The Joint NOAAUNH

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The Joint NOAA/UNH AIRMAP and INHALE Projects
Cameron Wake Institute for the Study of Earth,
Oceans, and Space University of New Hampshire
Communicating Science Can You Hear Me
Now? Superfund Basic Research Program Dartmouth
College, Hanover, NH 12 November 2003
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AIRMAP Stations
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AIRMAP - Connecting Weather with Air
Quality airmap.unh.edu
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AIRMAP - Streaming Real Time Air Quality Data
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AIRMAP - Brochure
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AIRMAP - High School Lesson Plans
How Does Air Quality Affect Your Health? Lesson
Plans for High School Students Developed by
AIRMAP (http//airmap.unh.edu) Climate Change
Research Center University of New
Hampshire Written by Zach Smith (e-mail
zamg_at_attbi.net) Cameron Wake (e-mail
cameron.wake_at_unh.edu) Adam Wilson (e-mail
amwilson_at_hopper.unh.edu)
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Integrated Human Health and Air Quality
Assessment (INHALE)
Funded by NOAA - Office of Global Programs
Regional Integrated Sciences Assessment Focus
on climate sensitive issues of concern to
decision-makers and policy planners at a regional
level Two Key Components of INHALE Integrated
Assessment 1) Involve key stakeholders and
community leaders identification of research
questions development of strategic research
plan, implementation, analysis, and
dissemination of results 2) Interdisciplinary
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Integrated Human Health and Air Quality
Assessment (INHALE)
Goal of INHALE project is to improve public
health by 1) engaging a wide range of
stakeholders in a collaborative effort to better
define the link between broad measures of
pulmonary health and air pollution and 2) using
the results of the investigation to create
informed public policy and guide the product
development of the NOAA air quality forecasting
effort. 3) Determine the health care costs
associated with air pollution events
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INHALE - Key Stakeholders
UNH Departments and Institutes AIRMAP
(Atmospheric Investigation, Regional Modeling,
Analysis and Prediction) Institute for the Study
of Earth, Oceans and Space Office of
Sustainability Programs Dept of Health
Management and Policy Whitemore School of
Business and Economics Masters of Public
Health New Hampshire Institute of Health
Policy Cooperative Extension Stakeholders Lung
Association (Maine, NB) International Center for
Air Quality and Health New Hampshire Department
of Environmental Services New Hampshire Health
and Human Services New Hampshire Department of
Education Vermont Health and Human
Services Manchester Health Department Maine
Bureau of Health University of Southern
Maine/NASA Environmental Human Health
Institute University of Connecticut Health
Center Northeast States for Coordinated Air Use
Management (NESCAUM) Asthma Regional Council
(ARC) of New England EPA Region 1 Center for
Disease Control Environmental Health Tracking
Grants
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Tip of the Iceberg
Present day adverse health effects that could be
avoided every year by meeting the US EPA's daily
maximum ozone standard (80 ppb 8-hour) in New
York, NY. Figure sections not drawn to scale.
From Thurston, 1997.
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Problem Statement
Health Tracking Issues -access -coarse
spatial and temporal resolution -what to
track -tip of iceberg
Air Quality Issues -indoor vs outdoor -year
round meas. -multi-parameter -discontinuos
(e.g. toxics)
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Low cost pulmonary function monitor Forced
Expiratory Volume in 1 sec (FEV1) Peak
Flow Download data directly to computer Plus
daily respiratory symptoms (cough, wheeze,
chest tightness, shortness of breath)
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INHALE - Research Activities
Pulmonary Health Tracking-Individual Spirometry
Measurements PLUS Summer camp pilot project,
Bear Hill Camp, NH NH Schools summer
2004 Retrospective Investigations - Air Quality
and Hospital Visits Portland and Manchester
complete (1997-2000) Extended to other cities
and states in New England Estimating the Economic
Effects of Poor Air Quality in New
England modify Ontario Medical Assoc. Illness
Cost of Air Pollution model
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Scientific Objectives - Summer 2004 Health
Tracking Campaign

• Summer 2004 represents unique opportunity to
  better understand the relationship between health
  effects and air pollution events
• 1. Collect a hierarchy of health effects data
  relating primarily to pulmonary health
• Daily pulmonary function (FEV1 and respiratory
  symptoms)
• -children at summer camps
• -young adults a summer University sport camps
• -scientists at research facilities
• -federal, state and municipal employees
• -inner city youth
• (Roxbury, Providence, New Haven, Hartford,
  Portland, Burlington, Manchester)
• Hospital ER visits and drug use in near real
  time (syndromic data)
• standard retrospective data as it becomes
  available to compare to AQ data
• Physican visit data via Sentinal Physician
  Program
• Hospital utilization and Physician Visit Data
  from individual hospitals in near real
• time (e.g., Wentworth Douglas)
• 2. Estimate the health care costs associated
  with individual air pollution events in New
  England.