Pollution

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a class of ubiquitous and persistentorganic pollutants that are used in a wide variety of applications such as in foodpackaging, waterproof materials, and personal care products. It is estimated that 97% ofpeople living in the United States have measurable concentrations of PFAS in their blood.1

A robust interconnection exists between wasted food and food insecurity. Over a million tonsof food waste are generated each year in Washington State, with approximately 390,000 tonsof edible food being disposed (Washington State Department of Ecology, 2022). Thesecontrasting issues are intricately linked, with the resolution of one concern holding the

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6PPD (N-(1,3-dimethylbutyl)-N'-phenyl-p-phenylenediamine) is a chemical widely used as anantidegradant in vehicle tires. 6PPD reacts with ozone in the air and produces 6PPD-Quinone(6PPDQ), a chemical that has been classified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency asvery highly toxic to aquatic organisms along with adverse implications to terrestrial ecosystems

Communities across the western United States experience hazardous smoke exposures from multiple fire sources. As wildfires become more frequent and severe, smoke exposures stemming from these fires are also worsening. Prescribed burning is a promising forest management strategy that can mitigate future wildfire risk, but also contributes to biomass burning emissions and human exposure impacts.

King County, Washington currently ranks 3rd in the nation for the number of people experiencing homelessness. Amid an affordability housing crisis, the number of people experiencing homelessness continues to grow in Seattle. People in historically redlined communities of Seattle disproportionately experience homelessness because of gentrification.

Background: Evidence links air pollution to Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The health effect of ultrafine particulate matter (UFP) air pollution is not well understood, and no community-based prospective cohort studies in older adults have evaluated the association between UFP and markers of AD neuropathology at autopsy.

Exposure to per-and poly-fluorinated substances is increasingly in the public eye. The National Academy of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine released a report advising increase surveillance screening for those exposed to high levels.

We use AERMOD modeling to estimate the carbon monoxide air pollution impact by idling cars at Whitman Elementary School in the City of Tacoma.

Background: JP-8, Jet A-1, and Jet A are kerosene-based aviation fuels. Jet fuel combustion produces complex pollutant mixtures including VOCs, CO2, CO, NOx, SOx, PAHs and PM. Particles are characterized by size, with ultrafine particles (UFPs -- those particles < 100 nm in diameter) typically quantified by particle number concentration.

The 2018 Environmental Performance Index (EPI) named air pollution as the number one environmental threat to public health. Traffic-related air pollution (TRAP) is a sizable contributor to global air pollution, and diesel exhaust (DE) is a major source of TRAP (Yale Center for Environmental Law & Policy, 2018).

Pacific Northwest wildfire smoke events have been increasing in prevalence and severity over the past three decades, resulting in documented negative health outcomes in adults. However, when examining the effect of wildfire smoke on pediatric health, the literature is scarce.

Background: Particulate matter (PM)-related health effects have been studied extensively, yet wildfire smoke-specific PM health effects and its dose-response relationship have not reached a consensus due to variations in exposure scenarios and health outcome measurements.