EPA Awards $30 Million Dollar Grant for Particulate Matter Research
Michael O. Leavitt, the Administrator of the United States Environmental Protection Agency, today awarded the University of Washington with a $30 million grant to study the connection between air pollution and cardiovascular disease. The grant is the largest ever awarded by the EPA for scientific research, and will contribute to a better understanding of the long-term effects of breathing air contaminated by particulate matter (PM) and other pollutants.
The purpose of this research grant is to study the effects of exposure to air pollution on 8700 people aged 50 to 89 over a ten-year period. The air pollutants assessed in the study will include fine particles, which are particles less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter and are also referred to as "PM2.5". The study will explore relationships between exposure levels encountered in the daily lives of these participants and the occurrence of cardiovascular disease.
These people are from varied ethnic groups, and live in many cities around the country. The researchers will evaluate whether long-term exposure to PM2.5 is associated with specific changes in atherosclerosis (build-up of plaque the arteries) and other factors associated with heart disease.
Below are some common questions associated with the grant. These questions and answers are meant to be informative in nature and not an exhaustive explanation of the study or its findings. If you have further questions about the study that are not addressed on this site please contact us.
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