Stuart Batterman - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by Stuart Batterman
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, Sep 15, 2014
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Frontotemporal Degeneration
Abstract: Air pollution health studies often use outdoor concentrations as exposure surrogates. F... more Abstract: Air pollution health studies often use outdoor concentrations as exposure surrogates. Failure to account for variability of residential infiltration of outdoor pollutants can induce exposure errors and lead to bias and incorrect confidence intervals in health effect estimates. The residential air exchange rate (AER), which is the rate of exchange of indoor air with outdoor air, is an important determinant for house-to-house (spatial) and temporal variations of air pollution infiltration. Our goal was to evaluate and apply mechanistic models to predict AERs for 213 homes in the Near-Road Exposures and Effects of Urban Air Pollutants Study (NEXUS), a cohort study of traffic-related air pollution exposures and respiratory effects in asthmatic children living near major roads in Detroit, Michigan. We used a previously developed model (LBL), which predicts AER
American Journal of Health Studies, 2020
In academic labs, organizational culture is an important consideration for safety compliance. Thi... more In academic labs, organizational culture is an important consideration for safety compliance. This studyexamined perceptions of risk and safety behavior to target training improvement. College of Science lab person-nel (n = 1,066) were invited participate in a web-based survey with the number of respondents (n=97) and theresponse rate (9.1%). Analysis included descriptive statistics and thematic evaluation. The majority of respondentsrated safety as important and agreed training was sufficient, but believed there was room to improve safety culture.Encouraging use of lab-based safety and risk discussions related to new research procedures was identified as areafor improvement. Perceptions of safety among leadership is important to overall lab culture.
ISEE Conference Abstracts, 2018
Research report, 2020
INTRODUCTION The adverse health effects associated with exposure to traffic-related air pollutant... more INTRODUCTION The adverse health effects associated with exposure to traffic-related air pollutants (TRAPs) remain a key public health issue. Often, exposure assessments have not represented the small-scale variation and elevated concentrations found near major roads and in urban settings. This research explores approaches aimed at improving exposure estimates of TRAPs that can reduce exposure measurement error when used in health studies. We consider dispersion models designed specifically for the near-road environment, as well as spatiotemporal and data fusion models. These approaches are implemented and evaluated utilizing data collected in recent modeling, monitoring, and epidemiological studies conducted in Detroit, Michigan. APPROACH Dispersion models, which estimate near-road pollutant concentrations and individual exposures based on first principles - and in particular, high fidelity models - can provide great flexibility and theoretical strength. They can represent the spati...
International journal of environmental research and public health, 2015
Vehicle traffic is one of the most significant emission sources of air pollutants in urban areas.... more Vehicle traffic is one of the most significant emission sources of air pollutants in urban areas. While the influence of mobile source emissions is felt throughout an urban area, concentrations from mobile emissions can be highest near major roadways. At present, information regarding the spatial and temporal patterns and the share of pollution attributable to traffic-related air pollutants is limited, in part due to concentrations that fall sharply with distance from roadways, as well as the few monitoring sites available in cities. This study uses a newly developed dispersion model (RLINE) and a spatially and temporally resolved emissions inventory to predict hourly PM2.5 and NOx concentrations across Detroit (MI, USA) at very high spatial resolution. Results for annual averages and high pollution days show contrasting patterns, the need for spatially resolved analyses, and the limitations of surrogate metrics like proximity or distance to roads. Data requirements, computational a...
American journal of dentistry, 2003
To provide a comprehensive assessment of the indoor environment of a representative dental office... more To provide a comprehensive assessment of the indoor environment of a representative dental office. Health and comfort parameters, including carbon dioxide (CO2), respirable particulate matter (PM2.5), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), temperature, relative humidity, light and sound level, were measured at three sites over a 1-week period. Both real-time and integrated sampling methods were used, and clinic activities were recorded. Measurements were compared to guidelines and standards, and interactions between pollutant levels, emissions, and clinic activities were investigated using correlations, trend analyses, and a ventilation assessment. Comfort parameters were found to be within recommended values, with the exception of relative humidity, which was low but not unusual for the winter season investigated. Ventilation rates were within accepted guidelines. Integrated sampling showed that concentrations of VOCs were well below guidelines. However, PM2.5 levels exceeded ambient s...
EM (Pittsburgh, Pa.), 2013
The transport sector is the largest source of NOx and CO emissions, and among the largest sources... more The transport sector is the largest source of NOx and CO emissions, and among the largest sources of PM2.5 and VOCs. As a result of EPA's new near-road monitoring requirements, high-quality measurements of ambient NO2, CO, and PM2.5 concentrations will be available from more than 120 sites adjacent to major roads in over 100 cities nationwide in the next few years. This article discusses how data from the new network will provide opportunities to further develop, calibrate, and verify exposure assessment methods and models.
Atmospheric Environment, 2014
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2014
Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, 2014
Vehicular traffic is a major source of ambient air pollution in urban areas. Traffic-related air ... more Vehicular traffic is a major source of ambient air pollution in urban areas. Traffic-related air pollutants, including carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, particulate matter less than 2.5 μm in diameter, and diesel exhaust emissions, have been associated with adverse human health effects, especially in areas near major roads. In addition to emissions from vehicles, ambient concentrations of air pollutants include contributions from stationary sources and background (or regional) sources. Although dispersion models have been widely used to evaluate air quality strategies and policies and can represent the spatial and temporal variation in environments near roads, the use of these models in health studies to estimate air pollutant exposures has been relatively limited. This paper summarizes the modeling system used to estimate exposures in the Near-Roadway Exposure and Urban Air Pollutant Study, an epidemiological study that examined 139 children with asthma or symptoms consistent with ...
Research report (Health Effects Institute), 2014
Emission sources of volatile organic compounds (VOCs*) are numerous and widespread in both indoor... more Emission sources of volatile organic compounds (VOCs*) are numerous and widespread in both indoor and outdoor environments. Concentrations of VOCs indoors typically exceed outdoor levels, and most people spend nearly 90% of their time indoors. Thus, indoor sources generally contribute the majority of VOC exposures for most people. VOC exposure has been associated with a wide range of acute and chronic health effects; for example, asthma, respiratory diseases, liver and kidney dysfunction, neurologic impairment, and cancer. Although exposures to most VOCs for most persons fall below health-based guidelines, and long-term trends show decreases in ambient emissions and concentrations, a subset of individuals experience much higher exposures that exceed guidelines. Thus, exposure to VOCs remains an important environmental health concern. The present understanding of VOC exposures is incomplete. With the exception of a few compounds, concentration and especially exposure data are limited...
B106. BIOMASS AND OTHER INDOOR AIR POLLUTANTS, 2011
Page 1. / Poster Discussion Session / Monday, May 16/2:00 PM-4:30 PM / B106 BIOMASS AND OTHER IND... more Page 1. / Poster Discussion Session / Monday, May 16/2:00 PM-4:30 PM / B106 BIOMASS AND OTHER INDOOR AIR POLLUTANTS Room 603 (Street Level), Colorado Convention Center Factors Affecting Air Filter Usage In Homes Of Children With Asthma In Detroit, Mi ...
Science of The Total Environment, 2013
Environmental Research, 2013
ISEE Conference Abstracts
Science of The Total Environment, 2022
Vapor intrusion (VI) poses significant environmental problems that can degrade indoor air and pos... more Vapor intrusion (VI) poses significant environmental problems that can degrade indoor air and pose human health risks. This study focuses on 1,4-dioxane, a widely-used volatile organic compound (VOC) that is also found in groundwater, however, this compound has not received much attention in indoor air and measurement methods are not well developed. 1,4-dioxane is sufficiently volatile and highly mobile in groundwater, and thus can present a VI risk. In this study, we develop a sensitive analytical method for quantifying airborne 1,4-dioxane, provide a performance evaluation of the method, and initiate preliminary field measurements above a 1,4-dioxane plume. The method uses passive sampling, automated thermal desorption, and gas chromatography/mass spectroscopy. Numerous other VOCs can be simultaneously measured. Low detection limits (0.067 μg/m3) are attained and allow quantification when concentrations below guidelines. The performance evaluation suggests limits to sampling times in high humidity environments and other means to ensure good performance. The scenario analyses demonstrated potential impacts from shallow plumes especially flood basements and called for urgent monitoring of 1,4-dioxane vapor intrusion in the coming flood season.
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, Sep 15, 2014
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Frontotemporal Degeneration
Abstract: Air pollution health studies often use outdoor concentrations as exposure surrogates. F... more Abstract: Air pollution health studies often use outdoor concentrations as exposure surrogates. Failure to account for variability of residential infiltration of outdoor pollutants can induce exposure errors and lead to bias and incorrect confidence intervals in health effect estimates. The residential air exchange rate (AER), which is the rate of exchange of indoor air with outdoor air, is an important determinant for house-to-house (spatial) and temporal variations of air pollution infiltration. Our goal was to evaluate and apply mechanistic models to predict AERs for 213 homes in the Near-Road Exposures and Effects of Urban Air Pollutants Study (NEXUS), a cohort study of traffic-related air pollution exposures and respiratory effects in asthmatic children living near major roads in Detroit, Michigan. We used a previously developed model (LBL), which predicts AER
American Journal of Health Studies, 2020
In academic labs, organizational culture is an important consideration for safety compliance. Thi... more In academic labs, organizational culture is an important consideration for safety compliance. This studyexamined perceptions of risk and safety behavior to target training improvement. College of Science lab person-nel (n = 1,066) were invited participate in a web-based survey with the number of respondents (n=97) and theresponse rate (9.1%). Analysis included descriptive statistics and thematic evaluation. The majority of respondentsrated safety as important and agreed training was sufficient, but believed there was room to improve safety culture.Encouraging use of lab-based safety and risk discussions related to new research procedures was identified as areafor improvement. Perceptions of safety among leadership is important to overall lab culture.
ISEE Conference Abstracts, 2018
Research report, 2020
INTRODUCTION The adverse health effects associated with exposure to traffic-related air pollutant... more INTRODUCTION The adverse health effects associated with exposure to traffic-related air pollutants (TRAPs) remain a key public health issue. Often, exposure assessments have not represented the small-scale variation and elevated concentrations found near major roads and in urban settings. This research explores approaches aimed at improving exposure estimates of TRAPs that can reduce exposure measurement error when used in health studies. We consider dispersion models designed specifically for the near-road environment, as well as spatiotemporal and data fusion models. These approaches are implemented and evaluated utilizing data collected in recent modeling, monitoring, and epidemiological studies conducted in Detroit, Michigan. APPROACH Dispersion models, which estimate near-road pollutant concentrations and individual exposures based on first principles - and in particular, high fidelity models - can provide great flexibility and theoretical strength. They can represent the spati...
International journal of environmental research and public health, 2015
Vehicle traffic is one of the most significant emission sources of air pollutants in urban areas.... more Vehicle traffic is one of the most significant emission sources of air pollutants in urban areas. While the influence of mobile source emissions is felt throughout an urban area, concentrations from mobile emissions can be highest near major roadways. At present, information regarding the spatial and temporal patterns and the share of pollution attributable to traffic-related air pollutants is limited, in part due to concentrations that fall sharply with distance from roadways, as well as the few monitoring sites available in cities. This study uses a newly developed dispersion model (RLINE) and a spatially and temporally resolved emissions inventory to predict hourly PM2.5 and NOx concentrations across Detroit (MI, USA) at very high spatial resolution. Results for annual averages and high pollution days show contrasting patterns, the need for spatially resolved analyses, and the limitations of surrogate metrics like proximity or distance to roads. Data requirements, computational a...
American journal of dentistry, 2003
To provide a comprehensive assessment of the indoor environment of a representative dental office... more To provide a comprehensive assessment of the indoor environment of a representative dental office. Health and comfort parameters, including carbon dioxide (CO2), respirable particulate matter (PM2.5), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), temperature, relative humidity, light and sound level, were measured at three sites over a 1-week period. Both real-time and integrated sampling methods were used, and clinic activities were recorded. Measurements were compared to guidelines and standards, and interactions between pollutant levels, emissions, and clinic activities were investigated using correlations, trend analyses, and a ventilation assessment. Comfort parameters were found to be within recommended values, with the exception of relative humidity, which was low but not unusual for the winter season investigated. Ventilation rates were within accepted guidelines. Integrated sampling showed that concentrations of VOCs were well below guidelines. However, PM2.5 levels exceeded ambient s...
EM (Pittsburgh, Pa.), 2013
The transport sector is the largest source of NOx and CO emissions, and among the largest sources... more The transport sector is the largest source of NOx and CO emissions, and among the largest sources of PM2.5 and VOCs. As a result of EPA's new near-road monitoring requirements, high-quality measurements of ambient NO2, CO, and PM2.5 concentrations will be available from more than 120 sites adjacent to major roads in over 100 cities nationwide in the next few years. This article discusses how data from the new network will provide opportunities to further develop, calibrate, and verify exposure assessment methods and models.
Atmospheric Environment, 2014
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2014
Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, 2014
Vehicular traffic is a major source of ambient air pollution in urban areas. Traffic-related air ... more Vehicular traffic is a major source of ambient air pollution in urban areas. Traffic-related air pollutants, including carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, particulate matter less than 2.5 μm in diameter, and diesel exhaust emissions, have been associated with adverse human health effects, especially in areas near major roads. In addition to emissions from vehicles, ambient concentrations of air pollutants include contributions from stationary sources and background (or regional) sources. Although dispersion models have been widely used to evaluate air quality strategies and policies and can represent the spatial and temporal variation in environments near roads, the use of these models in health studies to estimate air pollutant exposures has been relatively limited. This paper summarizes the modeling system used to estimate exposures in the Near-Roadway Exposure and Urban Air Pollutant Study, an epidemiological study that examined 139 children with asthma or symptoms consistent with ...
Research report (Health Effects Institute), 2014
Emission sources of volatile organic compounds (VOCs*) are numerous and widespread in both indoor... more Emission sources of volatile organic compounds (VOCs*) are numerous and widespread in both indoor and outdoor environments. Concentrations of VOCs indoors typically exceed outdoor levels, and most people spend nearly 90% of their time indoors. Thus, indoor sources generally contribute the majority of VOC exposures for most people. VOC exposure has been associated with a wide range of acute and chronic health effects; for example, asthma, respiratory diseases, liver and kidney dysfunction, neurologic impairment, and cancer. Although exposures to most VOCs for most persons fall below health-based guidelines, and long-term trends show decreases in ambient emissions and concentrations, a subset of individuals experience much higher exposures that exceed guidelines. Thus, exposure to VOCs remains an important environmental health concern. The present understanding of VOC exposures is incomplete. With the exception of a few compounds, concentration and especially exposure data are limited...
B106. BIOMASS AND OTHER INDOOR AIR POLLUTANTS, 2011
Page 1. / Poster Discussion Session / Monday, May 16/2:00 PM-4:30 PM / B106 BIOMASS AND OTHER IND... more Page 1. / Poster Discussion Session / Monday, May 16/2:00 PM-4:30 PM / B106 BIOMASS AND OTHER INDOOR AIR POLLUTANTS Room 603 (Street Level), Colorado Convention Center Factors Affecting Air Filter Usage In Homes Of Children With Asthma In Detroit, Mi ...
Science of The Total Environment, 2013
Environmental Research, 2013
ISEE Conference Abstracts
Science of The Total Environment, 2022
Vapor intrusion (VI) poses significant environmental problems that can degrade indoor air and pos... more Vapor intrusion (VI) poses significant environmental problems that can degrade indoor air and pose human health risks. This study focuses on 1,4-dioxane, a widely-used volatile organic compound (VOC) that is also found in groundwater, however, this compound has not received much attention in indoor air and measurement methods are not well developed. 1,4-dioxane is sufficiently volatile and highly mobile in groundwater, and thus can present a VI risk. In this study, we develop a sensitive analytical method for quantifying airborne 1,4-dioxane, provide a performance evaluation of the method, and initiate preliminary field measurements above a 1,4-dioxane plume. The method uses passive sampling, automated thermal desorption, and gas chromatography/mass spectroscopy. Numerous other VOCs can be simultaneously measured. Low detection limits (0.067 μg/m3) are attained and allow quantification when concentrations below guidelines. The performance evaluation suggests limits to sampling times in high humidity environments and other means to ensure good performance. The scenario analyses demonstrated potential impacts from shallow plumes especially flood basements and called for urgent monitoring of 1,4-dioxane vapor intrusion in the coming flood season.