Researchers looking for answers
By Barbara Anderson / The Fresno Bee
Each year, about 1,400 people in the San Joaquin Valley die prematurely from breathing ozone and microscopic pieces of dust, soot and chemical solids. The pollution puts another 1,200 people in the hospital annually, the state estimates.
Researchers know that fine particles -- small enough that millions could fit atop a sugar cube -- somehow increase the risk of heart attacks, strokes, bronchitis and asthma attacks and lung cancer.
What scientists still need to learn is why.
Here's a look at Valley-based air pollution research that could shape the future:
The San Joaquin Valley Aerosol Health Effects Research Center at UC Davis, one of five such air pollution research centers nationwide funded by the federal Environmental Protection Agency, has studies under way to examine:
The makeup of airborne particles and how they affect heart and lung tissue. The research could help determine whether some substances are more toxic than others. Where particles go in the body once they're inhaled. Some move from the lungs to the bloodstream; others do not. Particles that make it into the bloodstream appear to accelerate the development of atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries. The particles also appear to affect the heartbeat and may cause blood clots. How the heart and lungs of rodents are affected by exposure to particles. Researchers established testing sites on Shaw Avenue and in the Valley's rural west side.UC Davis's Western Center for Agricultural Health and Safety has two Valley research projects funded by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. They are investigating: How airborne particles affect the health of agricultural workers. How many particles dairy workers are exposed to each day. The study involves monitoring air quality at about 20 dairies in Tulare and Merced counties.UC Merced researchers are conducting a study that examines: How particles alter lung cell function. Particles appear to cause inflammation similar to that resulting from infection.
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