Health Effects Institute

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2009 HEI Annual Conference
Portland, OR, May 3-5, 2009
Presentations are now available

Advanced Collaborative Emissions Study reports on emissions from new generation of heavy-duty diesel engines – June 2009 NEW
The Phase 1 Report of the Advanced Collaborative Emissions Study (ACES), now released by the Coordinating Research Council (CRC) at www.crcao.org, reports on the most rigorous emissions testing ever done for new heavy-duty diesel engines that were developed in response to the US Environmental Protection Agency’s Heavy-Duty On-Highway Diesel Rule of 2001. ACES is a multi-party effort led by HEI and CRC to test emissions and health effects from these new engines, which power virtually every large truck and bus sold in the US since January 2007 and have substantially reduced emissions of particulate matter and nitrogen oxides. During Phase 1, emissions characterization of four 2007-compliant engine and aftertreatment systems was conducted at Southwest Research Institute with technical oversight from CRC. To download a Press Release, please click here

.To download the ACES Phase 1 report by Imad Khalek and colleagues, please visit the CRC website.

HEI publishes extended analysis of the ACS study of particulate air pollution and mortality – June 2009 NEW
Research Report 140, Extended Follow-up and Spatial Analysis of the American Cancer Society Study Linking Particulate Air Pollution and Mortality, describes a recent analysis of the original ACS cohort, a large ongoing prospective study of mortality in adults that started in 1982 and has played a central role in the setting of National Ambient Air Quality Standards for fine particulate matter (PM) pollution in the U.S. as well as assessments of benefits from PM reduction worldwide. The new study describes for the first time work by Dr. Daniel Krewski and colleagues to increase the follow-up period to 18 years (1982 to 2000) and extend the range of analyses to include innovative refinements of statistical methods and incorporate sophisticated control of bias and confounding. To download HEI Research Report 140, including a Commentary by the HEI Review Committee or a summary Statement, please click here.

HEI issues Requests for Applications – May 2009
The Spring 2009 Research Agenda contains two requests issued under the Public Health and Air Pollution in Asia (PAPA) program. Request for Applications 09-2, Impact of Air Pollution on Infant and Children's Health in Asia, seeks proposals on the health effects of air pollution in developing countries in Asia with respect to 1) adverse pregnancy outcomes, including low birth weight, pre-term birth, and birth defects, and/or 2) acute lower respiratory infection in children and other children’s health outcomes. Request for Statements of Information and Qualification (RFIQ) 09-3, Studies of Long-Term Exposure to Air Pollution and Chronic Cardiovascular and Respiratory Disease in Asia, seeks to identify scientific teams interested in conducting epidemiologic studies of long-term exposure to air pollution and chronic cardiovascular and respiratory disease in developing countries in Asia. Please refer to our funding page for more information.

HEI publishes study on cardiac repolarization – May 2009
Research Report 141, Air Pollution Effects on Ventricular Repolarization, describes a study to explore novel electrocardiogram (ECG) parameters to improve our understanding of how air pollution may affect cardiovascular health. Drs. Robert Lux and Arden Pope used ECGs obtained in a previous study by Dr. Pope that found a decrease in heart rate variability associated with increased levels of particulate matter, and analyzed them for changes in novel parameters of another important potential change - ventricular repolarization. To download HEI Research Report 141, including a Critique by the HEI Review Committee or a summary Statement, please click here.

HEI issues preprint of HEI Special Report on traffic-related air pollution – May 2009
In response to concerns raised by a substantial literature on air pollution from motor vehicles and health, HEI appointed an expert panel to review, critique, and integrate the literature on emissions, exposure, and health effects from traffic-related air pollution. HEI is pleased to share a preprint version of Special Report 17, Traffic-Related Air Pollution: A Critical Review of the Literature on Emissions, Exposure and Health Effects. A draft of the report was reviewed in January 2009 by experts in a variety of fields and amended to reflect their useful comments and critiques. The posted files include the complete Special Report 17 (preprint) and appendices to Chapters 2 and 3 (available online only). A more formal version of this HEI Special Report will be published later this year. Click here for an HEI Press Statement

. To download a preprint of HEI Special Report 17, please click here.

HEI's draft Strategic Plan 2010–2015 now available for comment – April 2009
HEI is pleased to share the First Draft of the HEI Strategic Plan 2010–2015

for review and comment by our sponsors, the scientific community, and environmental and industrial stakeholders. This Draft describes the many ongoing and new activities in which HEI might engage in the coming years. By its very nature, this Draft contains a much longer list than what we think HEI can accomplish during the next five years given available resources; this list will be refined and targeted with the benefit of detailed comments on directions and priorities. Comments can be made at the "public meeting" on the Strategic Plan at the HEI Annual Conference in Portland, OR on Tuesday afternoon May 5, or in writing by June 19, 2009 to Francine Marmenout.

HEI 2008 Annual Report now available – April 2009
This past year HEI has made many strong scientific contributions on the health effects of air pollution to inform key decisions; and positioned itself to meet future challenges for our next Strategic Plan. Read more about HEI’s accomplishments during the past year and future plans in the 2008 Annual Report, Meeting the Challenges Ahead. Please visit the HEI Publications page to download the report.

HEI publishes study on long-term exposure to traffic-related air pollution and mortality – April 2009
Research Report 139, Effects of Long-Term Exposure to Traffic-Related Air Pollution on Respiratory and Cardiovascular Mortality in the Netherlands: The NLCS-AIR Study, describes a study in the Netherlands using data from the ongoing Netherlands Cohort Study (NLCS) on diet and cancer. The study is one of the first studies to systematically assess longer term exposure and mortality in a well characterized European population; it followed a pilot study by the same team of 5000 adults randomly selected from the NLCS cohort. For the current study, Dr. Bert Brunekreef and colleagues refined the methods of exposure assessment, included more traffic data, and extended the mortality analyses to the full NLCS cohort (~120,000 individuals) for a longer follow-up period. To download HEI Research Report 139 by Dr. Brunekreef and colleagues, including a Commentary by the HEI Review Committee, or a summary Statement, please click here.

Spring 2009 newsletter now online – March 2009
Read about a major HEI study that examines mortality and air pollution from traffic, registration for the HEI Annual Conference May 3-5 in Portland, HEI’s revitalized Special Committee on Emerging Technologies, a study in London that yields key findings on short-term traffic exposure, the 2009 New Investigator Awards announcement, and much more... Please visit the HEI Publications page to download the newsletter. To sign up for electronic distribution please write to pubs@healtheffects.org

HEI publishes first accountability study – March 2009
Research Report 137, The Influence of Improved Air Quality on Mortality Risks in Erfurt, Germany, is the first study to come out of HEI's program on the health impact of regulatory and other actions to improve air quality, known as accountability. The report describes sweeping changes in the economy and energy use that occurred in the former East Germany after the 1990 reunification as a result of stricter environmental controls and modernization of industry, transportation, and household heating. Dr. Peters carried out a study of daily mortality and pollutant concentrations in Erfurt during this period. She studied the association between air pollution and risk of death as the city’s air quality changed significantly, using a complex statistical method known as time-varying coefficient modeling. To download HEI Research Report 137 by Dr. Annette Peters and colleagues, including a Commentary by the HEI Review Committee, or a summary Statement, please click here.

HEI publishes report on effects of real-world air pollution exposures in persons with asthma – February 2009
Research Report 138, Health Effects of Real-World Exposure to Diesel Exhaust in Persons with Asthma, is one part of HEI's larger program on the role of particles in exacerbating asthma and other allergic diseases. This new report describes a study to evaluate how inhaling air with a high concentration of diesel exhaust from vehicular traffic while walking on a busy street in Central London might affect people who had either mild or moderate asthma. Dr. Jim Zhang and colleagues evaluated pulmonary function parameters, bronchial reactivity, and markers of airway inflammation and oxidative stress in participants who walked for two hours along Oxford Street, where vehicles are predominantly diesel-powered, and in Hyde Park, where there is urban background air pollution and no traffic.
To download HEI Research Report 138 by Dr. Jim Zhang and colleagues, including a Commentary by the HEI Review Committee, or a summary Statement, please click here.

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» Dan Greenbaum
President

Last updated June 24, 2009

The Health Effects Institute

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