There are many risk factors for cardiovascular diseases – such as tobacco use or family history – but one that’s often overlooked is air quality. Over time, exposure to airborne pollutants can increase the risk of chronic conditions like high blood pressure, as well as acute cardiovascular events such as strokes.
In a Research & Technology Forum held on April 9, Professor Brooks B. Gump presented his research on environmental exposure harm in children, and how toxicant exposure can become biologically embedded, leading to long-term health issues.
There is extensive evidence that prolonged exposure to lead can increase a person’s risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD), but interventions to reduce heavy metal exposures have largely focused on a high-risk approach to prevention. Although these approaches are important, Gump explains, they impact only a small proportion of the population: patients with high exposure that rises to the level of lead poisoning.
A population-level approach, Gump argues, is required for preventing chronic, low-level heavy metal exposure. His research team sought to identify significant sources of chronic lead exposure in Syracuse and then develop methods to continuously reduce those exposures.
Any solutions need to be tailored to the specific needs and environmental conditions of a community, and they need to be accessible, regardless of socioeconomic status. In Syracuse, one of the best ways to reduce chronic low-level lead exposure is by improving air quality. Lead dust is present in the air from a variety of sources – industrial and auto emissions, paint, and even historical agricultural practices such as spraying crops with lead acetate.
Gump is leading a research effort that includes SyracuseCoE Director Jianshun “Jensen” Zhang and other Syracuse University faculty to develop an affordable air-cleaning solution for Syracuse residents. They plan to place air filter boxes in homes for 18 months. These quiet filter systems will run continuously to help purify indoor air. The research team will measure the effect on lead levels and other air quality indicators.
“We believe that the primary lead exposure source for most of the population is air quality and associated dust,” explains Gump. “We have to focus on communities and find ways to chronically change their exposure level.”
RELATED RESEARCH
- Gump, B. B., Hill, D. T., Robinson, M., Kannan, K., Heffernan, K., Atallah-Yunes, N. H., Brann, L., Parsons, P. J., Palmer, C. D., MacKenzie, J. A., Goodrich, J. M., & Bendinskas, K. (2023). Perfluoroalkyl substances (Pfas) and lead (Pb) as “cardiovascular disruptors” in 9–11-year-old children living in Syracuse, New York, United States. Environmental Research, 236, 116758. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2023.116758
- Gump, B. B., Hruska, B., Heffernan, K., Brann, L. S., Voss, M., Labrie-Cleary, C., Cheng, H., MacKenzie, J. A., Woolf-King, S., Maisto, S., & Bendinskas, K. (2023). Race, cortisol, and subclinical cardiovascular disease in 9- to 11-year-old children. Health Psychology, 42(9), 657–667. https://doi.org/10.1037/hea0001300
- Gump, B. B. (2022). Environmental toxicants and cardiovascular behavioral medicine. In S. R. Waldstein, W. J. Kop, E. C. Suarez, W. R. Lovallo, & L. I. Katzel (Eds.), Handbook of Cardiovascular Behavioral Medicine (pp. 737–753). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-85960-6_30
PRESENTATION:
Slides from this R&T Forum are available below.
SPEAKER:
Brooks B. Gump, Ph.D., MPH
Dr. Brooks B. Gump is the Falk Family Endowed Professor of Public Health in Falk College at Syracuse University. His research interests over the last 30 years have centered on how environmental toxicants alter psychological and physiological functioning in children facing adversity.
Professor Gump joined the Falk College faculty in 2010. Recognized internationally for his research on cardiovascular disease risk in children and adults, Gump’s work has been supported by numerous NIH grants, including R01s, an R21, and an American Recovery and Reinvestment Award Supplement. With an array of research and publications, his most recent work considers the effects of socioeconomic disadvantage, race, and environmental toxicants (e.g., lead and mercury) on children and adolescents’ health.