Two reports present initial findings on low-exposure effects

HEI has published the first-phase results of two studies in its program investigating possible health effects at low levels of exposure to air pollution.

Research Report 200, Assessing Adverse Health Effects of Long-Term Exposure to Low Levels of Ambient Air Pollution: Phase 1, presents initial findings of a study led by Dr. Francesca Dominici of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, which examined any association between exposure to low levels of air pollution — both PM_2.5 and O₃ — and all-cause mortality in a population of 61 million Medicare enrollees residing in the continental United States.

Research Report 203, Mortality–Air Pollution Associations in Low-Exposure Environments (MAPLE): Phase 1, describes the initial results of a study led by Dr. Michael Brauer at The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada, evaluating the relationship between long-term exposure to low concentrations of PM_2.5 and non-accidental mortality, including a characterization of the shape of the concentration–response functions, in a large population-based cohort (~9 million adults) in Canada.

Each report also presents the detailed Commentary by HEI’s Low-Exposure Epidemiology Studies Review Panel summarizing the study’s results, strengths, and continuing questions.