Fine particulate matter and cardiovascular disease

The 1996 EPA Air Quality Criteria for Particulate Matter relied in large pa rt upon epidemiologic studies of the short-term (acute) effects of inhalabl e particulate matter (PM) exposures on all-cause mortality and hospitalizat ions with very limited experimental evidence from toxicology or clinical st udies. Recent research has identified several plausible biological mechanis ms for both the initial pulmonary injury and the consequent systemic effect s. Current epidemiologic research interests include the component(s) of PM which are responsible for the initial pulmonary injury, the effects of co-p ollutants such as ozone, and the pathophysiological mechanisms for PM-induc ed acute health effects. Published by Elsevier Science B.V.