“Surveillance of Occupational Asthma Under the SENSOR Model”
An investigation into how the SENSOR model could potentially be used for monitoring and preventing occupational asthma
Suggests using data collected by SENSOR to prevent exposure to known sensitizing agents for occupational asthma
Suggests further investigations into how occupational asthma data can be used to understand other topics
“In order to target and monitor preventative measures, surveillance systems can monitor chemical use and exposure, early disease markers, and clinical occupational asthma, the occurrence of which may indicate a need to improve prevention and surveillance earlier in the chain of causation.”
Themes and Tone
Speculative and exploratory
Not combative or motivational
General information and data gathered
Focused on highlighting and examining the different ways which the SENSOR model could affect occupational asthma
Insinuates the SENSOR model is helpful and a ‘good’ technology
Very focused on the improvements possible or needed such as developing consistent criteria for the phrase: occupational asthma
“Medication Use Among Children with Asthma in East Harlem”
An investigation into the use of long term control medications, anti-inflammatory medication, for asthma among children in East Harlem
Method: basic questionnaire given to students in school to give to parents or guardians to fill out
General Conclusion: anti-inflammatory medication is underused for children with severe asthma in East Harlem
Underuse seems to contribute to higher hospitalization rates
39% of children classified as having “severe asthma” used anti-inflammatory medication
Examined correlations between anti-inflammatory medication use, differences in access to care, use of spacer tubes, and ethnic differences
Insinuated those who visited a physician with the previous six months had better health plans as opposed to just going to the hospital
Suggested doctors which prescribed spacer tubes were more likely to prescribe daily anti-inflammatory medications with an underlying tone that these doctors may have a better grasp on asthma
The data suggested that being black or other had a correlation with not using anti-inflammatory medications daily as opposed to being Puerto Rican, the majority in East Harlem (46%)
Admitted, at the very end without much emphasis, that Puerto Rican children statistically have a higher prevalence of asthma and this may have impacted the data on ethnic differences
Underlying suggestion, not directly stated, that the minority groups especially “other” which includes non-English (specially Spanish) speakers may have limited access to health care
Themes and Tone
Examinatory with emphasis on relating societal differences to the data collected
Attempted to quantitate qualitative data through racial percentages
Not directly combative but an underlying message of societal unjustness in children’s asthma medication use is easily detected
Strong attempt to use both statistics as a validation while appealing to the emotions of the reader
“Research Find Particulate Matter Constituents Associated with Cardiovascular Hospitalizations and Mortality in New York City”
Examination of the role of PM2.5 (including Ni, V, Zn, SO2, EC, NO2, Se, and SO4) and its chemical components on cardiovascular disease (CVD) hospitalizations and mortality in New York City and any correlations.
Seasonal trends found for CVD mortality rates
Higher rates in winter
Suggests link to residual oil burning due to Ni, V, SO2 being higher in winter
Possible seasonal variations due to transported aerosols although no direct positive or negative correlation was determined
Day-of-Week trends found for CVD hospitalization rates
60% higher Monday than Sunday
Possible societal aspect of lesser desire to go to a hospital over the weekend
Possible correlation due to work day
Possibly due to local combustion sources (EC, NO2) which are evident year round
No correlation was found between CVD hospitalizations and CVD mortality
Themes and Tone
Explanatory tone of voice which gave the suggestion the information displayed is fact
Used the idea that New York City is so large, the data gathered is numerous enough to make this study an accurate representation of the CVD and PM2.5 relationship
Not directly confrontational, does not call for specific action
Focused on finding correlations and patterns within the data collected both past and during this study
PM2.5 is related to CVD hospitalizations and CVD mortality, in different ways
“Area-level socioeconomic deprivation, nitrogen dioxide exposure, and term birth weight in New York City”
Examination of prenatal NO2 exposure, socioeconomic context and term birth weight
Highest air pollution levels observed in least-deprived areas of NYC
NO2 associated with lower birth weight in the least- and most-deprived areas of NYC
Most varying and highest among mothers residing in the most-affluent census tracts
No association in mid-range of deprivation
Complex pattern of exposure complicated interpretation of interaction models
Exploration across the socioeconomic gradient
Medicaid status
Years of education
Race/Ethnicity including foreign-born status
Methods: NYCCAS data, census and hospital data
Fetal growth among term births
Epidemiological evidence remains inconclusive
Non-linear approach
Theme/Tone
NEED to integrate socioeconomic contest and air pollution exposures into health research
Not everything is linear!
Slightly combative in the sense the authors firmly believe more research needs to be done in this area
Very scientific, very professional
Interesting quote: “We previously reported significant associations between fine-scale NO2 and PM2.5 and term birth weight, and observed that variance in exposure estimates were primarily spatial for NO2 vs temporal for PM2.5 (Savitz et al., 2014).”
Suggests a similar group of researchers has been jointly researching this topic and published multiple papers together
Matte listed as primary reference author for NYCAAS methods and results
“This research was supported by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences… and by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency…”
“We know that people with asthma can be affected by both environmental changes and psychological stress,” said Dr. Thomas Matte, an Investigator in the Center for Urban Epidemiologic Studies at The New York Academy of Medicine, and an epidemiologist with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “In addition, the findings are consistent with past studies showing increased rates of physical health problems and symptoms in those suffering from psychological trauma.”
“In New York City, the health risk of heat starts going up in a nonlinear way between 95 and 100 degrees,” explains Tom Matte of the New York Department of Health. “There are a lot of vulnerable people in the city, and our housing is not well adapted to heat.”
In 2007, Matte and his health department colleagues used their own data to persuade NOAA’s National Weather Service to lower the temperature at which they would declare a heat emergency in New York City from 105°F—the temperature at which an emergency would be declared outside of the city—to 95°F in the city.
"It's hard to get attention for this," said Dr. Thomas Matte, Assistant Commissioner for Environmental Surveillance and Policy at the city's Department of Health. "Air pollution" is not a cause of death that would appear on any death certificate, he added.
"[But] what we know from the science is that when ozone levels are higher, there are more deaths," Matte stated.
Assistant Commissioner Matte cautioned that several variables had to be examined (including weather and traffic patterns) before releasing data on individual sites. "We haven't developed a [land-use regression] model that we're comfortable with yet," he said.
What the Department of Health has found in its data collection echoes concerns raised by environmental justice groups across the city. The impacts of air pollution reach far beyond one or two neighborhoods. "We live in a densely populated area with vulnerable people," observed Assistant Commissioner Matte.
Thomas D. Matte
Similarities so far:
- Patterns in data collection
- Linking air pollution and PM2.5
- Correlation studies
Differences in data based on race or economic classesGeneral Notes:
- 1990’s focus on Blood Lead Levels
- 2000’s
- Interested in childhood development and/or prenatal factors (variety of topics)
- NYCCAS <- seems to be very linked to this
-
Publications (based on relevancy and citations):
- 1990 http://www.researchgate.net/publication/20930066_Surveillance_of_Occupational_Asthma_Under_the_SENSOR_Model
- 2000 http://www.researchgate.net/publication/12483305_Medication_Use_Among_Children_With_Asthma_in_East_Harlem
- “Medication Use Among Children with Asthma in East Harlem”
- An investigation into the use of long term control medications, anti-inflammatory medication, for asthma among children in East Harlem
- Method: basic questionnaire given to students in school to give to parents or guardians to fill out
- General Conclusion: anti-inflammatory medication is underused for children with severe asthma in East Harlem
- Underuse seems to contribute to higher hospitalization rates
- 39% of children classified as having “severe asthma” used anti-inflammatory medication
- Examined correlations between anti-inflammatory medication use, differences in access to care, use of spacer tubes, and ethnic differences
- Insinuated those who visited a physician with the previous six months had better health plans as opposed to just going to the hospital
- Suggested doctors which prescribed spacer tubes were more likely to prescribe daily anti-inflammatory medications with an underlying tone that these doctors may have a better grasp on asthma
- The data suggested that being black or other had a correlation with not using anti-inflammatory medications daily as opposed to being Puerto Rican, the majority in East Harlem (46%)
- Admitted, at the very end without much emphasis, that Puerto Rican children statistically have a higher prevalence of asthma and this may have impacted the data on ethnic differences
- Underlying suggestion, not directly stated, that the minority groups especially “other” which includes non-English (specially Spanish) speakers may have limited access to health care
- Themes and Tone
- Examinatory with emphasis on relating societal differences to the data collected
- Attempted to quantitate qualitative data through racial percentages
- Not directly combative but an underlying message of societal unjustness in children’s asthma medication use is easily detected
- Strong attempt to use both statistics as a validation while appealing to the emotions of the reader
- Focus: children’s health
- Listed as third author
- 2010 http://www.researchgate.net/publication/50999248_Research_Fine_Particulate_Matter_Constituents_Associated_with_Cardiovascular_Hospitalizations_and_Mortality_in_New_York_City- 2011 http://www.researchgate.net/publication/51680811_Noise_air_pollutants_and_traffic_Continuous_measurement_and_correlation_at_a_high-traffic_location_in_New_York_City
- 2012 http://www.researchgate.net/publication/235382776_Intra-urban_spatial_variability_in_wintertime_street-level_concentrations_of_multiple_combustion-related_air_pollutants_The_New_York_City_Community_Air_Survey_%28NYCCAS%29
- 2012 http://www.researchgate.net/publication/234142067_Monitoring_intraurban_spatial_patterns_of_multiple_combustion_air_pollutants_in_New_York_City_Design_and_implementation
- 2013 http://www.researchgate.net/publication/258445629_Ambient_Fine_Particulate_Matter_Nitrogen_Dioxide_and_Term_Birth_Weight_in_New_York_New_York
- 2013 http://www.researchgate.net/publication/236941013_PM2.5_and_ozone_health_impacts_and_disparities_in_New_York_City_Sensitivity_to_spatial_and_temporal_resolution
- 2014 http://www.researchgate.net/publication/267753452_The_Public_Health_Benefits_of_Reducing_Fine_Particulate_Matter_through_Conversion_to_Cleaner_Heating_Fuels_in_New_York_City
- 2014 http://www.researchgate.net/publication/262527015_Differences_in_magnitude_and_spatial_distribution_of_urban_forest_pollution_deposition_rates_air_pollution_emissions_and_ambient_neighborhood_air_quality_in_New_York_City
- 2014 http://www.researchgate.net/publication/260041039_Spatial_Variation_in_Environmental_Noise_and_Air_Pollution_in_New_York_City
- 2015 http://www.researchgate.net/publication/280628591_Ambient_Fine_Particulate_Matter_Nitrogen_Dioxide_and_Hypertensive_Disorders_of_Pregnancy_in_New_York_City
- 2015 http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0013935115300633
- “Area-level socioeconomic deprivation, nitrogen dioxide exposure, and term birth weight in New York City”
- Examination of prenatal NO2 exposure, socioeconomic context and term birth weight
- Highest air pollution levels observed in least-deprived areas of NYC
- NO2 associated with lower birth weight in the least- and most-deprived areas of NYC
- Most varying and highest among mothers residing in the most-affluent census tracts
- No association in mid-range of deprivation
- Complex pattern of exposure complicated interpretation of interaction models
- Exploration across the socioeconomic gradient
- Medicaid status
- Years of education
- Race/Ethnicity including foreign-born status
- Methods: NYCCAS data, census and hospital data
- Fetal growth among term births
- Epidemiological evidence remains inconclusive
- Non-linear approach
- Theme/Tone
- NEED to integrate socioeconomic contest and air pollution exposures into health research
- Not everything is linear!
- Slightly combative in the sense the authors firmly believe more research needs to be done in this area
- Very scientific, very professional
- Interesting quote: “We previously reported significant associations between fine-scale NO2 and PM2.5 and term birth weight, and observed that variance in exposure estimates were primarily spatial for NO2 vs temporal for PM2.5 (Savitz et al., 2014).”
- Suggests a similar group of researchers has been jointly researching this topic and published multiple papers together
- Matte listed as primary reference author for NYCAAS methods and results
- “This research was supported by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences… and by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency…”
In the News:- From an Archive
- http://www.zoominfo.com/CachedPage/?archive_id=0&page_id=7700850567&page_url=//crowdenergy.org/protecting-people-from-sweltering-city-summers/&page_last_updated=2015-08-20T04:18:54&firstName=Thomas&lastName=Matte
- 2002?
- Report after 9/11/2001
- “We know that people with asthma can be affected by both environmental changes and psychological stress,” said Dr. Thomas Matte, an Investigator in the Center for Urban Epidemiologic Studies at The New York Academy of Medicine, and an epidemiologist with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “In addition, the findings are consistent with past studies showing increased rates of physical health problems and symptoms in those suffering from psychological trauma.”
- http://www.zoominfo.com/CachedPage/?archive_id=0&page_id=7700850567&page_url=//crowdenergy.org/protecting-people-from-sweltering-city-summers/&page_last_updated=2015-08-20T04:18:54&firstName=Thomas&lastName=Matte
- “In New York City, the health risk of heat starts going up in a nonlinear way between 95 and 100 degrees,” explains Tom Matte of the New York Department of Health. “There are a lot of vulnerable people in the city, and our housing is not well adapted to heat.”
- In 2007, Matte and his health department colleagues used their own data to persuade NOAA’s National Weather Service to lower the temperature at which they would declare a heat emergency in New York City from 105°F—the temperature at which an emergency would be declared outside of the city—to 95°F in the city.
- 2014?
- http://www.gothamgazette.com/index.php/government/5111-while-improving-quiet-crisis-air-quality-persists-new-york-city-asthma-air-pollution- June 19 2014
- "It's hard to get attention for this," said Dr. Thomas Matte, Assistant Commissioner for Environmental Surveillance and Policy at the city's Department of Health. "Air pollution" is not a cause of death that would appear on any death certificate, he added.
- "[But] what we know from the science is that when ozone levels are higher, there are more deaths," Matte stated.
- Assistant Commissioner Matte cautioned that several variables had to be examined (including weather and traffic patterns) before releasing data on individual sites. "We haven't developed a [land-use regression] model that we're comfortable with yet," he said.
- What the Department of Health has found in its data collection echoes concerns raised by environmental justice groups across the city. The impacts of air pollution reach far beyond one or two neighborhoods. "We live in a densely populated area with vulnerable people," observed Assistant Commissioner Matte.
- http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/14/opinion/access-to-air-conditioning.html?_r=0