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Environmental exposures are major contributors to illness and premature death in
countries around the world. Air pollution is especially concerning as it promotes chronic
cardiometabolic disease and can trigger acute cardiac events. In rapidly urbanizing India,
an estimated 1.67 million deaths per year are attributed to air pollution, making it a factor in
nearly 18% of total deaths and 11.5% of total disability adjusted life years. While the link
between air pollution and ill health is becoming clearer, we need to learn more how the
components of air pollution interact with each other and with other elements of the
exposome such as heat, to affect health This is especially important in LMIC cities, where
industry and traffic generate pollution and where the population has less protection from
the effects of extreme weather. We also need to identify sensitive ages where air pollution
exposure can be particularly detrimental. Children pass through critical windows of
development when they are highly sensitive to exposures. Older adults are more likely to
experience cardiac events when air pollution and heat levels rise. In addition, exposures
differ for people of different ages, sex, occupations, and socioeconomic status. To address
this complex situation, India needs experts trained in environmental health to carry out
research and recommend effective policies to mitigate air pollution exposure and protect
those most vulnerable to its effects. In this proposed project, entitled, “2/2-GEOHealth
Health Effects of Selected Environmental Exposomes Across the Life CourSe (HEALS)-US,”
our multidisciplinary team of researchers, mentors and faculty from the Harvard T.H. Chan
School of Public Health (HSPH) and the Centre for Chronic Disease Control (CCDC) will
build on knowledge gained in our original GEOHealth project in which trainees and mentors
developed models to estimate levels of ambient PM2.5 in Indian cities and quantified the
links between air pollution exposure and cardiometabolic disease and death in Delhi. In
addition, three students earned master’s degrees from HSPH and one earned a Doctor of
Public Health (DrPH). The proposed project will focus on training early career faculty and
researchers and recent post-docs in designing a research study, writing up a proposal, and
carrying out research on topics related to the research aims of characterizing the
exposome and identifying groups most vulnerable to the effects of air pollution. Two
additional DrPH students will also be trained. The project will be led by Dr. Sieber and Dr.
Schwartz from HSPH and by Dr. Prabhakaran of CCDC and Dr. Reddy of the Public Health
Foundation of India who will be assisted by the: 1) Administrative Oversight Committee; 2)
Training Oversight Committee; 3) Program coordination personnel at HSPH and CCDC; and
4) Supervisory teams to provide oversight for individual trainees. Evidence from the
research conducted under the linked U01 will directly inform Indian government agencies
and policy makers on how to reduce air pollution exposures and how to protect the most
vulnerable groups to reduce the consequent burden of disease. The proposed training of
Indian scientists will build capacity to apply for future funding and to fully understand and
address this environmental threat.
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- The DCCPS Team.
