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EPA GIVES HARVARD $7.5 MILLION GRANT TO STUDY HEALTH EFFECTS OF AIR POLLUTANTS

Release Date: 06/08/1999
Contact Information: Amy Miller, EPA Press Office (617-918-1042)

BOSTON - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced today a $7.47 million grant to the Harvard University School of Public Health to research the health effects from air pollutants known as particulate matter. The grant will be conducted by Harvard in collaboration with Brigham and Women's Hospital; Deaconess Hospital, and the Massachusetts Veterans Epidemiology Research Center of the VA Hospital.

The five-year project, called "Ambient Particles Health Effects: Exposure, Susceptibility and Mechanisms," was one of five research projects on air pollutants chosen nationally out of 22 submissions. The grant was funded by EPA's Office of Research and Development.

Particulate matter, a mixture of solid particles and liquid droplets found in the air, often comes from fuel combustion, power plants and diesel vehicles. It can be the cause of such public heath problems as premature death, respiratory related hospital visits, aggravated asthma and chronic bronchitis. It is also an environmental hazard, at times significantly reducing visibility

"This grant to Harvard's School of Public Health will contribute to the scientific foundation we need to set and enforce strong public health standards," said John P. DeVillars, EPA's New England Administrator. "This work will broaden our understanding of particulate matter, which poses a persistent threat to our public and environmental health. The results of this study will move us ahead as we try to find out what kind of particles are most harmful and who is most at risk."

The project will be conducted under the direction of Harvard researcher Dr. Petros Koutrakis, a professor of environmental science in the Department of Environmental Health at Harvard. It will focus on three major research areas related to particulate matter. The project will:

• Investigate human exposures to particles and gaseous co-pollutants in order to differentiate the health effects of particles from outdoor and indoor sources.
• Identify individuals who are sensitive to the effects of air pollution and will measure the effect of chronic exposure of particulate matter on the development of chronic diseases.
• Identify the particulate characteristic and gaseous air pollutants that trigger adverse health effects and will define the biological mechanisms that may lead to fatal outcomes. Projects will identify the particulate and gaseous air pollutants responsible for increased cardiac vulnerability as an adverse health effect and define the biological mechanisms that lead to this outcome.

The project will involve several dozen researchers in the Boston public health community. Most of the studies will be conducted in Boston, but researchers will also investigate urban environments in the Midwest.