Research Directions to Improve Estimates of Human Exposure and Risk from Diesel Exhaust

A Special Report of the Institute's Diesel Epidemiology Working Group.

The Diesel Epidemiology Working Group was formed in the fall of 2000 to (1) review reports from 6 diesel feasibility studies funded by HEI to provide information on potential study populations and on exposure assessment methods; and (2) consider the results of the feasibility studies and other ongoing research in order to develop a new research agenda to seek better information for quantitative risk assessment of lung cancer and other chronic diseases that may result from exposure to diesel exhaust. The 6 feasibility studies described in this report were funded by HEI to provide insight about whether a new retrospective or prospective epidemiologic study could provide data to improve estimates of cancer risk from exposure to diesel exhaust, and about whether new methods of exposure analysis would allow us to reevaluate older epidemiologic studies.

Contents:

- Executive Summary

- Contributors

- Part I: Report of the HEI Diesel Epidemiology Working Group

Section 1. Scientific, Technological, and Regulatory Background

Section 2. Technical Evaluation of the Diesel Feasibility Studies

Section 3. Conclusions and Research Recommendations

- Part II: Investigators' Reports

- Cancer Risk from Diesel Emissions Exposure in Central and Eastern Europe: A Feasibility Study Paolo Boffetta, John Cherrie, Graeme Hughson, and Alexandre Pitard

- Cancer Risk from Diesel Exhaust Exposure in the Canadian Railroad Industry: A Feasibility Study Murray M Finkelstein and Dave K Verma

- Quantitative Assessment of Lung Cancer Risk from Diesel Exhaust Exposure in the US Trucking Industry: A Feasibility Study Eric Garshick, Thomas J Smith, and Francine Laden

- Measurement of Diesel Aerosol Exposure: A Feasibility Study David Kittelson, Winthrop Watts, Gurumurthy Ramachandran, Dwane Paulsen, and Charles Kreager

- Measuring Diesel Emissions Exposure in Underground Mines: A Feasibility Study Barbara Zielinska, John C Sagebiel, Jake McDonald, C Fred Rogers, Eric Fujita, Pierre Mousset-Jones, and James E Woodrow