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(http://www.niehs.nih.gov//portfolio/index.cfm?do=portfolio.grantdetail&&grant_number=R01ES032871&format=word)
| Principal Investigator: Gunier, Robert | |
|---|---|
| Institute Receiving Award | University Of California Berkeley |
| Location | Berkeley, CA |
| Grant Number | R01ES032871 |
| Funding Organization | National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences |
| Award Funding Period | 10 Feb 2022 to 30 Nov 2026 |
| DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): | Abstract In the U.S., there are currently 22.7 million people living with asthma with a large cost to society estimated at $89 billion. Environmental exposures have been identified as playing a role in asthma etiology and lung function growth and the relationship with air pollution exposure is well established in more urban areas. Pesticide exposure has also been related to asthma and decline in lung function in workers. In the Center for the Health Assessment of Mothers And Children Of Salinas (CHAMACOS) Study, a longitudinal study of Latino farmworker families in Salinas California, we observed that early life exposure to several pesticides, as measured by biomarkers or residential proximity to agricultural use, were associated with childhood asthma and poorer lung function at age 7. It is unknown if these relationships persist into adulthood. Few studies have examined the impact of exposure to mixtures of pollutants such as particulate matter and pesticides. Methylation of DNA from nasal cells has been related to asthma and airway inflammation and there is evidence of differential methylation with exposure to pollutants, suggesting a possible link between environmental exposures and respiratory health. The long-term goal of our research is to identify modifiable factors related to respiratory health in a birth cohort that has reached young adulthood. We will leverage the unique CHAMACOS prospective birth cohort study to address these questions. Participants are currently 21 years of age and 500 participants still live near the Salinas Valley, and 250 completed lung function testing at 7 years of age. Our objectives in this proposal are to determine whether early life exposure to pesticides continue to impact their respiratory health in adulthood, identify the relative importance of pesticide and air pollution exposures, periods of susceptibility (prenatal, early life and childhood/adolescence), factors that modify these relationships and potential mechanisms involving the methylation of nasal cells. We hypothesize that higher exposure to pesticides and air pollutants in early life will result in poorer respiratory health and that DNA methylation will be a biomarker of these relationships. We will conduct spirometry testing at 22y and estimate pesticide exposure using California’s unique Pesticide Use Report data for the prenatal, early life (0-3y), childhood/adolescence (4-20y) and recent (previous year) periods. We will estimate exposure to particulate matter air pollution by combining remote sensing and air monitoring data. We will measure methylation in DNA collected from nasal swabs. We will assess whether associations observed in the CHAMACOS cohort between pesticide exposure and respiratory health at 7y persist into early adulthood and determine associations of exposure to a mixture of pesticides and particulate matter with respiratory symptoms, asthma, allergy, and lung function. We will characterize associations of DNA methylation with environmental exposures and respiratory health. In this study, we expect to identify the most important exposures and periods of exposure related to adverse respiratory health. Our findings will help inform future policies related to pesticide use and air quality designed to protect respiratory health. |
| Science Code(s)/Area of Science(s) |
Primary: 69 - Respiratory Secondary: 03 - Carcinogenesis/Cell Transformation |
| Publications | No publications associated with this grant |
| Program Officer | Lindsey Martin |