Publications

This issue of Update highlights a major new HEI study that measured progress on air quality in traffic tunnels, as well as two new HEI studies that examined secondary organic aerosols. Also in this edition, read about how we’re building our Strategic Plan for 2020–2025, our upcoming Annual Conference in Seattle, Washington, and more.

In this issue of Update, read about two important new HEI studies underway; a plan to intensively review and publish initial findings on PM_2.5 from our “Low Exposure Levels” research program; our search for investigators to conduct new accountability and exposure assessment research; announcement of the 2018 Walter A. Rosenblith New Investigator Award recipient; and more.

Communication 18 provides 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.

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.

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.

The 2017 Annual Report, A Voice for Accountability, describes the HEI model for delivering high-quality, impartial, and relevant science to inform public policy decisions about air quality and public health.

In this issue of HEI Update, read about the new ways HEI is making study data accessible; a literature review that HEI will soon initiate on the effects of exposure to traffic-related air pollution; two new members of the HEI Review Committee; and a newly published summary of an HEI expert workshop on the effects of fuel composition on particulate matter emissions.

In this issue of HEI Update, read about the Haagen-Smit Clean Air Leadership Award given to HEI President Dan Greenbaum by the California Air Resources Board, the two 2017 recipients of HEI’s Walter A. Rosenblith New Investigator Award, and the progress of HEI studies examining potential health effects at low levels of air pollution. Also in this issue is a recap of HEI’s recent Annual Conference in Alexandria, Virginia.

In this issue of Update, read about HEI’s forthcoming publication of a major report, Multicenter Ozone Study in Older Subjects; the briefing of key legislators and stakeholders on HEI’s Accountability Research Program; and a forthcoming study examining potential links between air pollution and dementia in older women. This issue also highlights worldwide media coverage of HEI’s State of Global Air Report 2017.

In this issue of Update, read about HEI’s new “State of Global Air” annual report and website and our upcoming Annual Conference in Alexandria, Virginia (see the preliminary program). Also read about the recipient of the 2016 Walter A. Rosenblith New Investigator Award, the appointment of a new member to HEI’s Board of Directors, and HEI "Communicating the Science” at meetings in the U.S. and abroad.

This issue of Update reports on a new study that explored the impact of Southern California air-quality regulations on children’s health; launch of the redesigned HEI Web site; new HEI Review Committee member Jennifer Peel; upcoming requests for applications; the sharing of HEI science at major Asian and European conferences; and HEI in the News.

Special Report 20, Burden of Disease Attributable to Coal-Burning and Other Major Sources of Air Pollution in China, provides the first comprehensive assessment of the current and predicted burdens of disease attributable to coal-burning and other major sources of particulate matter air pollution (PM_2.5) in China at the national and provincial levels. It is the result of the Global Burden of Disease – Major Air Pollution Sources (GDB MAPS) project, an international collaboration of Tsinghua University, the Health Effects Institute, the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), and the University of British Columbia. The analyses show that coal combustion is the single largest source of air pollution-related health impact, contributing to some 366,000 premature deaths in China in 2013, with industry and household combustion as major contributors as well. The report also indicates that health burdens could grow substantially by 2030 if no further action is taken. 燃煤和其他主要大气污染源所致的中国疾病负担 (Special Report 20 in Chinese)