Epidemiology Study of Particulate Matter (PM) and Cardiopulmonary Mortality.

This project will consist of two related study designs addressing associations between ambient PM exposure and cardiorespiratory disease risks. The first will be a time-series analysis of cause-specific mortality in Seattle that relates daily mortality with changes in PM and co-pollutant levels. Emphasis will be placed on cardiovascular and respiratory disease mortality. In parallel with this analysis, we will also perform similar time-series analyses of mortality in Spokane, Washington and Anchorage, Alaska. The contrasts of results between Seattle, Spokane, and Anchorage, which have different PM compositions, should add significant new information about the relative contributions of particle count, size, and chemical composition to cardio-respiratory mortality.

The second design will be a "case-crossover" study of roughly 1100 out-of-hospital sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) cases in Seattle. This design compares PM levels in the days immediately preceding SCA events with levels at previous reference time points. Individual level data on other SCA risk factors including smoking, clinical history of cardiovascular diseases, and other morbidity, will be used to identify the most susceptible subgroups for PM-related SCA. Adjustments for urban/suburban and elevation gradients, and indoor/outdoor PM gradients will be made from data generated by related projects in the center. The mortality time-series and SCA case-crossover analyses will be performed during years 1-2 of the grant. Newly initiated projects, such as time-series and case-crossover studies of childhood asthma and adult COPD will be undertaken in years 3-5.

Personnel

• Joel Kaufman, MD, MPH., UW Departments of Environmental Health and Medicine
• David Siscovick, MD, MPH. UW Departments of Epidemiology and Medicine
• MaryEllen Gordian MD, MPH. University of Alaska

• Jeff Sullivan, MD, MPH, UW Departments of Environmental Health and Medicine