**To :**  **Cc: Bcc:**  **Subject: Re: Data from Francine Laden** 

**From: Francine Laden <nhfrl@channing.harvard.edu>**  **To: Beth Hassett-Sipple/RTP/USEPA/US@EPA**  **Date: 05/21/2009 10:00 PM**  **Subject: Re:** 

Beth, Here is a table of the annual PM2.5 levels used in the update of the Harvard Six Cities Study. The on-line supplement describes in detail what mon itors were used where. For the years when we are using actual measurements there is only one monitor per city...in the latter years, when EPA AQS monitors are used, we are actually using es timated PM2.5 concentrations as opposed to actual measured PM2.5. Please let me know if yo u need a copy of the online supplement, or any further information. Francine
On Mon, May 4, 2009 at 12:45 PM, < Hassett

- Sipple

. Beth @ epamail

. epa

. gov > wrote:
**Francine, thank you for your quick response to our request. Since you will be out of the country during the middle part of May, please let us know when it would be reasonable for you to provide the requested**  **information.**
**Regarding the Puett et al 2008 study, this study focussed on effects associated with exposures to PM10. While it is certainly a study that is being evaluated in the broader review of the scientific**  **evidence, the current request for more specific air quality data is focussed on important studies that evaluated health effects associated with exposures to PM2.5 and/or PM10-2.5.** 

**Please let me know if you have any additional questions.**

**We sincerely appreciate your help!**

**Regards,**

**Beth Beth M. Hassett-Sipple**  **Environmental Health Scientist Ambient Standards Group (C504-06)**  **Health and Environmental Impacts Division Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards**  **U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 109 TW Alexander Drive**  **RTP, NC 27711 (919) 541-4605**  **Hassett**

**- Sipple** 

**. Beth**  **@ epa** 

**. gov**  **(919) 541-0237 (FAX) Francine Laden** 

**Francine Laden**

**< nhfrl**  **@ channing** 

**. harvard** 

**. edu**  **>**

**05/04/2009 10:33 AM To**  **Beth Hassett-Sipple/RTP/USEPA/US@EPA**

**cc Subject Re:** 

I am happy to try to answer these questions. Howev er, I am going to an international conference on May 15-May 25, and I may not be able to get you all the answers before I depart. I have noticed that the following article is not on your list Puett RC, Schwartz J, Hart JE, Yanosky J, Speizer F E, Suh H, Paciorek C, Neas L , Laden F. Chronic particulate exposure, mortality and cardiov ascular outcomes in the Nurses Health Study. Am J Epidemiol. 2008 Nov 15;168(10): 1161-1168.

Francine
Francine Laden, ScD Mark and Catherine Winkler Assistant Professor of E nvironmental Epidemiology Harvard School of Public Health

Assistant Professor of Medicine Channing Laboratory, Brigham & Women's Hospital

Phone: 617-525-2711 Mailing Address: Channing Laboratory, 181 Longwood Ave, Boston, MA 02115 Office Location: 3rd Floor West, Landmark Center**.................**

On Sat, May 2, 2009 at 5:36 PM, < Hassett

- Sipple

. Beth @ epamail

. epa

. gov > wrote:

To: Authors of recent U.S. and Canadian epidemiolo gical studies evaluating health effects associated with exposure to fine and thoracic coarse particles
EPA is in the process of reviewing the nationa l ambient air quality standards ( NAAQS ) for particulate matter (PM). Important components of this review include the preparation o f an Integrated Science Assessment (ISA) and a Risk and Exposure As sessment (REA). In evaluating the epidemiological evidence in the ISA and in using this information in the quantitative risk assessment pre sented in the REA, it is crucial to consider the air quality distribution s from areas where these studies were conducted to investigate associations between PM and health effects. Most epidemiological studies provi de some information on the distribution of ambient measurement data for PM, however,published information is often generally limited in scope and the

descriptive statistics reported vary from one study to another.
In order to effectively place key epidemiologi cal studies in a policy-relevant context, EPA’s Office of Air Qualit y Planning and Standards (OAQPS) and National Center for Environme ntal Assessment ( NCEA ) are jointly contacting you to request specific in formation on the distribution of the air quality data for PM2.5 and/ or PM10-2.5 used in your studies. These data will provide important in formation as NCEA develops the second draft ISA and OAQPS develops th e first draft REA. The final ISA and REA together with a policy assess ment will inform EPA’s decision making process and the basis for rec ommendations that the Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee (CASAC) wil l make to the EPA Administrator regarding whether to retain or modify the PM NAAQS.
Specifically, we are interested in receiving the following descriptive statistics on the air quality data usedin your study (see reference list below):
A. For studies evaluating mortality and morbidity e ffects associated with long-term PM2.5 ambient concentrations, plea se provide the following:

o mean of the ambient PM2.5 mean concentrati ons across cities reported in the study for the time period e valuated in the study o range (high-to-low) of the city-specific me ans across all cities or locations o in addition, include where applicable, the above air quality information differentiated by: specific individual years, if multipl e years were evaluated season, as defined in the study region, as defined in the study (e.g. , east-west) o if your study considered air quality data f rom multiple monitors in a city, please also include the above information for the HIGHEST reporting monitor within ea ch city; this will facilitate our assessment of the current an nual PM2.5 NAAQS and any alternative standards that may be consi dered
B. For multi-city studies evaluating mortality and/or morbidity effects associated with short-term PM2.5 and/or PM10-2.5 concentrations, please provide the following:
o mean; 95th, 96th, 97th, 98th, and 99th perc entile values; and minimum and maximum values (each as the ave rage across modeled cities - e.g., average of the 98th percenti le values across the cities evaluated)o range (high to low) of city-specific 98th p ercentile values

across all cities o in addition, include where applicable, the above air quality information differentiated by: specific individual years, if multipl e years were evaluated region, as defined in the study (e.g. , east-west) o please also include the following informati on for the HIGHEST reporting monitor within each city; this wi ll facilitate our assessment of the current 24-hour PM2.5 NAAQS and any alternative standards that may be considere d 98th and 99th percentile of the 24-ho ur concentrations for each city annual mean concentration for each ci ty average 98th and 99th percentile of 2 4-hour concentrations across cities range (high to low) of 98th and 99th percentile concentrations across cities in addition, include where applicable , the above air quality information differentiated by : specific individual years, if m ultiple years were evaluated region, as defined in the study (e.g., east-west) o in addition, we would ask that you identify the air quality monitors used, unless these monitors are id entified already in the study publication
C. For single-city studies evaluating mortality andmorbidity effects associated with short-term PM2.5 ambient concentr ations, please provide the following information:
o information requested in B above for the on e city evaluated
Please note, this request is for information o n the distribution of air quality data for PM2.5 used in your studies. It is important to emphasize that we are not requesting health data. In addition, we are not requesting raw air quality data, but rather inf ormation on the distribution of the data. However, if you would pr efer to send the entire air quality data set for us to compute the d escriptive statistics that would also be acceptable. Please be aware that your responses, together with whatever data you provide, will be pl aced in our public docket.
We recognize that you are all very busy. We know that it may take some time to respond to our request, but we would b e extremely grateful if you could provide us with these additional data. The information you provide is likely to play an important role in the current review of the PM NAAQS. Our current schedule includes NCEA preparing a second draftISA for CASAC and public review by the end of July and OAQPS preparing a

first draft REA for CASAC and public review by earl y September. In order to use the requested information in preparing these documents, we ask that you provide them to us by May 22, 2009. I f you are not able to meet this date, we ask that you provide, if possibl e, an alternate date by which you could prepare the requested informatio n.

References for U.S. and Canadian studies for w hich we are requesting air quality data for fine and coarse fra ction PM are listed below. In most cases, the first author is also lis ted as the contact for correspondence; however, where another author i s indicated as the corresponding author, we have listed that name at the end of the reference and will follow up with that author. We will follow this email message with a telephone call in the next few days to address any questions you might have regarding this request. I f you have already provided NCEA and/or OAQPS with additional air qual ity data in response to earlier requests, we thank you, and we will veri fy that we have received the requested data when we call. Please c ontact us at any time if you have any questions. You may reach Dr. Linds ay Stanek, NCEA , at 919 541-7792, stanek

. lindsay @ epa

. gov or Beth Hassett-Sipple, OAQPS, at 919 541-4605, hassett

- sipple

. beth @ epa

. gov

. Thank you in advance for your assistance.
Beth M. Hassett-Sipple Lindsay Wichers Stanek, PhD Environmental Health Scientist Phy sical Scientist OAQPS NCEA-RTP