) mixture contributes to CHD, yet few studies have evaluated the associated costs.

Objective: We integrated an assessment of NRAP-attributable CHD in Southern California with new methods to value the associated mortality and hospitalizations.

Methods: Based on population-weighted residential exposure to NRAP (traffic density, proximity to a major roadway and elemental carbon), we estimated the inflation-adjusted value of NRAP-attributable mortality and costs of hospitalizations that occurred in 2008.

Near-Roadway Air Pollution and Coronary Heart Disease: Burden of Disease and Potential Impact of a Greenhouse Gas Reduction Strategy in Southern California.

Background: Several studies have estimated the burden of coronary heart disease (CHD) mortality from ambient regional particulate matter ≤ 2.5 μm (PM2.5).

Determinants of the Spatial Distributions of Elemental Carbon and Particulate Matter in Eight Southern Californian Communities.

Emerging evidence indicates that near-roadway pollution (NRP) in ambient air has adverse health effects. However, specific components of the NRP mixture responsible for these effects have not been established. A major limitation for health studies is the lack of exposure models that estimate NRP components observed in epidemiological studies over fine spatial scale of tens to hundreds of meters.

Prenatal air pollution exposure and ultrasound measures of fetal growth in Los Angeles, California.

Background: Few previous studies examined the impact of prenatal air pollution exposures on fetal development based on ultrasound measures during pregnancy.

Methods: In a prospective birth cohort of more than 500 women followed during 1993-1996 in Los Angeles, California, we examined how air pollution impacts fetal growth during pregnancy. Exposure to traffic related air pollution was estimated using CALINE4 air dispersion modeling for nitrogen oxides (NOx) and a land use regression (LUR) model for nitrogen monoxide (NO), nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and NOx.

Traffic-related air pollution, particulate matter, and autism.

Context: Autism is a heterogeneous disorder with genetic and environmental factors likely contributing to its origins. Examination of hazardous pollutants has suggested the importance of air toxics in the etiology of autism, yet little research has examined its association with local levels of air pollution using residence-specific exposure assignments.

Objective: To examine the relationship between traffic-related air pollution, air quality, and autism.

Predictors of intra-community variation in air quality.

Air quality has emerged as a key determinant of important health outcomes in children and adults. This study aims to identify factors that influence local, within-community air quality, and to build a model for traffic-related air pollution (TRP).We utilized concentrations of NO(2), NO, and total oxides of nitrogen (NO(x)), which were measured at 942 locations in 12 southern California communities.

Temporal and spatial patterns of ambient endotoxin concentrations in Fresno, California.

Background: Endotoxins are found in indoor dust generated by human activity and pets, in soil, and adsorbed onto the surfaces of ambient combustion particles. Endotoxin concentrations have been associated with respiratory symptoms and the risk of atopy and asthma in children.

Objective: We characterized the temporal and spatial variability of ambient endotoxin in Fresno/Clovis, California, located in California's Central Valley, to identify correlates and potential predictors of ambient endotoxin concentrations in a cohort of children with asthma [Fresno Asthmatic Children's Environment Study (FACES)].

An attributable risk model for exposures assumed to cause both chronic disease and its exacerbations.

Background: Many chronic diseases are the product of an underlying pathologic condition and superimposed acute exacerbations. This model may apply to several conditions such as asthma, other obstructive lung diseases, or atherosclerosis. For exposures affecting both the development of chronic disease and its exacerbation, the usual methods to derive attributable risks (AR) are inappropriate.