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Research Reports

HEI’s mission is to provide credible science to support environmental regulations and other policy decisions. The results of each HEI-funded project undergo peer-review by outside scientists and the Health Review Committee. The HEI Research Reports contain the Investigator’s Report and the Review Committee’s evaluation of the study, summarized in a Commentary or short Critique.

ISSN 1041-5505 (print)        ISSN 2688-6855 (online) 

Time-Series Analysis of Air Pollution and Mortality: A Statistical Review

Research Report 123
Francesca Dominici
2004
Topics: 
Air Pollution
Particulate Matter
Innovation
Statistical Methods

This report describes a study funded under the Walter A. Rosenblith New Investigator Award. Dr Francesca Dominici and colleagues at Johns Hopkins University developed more flexible methods and statistical models for the National Morbidity, Mortality, and Air Pollution Study database.

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Uptake Distribution of Ozone in Human Lungs: Intersubject Variability in Physiologic Response

Research Report 125
James S Ultman
Abdellaziz Ben-Jebria
Steven F Arnold
2004
Topics: 
Ozone & Oxidants

Dr James Ultman and colleagues at Pennsylvania State University recruited 32 men and 28 women to examine differences in ozone uptake in the lung. The subjects (all non smokers) first took a series of single breaths of air–ozone mixtures, which allowed the investigators to examine how ozone was distributed in the airways and where the major fraction of ozone was taken up. In a follow-up test, the subjects pedaled a bicycle ergometer to produce conditions of moderate exercise for one hour while breathing clean air, followed by a third test while breathing ozone at 0.25 ppm).

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Evaluation of a Personal and Microenvironmental Aerosol Speciation Sampler (PMASS)

Research Report 122
Alison S Geyh
Susanne Hering
Nathan Kreisberg
Walter John
2004
Topics: 
Air Pollution
Particulate Matter
Innovation
Exposure Methods

Dr Alison S Geyh and colleagues at Johns Hopkins University evaluated the personal and microenvironmental aerosol speciation sampler (PMASS) prototype developed by Dr. Susanne Hering with HEI funding (HEI Research Report 114). The precision and accuracy of the prototype, which measures PM2.5 mass, elemental and organic carbon, sulfate, and nitrate, was evaluated in two locations with different PM composition. Baltimore, Maryland (outdoors), and Fresno, California (indoors). Geyh and colleagues set a target of 10% precision and 10% accuracy for all species measured.

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Field Evaluation of Nanofilm Detectors for Measuring Acidic Particles in Indoor and Outdoor Air

Research Report 121
Beverly Cohen
Maire SA Heikkinen
Yair Hazi
Hai Gao
Paul Peters
Morton Lippmann
2004
Topics: 
Air Pollution
Particulate Matter
Innovation
Exposure Methods

Dr. Beverly Cohen and her colleagues at New York University School of Medicine tested the performance of iron nanofilms to collect and measure sulfuric acid particles of different sizes under a variety of temperature and humidity conditions. The iron nanofilm detector is a thin iron-coated silicon chip. Particles would react with the iron, creating an elevated site or bump on the film surface, which can be visualized using an atomic force microscope.

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