ASTHMA, POLLUTION STUDIED TEAM GETS GRANT TO FIND LINK BETWEEN THEM.Byline: Kerry Cavanaugh Staff Writer Hoping to show how microscopic particles in air pollution can cause asthma, heart disease, low birth weight and other conditions, the EPA EPA eicosapentaenoic acid. EPA abbr. eicosapentaenoic acid EPA, n.pr See acid, eicosapentaenoic. EPA, n. has awarded an $8 million grant to a Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, research team. The money will allow the the Southern California Particle Center to continue its groundbreaking work, funding four new investigations into the health impacts of particles that are 1/100 the diameter of a human hair. ``What we've shown in the last five years is the scope of the problem and how many different health end points exist, at current (pollution) levels,'' said Dr. John Froines John R. Froines is a chemist and anti-war activist. He is most noted as a member of the Chicago Seven, a group charged with involvement with the riots at the 1968 Democratic Convention in Chicago. Froines, who holds a Ph.D. , a professor at the University of California, Los Angeles UCLA comprises the College of Letters and Science (the primary undergraduate college), seven professional schools, and five professional Health Science schools. Since 2001, UCLA has enrolled over 33,000 total students, and that number is steadily rising. , School of Public Health and the principal investigator Noun 1. principal investigator - the scientist in charge of an experiment or research project PI scientist - a person with advanced knowledge of one or more sciences at the particle center. ``We're now trying to answer the question of what is it about particles that causes these effects and what do we have to do to improve the situation.'' Particulate matter is created from the exhaust of gasoline- and diesel-fueled vehicles and from fires and industrial pollution. Composed of microscopic bits of acids, chemicals, metals, dusts and allergens, it can reach deep into the lungs, enter the bloodstream and even damage cells. With its grant, the Environmental Protection Agency Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), independent agency of the U.S. government, with headquarters in Washington, D.C. It was established in 1970 to reduce and control air and water pollution, noise pollution, and radiation and to ensure the safe handling and hopes to understand which pollution sources and which kinds of particulate matter may be responsible for unhealthy air, said Stacey Katz, assistant director of the agency's National Center for Environmental Research. ``We've made great strides from the early days with epidemiology studies showing particulate matter and premature death but nobody could understand biologically how that could happen.'' One of the center's projects will examine how particulate matter can cause asthma, which has been a big concern for public health officials who struggle to understand why cases of the respiratory ailment ail·ment n. A physical or mental disorder, especially a mild illness. have tripled over the last 20 years. Researchers can't prove with 100 percent certainty that air pollution causes asthma, although researchers recently determined that Southern California children who play sports in areas with high air pollution are at greater risk of asthma and children who live near freeways are more likely to develop the disease. The Southern California team also placed allergic mice near busy freeways and found the animals closest to traffic had the worst airway inflammation and stronger allergic responses. For the new study, Froines wants to follow the path of particles in the body and understand the biological reactions they spur in the body that can cause asthma. ``If you think about it, there's a process between exposure and the ultimate disease and there's a series of steps between them,'' Froines explained. ``We're trying to define those steps.'' Another team will study impacts of pollution and particulates on nursing home residents with cardiovascular disease Cardiovascular disease Disease that affects the heart and blood vessels. Mentioned in: Lipoproteins Test cardiovascular disease . Their work expands on research that links particulate matter pollution with an increased number of hospital admissions and heart-related deaths. The Southern California Particle Center's work could eventually affect regulations on tail pipe emissions, diesel truck pollution and increased port traffic, which are under the jurisdiction of the EPA. The center includes researchers from the University of Southern California The U.S. News & World Report ranked USC 27th among all universities in the United States in its 2008 ranking of "America's Best Colleges", also designating it as one of the "most selective universities" for admitting 8,634 of the almost 34,000 who applied for freshman admission and University of California The University of California has a combined student body of more than 191,000 students, over 1,340,000 living alumni, and a combined systemwide and campus endowment of just over $7.3 billion (8th largest in the United States). , Irvine. Kerry Cavanaugh, (818) 713-3746 kerry.cavanaugh(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): box Box: Effects of particulate matter SOURCE: Daily News research Warren Huskey/Staff Artist |
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