Development of Exposure Characterization Regions for Priority Ambient Air Pollutants

To evaluate the relationship between air pollution and morbidity and mortality in epidemiological studies, the exposure of populations must be defined. Generally, ambient air monitoring networks are the source of the exposure data for these studies. In this study, we developed methods to define population exposure regions that represent minimal variation in air pollutant concentrations. We evaluated the spatial and temporal variation in concentrations for particulate matter less than 2.5 mu m (PM2.5) and 10 mu m (PM10) and ozone (O-3) across New York State. The results from the PM2.5 and ozone analysis indicate a significant degree of regional transport and showed regions of consistent concentrations of 100 and 50 miles, respectively, around each monitor. PM10 analysis indicated little temporal and spatial variation for this pollutant and larger regions were adopted. The exposure characterization regions for PM2.5, PM10, and ozone have been used in ecological epidemiological investigations by the New York State Department of Health. This work was conducted under the Environmental Public Health Tracking grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.