HEI publishes report on household air pollution and noncommunicable disease

July 31, 2018

HEI has published Communication 18, a critical assessment of the state of the science examining the linkages between household air pollution formed by the burning of solid fuels and noncommunicable diseases. The report updates previous systematic reviews with the most recent studies. It answers fundamental questions on the scientific basis for estimating health burden and what the evidence suggests about the exposure reductions necessary to achieve improved health outcomes. The Summary for Policy Makers, based on Communication 18, presents the main conclusions about exposures to household air pollution and about its contribution to noncommunicable diseases globally.

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Energy Research planning workshop held in July

July 27, 2018

On July 11-12, 2018, the HEI Energy Research Program held the first of two research-planning workshops in Denver, Colorado. Meeting attendees included HEI staff, the HEI Energy Research Committee, and a wide-range of stakeholders representing local and federal government, academia, industry, and NGOs. The workshop provided an opportunity for the Energy Research Committee to hear from stakeholders about their expert opinions and perspectives on the literature, important knowledge gaps, and research priorities and criteria used to define those priorities.

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Three receive HEI's Student and Postdoc Travel Award

June 25, 2018

This year HEI conferred its first three Student and Postdoc Travel Awards, identifying promising new scientists and bringing them to the HEI Annual Conference to share their work and engage with the range of investigators and stakeholders who gather for the event. A large number of excellent applications were submitted, representing a wide range of environmental health science topics and approaches.

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Annual Conference features timely discussions on air pollution and health

June 25, 2018

Some 170 experts from academia, government, industry, and nongovernmental organizations gathered in Chicago, Illinois, in late April and early May for HEI’s 32nd Annual Conference. The three-day meeting featured discussion of the latest research on air pollution and health, perspectives on historical and future environmental health policies, and many informal opportunities for attendees to meet and engage with others sharing similar interests. 

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Spring 2018 Update now available

May 30, 2018

This issue of Update highlights the report of a major new HEI study, Impacts of Regulations on Air Quality and Emergency Department Visits in the Atlanta Metropolitan Area, 1999–2013, led by Armistead (Ted) Russell of the Georgia Institute of Technology; the public release of data from HEI’s major ozone study, the Multicenter Ozone Study in oldEr Subjects (MOSES); a new HEI panel conducting a literature review on the health effects of traffic-related air pollution; the publication of State of Global Air 2018; appointment of two new members to the Institute’s Board of Directors; a new chair of the HEI Research Committee; and more.

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Making the MOSES data and specimens available

May 14, 2018

HEI is making available to the public the database and material of the Multicenter Ozone Study in oldEr Subjects (MOSES). In the interest of scientific transparency and to encourage the broadest possible use of the data and the material, HEI has set up a streamlined process to access the data and the material (subject to the limited quantities available). The MOSES database may be accessed by anyone who is interested. Any qualified researcher from a not-for-profit US research center interested in doing specific analyses can request the samples.

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Study evaluates metrics of exposure to traffic-related air pollutants in Atlanta

April 23, 2018

Research Report 196, Developing Multipollutant Exposure Indicators of Traffic Pollution: The Dorm Room Inhalation to Vehicle Emissions (DRIVE) Study, describes a study by Dr. Jeremy A. Sarnat that evaluated single- and multipollutant metrics of exposure to traffic-related air pollutants near and farther away from a major highway in Atlanta, as well as biological markers in a panel of students.

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Update Winter 2018 now available

February 28, 2018

This issue of Update highlights a major new HEI Special Report, Burden of Disease Attributable to Major Air Pollution Sources in India; three studies now underway to assess exposure to and health effects of traffic-related air pollution, and a new HEI Research Report on “Street Canyon” air pollution exposure modeling. Also in this edition, read about our upcoming Annual Conference; a recent meeting of diverse stakeholders hosted by HEI’s Energy Research Program; President Dan Greenbaum lending expertise to a National Academies “Grand Challenges” project; and more.

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New studies on health effects of traffic-related pollution

February 20, 2018

HEI will fund three studies in a new research program aimed at assessing adverse health effects from exposure to traffic-related air pollution. The program’s request for applications (RFA 17-1), issued in January 2017, solicited studies that would consider such health effects and disentangle them from spatially correlated confounding or modifying factors — most notably, traffic noise, socioeconomic status (SES), and the built environment, including green space.

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Energy Research Program launched

February 20, 2018

HEI kicked off its new Energy Research Program with a public meeting in January. Hosted by HEI’s new Energy Research Committee, the meeting brought together a wide range of stakeholders to discuss recommendations for Year 1 of the program, which will explore potential health effects associated with oil and natural gas development from unconventional resources.

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