Publications

This report presents a study led by Sara Adar of the University of Michigan’s School of Public Health. Adar and colleagues conducted a thorough accountability study of a program for replacing old diesel school buses with new, lower-emitting buses across the United States.

This report presents a study led by Marie Pedersen of the University of Copenhagen, Denmark. Pedersen and colleagues examined children’s asthma in four Danish cohorts and focused on exposure to an array of air pollutants, including fine particulate matter, ozone, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, and combinations of those pollutants.

This report presents a study that assessed associations between long-term exposure to outdoor ultrafine particles (UFPs) and black carbon with mortality using several modeling approaches. The investigators applied exposure models developed through mobile monitoring in Toronto and Montreal to 1.5 million Canadian adults residing in both cities.

This report presents the results of a study led by Joshua Apte of the University of California, Berkeley, a recipient of HEI’s Walter A. Rosenblith New Investigator Award. Apte and colleagues evaluated the use of mobile monitoring for several air pollution mapping and exposure assessment applications.

In this issue of HEI's quarterly Update, read about:

• New members of the HEI Board and scientific committees
• The launch of HEI’s Environmental Justice Program
• A new report on air quality and health impacts in Africa
• Two recently launched studies on non-tailpipe emissions

...and more!

In this issue of HEI Update, read about:

• HEI’s comprehensive new scientific review on traffic-related air pollution
• An HEI study assessing health effects at very low air pollution levels in Canada
• A new inclusive summer fellowship
• Our successful hybrid Annual Conference 2022

…and more!

This report presents a comprehensive HEI study examining potential health risks from low levels of air pollution exposure in millions of Canadian citizens. Michael Brauer at The University of British Columbia and his colleagues combined satellite data, air monitor sampling, and atmospheric modeling to estimate outdoor PM_2.5 exposures across Canada from 1981 to 2016.

During 2021 we made significant progress on our ambitious goals ― from a stronger focus on the air quality–climate connection, to our Global Health research, to a deeper understanding of accountability and the health outcomes that result from air quality actions. Read about our progress in the new HEI Annual Report.

Research Report 209 presents a study by Mònica Guxens of the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal) and colleagues. The team used new neuroimaging technology to assess the possible relationship of air pollution exposure during pregnancy and childhood with brain outcomes in children. 

In this issue of HEI Update, read about new experts on HEI's scientific committees; a key global health study assessing the burden of disease from major air pollution sources; research funding opportunities, a New Investigator study examining air pollution and brain development in children; and more!

In this issue of Update, read about a major HEI study in Europe that found evidence of health effects at low levels of air pollution; a new Board Chair; our first-ever Director of Science Communications; steps HEI is taking toward diversity, equity, and inclusion; the launch of new studies on wildfires and the effectiveness of air quality policies, and more.

Research Report 206 presents a study led by Dr. Jane Clougherty at Dornsife School of Public Health, Drexel University. Clougherty and colleagues examined whether associations between community- and individual-level cardiovascular disease events and ambient air pollutants vary by social stressors.  

Research Report 205 presents a study led by Ying-Ying Meng and colleagues at the University of California, Los Angeles, examining the impact of the 2006 California Goods Movement Plan on air quality and healthcare utilization among adults with chronic health conditions who were enrolled in California’s healthcare program for low-income individuals (Medi-Cal).

In this issue of Update, read about Ellen Mantus, the new HEI Director of Science; HEI’s timely and targeted 2021 Virtual Conference (Sign Up Now!); five HEI studies underway on COVID-19, air pollution, and health; a transition in HEI’s Global Health program… and more!

In this issue of Update, read about the release of State of Global Air 2020; HEI’s progress on promoting inclusion; our prominent role in virtual international meetings on exposure science and epidemiology; and more!

Research Report 201 presents a study led by Dr. Lydia Contreras at the University of Texas, Austin, who is a recipient of HEI’s Walter A. Rosenblith New Investigator Award. Dr. Contreras and colleagues evaluated how exposure of lung cells to volatile organic compounds plus ozone affects oxidation of ribonucleic acid, a key component of cells. The study aimed to improve understanding of the biological mechanisms by which air pollutants can cause effects in human health, thereby expanding our knowledge of potential causal links between exposure and health.

Research Report 192, Part 2, describes the second part of the Multicenter Ozone Study in oldEr Subjects (MOSES), led by Drs. David Rich and Mark Frampton of the University of Rochester Medical Center in Rochester, New York. Part 1 of the MOSES study, Effects of Exposure to Low Concentrations of Ozone on Respiratory and Cardiovascular Outcomes, was published in 2017; Part 2 presents additional analyses.

In this issue of Update, read about HEI’s publication of two major reports evaluating the extent to which air pollution at low levels of exposure may have consequences for public health; a revised draft of our Strategic Plan for 2020–2025; a new epidemiologist appointed to the HEI Review Committee; the communication of HEI research at important government, industry, and scientific conferences; and more.

Research Report 203 describes the first-phase results of a study evaluating the relationship between long-term exposure to low concentrations of PM_2.5 and non-accidental mortality, including a characterization of the shape of the concentration–response functions, in a large population-based cohort (~9 million adults) in Canada. The report also presents the detailed Commentary on the study by HEI’s Low-Exposure Epidemiology Studies Review Panel.

In this issue of Update, read about HEI presenting science and strategies at a major symposium on transportation, air quality, and health; the release of State of Global Air 2019; the continued progress of an HEI special panel reviewing the literature on traffic-related air pollution; a new staff member managing our digital communications; and more.

Research Report 198 describes a study by Dr. Jason Surratt and his colleagues evaluating the toxicity of fine particulate matter formed from the photochemical oxidation of isoprene in a chamber.