Health Effects Institute

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HEI's website is regularly updated with the latest news and results. Thank you for visiting!

HEI publishes report on particles in airway macrophages from healthy children – June 2008 NEW
Research Report 134, Black-Pigmented Material in Air Macrophages from Healthy Children: Association with Lung Function and Modeled PM₁₀, describes a study that evaluated whether there was an association between particles detectable in airway macrophages of healthy children and a) estimates of local, traffic-derived PM₁₀ at the children's home addresses or b) their lung function. Dr. Jonathan Grigg and colleagues recruited 116 healthy children aged 8 to 15 years who lived in Leicester, UK. In addition to modeling each child’s exposure, the investigators measured lung function and evaluated induced sputum for particles in airway macrophages and markers of inflammation.
To download HEI Research Report 134 by Dr. Grigg and colleagues, including a Critique by the HEI Review Committee, or a summary Statement, please click here.

New version of PAPA-SAN now available online! – May 2008
PAPA-SAN (Public Health and Air Pollution in Asia: Science Access on the Net) is the world’s largest database of research reports on the health effects of air pollution in Asia, systematically compiled from the peer-reviewed scientific literature in English, Chinese, Japanese, and Korean. PAPA-SAN is a unique resource for policy-makers scientists and stakeholders seeking access to the latest science from across the region. This new version of PAPA-SAN has been expanded by the addition of over 140 new studies, now including 421 reports from 11 Asian countries, published from 1980 through September 2007. For the first time, reports from Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka are included, as well as studies of biomarkers of exposure to benzene and lead. For each study, PAPA-SAN listings provide the citation and a summary of findings, along with other key data and, when available, a link to the abstract. Please visit PAPA-SAN to learn more about the project, download updated tables of results, and read summaries by country.

Spring Update now online! – March 2008
Read about our Director of Science, Jane Warren, stepping down after more than 25 years of excellent service to HEI; the upcoming Annual Conference in Philadelphia; our study of the newest diesel engines moving ahead; new faces on the Review Committee; a workshop to explore methodologic issues in Environmental Public Health Tracking, and more... Please visit the HEI Publications page to download the newsletter. Sign up here for electronic distribution.

2008 HEI Annual Conference
Philadelphia, PA
April 27–29
Presentations slides and the final attendees list are now posted!

2008 HEI Annual Conference Program Book

Job opportunity: Director of Science – January 2008
HEI invites nominations and applications for the position of Director of Science. HEI seeks as Director of Science a highly accomplished, energetic, and articulate leader who brings a strong science background and the capacity to interact effectively with a wide variety of individuals. This is a unique opportunity for a top scientific leader to join HEI’s leadership team and to contribute to its increasingly critical mission. Please click here for more information and for other job listings.

HEI publishes Special Report 16 on Mobile-Source Air Toxics – November 2007
HEI Special Report 16, “Mobile-Source Air Toxics: A Critical Review of the Literature on Exposure and Health Effects” summarizes the health effects of exposure to the 21 Mobile-Source Air Toxics (MSATs) defined by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s 2001 rulemaking and critically analyzes the literature for a subset of seven important MSATs (acetaldehyde, acrolein, benzene, 1,3-butadiene, formaldehyde, naphthalene, and polycyclic organic matter). An Expert Special Panel reviewed the literature on MSATs and assessed and summarized research gaps and unresolved questions, as understood in the context of the current regulatory agenda. The Report focuses on MSATs for which mobile sources are a sizable source of human exposure and for which existing data suggest that health effects might be observed at concentrations approaching those found in ambient air.

For each MSAT, the following questions are addressed: (1) To what extent are mobile sources a significant source of exposure to this MSAT? (2) Does this MSAT affect human health? (3) Does this MSAT affect human health at environmental concentrations? The report also includes an extensive hyperlinked database of the most current sources of information on each of these substances. To download HEI Special Report 16 please click here.

HEI issues Fall 2007 Research Agenda – November 2007
The Fall Research Agenda contains RFA 07-1, Walter A. Rosenblith New Investigator Award, with a deadline of March 5, 2008. Owing to a high volume of competetively selected research getting under way this year, HEI will not issue requests for preliminary applications and short applications for junior investigators at this time and will not be accepting any preliminary or short applications. For more information about RFA 07-1 and to download the RFA booklet please visit the funding page.

HEI publishes Part II of report on indoor, outdoor, and personal concentrations – August 2007
The Relationships of Indoor, Outdoor, and Personal Air (RIOPA) study, which was co-funded by HEI and the Mickey Leland National Urban Air Toxics Research Center, examined whether outdoor sources contribute a substantial proportion of the pollutant concentrations in the indoor air and personal air (breathing zone) of residents who live near those sources. Dr. Barbara Turpin and colleagues evaluated outdoor, indoor, and personal samples from about 100 homes in each of three cities with different air pollution sources and weather conditions: Los Angeles CA, Houston TX, and Elizabeth NJ. Part II of RIOPA focuses on concentrations of particulate matter components. Samples were analyzed for PM_2.5 mass, elements, organic and elemental carbon, functional groups, PAHs, and chlordanes. Part I (published in 2005) focused on volatile organic compounds and carbonyls.
To download HEI Research Report 130 Part II, including a Commentary by the Special Review Panel, or a summary Statement, please click here.

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» Dan Greenbaum
President

Last updated June 19, 2008

The Health Effects Institute

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