Need for High Quality Environmental Data for Informing Public Health Actions

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Need for High Quality Environmental Data for
Informing Public Health Actions

• Vickie Boothe
• Environmental Engineer
• Environmental Health Tracking Branch
• National Center for Environmental Health
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

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Presentation Outline

• Environmental Public Health Tracking (EPHT)
  Program
• PHASE Project Collaboration
• Use of Models for Air Quality Exposure
  Assessments
• Future Data Model Improvement Needs
• Priority EPHT Data, Methods Model Needs
• Air Toxics
• Water Quality
• Private Wells
• Public Drinking Water Systems

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National Environmental Public Health Tracking
Program

• Background

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The Future of Public Health(IOM, 1988)
The removal of environmental health authority
from public health agencies has led to fragmented
responsibility, lack of coordination, and
inadequate attention to the health dimensions of
environmental problems.
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Pew Environmental Health Commission
Environmental Health Review 2001 Report

• Environmental health system was inadequate and
  fragmented
• Responsibilities scattered among agencies
• Unable to link environmental and health databases

• Recommended a Nationwide Health Tracking
• Network for diseases and exposures

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Funded State/Local Programs
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CDC Defines Environmental Public Health Tracking
as

• The ongoing collection, integration, analysis,
  and interpretation of data about the following
  factors
• Environmental hazards
• Exposure to environmental hazards
• Health effects potentially related
• to exposure to environmental hazards
• It includes dissemination of information.

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Potential EPHT Data Uses(Public Health Actions)

• Identify populations at risk
• Respond to clusters, outbreaks,
  emerging threats
• Identify potential associations
• Guide evaluate interventions
• Reduce environmental risks
• Develop disseminate information.

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Desirable Characteristics for EPHT Data

• Ongoing, Systematic Collection
• Nationwide in Scope
• Std Collection/Reporting
• QA/QC Procedures
• Temporal Spatial Variables
• Fine Resolution of Data
• Timely Availability
• Related to Hazard Exposure

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Ozone PM Air Monitoring Data

• Desirable Characteristics
• On-going Collection
• QA/QC
• Std Collection/Reporting
• Temporal Spatial Variables
• Significant Limitations
• Spatial Gaps
• Temporal Gap

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Health effects of ozone
http//science.howstuffworks.com/ozone-pollution2.
htm
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What Health Effects Are Associated with PM2.5?

• Particles may trigger or cause significant health
  problems
• coughing and difficult or painful breathing
• aggravated asthma, bronchitis, emphysema
• decreased lung function
• weakening of the heart, heart attacks
• premature death

Source Randy E. Mosier, MDE Air Pollution 101
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Importance to EPHT- Criteria Air Pollutants,
Asthma, Other Associated Health Outcomes

• Hospitalizations increase 7 to 10 for a .05
  ppm increase in ozone levels (Ozkaynak et al
  1996).
• Eastern U.S. O3/Respiratory Events in one summer
• 159,000 ED Visits
• 50,000 hospitalizations (Abt Associates 2000).
• Mortality increases 2 to 6 for a 25µg/m3
  increase in PM2.5
• 60,000 annual sudden cardiac deaths attributed
  to
  
  particulate air pollution
  (Stone and Godleski 1999).
• Public Health Impact Comparison
• 16,371 AIDs related deaths 2002 (CDC 2002)
• 17,524 fatalities from alcohol-related traffic
  
  crashes
  in 1997 (NHSTB 1997).

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EPA PARTICIPATION IN PHASE
Question Best Method for Generating Air Data
Useful for Assessing the Health Status of All
Populations?
?
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EPA NOAA Air Quality Characterization Methods
Air Quality Monitoring EPA (OAQPS)
CMAQ Model EPA, NOAA
HB Combined Data Surface EPA (ORD), OAQPS, NOAA
Kriged Surface EPA (OAQPS)
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PHASE Project
Do different air quality characterization
methods improve capabilities for environmental
public health tracking?
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Public Health Air Surveillance Evaluation (PHASE)
Project Overview

• EPA Develops/evaluates air quality
  characterization methods data.
• States link/analyze daily 2001 Ozone PM2.5
  data with Asthma Data and PM2.5 data with data on
  Myocardial Infarctions.
• Compare results among methods with scientific
  literature results.
• Evaluation Matrix
• Evaluate ease of use of the data
• Temporal Resolution
• Spatial Coverage
• Observe differences between geographic scales
• Results Comparison (did more complex method
  improve PH utility?)

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PHASE Results

• HB Combined Monitoring CMAQ Data Set Only AQ
  Characterization Method adequate for all
  analyses.

CMAQ Data Over-smoothed for PM Kriged
CMAQ HB Monitor
Kriged Data Over-smoothed for PM
Monitor Kriged
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PHASE Final Products

• Routinely Available Air Characterization Data
• Ozone Particulate Matter
• Compatible w/Hosp. Disc. ED Data
• Asthma
• Cardiovascular Disease
• How to Guide (Cookbook)
• Case Definitions
• Other Risk Factors
• Confounders/Covariates
• Analysis Software
• Lessons Learned
• Scientific Technical
• Multi-Agency, Multi-Disciplined Collaboration

VISION Data Results Comparable
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PHASE Next Steps Improving Air Quality
Characterization Data
Partnerships in Characterizing New Air Quality
Data
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Incorporation of NASA Satellite DataAdvantages

• Captures Natural Event/Disaster Data
• Wildfires
• Volcanoes
• Dust Storms
• ID Source of Large PM Events
• Indicator of Exposure Duration
• Assess Rural Population Exposures
• Additional Validation Data Points
• CMAQ Predictions Feedback
• Improve HB Methodology

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Future Priority Data Model Validation Needs ---
Air Toxics

• National Air Toxics Assessment
• Modeled Census Tract Conc.
• Modeled Risk Calculations
• Example Primary Risk Drivers
• Benzene
• Arsenic
• Diesel
• Formaldehyde
• Acrolein
• Associated Health Effects
• Childhood Cancer
• Adverse Birth Outcomes

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Data Model Improvement Needs - Urban Hot Spots

• Distribution/Concentration of Pollutants
  Populations at Risk

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In Summary, EPHT Partners Have Made Much
Progress, But...

• Many Challenges Ahead
• Quality Hazard Data
• Air Toxics
• Exposure Assessment Methods
• New/Improved Exposure Models
• ID Hotspots At Risk Populations
• Data Linkage/Analysis Methods

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Questions?