Methodological Challenges in Linking NHANES Biomarker Data with Ambient Air Data and Surrogate Measures of Traffic-Related Air Pollution

• Activity Number: 591
• Type: Contributed
• Date/Time: Wednesday, August 4, 2010 : 2:00 PM to 3:50 PM
• Sponsor: Section on Statistics and the Environment
• Author(s): Sorina Eftim*+ and Amir Sapkota and Jennifer Parker
• Companies: University of Maryland and University of Maryland and National Center for Health Statistics
• Keywords: air pollution ; biomarker of exposure ; NHANES ; traffic ; surrogate measures ; sampling design

Abstract

We examine the usefulness of residential proximity to traffic as surrogate for exposure to traffic-related air pollutants. Surrogate measures for exposure to traffic are validated against 1) ambient air monitoring data for selected pollutants and 2) urinary concentrations of 1-hydroxypyrene (1-OHP) among never smokers in a national sample of the US population from NHANES 2001-2004, overall and for selected subgroups. We will assess the impact of differential missing surrogate exposure and biomarker data and the impact of the complex sampling design (survey weights, stratification, clustering) on estimated associations. Preliminary results suggest positive correlations between some, but not all, traffic indices and 1-OHP. As more researchers combine governmentally maintained databases such as NHANES, air quality, traffic data, evaluation of resulting methodological challenges is needed.