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Day Two Summary
To conclude the second day of the workshop, planning committee member Seema Bhangar summarized the key points of the presentations and discussions. First, she observed, the speakers had indicated that health burden from indoor particulate matter exposure is significant and is therefore a problem worth caring about and studying. “The speakers fleshed out in exquisite detail all the pieces of this, furnishing numbers of health burden, outcomes of concern, effect sizes, and mechanisms of effect,” she said.
Second, measurement is important because it influences how health burdens are understood, attributed, and quantified. It also informs and validates control efforts. As Bhangar noted, knowledge about the health effects of particulate matter exposure is only as good as the metrics and measurements used to create that knowledge. In that sense, use of the right metrics and understanding of health effects have to continuously keep pace and bolster each other. In her view, the speakers made the case about the dynamic back-and-forth between conversations concerning health effects and metrics.
Third, measurement of particulate matter and health burdens is complex, particularly when it comes to addressing the question of what constitutes a “right,” robust measurement method. Bhangar cited the need to articulate whether a particular health burden is acute or chronic, permanent or reversible, indirect or direct, and reported or measured using what metric or biomarker. In addition, there are the interactive effects that need study.
Fourth, the speakers identified a number of challenges to measuring exposure and dose and the possibility of mischaracterizing both. They also noted the challenges of developing and selecting metrics and measurement methods for different applications and environments.
Fifth, opportunities exist to use new measurement tools and methods to address those challenges and answer critical questions related to exposure and health outcomes. Almost every speaker, Bhangar remarked in closing, showcased those opportunities.
