Health Effects of Wildfire and Traffic-related Air Pollution: Risk Factors and Lung-Heart Nexus
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Air pollution continues to exact a substantial public health burden despite considerable improvements in air quality. Many questions remain regarding the toxicity of specific sources of air pollution and associated chemical components, the basis for disproportionate risk among susceptible groups, and the mechanisms that mediate these responses. This seminar will include discussion of: 1) experimental and epidemiological findings that demonstrate overt and latent cardiopulmonary health effects of air pollution in susceptible subgroups including heart failure and asthma and the basis for exaggerated effects, 2) the health impacts of wildland fire-related biomass smoke, and 3) the identification of plausible mechanisms of action including those that involve the lung-heart nexus. The long-term goals of these efforts is to enhance understanding of the biological mechanisms of action, physicochemical determinants, and intrinsic susceptibility factors driving the adverse health impacts of inhaled air pollution from key sources.