Using GIS to study the health impact of air emissions.
Geographical Information Systems (GIS) is a fast-developing technology with an ever-increasing number of applications. Air dispersion modeling is a well-established discipline that can produce results in a spatial context. The marriage of these two applications is optimal because it leverages the predictive capacity of modeling with the data management, analysis, and display capabilities of GIS. In the public health arena, exposure estimation techniques are invaluable. The utilization of air emission data, such as U.S. EPA Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) data, and air dispersion modeling with GIS enable public health professionals to identify and define the potentially exposed population, estimate the health risk burden of that population, and determine correlations between point-based health outcome results with estimated health risk.
Dent
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Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), Exposure Investigations and Consultation Branch, Atlanta, Georgia 30333, USA. aed5@cdc.gov
Fowler
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DA
Kaplan
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Zarus
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GM
Henriques
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D000392:Air Movements; D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005843:Geography / Q000379:methods; D006077:Government Agencies; D006801:Humans; D007256:Information Systems; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D011634:Public Health; D018570:Risk Assessment; D014481:United States
D000393:Air Pollutants