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Associations between summertime ambient pollutants and respiratory morbidity in New York City: Comparison of results using ambient concentrations versus predicted exposures

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Abstract

Epidemiological analyses of air quality often estimate human exposure from ambient monitoring data, potentially leading to exposure misclassification and subsequent bias in estimated health risks. To investigate this, we conducted a case-crossover study of summertime ambient ozone and fine particulate matter (PM2.5) levels and daily respiratory hospitalizations in New York City during 2001–2005. Comparisons were made between associations estimated using two pollutant exposure metrics: observed concentrations and predicted exposures from the EPA’s Stochastic Human Exposure and Dose Simulation (SHEDS) model. Small, positive associations between interquartile range mean ozone concentrations and hospitalizations were observed and were strongest for 0-day lags (hazard ratio (HR)=1.013, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.998, 1.029) and 3-day lags (HR=1.006, 95% CI: 0.991, 1.021); applying mean predicted ozone exposures yielded similar results. PM2.5 was also associated with admissions, strongest at 2- and 4-day lags, with few differences between exposure metrics. Subgroup analyses support recognized sociodemographic differences in concentration-related hospitalization risk, whereas few inter-stratum variations were observed in relation to SHEDS exposures. Predicted exposures for these spatially homogenous pollutants were similar across sociodemographic strata, therefore SHEDS predictions coupled with the case-crossover design may have masked observable heterogeneity in risks. However, significant effect modification was found for subjects in the top exposure-to-concentration ratio tertiles, suggesting risks may increase as a consequence of infiltration or greater exposure to outdoor air.

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Acknowledgements

We are grateful to Casson Stallings and Luther Smith with Alion Science and Technology for their technical support with the SHEDS model application during this study and to Drs. Patrick Kinney (Columbia University) and John D. Spengler (Harvard University) for sharing the TEACH AER measurement data and related study questionnaires. We are also appreciative of the constructive comments that we received from Drs. James Crook and Janet Burke with EPA/ORD. The United States Environmental Protection Agency through its Office of Research and Development collaborated in the research described hereunder. Although it has been subjected to Agency review and approved for publication, it may not necessarily reflect official EPA policy.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. New York State Department of Health, Center for Environmental Health, Empire State Plaza, Albany, New York, USA

    Rena R Jones, Seema G Nayak, Syni-An Hwang & Shao Lin

  2. Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University at Albany, SUNY, Rensselaer, New York, USA

    Rena R Jones, Syni-An Hwang & Shao Lin

  3. National Exposure Research Laboratory, US Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA

    Halûk Özkaynak & Valerie Garcia

Authors
  1. Rena R Jones
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  2. Halûk Özkaynak
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  5. Syni-An Hwang
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Correspondence to Rena R Jones.

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Supplementary Information accompanies the paper on the Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology website

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Appendix 1

Appendix 1

Map of study area.

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Jones, R., Özkaynak, H., Nayak, S. et al. Associations between summertime ambient pollutants and respiratory morbidity in New York City: Comparison of results using ambient concentrations versus predicted exposures. J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol 23, 616–626 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/jes.2013.44

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