Health Effects of Traffic- Related Particulate Pollution Christine Rioux, MS Doctoral Candidate, Instructor Tufts University

Health effects linked to near highway air pollution exposure Pulmonary Disease - Asthma - Lung function - Lung cancer Cardiovascular disease - Heart attack - Atherosclerosis - Heart rate variability

Regional / local gradients and near roadway studies: Jerrett LA ACS 2005 – (n=22,000) 11% to 17% overall mortality increase per 10 micrograms; with 25 to 60% increase in ischemic heart disease and lung cancer; 44% increase in lung cancer within 500 m of highway intersections Nyberg Stockholm 2000 – most mobile intense quintile of city has 60% greater lung cancer deaths than least. Finkelstein and Jerrett Hamilton 2004 – 40% increase in cardiovascular deaths within 100 meters of highways, 50 of busy urban streets Hoek and Brunekreef Netherlands 2002 – 95% increase in cardiopulmonary mortality within 100 m of highways, 50 of busy city streets

Overall 62-85% higher levels of coronary heart disease for people living within 150 meters of major roads Residential Exposure to Traffic is Associated with Coronary Atherosclerosis July 16th, Hoffman et al. 63%, 34% and 8% higher rates of Atherosclerosis for people living within 50, 100, and 200 meters of major roads

Asthma and distance to roadways Prevalence of asthma by distance of residence to a major road within 500 m, among long-term residents with no family history of asthma. Dotted lines indicate 95% confidence interval.Environ Health Perspect May; 114(5): 766–772.

Ultrafine Particles in Alveolar Macrophages As PM10  - carbon in airway immune cells  and lung function 

Neighborhoods next to I-93 in Somerville

Living Near major Highways in Boston area There are over 170,000 people within 400 m and over 25,000 people within 100 m of the major highways (>50,000 vehicles/day) in the Boston area (using 2000 census data). (from American Housing Survey for the United States: 2003 Series H150/03)