title: A Conceptual Framework for the Assessment of Cumulative Exposure to Air Pollution at a Fine Spatial Scale.
abstract: Many epidemiological studies examining long-term health effects of exposure to air pollutants have characterized exposure by the outdoor air concentrations at sites that may be distant to subjects' residences at different points in time. The temporal and spatial mobility of subjects and the spatial scale of exposure assessment could thus lead to misclassification in the cumulative exposure estimation. This paper attempts to fill the gap regarding cumulative exposure assessment to air pollution at a fine spatial scale in epidemiological studies investigating long-term health effects. We propose a conceptual framework showing how major difficulties in cumulative long-term exposure assessment could be surmounted. We then illustrate this conceptual model on the case of exposure to NO₂ following two steps: (i) retrospective reconstitution of NO₂ concentrations at a fine spatial scale; and (ii) a novel approach to assigning the time-relevant exposure estimates at the census block level, using all available data on residential mobility throughout a 10- to 20-year period prior to that for which the health events are to be detected. Our conceptual framework is both flexible and convenient for the needs of different epidemiological study designs.
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health (EHESP), Rennes, Cedex 35043, France. Wahida.kihal@ehesp.fr.|INSERM U1085 IRSET (Research Institute in Environmental and Occupational Health), Rennes, Cedex 35000, France. Wahida.kihal@ehesp.fr.
authors.forename: Kihal-Talantikite
authors.initials: KT
authors.lastname: Wahida
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health (EHESP), Rennes, Cedex 35043, France. Cindy.padilla@ehesp.fr.
authors.forename: Cindy M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Padilla
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health (EHESP), Rennes, Cedex 35043, France. denis.zmirou@inserm.fr.|INSERM U1085 IRSET (Research Institute in Environmental and Occupational Health), Rennes, Cedex 35000, France. denis.zmirou@inserm.fr.|Medical Department, Lorraine University, Nancy, Cedex 54052, France. denis.zmirou@inserm.fr.
authors.forename: Zmirou-Navier
authors.initials: ZN
authors.lastname: Denis
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health (EHESP), Rennes, Cedex 35043, France. Olivier.Blanchard@ehesp.fr.|INSERM U1085 IRSET (Research Institute in Environmental and Occupational Health), Rennes, Cedex 35000, France. Olivier.Blanchard@ehesp.fr.
authors.forename: Blanchard
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Olivier
authors.affiliation: Air Quality Monitoring Associations (AASQA), Airparif, Paris 75004, France. Geraldine.LeNir@airparif.asso.fr.
authors.forename: Le Nir
authors.initials: le N
authors.lastname: Géraldine
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health (EHESP), Rennes, Cedex 35043, France. Philippe.QUENEL@ehesp.fr.|INSERM U1085 IRSET (Research Institute in Environmental and Occupational Health), Rennes, Cedex 35000, France. Philippe.QUENEL@ehesp.fr.
authors.forename: Quenel
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Philippe
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health (EHESP), Rennes, Cedex 35043, France. severine.deguen@ehesp.fr.|INSERM U1085 IRSET (Research Institute in Environmental and Occupational Health), Rennes, Cedex 35000, France. severine.deguen@ehesp.fr.
authors.forename: Deguen
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Séverine
mesh_terms: D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*; D000397:Air Pollution / Q000032:analysis*; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000032:analysis*; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D006801:Humans; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D009609:Nitrous Oxide / Q000032:analysis*; D010297:Paris; D052638:Particulate Matter / Q000032:analysis*; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D000393:Air Pollutants; D052638:Particulate Matter; D009609:Nitrous Oxide
keywords: air pollution; cumulative exposure assessment; fine spatial scale; long-term; residential mobility