Gerald Harris

Oral cleft defects and maternal exposure to ambient air pollutants in New Jersey

BACKGROUND Evidence links exposure to ambient air pollution during pregnancy, particularly gaseous pollutants and particulate matter, to an increased risk of adverse reproductive outcomes though the results for birth defects have been inconsistent. METHODS We compared estimated exposure to ambient air pollutants during early pregnancy among mothers of children with oral cleft defects (cases) to that among mothers of controls, adjusting for available risk factors from birth certificates. We obtained ambient air pollutant data from air monitoring sites in New Jersey for carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), ozone (O3), sulfur dioxide (SO(2)), particulate matter <10 microm in aerodynamic diameter (PM10) and particulate matter <2.5 microm in aerodynamic diameter (PM2.5). We used values from the nearest monitor (within 40 km of the residence at birth) for controls, cleft lip with or without cleft palate (CLP) and cleft palate only (CPO). RESULTS Based on logistic regression analyses for each contaminant and all contaminants together, there were no consistent elevated associations between selected air pollutants and cleft malformations. Quartile of CO concentration showed a consistent protective association with CPO (p < 0.01). For other contaminants, confidence intervals (95%) of the odds ratios for some quartiles excluded one. CLP showed limited evidence of an association with increasing SO(2) exposure while CPO showed weak associations with increasing O3 exposure. CONCLUSION There was little consistent evidence associating cleft malformations with maternal exposure to ambient air pollutants. Evaluating particular pollutants or disease subgroups would require more detailed measurement of exposure and classification of cleft defects.

The association of PM2.5 with full term low birth weight at different spatial scales

There is interest in determining the relationship between fine particulate matter air pollution and various health outcomes, including birth outcomes such as term low birth weight. Previous studies have come to different conclusions. In this study we consider whether the effect may vary by location and gestational period. We also compare results when using different spatial resolutions for the air concentration estimates. Among the seven states considered, New Jersey and New York had the highest PM2.5 levels (average full gestation period exposures of 13 µg/m(3)) and the largest rate of low birth weight births (2.6 and 2.8%, respectively); conversely Utah and Minnesota had the lowest PM2.5 levels (9 µg/m(3)) and the lowest rates of low birth weight births (2.1 and1.9%, respectively). There is an association between PM2.5 exposure and low birth weight in New York for the full gestation period and all three trimesters, in Minnesota for the full gestation period and the first and third trimesters, and in New Jersey for the full gestation period and the first trimester. When we pooled the data across states, the OR for the full gestation period was 1.030 (95% CI: 1.022-1.037) and it was highest for the first trimester (OR 1.018; CI: 1.013-1.022) and decreasing during the later trimesters. When we used a finer spatial resolution, the strengths of the associations tended to diminish and were no longer statistically significant. We consider reasons why these differences may occur and their implications for evaluating the effects of PM2.5 on birth outcomes.

Environmental justice: A contrary finding for the case of high-voltage electric power transmission lines

Environmental justice is the consideration of whether minority and/or lower-income residents in a geographic area are likely to have disproportionately higher exposures to environmental toxins than those living elsewhere. Such situations have been identified for a variety of factors, such as air pollution, hazardous waste, water quality, noise, residential crowding, and housing quality. This study investigates the application of this concept to high-voltage electric power transmission lines (HVTL), which some perceive as a health risk because of the magnetic fields they generate, and also as esthetically unpleasing. We mapped all 345 kV and higher voltage HVTL in New York State and extracted and summarized proximate US Census sociodemographic and housing characteristic data into four categories on the basis of distances from HVTL. Contrary to our expectation, people living within 2000 ft from HVTL were more likely to be exposed to magnetic fields, white, of higher income, more educated and home owners, than those living farther away, particularly in urban areas. Possible explanations for these patterns include the desire for the open space created by the rights-of-way, the preference for new homes/subdivisions that are often located near HVTL, and moving closer to HVTL before EMFs were considered a risk. This study suggests that environmental justice may not apply to all environmental risk factors and that one must be cautious in generalizing. In addition, it shows the utility of geographical information system methodology for summarizing information from extremely large populations, often a challenge in epidemiology.

Linking air pollution data and adverse birth outcomes: environmental public health tracking in New York State.

BACKGROUND Studies investigating associations between ambient air pollution and fetal growth and gestational duration have reported inconclusive findings. OBJECTIVES The study goal was to use the Environmental Public Health Tracking Network to describe the association between exposure to particulate matter (PM2.5) and ozone and term low birth weight (TLBW) in New York State. METHODS Birth data for the years 2001-2006 were linked to Census data and hierarchical Bayesian modeled air pollution data. Daily 8-hour maximums for ozone and daily average PM2.5 estimates were averaged by trimester and exposure quartiles. The Environmental Public Health Tracking Academic Center for Excellence at Rutgers University partnered with New York and several other states to create a statistical program that uses logistic regression to determine the association between air pollution exposure and TLBW. RESULTS There were no consistent dose-response relationships between the pollutants and TLBW. Ozone exposure was associated with a higher risk of TLBW only in the first trimester, but these results were not statistically significant. Exposure to the third quartile of ozone for the full gestational period had negative associations with TLBW (odds ratio = 0.86; 95% confidence interval, 0.81-0.92). CONCLUSION Collaboration within the Environmental Public Health Tracking Network to share methods and data for research proved feasible and efficient in assessing the relationship of air pollutants to adverse birth outcomes. This study finds little evidence to support positive associations between exposure to ozone or PM2.5 and TLBW in New York State.

Increasing Severity of Pneumoconiosis Among Younger Former US Coal Miners Working Exclusively Under Modern Dust-Control Regulations

Background: Coal workers’ pneumoconiosis (CWP) steadily declined among US miners following dust control regulations in 1970. In 2000, severe forms of this disease reemerged among young miners, and are well described among working—but not former—miners. Methods: Black lung benefits program (BLBP) data (2001 to 2013) were used to estimate respiratory disease burden among former miners including: (1) CWP (simple; advanced CWP, and progressive massive fibrosis [CWP/PMF]); and (2) respiratory impairment (FEV1 percent reference: mild, moderate, ≥moderately-severe). Results: Among 24,686 claimants, 8.5% had advanced CWP/PMF; prevalence was highest among younger (less than or equal to 56 years: 10.8%) and older (greater than 70 years: 8.4%) miners and those who began work after versus before 1970 (8.3% vs. 4.0%). Conclusions: BLBP claims provide potentially useful data for monitoring the burden and severity of coal mine dust lung disease, and assessing efficacy of protective regulations.

Lack of Association Between Estimated World Trade Center Plume Intensity and Respiratory Symptoms Among New York City Residents Outside of Lower Manhattan

Researchers have reported adverse health effects among rescue/recovery workers and people living near the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. The authors investigated the occurrence of respiratory symptoms among persons living outside of Lower Manhattan in areas affected by the World Trade Center particulate matter plume. Using a novel atmospheric dispersion model, they estimated relative cumulative plume intensity in areas surrounding the World Trade Center site over a 5-day period following the collapse of the buildings. Using data from a telephone survey of residents (n = 2,755) conducted approximately 6 months after the event, the authors evaluated associations between the estimated plume intensities at individual residence locations and self-reported respiratory symptoms among nonasthmatics, as well as symptoms and nonroutine care among asthmatics. Comparing persons at or above the 75th percentile of cumulative plume intensity with those below it, there was no statistically significant difference in self-reported new-onset wheezing/cough after September 11 (16.1% vs. 13.3%; adjusted odds ratio = 1.0, 95% confidence interval: 0.7, 1.7) and no worsening of asthma from before September 11 to the 4 weeks prior to the survey (13.9% vs. 16.6%; odds ratio = 1.0, 95% confidence interval: 0.3, 2.8). These results suggest that the plume was not strongly associated with respiratory symptoms outside of Lower Manhattan, within the limitations of this retrospective study.