Volcanic air pollution over the Island of Hawai'i: Emissions, dispersal, and composition. Association with respiratory symptoms and lung function in Hawai'i Island school children

Tam, Elizabeth K.; Miike, Rei; Labrenz, Susan; Sutton, Alex; Elias, Tamar; Davis, James; Chen, Yi-Leng; Tantisira, Kelan G.; Dockery, Douglas W.; Avol, Edward L.

doi:10.1016/j.envint.2016.03.025

Cited by 63 publications

(52 citation statements)

References 43 publications

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“…In the present research we analyze data from a 2015 survey of adolescents in Hawaii, a population that has a substantial prevalence of e-cigarette use (Wills et al, 2015) and known risk factors for asthma (Min et al, 2014; Tam et al, 2016). The analyses controlled for demographics, cigarette smoking, and several covariates linked to asthma, such as overweight status.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

E-cigarette use and asthma in a multiethnic sample of adolescents

Schweitzer

Wills

Tam

et al. 2017

Preventive Medicine

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132

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There is minimal evidence from epidemiological studies on how e-cigarette use is related to health indices in adolescence. We hypothesized that e-cigarette use would be associated with asthma, controlling for demographics and cigarette smoking. The hypothesis was tested with cross-sectional data from a statewide sample of school students. Surveys were administered in classrooms in 2015 to adolescents in 33 high schools throughout the State of Hawaii. The sample (N = 6,089) was 50% female and mean age was 15.8 years. Data were obtained on demographics; ever use and current (past 30 days) use of e-cigarettes, combustible cigarettes, and marijuana; ever being diagnosed with asthma; and currently having asthma. Multinomial regression examined the association between e-cigarette use and asthma controlling for cigarette smoking, marijuana use, and six demographic covariates. Current e-cigarette use was associated with currently having (vs. never having) asthma (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 1.48, CI 1.26 – 1.74) and with previously having (vs. never having) asthma (aOR = 1.22, CI 1.07 – 1.40). This was independent of cigarette smoking, marijuana use, and other covariates. Smoking and marijuana were nonsignificant in the multivariate analysis. Blacks, Native Hawaiians, other Pacific Islanders, and Filipinos had higher rates of asthma compared with Asian Americans and Caucasians. We conclude that e-cigarette use by adolescents is independently associated with asthma. This finding is consistent with recent laboratory research on pulmonary effects from e-cigarette vapor. Implications for public health should be considered.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

E-cigarette use and asthma in a multiethnic sample of adolescents

Schweitzer

Wills

Tam

et al. 2017

Preventive Medicine

Self Cite

132

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“…All measurements in the present study are made on the island of Hawai'i (USA); due to the ongoing eruption of Kīlauea, local levels of SO 2 can be extremely high (even exceeding 1 ppm) (Kroll et al, 2015), constituting serious AQ and human health concerns (Longo, 2009(Longo, , 2013Longo et al, 2010;Mannino et al, 1996;Tam et al, 2016). The SO 2 is emitted from just two point sources (the Halema'uma'u and Pu'u 'Ō'ō craters; see Fig.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Calibration and assessment of electrochemical air quality sensors by co-location with regulatory-grade instruments

et al. 2018

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Abstract. The use of low-cost air quality sensors for air pollution research has outpaced our understanding of their capabilities and limitations under real-world conditions, and there is thus a critical need for understanding and optimizing the performance of such sensors in the field. Here we describe the deployment, calibration, and evaluation of electrochemical sensors on the island of Hawai'i, which is an ideal test bed for characterizing such sensors due to its large and variable sulfur dioxide (SO 2 ) levels and lack of other co-pollutants. Nine custom-built SO 2 sensors were colocated with two Hawaii Department of Health Air Quality stations over the course of 5 months, enabling comparison of sensor output with regulatory-grade instruments under a range of realistic environmental conditions. Calibration using a nonparametric algorithm (k nearest neighbors) was found to have excellent performance (RMSE < 7 ppb, MAE < 4 ppb, r 2 > 0.997) across a wide dynamic range in SO 2 (< 1 ppb, > 2 ppm). However, since nonparametric algorithms generally cannot extrapolate to conditions beyond those outside the training set, we introduce a new hybrid linear-nonparametric algorithm, enabling accurate measurements even when pollutant levels are higher than encountered during calibration. We find no significant change in instrument sensitivity toward SO 2 after 18 weeks and demonstrate that calibration accuracy remains high when a sensor is calibrated at one location and then moved to another. The performance of electrochemical SO 2 sensors is also strong at lower SO 2 mixing ratios (< 25 ppb), for which they exhibit an error of less than 2.5 ppb. While some specific results of this study (calibration accuracy, performance of the various algorithms, etc.) may differ for measurements of other pollutant species in other areas (e.g., polluted urban regions), the calibration and validation approaches described here should be widely applicable to a range of pollutants, sensors, and environments.

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“…In a non-comparative study, Camara and Lagunzad (2011) report that patients who complain of eye irritation due to vog do have observable ocular symptoms. Most recently, Tam et al (2016) show an association between vog exposure and respiratory outcomes including cough and forced expiratory volume (FEV1). Still, it remains unclear whether increased volcanic emissions are causing health problems.…”

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confidence: 99%

Vog: Using Volcanic Eruptions to Estimate the Health Costs of Particulates

Halliday

Lynham

Paula

2018

The Economic Journal

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The negative consequences of long-term exposure to particulate pollution are well established but a number of studies find no effect of short-term exposure on health outcomes. The high correlation of industrial pollutants complicates the estimation of the impact of individual pollutants on health. In this study, we use emissions from K ılauea volcano, which are uncorrelated with other pollution sources, to estimate the impact of pollutants on local emergency room admissions and a precise measure of costs. A one standard deviation increase in particulates leads to a 23-36% increase in expenditures on ER visits for pulmonary outcomes, mostly among the very young.In this article, we use volcanic emissions to document the effect of particulate pollution on hospital admissions and charges. Industrial and other types of anthropogenic pollution generally induce high correlation among various pollutants, possibly complicating the attribution of quantifiable effects to several different pollutants. Our pollution source, on the other hand, leads to relatively independent variation in pollutants. This variation allows us to more precisely measure the effect of particulate matter on various public health outcomes and costs in a context where pollution levels are well below Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ambient air quality standards. K ılauea is the most active of the five volcanoes that form the island of Hawai'i. Emissions from K ılauea produce what is known as 'vog' (volcanic smog) pollution. Vog is essentially small particulate matter (sulphate aerosols) suspended in the air, akin to smog pollution in many cities. Vog represents one of the truly exogenous sources of air pollution in the United States. Based on local weather conditions (and whether or not the volcano is emitting), air quality conditions in the state of Hawai'i can change from dark, polluted skies to near pristine conditions in a matter of hours.We adopt two main approaches to estimate the health impact of the pollution produced by K ılauea. Both use high frequency data on air quality and emergency room (ER) admissions and estimate linear models. The first method estimates a * Corresponding author: Timothy J. Halliday, University of Hawai'i at M anoa, UHERO and IZA,

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Volcanic air pollution over the Island of Hawai'i: Emissions, dispersal, and composition. Association with respiratory symptoms and lung function in Hawai'i Island school children

Cited by 63 publications

References 43 publications

E-cigarette use and asthma in a multiethnic sample of adolescents

E-cigarette use and asthma in a multiethnic sample of adolescents

Calibration and assessment of electrochemical air quality sensors by co-location with regulatory-grade instruments

Vog: Using Volcanic Eruptions to Estimate the Health Costs of Particulates

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