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American Journal of Epidemiology Advance Access originally published online on August 28, 2007
American Journal of Epidemiology 2007 166(8):889-891; doi:10.1093/aje/kwm218
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American Journal of Epidemiology © The Author 2007. Published by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org.

Invited Commentary

Invited Commentary: Heterogeneity of Particulate Matter Health Risks

Paige E. Tolbert

From the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA

Correspondence to Dr. Paige E. Tolbert, Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, 1518 Clifton Road, NE, Atlanta, GA 30322 (e-mail: ptolber{at}sph.emory.edu).

Received for publication May 17, 2007. Accepted for publication May 25, 2007.

Ambient particulate matter varies in composition and toxicity; therefore, some heterogeneity in risk per unit mass can be anticipated. In this issue of the Journal (Am J Epidemiol 2007;166:880–888), Dominici et al. explore temporal and spatial effect modification of particulate matter potency with the goal of gaining insights about how differences in the mixture may affect toxicity of the particulate matter, and they propose that it may be a useful tool in assessing the net impact of regulatory activity. Their approach is fresh and creative and yields provocative results. Such assessments will, of course, be constrained by limited power to detect the expected small degree of effect modification, as well as an abundance of possible explanations for observed differences in risk per unit mass. The utility for accountability assessment is further limited because regulatory actions impacting particulate matter levels do not necessarily target the most toxic species within the mixture and may confer benefits by reducing population exposure to particles and components of lesser toxicity. Used cautiously, however, this new methodology may provide a complementary approach to more direct assessments in shedding light on the characteristics of ambient particulate matter predictive of health effects.

mortality; particulate matter; population surveillance; public policy; sentinel surveillance

Abbreviations: PM2.5, particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter of <2.5 µm; PM10, particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter of <10 µm


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Related articles in Am. J. Epidemiol.:

Particulate Air Pollution and Mortality in the United States: Did the Risks Change from 1987 to 2000?
Francesca Dominici, Roger D. Peng, Scott L. Zeger, Ronald H. White, and Jonathan M. Samet
Am. J. Epidemiol. 2007 166: 880-888. [Abstract] [Full Text]  



This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 Am J EpidemiolHome page
F. Dominici, R. D. Peng, S. L. Zeger, R. H. White, and J. M. Samet
Dominici et al. Respond to "Heterogeneity of Particulate Matter Health Risks"
Am. J. Epidemiol., October 15, 2007; 166(8): 892 - 893.
[Full Text] [PDF]


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