Health Effects Institute Annual Conference

Chairs: Barbara Hoffmann, University of Düsseldorf, Germany, Kiros T. Berhane, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, USA

The body of evidence on air pollution and health has led to increasingly large risk estimates associated with air pollution in the Global Burden of Disease, and more stringent Air Quality Guidelines from the World Health Organization in 2021. While evidence is increasing, actual adoption of enforceable air quality standards varies for countries and regions around the world, and the resulting standards span a wide range. This session will discuss and contrast air quality standard-setting processes in the United States and Europe, the driving forces in each case, and plans for potential changes to future standards in the context of the new WHO guidelines.

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Chairs: David Savitz, Brown University, and Melissa Perry, George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health

We will present an overview of current projects at HEI, including HEI’s new literature review on traffic-related air pollution, continuing collaborative research on health effects at low exposure concentrations, new research underway for our core air pollution and energy programs, and updates on our global health program.

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Chairs: Gregory Wellenius, Boston University School of Public Health, and Sara D. Adar, University of Michigan School of Public Health

Widespread changes to local and regional patterns in human mobility and goods movement have occurred in recent years. This session will describe changing trends in mobility, including public transportation and active mobility, electrification of motor vehicles, and goods movement. It will broadly discuss new insights and trends, including among others how the COVID pandemic has accelerated or modified some of those trends. The session will also consider long-term effects on air quality and health, as well as associated inequities among specific subpopulations in the United States.

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Chairs: Ivan Rusyn, Texas A&M University, and Evangelia Samoli, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens

Disruption of the immune system is associated with a range of adverse health outcomes. These may include hypersensitivity, cancer, auto-immune disorders, and increased infection vulnerability and severity. Toxicological and clinical studies suggest air pollution exposure can adversely affect numerous innate and adaptive immune system pathways. Therefore, understanding how air pollution affects immune function is critical to not only understanding the biological mechanism underlying many diseases, but also potential prevention and treatment strategies. This session will highlight research examining immune system responses to ambient and indoor air pollution levels including high exposures from specific sources, such as wildfire smoke or household characteristics and activities.

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Chair: Michal Krzyzanowski, Imperial College London, UK, and Kalpana Balakrishnan, Sri Ramachandra University, India

Policies addressing energy access and use and improvement of air quality bring both climate and public health benefits. Globally, the use of solid fuels, such as biomass and coal, in the residential sector accounts for nearly 20% of emissions of fine particles and more than 700,000 deaths, with the largest burden in low- and middle-income countries. In addition, the use of wood or pellets, promoted as a renewable and affordable energy source, is becoming an important source of pollution in many cities, especially in high-income countries. This session will bring together a variety of global perspectives on the relationships between household energy, air quality, climate, and health, and will explore pathways used by various regions to address the issues surrounding household energy use.

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Chairs: Jennifer Peel, Colorado State University, and Jeff Brook, University of Toronto

Climate change produces changes in local temperatures and patterns of cloud cover, biogenic emissions, and large-scale atmospheric circulation patterns.  All of these can increase ground-level ozone concentrations in large areas of the United States and elsewhere. This session examines the effects of climate-related changes in ground-level ozone, exposure patterns and their primary drivers, and the resulting risks to human health associated with both acute and long-term exposures.  This session also discusses challenges that regulators and policymakers encounter when setting national ozone standards.

*Please note that this session will be held in 2 parts, with a 1-hour break for lunch from 12:15pm – 1:15pm. Registration and payment for the virtual session includes both parts.

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