Fine-Scale Source Apportionment Including Diesel-Related Elemental and Organic Constituents of PM across Downtown Pittsburgh.

Health effects of fine particulate matter (PM) may vary by composition, and the characterization of constituents may help to identify key PM sources, such as diesel, distributed across an urban area. The composition of diesel particulate matter (DPM) is complicated, and elemental and organic carbon are often used as surrogates. Examining multiple elemental and organic constituents across urban sites, however, may better capture variation in diesel-related impacts, and help to more clearly separate diesel from other sources.

It's not easy assessing greenness: A comparison of NDVI datasets and neighborhood types and their associations with self-rated health in New York City.

Growing evidence suggests that exposure to greenness benefits health, but studies assess greenness differently. We hypothesize greenness-health associations vary by exposure assessment method. To test this, we considered four vegetation datasets (three Normalized Difference Vegetation Index datasets with different spatial resolutions and a finely-resolved land cover dataset), and six aggregation units (five radial buffer sizes and self-described neighborhoods) of each dataset.

Framework for using deciduous tree leaves as biomonitors for intraurban particulate air pollution in exposure assessment.

Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) air pollution, varying in concentration and composition, has been shown to cause or exacerbate adverse effects on both human and ecological health. The concept of biomonitoring using deciduous tree leaves as a proxy for intraurban PM air pollution in different areas has previously been explored using a variety of study designs (e.

Ambient Fine Particulate Matter, Nitrogen Dioxide, and Preterm Birth in New York City.

Background: Recent studies have suggested associations between air pollution and various birth outcomes, but the evidence for preterm birth is mixed.

Objective: We aimed to assess the relationship between air pollution and preterm birth using 2008-2010 New York City (NYC) birth certificates linked to hospital records.

Methods: We analyzed 258,294 singleton births with 22-42 completed weeks gestation to nonsmoking mothers.

Spatio-temporal ozone variation in a case-crossover analysis of childhood asthma hospital visits in New York City.

Background: Childhood asthma morbidity has been associated with short-term air pollution exposure. To date, most investigations have used time-series models, and it is not well understood how exposure misclassification arising from unmeasured spatial variation may impact epidemiological effect estimates. Here, we develop case-crossover models integrating temporal and spatial individual-level exposure information, toward reducing exposure misclassification in estimating associations between air pollution and child asthma exacerbations in New York City (NYC).

Spatial patterning in PM2.5 constituents under an inversion-focused sampling design across an urban area of complex terrain.

Health effects of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) vary by chemical composition, and composition can help to identify key PM2.5 sources across urban areas.

Area-level socioeconomic deprivation, nitrogen dioxide exposure, and term birth weight in New York City.

Numerous studies have linked air pollution with adverse birth outcomes, but relatively few have examined differential associations across the socioeconomic gradient. To evaluate interaction effects of gestational nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and area-level socioeconomic deprivation on fetal growth, we used: (1) highly spatially-resolved air pollution data from the New York City Community Air Survey (NYCCAS); and (2) spatially-stratified principle component analysis of census variables previously associated with birth outcomes to define area-level deprivation. New York City (NYC) hospital birth records for years 2008-2010 were restricted to full-term, singleton births to non-smoking mothers (n=243,853).

Ambient Fine Particulate Matter, Nitrogen Dioxide, and Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy in New York City.

Background: Previous studies suggested a possible association between fine particulate matter air pollution (PM2.5) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and the development of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, but effect sizes have been small and methodologic weaknesses preclude firm conclusions.

Methods: We linked birth certificates in New York City in 2008-2010 to hospital discharge diagnoses and estimated air pollution exposure based on maternal address.

Identifying Perceived Neighborhood Stressors Across Diverse Communities in New York City.

There is growing interest in the role of psychosocial stress in health disparities. Identifying which social stressors are most important to community residents is critical for accurately incorporating stressor exposures into health research. Using a community-academic partnered approach, we designed a multi-community study across the five boroughs of New York City to characterize resident perceptions of key neighborhood stressors.

Spatial variation in inversion-focused vs 24-h integrated samples of PM2.5 and black carbon across Pittsburgh, PA.

A growing literature explores intra-urban variation in pollution concentrations. Few studies, however, have examined spatial variation during "peak" hours of the day (e.g.

Ambient ozone exposure and children's acute asthma in New York City: a case-crossover analysis.

Background: Childhood asthma morbidity has been associated with ambient ozone in case-crossover studies. Varying effects of ozone by child age and sex, however, have been less explored.

Methods: This study evaluates associations between ozone exposure and asthma emergency department visits and hospitalizations among boys and girls aged 5-17 years in New York City for the 2005-2011 warm season period.

Social stressors and air pollution across New York City communities: a spatial approach for assessing correlations among multiple exposures.

Background: Recent toxicological and epidemiological evidence suggests that chronic psychosocial stress may modify pollution effects on health. Thus, there is increasing interest in refined methods for assessing and incorporating non-chemical exposures, including social stressors, into environmental health research, towards identifying whether and how psychosocial stress interacts with chemical exposures to influence health and health disparities. We present a flexible, GIS-based approach for examining spatial patterns within and among a range of social stressors, and their spatial relationships with air pollution, across New York City, towards understanding their combined effects on health.

Saturation sampling for spatial variation in multiple air pollutants across an inversion-prone metropolitan area of complex terrain.

Background: Characterizing intra-urban variation in air quality is important for epidemiological investigation of health outcomes and disparities. To date, however, few studies have been designed to capture spatial variation during select hours of the day, or to examine the roles of meteorology and complex terrain in shaping intra-urban exposure gradients.

Methods: We designed a spatial saturation monitoring study to target local air pollution sources, and to understand the role of topography and temperature inversions on fine-scale pollution variation by systematically allocating sampling locations across gradients in key local emissions sources (vehicle traffic, industrial facilities) and topography (elevation) in the Pittsburgh area.