![[logo] US EPA](http://www.epa.gov/epafiles/images/logo_epaseal.gif){kind=logo}
Improving Exposure Classification for Health Studies
Abstract:
In order to identify the air pollutant sources of greatest risk, epidemiological analyses that relate measured air pollutant concentrations to the occurrence of health effects may be improved by accounting for actual exposure levels for the population. Typically, measured air concentrations alone are used in these analyses. However, if the air pollutant concentrations for an area of interest exhibit spatial patterns that are not consistent over time then relationships between air pollutant levels and health effects may be complicated by exposure misclassification. Local sources are more likely to have impacts that vary spatially over time than regionally transported air pollutants. Also, human activities and residential housing factors may vary between regions of the country. A research plan will be developed under this task that will identify projects and available data that can be used to enhance exposure classification in public health analyses.
Objective:
The objective of this task is to identify key exposure factors that will reduce exposure misclassification in public health analyses linking air pollution to health effects.
This is a new task beginning in FY06. A proposal for the Agency’s Advanced Monitoring Initiative (AMI) was submitted in Oct. 2005 which, if selected for funding, will include research to be conducted under this task.
Relevance/Significance/Impact:
This task will address one of the critical research needs for identifying the air pollutant sources of greatest risk by improving the data used for public health analyses.
Principal Investigator: Dr. Janet M. Burke