Scott Jenkins/RTP/USEPA/US 

05/08/2008 04:32 PM

	

To

cc

Michael Stewart/RTP/USEPA/US@EPA, Karen Martin/RTP/USEPA/US@EPA, Harvey
Richmond/RTP/USEPA/US@EPA

Subject

Request for NO2 and/or SO2 air quality data









To:  Authors of U.S. and Canadian NO2 and SO2 epidemiology studies

From: Scott Jenkins and Michael Stewart, EPA, Office of Air Quality
Planning and Standards 

You may be aware that the EPA is now in the process of reviewing the
primary (health-based) national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS)
for nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and sulfur dioxide (SO2).  An important part
of these reviews is the preparation of the Risk and Exposure Assessments
by the EPA's Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards.  We are
currently preparing the second draft of the NO2 risk and exposure
assessment document and the first draft of the SO2 document.  We plan to
release the NO2 document for review around the beginning of August, 2008
and the SO2 document around the end of June, 2008. 

In preparing these draft documents, it is helpful to consider air
quality distributions from areas where epidemiological studies were
conducted.  Most studies provide some information on the distribution of
concentration data for NO2 and/or SO2, but the information is generally
limited in scope and the descriptive statistics provided vary from study
to study.

Therefore, we are contacting you now to ask you to provide information
on the distribution of the air quality data for NO2 and/or SO2 used in
your studies.  It is important to emphasize that we are not requesting
health data.  In addition, we are not requesting raw air quality data. 
Rather, we are requesting information on distributional statistics of
that air quality data.  However, if you prefer to send the entire air
quality data set for us to compute the descriptive statistics, that
would also be acceptable.  Please be aware that your responses, together
with whatever data you provide, will be placed into our public docket.

Specifically, we are interested in the following descriptive statistics
for the air quality data from the time period of the study:  mean, 98th
percentile, and 99th percentile 1-hour and/or 24-hour levels from the
monitor recording the highest levels.  Please note that we are
requesting information from the monitor that recorded the highest
levels, rather than compiled across monitors, because it is most useful
to consider this highest monitor in deliberations related to
standard-setting.  In addition, we would ask that you identify the
relevant air quality monitor.  In light of our schedules, we would
appreciate receiving this information as soon as you are able to provide
it.  If you cannot provide us with the requested information, please
notify us by either email or phone (see below for contact information). 

References for U.S. and Canadian studies that have used NO2 and/or SO2
data are listed below.  We are sending this note to authors listed as
the contact for correspondence.  We will follow this email message with
a telephone call to those individuals in the next day or so to try to
address any additional questions you might have about this request. 
Thank you in advance for your time.

References:

U.S. Studies

Delfino, R. J.; Zeiger, R. S.; Seltzer, J. M.; Street, D. H.; McLaren,
C. E. (2002) Association of asthma symptoms with peak particulate air
pollution and effect modification by anti-inflammatory medication use.
Environ. Health Perspect. 110: A607-A617. 

Ito, K. (2007) Characterization of PM2.5, gaseous pollutants, and
meteorological interactions in the context of time-series health effects
models. J. Expos. Sci. and Environ. Epid. 17: S45-S60. 

Jaffe, D. H.; Singer, M. E.; Rimm, A. A. (2003) Air pollution and
emergency department visits for asthma among Ohio Medicaid recipients,
1991-1996. Environ. Res. 91: 21-28.

Linn, W. S.; Szlachcic, Y.; Gong, H., Jr.; Kinney, P. L.; Berhane, K. T.
(2000) Air pollution and daily hospital admissions in metropolitan Los
Angeles. Environ. Health Perspect. 108: 427-434. 

Lin, S.; Hwang, S.-A.; Pantea, C.; Kielb, C.; Fitzgerald, E. (2004c)
Childhood asthma hospitalizations and ambient air sulfur dioxide
concentrations in Bronx County, New York. Arch. Environ. Health 59:
266-275.

Mortimer, K. M.; Neas, L. M.; Dockery, D. W.; Redline, S.; Tager, I. B.
(2002) The effect of air pollution on inner-city children with asthma.
Eur. Respir. J. 19: 699-705.

Neas, L. M.; Dockery, D. W.; Koutrakis, P.; Tollerud, D. J.; Speizer, F.
E. (1995) The association of ambient air pollution with twice daily peak
expiratory flow rate measurements in children. Am. J. Epidemiol. 141:
111-122.

Ostro, B.; Lipsett, M.; Mann, J.; Braxton-Owens, H.; White, M. (2001)
Air pollution and exacerbation of asthma in African-American children in
Los Angeles. Epidemiology 12: 200-208. 

Peel, J. L.; Tolbert, P. E.; Klein, M.; Metzger, K. B.; Flanders, W. D.;
Knox, T.; Mulholland, J. A.; Ryan, P. B.; Frumkin, H. (2005) Ambient air
pollution and respiratory emergency department visits. Epidemiology 16:
164-174.

Schildcrout, J. S.; Sheppard, L.; Lumley, T.; Slaughter, J. C.; Koenig,
J. Q.; Shapiro, G. G. (2006) Ambient air pollution and asthma
exacerbations in children: an eight-city analysis. Am. J. Epidemiol.
164: 505-517. 

Schwartz, J.; Dockery, D. W.; Neas, L. M.; Wypij, D.; Ware, J. H.;
Spengler, J. D.; Koutrakis, P.; Speizer, F. E.; Ferris, B. G., Jr.
(1994) Acute effects of summer air pollution on respiratory symptom
reporting in children. Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med. 150: 1234-1242. 

Schwartz, J. (1995) Short term fluctuations in air pollution and
hospital admissions of the elderly for respiratory disease. Thorax 50:
531-538.

Schwartz J.  (1996) Air pollution and hospital admissions for
respiratory disease.  Epidemiology, 7: 20-28.

Sheppard 1999 reanalysis 2003.  Ambient air pollution and nonelderly
asthma hospital admissions in Seattle, Washington, 1987-1994. In:
Revised analyses of time-series studies of air pollution and health.
Special report. Boston, MA: Health Effects Institute; pp. 227-230.

Tolbert, P. E.; Klein, M.; Peel, J. L.; Sarnat, S. E.; Sarnat, J. A.
(2007) Multipollutant modeling issues in a study of ambient air quality
and emergency department visits in Atlanta. J. Exposure Sci. Environ.
Epidemiol. 17(Suppl. 2s): S29-S35. 

Wilson, A. M.; Wake, C. P.; Kelly, T.; Salloway, J. C. (2005) Air
pollution, weather, and respiratory emergency room visits in two
northern New England cities: an ecological time-series study. Environ.
Res. 97: 312-321. 

NY State Department of Health; Center for Environmental Health; A Study
of Ambient Air Contaminants and Asthma in New York City Final Report
Part B: Air Contaminants and Emergency Department Visits for Asthma in
the Bronx and Manhattan; July 17th 2006

Canadian Studies

Burnett, R. T.; Cakmak, S.; Brook, J. R.; Krewski, D. (1997) The role of
particulate size and chemistry in the association between summertime
ambient air pollution and hospitalization for cardiorespiratory
diseases. Environ. Health Perspect. 105: 614-620.

Burnett, R. T.; Smith-Doiron, M.; Stieb, D.; Cakmak, S.; Brook, J. R.
(1999) Effects of particulate and gaseous air pollution on
cardiorespiratory hospitalizations. Arch. Environ. Health 54: 130-139.

Burnett, R. T.; Smith-Doiron, M.; Stieb, D.; Cakmak, S.; Brook, J. R.
(1999) Effects of particulate and gaseous air pollution on
cardiorespiratory hospitalizations. Arch. Environ. Health 54: 130-139.

Burnett, R. T.; Smith-Doiron, M.; Stieb, D.; Raizenne, M. E.; Brook, J.
R.; Dales, R. E.; Leech, J. A.; Cakmak, S.; Krewski, D. (2001)
Association between ozone and hospitalization for acute respiratory
diseases in children less than 2 years of age. Am. J. Epidemiol. 153:
444-452.

Cakmak, S.; Dales, R. E.; Judek, S.  2006.  Respiratory health effects
of air pollution gases: modification by education and income. Arch.
Environ. Occup. Health 61: 5-10.

Fung, K. Y.; Khan, S.; Krewski, D.; Chen, Y. (2006) Association between
air pollution and multiple respiratory hospitalizations among the
elderly in Vancouver, Canada. Inhalation Toxicol. 18: 1005-1011.

Lin, M.; Chen, Y.; Burnett, R. T.; Villeneuve, P. J.; Krewski, D. (2003)
Effect of short-term exposure to gaseous pollution on asthma
hospitalisation in children: a bi-directional case-crossover analysis.
J. Epidemiol. Community Health 57: 50-55.

Lin, M.; Chen, Y.; Burnett, R. T.; Villeneuve, P. J.; Krewski, D. (2003)
Effect of short-term exposure to gaseous pollution on asthma
hospitalizations in children: a bi-directional case-crossover analysis.
J. Epidemiol. Community Health 57: 50-55.

Lin, M.; Chen, Y.; Villeneuve, P. J.; Burnett, R. T.; Lemyre, L.;
Hertzman, C.; McGrail, K. M.; Krewski, D. (2004a) Gaseous air pollutants
and asthma hospitalization of children with low household income in
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Am. J. Epidemiol. 159: 294-303. 

Luginaah, I. N.; Fung, K. Y.; Gorey, K. M.; Webster, G.; Wills, C.
(2005) Association of ambient air pollution with respiratory
hospitalization in a government designated "area of concern": the case
of Windsor, Ontario. Environ. Health Perspect. 113: 290-296. 

Stieb, D. M.; Beveridge, R. C.; Brook, J. R.; Smith-Doiron, M.; Burnett,
R. T.; Dales, R. E.; Beaulieu, S.; Judek, S.; Mamedov, A. Air pollution,
aeroallergens and cardiorespiratory emergency department visits in Saint
John, Canada.  2000 . J Exposure Anal. Environ. Epidemiol. 10: 461-477.

Yang, Q.; Chen, Y.; Shi, Y.; Burnett, R. T.; McGrail, K. M.; Krewski, D.
(2003) Association between ozone and respiratory admissions among
children and the elderly in Vancouver, Canada. Inhalation Toxicol. 15:
1297-1308.

Scott Jenkins, Ph.D.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Office of Air and Radiation

Health and Environmental Impacts Division

Research Triangle Park, NC 27711

919-541-1167 (v)

jenkins.scott@epa.gov

