# Extreme weather, air pollution, and stroke among an aging female population

> **NIH NIH R01** · BECKMAN RESEARCH INSTITUTE/CITY OF HOPE · 2024 · $589,271

## Abstract

ABSTRACT
This application is in response to the PAR-19-250: “EnvironmentalInfluences on Aging: Effects of Extreme
Weatherand Disaster Events on Aging Populations .”Air pollutants are especially detrimental for aging
populations; exposure to air pollution as measured by ambient particulate matter (e.g., PM2.5) has been linked
to diseases that increase with age, including cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and stroke. Older women (who
outnumber men 3:2) are particularly susceptible to CVD endpoints and to stroke risk in particular; stroke risk in
women doubles immediately following menopause. Extreme weather events such as wildfires and prolonged
drought in the last decade alone have adversely affected air pollution exposure in states such as California. A
number of metropolitan counties in the state have particulate pollution levels above federal and state ambient
standards, and during extreme weather events, these levels rival that of the worst cities in the world. Our
overall study objective is to evaluate the intersection of extreme weather events and air pollution in an
aging female population who are at increased risk for CVDs, and in particular, at peak susceptibility for
stroke. In Aim1, we will evaluate the acute effects from wildfire events by ascertaining stroke events within
geographically affected areas based on satellite imagery. Elevated PM2.5 exposure estimates resulting from a
wildfire event in the affected areas will be associated with hospitalizations (including emergency room visits)
from stroke and CVD. In Aim 2, we will determine the role of specific PM2.5 components in stroke risk and
mortality. Employing complementary satellite- and source-based approaches, we will identify key sources of
PM2.5 and its chemical constituents that are attributable to stroke. Leveraging 25-years of follow-up from the
study population, this aim will permit us to delineate components of air pollution from drought and wildfire
events versus other (e.g., transportation, industrial) exposures. For both aims, select CVD endpoints (e.g.,
myocardial infarction) will also be explored. In Aim 3, we will evaluate the association between PM2.5 exposure
with serum immune markers among 2000 participants whose exposures reflect a cross-section of exposure
during the 2015 drought and wildfire season. This aim will inform the purported biologic underpinning for stroke
and CVD risk, by key PM2.5 sources and constituents. To successfully accomplish these aims, we will leverage
longitudinal data from the California Teachers Study, a geographically-defined population-based cohort study
of 133,479 women whose 25 year follow-up spans: (a) key periods of stroke and CVD susceptibility in women,
and (b) elevated levels of air pollution exposure in California where there have been prolonged periods of
drought and numerous wildfires.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10894213
- **Project number:** 5R01ES033413-04
- **Recipient organization:** BECKMAN RESEARCH INSTITUTE/CITY OF HOPE
- **Principal Investigator:** Meredith Franklin
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $589,271
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2021-09-02 → 2026-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10894213

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10894213, Extreme weather, air pollution, and stroke among an aging female population (5R01ES033413-04). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10894213. Licensed CC0.

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