The Detroit Children's Health Study: An Examination of the Effects
of Ambient Air Exposure on the Respiratory Health of Asthmatic

Children

Ann Houston Williams1, Gina Lisa Andrews1, Shaibal Mukerjee2, Lucas Neas
1ORD/NHEERL/ Human Studies Division (HSD)/EBB
2ORD/NERL/Human Exposure and Atmospheric Sciences Division (HEASD)

Exposures

Mobile Source Emissions

•	Local car and truck traffic

•	Interstate traffic

•	International border crossings

Urban Air Toxics

•	Manganese

•	Volatile Organic Compounds

•	Other Air Toxics from
Industrial Sources



J

Exposure Monitoring

Late summer of 2005
Four one-week periods at 25 schools

Nitrogen dioxide

•	Ogawa passive samplers

Volatile Organic Compounds

•	Carbopack X passive samplers

•	Petroleum and process-related
compounds

Particulate Matter

•	Wagner-Leith Passive Aerosol Samplers

•	SEM analysis of metals for source
apportionment	

Exposure Assessment

Exposure
Model

Neighborhood
Estimates

Questions to be Addressed:

•How do urban air pollution levels differ
from neighborhood-to-neighborhood?

•Are ambient pollutant exposures
reflected in clinical / biological markers
of exposure?

•Are exposure biomarkers predictive of
differences in biomarkers of early
effect?

•What role do neighborhood differences
in urban air pollutants play in the

development of allergies and asthma?

Nested Research Studies

GIS



Exposure



Variables



Measures

Point 1

Exposure
Biomarkers

Detroit Children's Health Study

School-based Health Data Collection

•	Questionnaires (Parental-Report)

•	15,000 children

•	Asthma and wheeze-related symptoms

•	Home environment (molds / pests / ETS)

•	Examinations (In-school subset)

•	Lung function 3,500 children

•	Exhaled nitric oxide 2,000 children

Study Participants

Public schools
Detroit and Dearborn
60 selected elementary schools
4th and 5th grade students
Parents and guardians

<$"/ %
dams):

V—/

11 AM DPS]

Study Schedule

Community Involvement

Exposure Measures

Exposure Modeling

uestionnaire

| Lung

~ I

Biomarkers (MICA)

X

2004

2005

2006



2007

iro
10
io

!Cn


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