Grant Number:
Principal Investigator:
Ahsan, Habibul
Institution:
University of Chicago
Most Recent Award Year:
2017
Lifestage of Participants:
Exposure:
Adulthood (18+ years)
Assessment:
Adulthood (18+ years)
Exposures:
Air Pollutants:
Particulate matter; Other air pollutants
Metals:
Arsenic
Health Outcomes:
Cardiovascular Outcomes:
Cardiovascular disease
Metabolic Outcomes:
Diabetes
Respiratory Outcomes:
Not specified
Biological Sample:
Saliva/buccal cells
Environmental Sample:
Outdoor air; Other environmental data: light intensity, precipitation, air quality, heat, sound volume, and foot traffic
Other Participant Data:
EKG, ultrasound, and spirometry
Abstract:
Water and air pollutions are two sources of environmental exposures that lead to significant mortality and morbidity across the world. Due to poorer infrastructure, inadequate regulatory enforcement and awareness, the health burden of water and air pollution is disproportionately greater in developing countries, especially in South Asia. This proposal addresses primarily these two environmental problems through targeted maintenance and enrichment of our long-standing environmental epidemiology cohort - Health Effects of Arsenic Longitudinal Study (HEALS) - which was initiated by Dr. Ahsan and his Bangladesh and US colleagues in 2000. Thus far, the cohort has been mainly addressing research questions on the health effects of arsenic exposure from drinking water. By maintaining the cohort infrastructure with longer follow-up and ascertainment of new health outcomes, we will substantially enhance our ability to evaluate health effects of arsenic exposure. In addition, by extending our exposure assessment scheme to add a comprehensive assessment of novel air pollution monitoring, coupled with targeted biosample acquisition and outcome ascertainment, we will open new opportunities (to researchers at large) for efficient investigation of health effects of air pollution by taking advantage of our unique cohort infrastructure. Specifically, we propose to: i) refine our cohort maintenance activities by ascertaining air-pollution related health outcomes through targeted enrichment of clinical outcome assessment infrastructure; ii) augment the exposure characterization of the cohort by instituting air pollution exposure assessment infrastructure; and iii) enrich our biorepository by initiating saliva sample collection for future investigation of the oral microbiome in relation to environmental health effects. The HEALS resource has already been successfully used by a wide cadre of researchers investigating the health effects of As, dietary and lifestyle exposures and, if funded, the proposed enrichment and maintenance activities will open new doors for efficient investigation of the health effects of air pollution, the underlying biology, and prevention avenues.
ExpandCollapse Abstract
Related NIEHS-Funded Study Populations
Health Effects of Arsenic Longitudinal Study (HEALS)
Principal Investigator:
Ahsan, Habibul; Graziano, Joseph
| Study Population Page Study Population c63
Institution:
University of Chicago
Location:
Araihazar, Bangladesh
Number of Participants::
~35,000 recruited; Recruitment goal of 50,000
Brief Description::
This large prospective cohort study is based on individual-level data from a population exposed to a wide range of inorganic arsenic from drinking water in Araihazar, Bangladesh. Since 2000, the study has recruited more than 35,000 men and women with extensive questionnaire data, biological samples, drinking water samples, and diagnostic/clinical data.