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Preliminary Findings of the Cardiovascular Effects Associated with Ambient Air Pollution Exposures in a Detroit Cohort
Robert D. Brook1, Robert L. Bard1, Richard T. Burnett2, Ron Williams3, Alan Vette3, Carry Croghan3, Carvin Stevens3, Michael Phillips4
1 Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48106, USA
2 University of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
3U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC, 27711, USA
4RTI International, Research Triangle Park, NC, 27709, USA
The Detroit Cardiovascular Health Study (DCHS) and the Detroit Exposure and Aerosol Research Study (DEARS) represent a linked human participant investigation of particulate matter and gaseous co-pollutant exposures relative to daily variations in cardiovascular (CV) function. Field data collections for both of these studies were performed from January 2005 to February 2007. During this period, a cohort of 67 participants living in Wayne County Michigan, and who were enrolled in the US EPA's DEARS, voluntarily agreed to co-participate in the DCHS study being performed simultaneously by investigators from the Division of CV Medicine, University of Michigan. This resulted in 85 total health data collections. A purposeful, randomized enrollment strategy based upon census block areas was employed during recruitment in the DEARS. No restrictions were placed upon occupation, sex, race, ethnicity or socio-economic-status. Household participation of the non-smoking, ambulatory, adult cohort in the DEARS involved the collection of daily (24-hr integrated) personal, residential indoor and residential outdoor exposure measurements (e.g., particulate matter, VOCs, carbonyls) for five consecutive days during the summer and five consecutive days during the following winter (repeated measures). DCHS co-participants (80% female, 57% African American, 42% Caucasian, 1% Native American, 28% Hispanic) had no enrollment restrictions. Biological CV outcomes included blood pressure, heart rate, and vascular endothelial-dependent and independent vasodilatation determined by flow-mediated and nitroglyerin-mediated dilatation of the brachial artery, respectively. A novel portable high resolution (10 mHz) vascular ultrasound system was utilized (Teratech, Inc) allowing for the determination of vascular function in participants at their actual residence (representing seminal field data collections of this type outside a clinical laboratory setting). CV outcomes were measured between 5-8 pm each day. Data from the winter 2005, summr 2005 and winter 2006 monitoring seasons for both studies are currently being validated with integration anticipated by June 2006. This presentation will report upon the data collection methodologies used in the DCHS study and the preliminary associations between human exposures with the defined CV end points.
Although this work was reviewed by EPA and approved for publication, it may not necessarily reflect official Agency policy.