Houston Strategic Health Effects Research Panel (SHERP)

1
Houston Strategic Health Effects Research Panel
(SHERP)

• Beth Beloff
• BRIDGES to Sustainability
• Golder Associates Inc.

2
Background

• Assessment of Information Needs for Air
  Pollution Health Effects Research in Houston,
  Texas
• Funded by Texas Council on Environmental
  Technology (TCET), 2002/2003
• Goal assist agency in developing air pollution
  health effects research strategy focused on high
  priority research in Houston

3
Approach

• Strategic Health Effects Research Panel (SHERP)
  to guide project
• Compilation of what has been done (research and
  data sources)
• To produce consensus on priority research
  questions and recommendations (Workshop involving
  SHERP and other representatives)

4
The SHERP

• Involving local air pollution health effects
  experts
• Responsibilities
• Review research compilation for scope, structure,
  completeness, and accuracy
• Provide input on key research questions and
  information needs
• Participate in Workshop to prioritize key
  research questions and produce recommendations
• Review final report

5
SHERP Composition

• Academia
• Matt Fraser (Rice), Winnie Hamilton (BCM), Lovell
  Jones (UT MDACC), Maria Morandi (UT SPH)
• Government
• Rob Barrett (HGAC), Pam Berger (Houston), Michael
  Honeycutt (TCEQ), Jacqueline Lentz (Houston)
• Business
• Walt Crow (URS/HRM), Joseph Luspin (Lyondell)
• Public Jane Laping (MFCA)
• TCET Mark Wiesner (Rice)

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Other Workshop Participants

• Stuart Abramson (TCH), Daewoon Byun (UH), Ann
  Johnson (Environmental Defense), Mary Jane
  Naquin (Informed Futures), Peggy Rogers
  (Houston), Tom Stock (UT SPH)
• BRIDGES / NUATRC project team

7
Research Compilation

• Epidemiological and other pertinent studies and
  existing data sources for health effects research
• Focus on air pollutants of greatest concern to
  Houston region ozone, PM, and HAPs
• Include the followings
• Health effects and exposure studies,
  Houston-specific
• Toxicological studies, Houston-based
• Data sources on air quality, exposure and
  lifestyle, and health outcomes

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What We Found

• Most health effects studies focused on
  respiratory effects of ozone and PM
• Many studies are part of national (multi-city)
  studies
• Data sources are constrained in terms of
  availability and usefulness for research
• Absence of Houston-specific data on exposure,
  exposure modifiers, and confounding factors

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2002 SHERP Conclusions

• High priority research questions
• Health effects of exposure
• Acute health impacts, PM, and chronic health
  impacts
• Disparities
• Susceptibility factors, Houston differentiators,
  and geospatial/temporal disparities
• Data quality
• Public health data, community exposure data,
  personal exposure/ lifestyle activity pattern
• Air pollution health effects research for the
  Houston area is underdeveloped in spite of TMC
  and high quality researchers

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2002 SHERP Recommendations

• Determine key differentiators of Houston air
  pollution health effects
• Support data development (exposure and
  time-activity pattern)
• Investigate association between exposure to
  pollutants of greatest concern for Houston and
  well defined health outcomes for susceptible
  population
• Develop long-term research agenda based on
  high-priority questions
• Establish center of excellence in environmental
  health in the Houston area

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What Happened Since

• TCET dissolved and functions absorbed into TCEQ
• Completion of health effects and exposure
  studies RIOPA, ATAC, ER asthma study,
• Launch of Houston EPHTN and other new efforts
• Publications from TexAQS 2000 study

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What Happened Since

• Recent attention on Houston air pollution leads
• Houston Chronicle series on air toxics (Dina
  Cappiello)
• Mayors new initiative
• Mayors Task Force on Reducing AQ Health Risks
• Air monitoring initiative around suspected
  sources
• TexAQS II (April 2005 October 2006)
• Air Toxics Workshop
• Houston Endowment funding to reconvene SHERP in
  2005

13
Update of SHERP Documents

• 2002 SHERP Report and updated research matrix
  available at
• www.bridgestos.org/sherp
• Your comments appreciated

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SHERP II

• Objectives
• Update compilation on research and data sources
• Expand the SHERP II membership to be more
  representative of all stakeholders
• Revisit and update the priorities and
  recommendations made in 2002
• Identify the means to implement SHERP II
  recommendations
• First meeting held on October 6, public roll-out
  expected in January

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SHERP II Members

• Governments
• Elena Marks / Karl Pepple, City of Houston
• Michael Honeycutt, TCEQ
• Ruben Casso, USEPA Region VI
• Academia
• Maria Morandi, UT School of Public Health
• George Delclos, UT School of Public Health
• Winifred Hamilton, Baylor College of Medicine
• Lovell Jones / Janice Chilton, MD Anderson Cancer
  Center
• Business/Industry
• Robert Biles, ExxonMobil Biomedical Sciences
• James Collins, Dow Chemical, Epidemiology
• Stuart Cagen, Shell Chemical
• NGO
• John Balbus, Environmental Defense
• Jane Laping, Mothers for Clean Air