Department of Environmental Medicine
University of Rochester
Phone: (585) 275-3804
Fax: (585) 256-2631
Email: Gunter Oberdorster
Mark J. Utell, M.D.
Co-Director
Phone: (585) 275-4861
Fax: (585) 272-1058
Email: Mark Utell
Michael A. Terry, B.S.
Assistant Director for Administration
Phone: (585) 275-4203
Fax: (585) 256-2591
Email: Mike Terry
Judy Havalack
Department of Environmental Medicine
University of Rochester School of Medicine & Dentistry
Box EHSC 575 Elmwood Avenue, Rochester, NY 14642
Tel: (585) 275-3804 FAX: (585) 256-2631
Email:Judy Havalack
EPA
|
Particulate Matter Center| The Other PM Centers—and Some Useful Links |
|
Harvard/EPA Center For Ambient Particle Health Effects
Sponsor: Harvard School of Public Health Center Director: Petros Koutrakis Project Coordinator Alice Smythe EPA Center at Harvard;4th Floor West, Room 410 Landmark Center; 401 Park Drive; Boston MA, USA 02215 Phone: 617-384-8831 “ The fundamental objective of the proposed Center is to understand how specific PM characteristics and sources impact inflammation, autonomic responses, and vascular dysfunction.... The Center will investigate the pathophysiological effects produced by exposures to PM and its gaseous co-pollutants and will examine how these effects relate to PM composition, size and sources...The Center will provide information about the cardiovascular and pulmonary effects of specific PM sources and/or components, which is critical for the development and implementation of Air Quality Standards.” |
|
Johns Hopkins Particulate Research Center.
Sponsor: Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Center Director: Jonathan M. Samet, M.D. …“brings together a multidisciplinary team of investigators to address one of the most critical gaps in current understanding of health and exposure to airborne particles–the physical and chemical characteristics that determine the risk posed to human health by inhalation of airborne particulate matter.....The conceptual foundation of the Center lies in our ability to map the risks posed by particulate matter (PM) exposure across the United States. Over the five years of funding, the Center’s researchers will identify those areas in the United States where PM exposure poses greater and lesser estimated risks to human health, collect and characterize particles in these locations, and assess their toxicity in a battery of assays relevant to pulmonary and cardiovascular outcomes.” |
|
San Joaquin Valley Aerosol Health Effects Center Sponsor: University of California, Davis Center Director: Anthony Wexler Co-Director: Kent Pinkerton “This proposal will investigate the mechanistic links between ambient particles and the health effects that they elicit. This objective entails two goals: (1) Understanding the metabolic response of tissue and organs when they are exposed to particulate pollutants, and (2) understanding the characteristics of the particulate pollutants and their gaseous co-pollutants that elicit these responses.” |
|
Southern California Particle Center and Supersite. Sponsor: University of California at Los Angeles. Center Director: John R. Froines Co-Director: Constantinos Sioutas Co-Director: Andre Nel “The overall objective of the Southern California Particle Center (SCPC) is to investigate the underlying mechanisms that produce the health effects associated with exposure to particulate matter (PM), and to understand how toxic mechanisms and resulting health effects vary with the source, chemical composition and physical characteristics of PM.……The proposed center is composed of five projects supported by five cores. The projects will investigate the metabolic response to pollutant exposure in pulmonary and cardiovascular tissues, whole animal effects of exposure, transport of particles from the airways to other tissues, and the effects of particles and gases on lung development in juveniles. The projects will take both top down approaches, identifying the characteristics of particles that elicit health responses, and bottom up approaches, examining the metabolic responses that these |
| Some Useful Links |
| American Thoracic Society Scientific Assembly on Environmental and Occupational Health. “The Environmental & Occupational area of the ATS website contains programs developed by the Environmental & Occupational Health Assembly. In addition, we invite individuals to submit material for publication here. Interactive educational materials are especially sought. Work submitted will be peer reviewed before being posted on the site (just as if submitted to print journals).” |
| Board on Environmental Studies and Toxicology of the National Research Council. This committee is “. . .the National Academies' principal study unit for environmental pollution problems affecting human health, human impacts on the environment, and the assessment and management of related risks to human health and the environment. BEST addresses questions about air and water pollution; solid and hazardous waste; toxicology;epidemiology; risk assessment; applied ecology; natural resources; and environmental engineering, economics, law, and policy.” Selected recent reports are available |
|
Health Effects Institute.
“ HEI is a nonprofit corporation
chartered in 1980 as an independent research organization to provide
high-quality, impartial, and relevant science on the health effects of
air pollution. Typically, HEI receives half of its core funds
from the US Environmental Protection Agency and half from the
worldwide motor vehicle industry (see HEI Sponsors). Other public
and private organizations periodically
support special projects or certain research programs.
“To accomplish its mission, HEI:
|
| Institute of Nanotechnology. “The Institute of Nanotechnology (IoN) was founded by Ottilia Saxl in 1994. Originally the Centre for Nanotechnology, it was one of the world's first nanotechnology information providers and is now a global leader. The IoN works closely with governments, universities, researchers, and companies worldwide on developing and promoting all aspects of nanotechnology. It also serves as a key organizer of international scientific events, conferences, and educational courses designed to encourage nanotechnology takeup by industry, as well as stimulating interest in less developed countries..” |
| NIPR: New Ideas in Pollution Regulation. Sponsored by the World Bank, this is “. . . a site for researchers, government officials, and citizens interested in understanding and improving control of industrial pollution, especially in developing countries. NIPR is the primary source for materials produced by the World Bank's Economics of Industrial Pollution Control Research Project.” |
|
National Environmental Respiratory Center (NERC).
This Center features “an
integrated program of information
and laboratory research to improve our understanding
of the relationship between complex
mixtures of environmental (outdoor) air pollutants
and human health. It is located at the Lovelace
Respiratory Research Institute (LRRI) in
Albuquerque, New Mexico, and is funded by the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and other
government and non-government sponsors.”
The Center’s principal activity is the conduct of a multi-year series of interrelated studies aimed at determining the contributions of pollution mixture constituents to the respiratory health effects of real-world, complex pollutant mixtures. The laboratory studies and associated research resources of NERC are made available to external investigators for collaborative studies. NERC maintains bibliographic databases and other information pertaining to the pollution mixtures under study, and the LRRI library provides a range of information search and delivery services. |
U. S. Environmental Protection Agency: Researchers & Scientists.
“Sound science provides the foundation for credible environmental
decision-making and is one of EPA's guiding principles to fulfill its mission to protect
human health and the environment. These pages show you the
role of science at EPA and give you access to scientific information that may be useful in
understanding and protecting our environment.”
|
|
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.
This site presents many links to components of the institute in a compact fashion.
A major program: |