Health Assessment

EH&E scientists work with a wide variety of clients to evaluate, solve, and communicate environmental health risks in occupational, educational, and community settings. We synthesize information on exposure, toxicology, and epidemiology to characterize health status using multiple methods, including quantitative risk analyses, health impact assessment techniques, epidemiological analyses, and medical screening performed by environmental and occupational physicians. EH&E’s efforts in this field have directly informed and supported environmental policy decision-making and population-based health management by resolving concerns as to risks in buildings, communities and regional areas throughout the United States.

Selected Engagements

Building-Related Illness
EH&E conducted a multi-year intervention study on a problem office building for the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). The study’s goals were to assess building-related asthma in office buildings and to improve the health of workers in non-industrial environments. EH&E was to determine whether an association existed between indoor environmental conditions and work-related asthma in a problem building. After administering an occupant survey and conducting an analysis of building systems and potential contaminants, a remediation plan was developed. Subsequently, a follow-up investigation was performed to quantify improvements to the environment and the health of occupants. EH&E’s investigation relied on assessment tools developed during prior indoor air quality studies, such as state-of-the-art techniques for assessing the design and operation of buildings, the indoor environment, and evaluating the health of building occupants as well as development of innovative approaches to further research. The study was in the New England region, although the results of the study have had influence nationwide for building design, operation, and management.

Health Impact Assessment
EH&E conducted a health impact assessment of fine particle (PM_2.5) and ozone exposures across the eastern half of the United States associated with emissions from coal-fired power plants in conjunction with collaborators from the Harvard School of Public Health and the University of North Carolina Medical School. The geographic domain of the study included approximately 177 million people from 33 states. To conduct the analysis, EH&E generated or gathered environmental exposure and health information with high spatial and temporal resolution from multiple sources maintained by federal organizations and combined the information to estimate source-related health impacts on a census-tract specific basis. Data management systems, including SAS and ArcGIS, were used to track and integrate information obtained from numerous modeling, air quality monitoring, and health (mortality and morbidity) datasets. EH&E investigators coordinated its efforts with officials from the State of North Carolina and communicated the sensitive health and environmental exposure issues in high-profile public forums.