Extramural Research
Research Centers
Grantee Research Project Results
Morton Lippmann, Director
New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY
EPA Grant Number: R827351
2001
Progress Report
2002
Progress Report
Center
sub-projects
The NYU PM Center is conducting a coordinated interdisciplinary research program focused on the identification of ambient air particulate matter (PM) components and their sources that are responsible for health effects identified in human populations. As the critical questions about the role of PM exposures in causing adverse health effects in humans have become more clearly defined, our Center’s research has evolved into a focused and integrated program, with an increasing emphasis on inter-disciplinary investigations aimed at identifying the major pollutant source categories responsible for both the short-term effects and the cumulative effects of longer-term PM exposures.
We initiated the first concentrated ambient particle (CAPs) inhalation studies in animals that extended over five to six months, and were able to demonstrate cardiac function changes in a murine model of atherosclerotic disease that were associated with both peak (i.e., daily) exposures and cumulative long-term fine particle (PM2.5) exposures. Other cumulative responses that resulted from our subchronic PM2.5 inhalation exposure study included: enhancement of aortic plaque and coronary artery disease; gene expression changes indicative of altered circadian rhythm; and changes in brain cell type distribution.
Our current studies are further advancing our ability to apply source-apportionment techniques to identify the source categories that account for: (1) short-term cardiac function responses in CAPs exposed mice; (2) daily variation in the in vitro cellular toxicity of CAPs; (3) increased daily hospital admissions for cardiopulmonary causes in New York City; and (4) variations in annual mortality rates in the ACS cohort.
In future studies, we will test for significant human health associations with PM2.5 component concentrations as derived from the EPA’s Speciation Network in ambient air, and by assessing the effects of ambient air PM2.5 components in controlled exposure studies in laboratory animals and human cells in vitro. Our current focus is on cardiovascular disease and lung cancer, with exploratory research extending into effects of exposures in utero, neurodegenerative disease, and the role of reactive chemicals on the surfaces of the particles.
Using state-of-the-art source apportionment techniques to develop measures of exposure to PM2.5 components, we will develop exposure-response relationships across three U.S. regions that differ markedly in PM2.5 composition (Northeast, Midwest, and Southern California) for: (1) annual mortality in the ACS cohort; (2) daily mortality and hospital admissions in large SMSAs; (3) acute and subchronic exposures to normal mice and mice that develop artherosclerosis; and (4) in vitro exposures to human pulmonary cells and cardiomyocytes.
The results of our research efforts will help in the identification
of the sources of PM2.5 and PM2.5 components that account for many, if
not all, of the health effects produced by the inhalation of ambient air
PM2.5, and thereby provide: (1) a scientific basis for primary PM2.5 NAAQS
that are better focused on public health protection; and (2) guidance
for efficient and economical means of source controls for the attainment
of current and future PM NAAQS.