1
|
Kirwa K, Szpiro AA, Sheppard L, Sampson PD, Wang M, Keller JP, Young MT, Kim SY, Larson TV, Kaufman JD. Fine-Scale Air Pollution Models for Epidemiologic Research: Insights From Approaches Developed in the Multi-ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis and Air Pollution (MESA Air). Curr Environ Health Rep 2021; 8:113-126. [PMID: 34086258 PMCID: PMC8278964 DOI: 10.1007/s40572-021-00310-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW Epidemiological studies of short- and long-term health impacts of ambient air pollutants require accurate exposure estimates. We describe the evolution in exposure assessment and assignment in air pollution epidemiology, with a focus on spatiotemporal techniques first developed to meet the needs of the Multi-ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis and Air Pollution (MESA Air). Initially designed to capture the substantial variation in pollutant levels and potential health impacts that can occur over small spatial and temporal scales in metropolitan areas, these methods have now matured to permit fine-scale exposure characterization across the contiguous USA and can be used for understanding long- and short-term health effects of exposure across the lifespan. For context, we highlight how the MESA Air models compare to other available exposure models. RECENT FINDINGS Newer model-based exposure assessment techniques provide predictions of pollutant concentrations with fine spatial and temporal resolution. These validated models can predict concentrations of several pollutants, including particulate matter less than 2.5 μm in diameter (PM2.5), oxides of nitrogen, and ozone, at specific locations (such as at residential addresses) over short time intervals (such as 2 weeks) across the contiguous USA between 1980 and the present. Advances in statistical methods, incorporation of supplemental pollutant monitoring campaigns, improved geographic information systems, and integration of more complete satellite and chemical transport model outputs have contributed to the increasing validity and refined spatiotemporal spans of available models. Modern models for predicting levels of outdoor concentrations of air pollutants can explain a substantial amount of the spatiotemporal variation in observations and are being used to provide critical insights into effects of air pollutants on the prevalence, incidence, progression, and prognosis of diseases across the lifespan. Additional enhancements in model inputs and model design, such as incorporation of better traffic data, novel monitoring platforms, and deployment of machine learning techniques, will allow even further improvements in the performance of pollutant prediction models.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kipruto Kirwa
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, University of Washington School of Public Health, Seattle, WA, USA.
| | - Adam A Szpiro
- Department of Biostatistics, University of Washington School of Public Health, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Lianne Sheppard
- Departments of Biostatistics and Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, University of Washington School of Public Health, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Paul D Sampson
- Department of Statistics, University of Washington School of Public Health, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Meng Wang
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, University of Washington School of Public Health, Seattle, WA, USA
- Department of Epidemiology and Environmental Health, School of Public Health and Health Professions Research and Education in Energy, Environment and Water Institute, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA
| | - Joshua P Keller
- Department of Statistics, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Michael T Young
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, University of Washington School of Public Health, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Sun-Young Kim
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, University of Washington School of Public Health, Seattle, WA, USA
- Institute of Health and Environment, Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Timothy V Larson
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Joel D Kaufman
- Departments of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, Epidemiology, and Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
The impact of measurement error in modeled ambient particles exposures on health effect estimates in multilevel analysis: A simulation study. Environ Epidemiol 2020; 4:e094. [PMID: 32656489 PMCID: PMC7319186 DOI: 10.1097/ee9.0000000000000094] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2019] [Accepted: 03/26/2020] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text. Various spatiotemporal models have been proposed for predicting ambient particulate exposure for inclusion in epidemiological analyses. We investigated the effect of measurement error in the prediction of particulate matter with diameter <10 µm (PM10) and <2.5 µm (PM2.5) concentrations on the estimation of health effects.
Collapse
|