Characterizing the Exposure of Regional-Scale Air Quality in the Northeastern United States

Abstract

AbstractThe Clean Air Act (CAA) requires that the United States (U.S.) Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) set National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for pollutants considered harmful to human health and the environment. Previous research has shown that high ambient ozone levels are harmful to human health (e.g., Bell ML, Dominici F, Samet JM, Epidemiology, 16(4):436–445, 2005; Ito K, De Leon SF, Lippmann M, Epidemiology, 16(4):446–457, 2005, [4]). While ozone is not directly emitted, the formation of ozone is driven by chemical interactions in the presence of sunlight involving nitrogen oxides (NOx) and volatile organic compounds. Prevailing weather conditions in the Northeastern U.S. transport the relatively long-lived NOx (NO and NO2) and the secondarily-formed ozone downwind, contributing to pollutant levels at locations much farther from the emission source regions. In this study, we investigate associations between polluted air parcels transported from the Ohio River Valley (ORV) in the Midwestern U.S. and respiratory-related hospital admissions in New York State (NYS). We also examine whether better characterization of exposure in an epidemiology model would improve the discernment of this health signal.KeywordsAccountabilityOzoneHealth effectsTransport