Low-Cost Versatile Sampler for Personal PM Exposure by Microenvironment

描述(由申请人提供)：颗粒物(PM)空气污染被认为是全球疾病负担的前十大贡献者(也是主要的环境风险因素)。 到目前为止，关于PM对健康影响的证据主要是从中到大规模的流行病学研究中收集的，这些研究传统上依赖于相对粗略的人类暴露措施(即，对PM质量进行固定现场采样，很少或根本没有PM成分分析)。因此，这些研究倾向于强调PM对久坐不动的人群(如老年人)和/或居住在空气监测点附近的人群的影响。该领域现在认识到，空气污染暴露是高度不同的，暴露测量误差在很大程度上限制了暴露与特定病理的联系。最近，人们对移动设备的流行病学感兴趣 人口(如学龄儿童或在职成人)增加，暴露评估领域已转向个人暴露于可能导致人类发病率和死亡率的特定PM化学成分(和PM特性)的措施和模式。遗憾的是，现有的采样和分析技术都受到成本和可用性的限制。因此，需要廉价、可佩戴(低负担)的个人PM传感器，但仍具有高灵敏度，并能够测量特定的PM属性。我们的团队已经开发出了满足这些需求的技术：一种小型、便携、廉价的微环境采样器和一种低成本的传感化学物质，可以快速、经济地量化PM的化学成分。在该项目中，我们建议1)使用实验室、现场和有限的个人暴露研究(R21阶段)来评估和验证采样和分析方法，以及2)通过在圣华金河谷儿童健康和空气污染研究(CHAPS-Sjv)研究(R33阶段)中的应用来展示性能和增加科学价值。在第一阶段，我们将通过参与多个测试人群(科罗拉多州柯林斯堡的大学生、9-11岁的学生和加利福尼亚州弗雷斯诺的高中生)来展示我们技术的可用性。在第二阶段，我们将使用该系统提供有关微环境暴露和PM成分的第一类信息，因为它与急性暴露的炎症生物标志物有关。所得数据将用于改进圣华金河谷儿童暴露在空气污染中的模型，长期目标是改善这些儿童的健康。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Particulate matter (PM) air pollution is considered a top-10 contributor to (and the leading environmental risk factor for) the global burden of disease. To date, evidence on PM health effects has been gathered primarily from medium-to-large scale epidemiology studies, which have traditionally relied upon relatively crude measures of human exposure (i.e., fixed site sampling for PM mass with little to no PM composition analyses). As a result, these studies tend to emphasize the effects of PM on more sedentary populations (such as the elderly) and/or that live close to air monitoring sites. The field now recognizes that air pollution exposure is highly heterogeneous and that exposure measurement error substantially limits the linkage of exposures to specific pathologies. Recently, epidemiologic interest in mobile populations (e.g., school-aged children or working adults) has increased and the exposure assessment field has shifted towards measures and models of personal exposure to specific PM chemical constituents (and PM properties) suspected to drive human morbidity and mortality. Unfortunately existing technologies for both sampling and analysis are limited by cost, and usability. Thus, a need exists for personal PM sensors that are inexpensive, wearable (with low-burden), yet still highly sensitive and capable of measuring specific PM properties. Our team has developed technology that meets these needs: a small, portable, inexpensive micro environmental sampler and a low cost sensing chemistry that can quantify PM chemical composition both quickly and cost-effectively. During this project, we propose to 1) Evaluate and validate the sampling and analysis methods using laboratory, field, and limited personal exposure studies (R21 phase) and 2) Demonstrate performance and added scientific value through application in the Children's Health and Air Pollution in the San Joaquin Valley (CHAPS-SJV) study (R33 phase). In the first phase, we will demonstrate the usability of our technology by engaging multiple test populations (college students, 9-11 year olds in Fort Collins, CO and high school students in Fresno, CA). In the second phase, we will use the system to provide first of its kinds information on micro environmental exposures and PM composition as it relates to inflammation biomarkers for acute exposures. The resulting data will be used to improve models of air pollution exposure for children in the San Joaquin Valley with the long-term goal of improving the health of these children.