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Human Health Effects of Exposures to Air Pollutants
George D. Thurston Sc.D.
Department of Environmental Medicine
 
Research Summary

We identified associations between ambient air pollution and adverse human health effects. In our analyses, we considered individual subjects and their responses to ambient pollution, as well as citywide and nationwide population health characteristics and their aggregate associations with air pollution. Our studies have included both healthy and asthmatic children at summer camps in the northeastern United States, as these children are often outdoors and active during summer air-pollution episodes. Our studies of aggregate populations considered both human mortality, i.e., numbers of deaths per day by cause, and morbidity, e.g., numbers of hospital admissions per day for respiratory causes. We found that air pollution produces consistent adverse health consequences across the various populations and locations we researched. For example, on a high-ozone, air-pollution day, New York City hospital admissions for respiratory causes rise approximately 20% above otherwise expected figures.

Related Images

Image 1

Mean daily b-agonist medication use by children with asthma at a summer camp as a function of the daily maximum concentration of outdoor ozone air pollution. As pollution levels increased, the children experienced more asthma exacerbations.

Research Information

Research Interests

Human Health Effects of Exposures to Air Pollutants

Research Keywords

acidic aerosols, air pollution, asthma, ozone, respiratory health

 

 

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