Scientists to Study Pollution Particles

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Scientists at West Virginia University will study thick black diesel smoke and other air pollution particles over the next five years to determine how they might be affecting cardiovascular health.

Researcher Timothy R. Nurkiewicz has received a $2.1 million grant from the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, the school said Wednesday.

Nurkiewicz, who studies tiny blood vessels, says pollution from combustion sources like truck engines may impair the vascular and immune systems, compromising blood flow throughout the body.

"We’re focusing primarily on diesel particles because they’re environmentally relevant and one of the most prolific components of ambient air pollution," he said. "Everyone has been stuck behind that ominous large truck spewing out black soot. But we are exposed to particulate matter from more sources than exhaust from semi tractor trailers."

School buses and construction vehicles also emit such particles, he said.

Without a full understanding of the health effects, Nurkiewicz said, government cannot be expected to appropriately regulate air quality and set limits for acceptable human exposure.

It’s clear that air pollution can worsen cardiovascular disease, said Matthew A. Boegehold, director of WVU’s Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Cardiovascular Sciences.

"But we are still a long way from understanding the mechanisms by which these changes arise," he said. "Dr. Nurkiewicz’s project, along with similar studies, could serve as an important foundation for developing better clinical treatments for this problem."