Development of the Total Exposure Monitoring Unit (TEMU) for Pediatric Asthma

University Of Washington, Seattle WA

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Abstract

? DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This research addresses the need to develop wearable and non-wearable sensors that can monitor environmental exposures relevant to asthma for the Pediatric Research using Integrated Sensor Monitoring Systems (PRISMS) Program. We will develop and test a new sensor system called the Total Exposure Monitoring Unit (TEMU), which measures multiple air pollutants with the temporal and spatial resolution necessary to characterize relationships with asthma morbidity. Our research will build upon the existing Home Air In Agriculture (HAPI) intervention study aimed at reducing asthma morbidity in a cohort of asthmatic Hispanic children in Yakima Valley in Washington State by reducing household indoor air pollution using HEPA filtration. We propose to assess the feasibility of the TEMU in a representative subset of participants from HAPI. By leveraging the ongoing intervention, this study will compare detailed indoor and outdoor air pollution measurements from the new TEMU system to the air pollution exposure measures from traditional monitoring instruments, as well as detailed asthma morbidity measures from the HAPI study. The aims of our study are to (1) Develop and laboratory test the TEMU - an integrated asthma monitoring solution that consists of: a wearable device that quantifies CO, NO2, and particulate matter exposure in real-time and collects nanoparticle samples for location-specific speciation of particulate asthma triggers, including diesel, wood/cigarette smoke, and some biological particles; and a table-top, networked module that provides in-home analysis of the particles collected from the wearable device in addition to time-resolved monitoring of household concentrations of CO, NO2 and biologically relevant VOCs including formaldehyde, benzene and acrolein. (2) Deploy and evaluate the usability and performance of the TEMU in a cohort of 20 low-income Hispanic asthmatics recruited for an existing household HEPA filter intervention study. (3) Quantify differences between in-home and out-of-home exposures to traffic related particles, and wood/cigarette smoke among the subjects participating in this project. Determine the correlations between the TEMU's indoor exposure measures and those already collected in the HAPI study. (4) Assess the ability of the TEMU to monitor reductions in indoor air pollution, and relationship between both indoor and outdoor air pollution exposures and asthma improvements (daily self-reported asthma symptoms from text messages and a digital rescue inhaler, as well as the existing HAPI outcomes that include urinary biomarkers, spirometry, exhaled nitric oxide, and pediatric Asthma Control Test) in the intervention study. Ultimately, accomplishing these aims would lead to a sensor system that may be applied to other asthma intervention studies, as well as clinically-oriented or home-based asthma care studies.