# NEAR Highway Pollution: From Research to Action

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT SCH OF MED/DNT · 2020 · $312,298

## Abstract

Abstract
Ultrafine particles (UFP) are elevated locally near areas of concentrated motor vehicles. Evidence is strong
that living near highways or major roadways is associated with increased risk of respiratory, cardiovascular and
other adverse health outcomes. In recent work, we have shown associations between chronic exposure to
UFP and blood biomarkers of cardiovascular disease risk. Our work has been conducted as community-based
participatory research (CBPR) with involvement of community representatives in all aspects of the science.
We have published almost 30 papers showing capacity for high productivity. This proposal builds on what we
have learned regarding UFP characterization, risk assessment, and exposure mitigation. We propose a youth-
engaged (N=45) project that translates our current knowledge base about use of air filtration in building
ventilation systems into practice in two of our partner communities. We will use an adaption of the Interactive
Systems Framework for Dissemination and Implementation (ISF) as a guide and we map each step of the
process for translation onto this framework. We start with research on the surprisingly understudied problem of
benefits of reducing exposure to traffic pollution. We will conduct exposure experiments with 75 adult
participants from our two partner communities. Participants will be exposed to unfiltered and filtered air from a
building ventilation system while their blood pressure and heart rate are measured. We will evaluate air quality
indoors and outdoors by measuring UFP, black carbon and PM2.5 concentrations. Next, we will translate our
research results into practice using Health Impact Assessments (HIAs) and a community-engagement process.
The HIAs will assess the potential health benefits of widespread use of improved filtration in building ventilation
systems in the communities. The subsequent community engaged process will consist of design charrettes
(architectural planning exercises) followed by attempts to influence actual building designs. The charrettes will
engage multidisciplinary teams seeking to alter the design of new or retrofitted housing or schools so that they
use more protective air filtration. The process of moving our research knowledge into practice will be the
subject of social science studies. We will use validated and standard scales as well as qualitative data to
assess whether youth participation increases active citizenship and environmental health literacy. There will
be a qualitative evaluation of the community processes to learn more about how the relevant science can
influence community-level practice. The use of design charrettes in public health research is, to our
knowledge, novel. Our proposed research is highly significant and innovative in that millions of Americans live
near heavy traffic and little rigorous work has addressed either the health benefits of air filtration or how to
influence air handling system design in communities. The combined im...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9998949
- **Project number:** 5R01ES026980-05
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT SCH OF MED/DNT
- **Principal Investigator:** Doug Brugge
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $312,298
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2016-09-30 → 2022-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9998949

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9998949, NEAR Highway Pollution: From Research to Action (5R01ES026980-05). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9998949. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*