State Residents Asked To Participate In OU Air Pollution Study
OKLAHOMA CITY - Four Oklahoma cities are the focus of a University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center environmental study. The Oklahoma Urban Air Toxics Study will determine which factors in urban environments and households affect residents' exposure to airborne toxic compounds during normal daily activities. Residents of OKLAHOMA CITY, TULSA, PONCA CITY and STILLWATER are being asked to volunteer for the study.
Funded with a $560,000 grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the three-year study is being conducted by the OU Department of Occupational and Environmental Health. This is the first time an air pollution study has been designed to examine a broad range of factors in a very targeted way. The study was designed to include two small cities and two large ones with varying levels of industrialization. The first year of the three-year project has been spent hiring staff and conducting a pilot study to establish procedures.
The study will examine such factors as the level of industrialization in the participant's home city, weather conditions, the participant's occupation, the use of cleaning preparations and other chemicals in the home, and the presence of children in the home.' We want to make comparisons of air pollutant levels under many different conditions of location, weather and household activities to learn what factors are actually important in determining exposure,' Phillips says. 'The selection of these four cities as study locations does not indicate a problem with the air in those locations.'
Qualified individuals who live in one of the four targeted cities may volunteer. Volunteers will wear sampling equipment over a 24-hour period so that air samples can be taken in the workplace, out of doors and in the home. We know from earlier studies that air pollution levels inside houses are often higher than those outside. This is due to cleaning materials, paint, various chemicals used in hobbies, and cooking. Study volunteers will be asked to provide information about their home, including its age, number of occupants and type of construction.
Those selected for the study will:
-- wear air sampling and tracking devices that can be clipped to a pocket or belt during a 24-hour period as they go about their normal activities.
-- keep a detailed diary of activities during the same period.
-- provide researchers access to their house to measure indoor and outdoor air-contaminant levels and evaluate the 'leakiness' of the structure.
Volunteers will be paid for their participation and be informed of the results of their personal and household exposure evaluation.
For more information or to volunteer for the study, call toll free at 1-877-247-8694.