SACRAMENTO -- The California Air Resources Board (ARB) today approved more than $2.4 million to fund 11 research projects examining air pollution and its health impacts in California.

"The results of these investigations will set the groundwork for future actions of this board," said Acting ARB Chairman, Barbara Riordan. "This kind of empirical research provides the strong foundation needed for an informed, accurate and ultimately successful decision-making process regarding public health."

These 11 projects will examine source, chemistry and impacts of smog in California:

• Cardiovascular Health Effects of Fine and Ultrafine Particles During Freeway Travel will examine exposure to ultrafine particles on freeways to determine if they alter a person's heart rate and other markers of cardiovascular disease. Amount Approved: $580,205.
  
  
• Traffic-Related Air Pollution and Asthma in Economically Disadvantaged and High Traffic Density Neighborhoods in Los Angeles County, California will determine associations between traffic and asthma symptoms, provide additional information related to environmental justice issues and help develop a model for future traffic studies. Amount Approved: $422,089.
  
  
• Monitoring and Modeling of Ultrafine Particulates and Black Carbon at the Los Angeles International Airport will seek to characterize near-source and downwind particulate matter levels, analyze temporal patterns of emissions and investigate the contribution of aircraft emissions in residential areas. Amount Approved: $117,986.       
  
  
• Assessment of Out-of-State Heavy-Duty Truck Activity Trends in California Results will be incorporated into ARB's on-road motor vehicle emissions model (EMFAC) improving estimates of air quality impact by heavy-duty trucks. This study will measure the impact from the increase of out-of-state, including international, heavy-duty trucks. Amount Approved: $64,976.
  
  
• Development of An Improved Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) Analysis Method for Architectural Coatings will establish an improved means of measuring the VOC content of coatings with high concentrations of exempt compounds. Amount Approved: $267,706.
  
  
• Development of In-Field Diesel PM Compliance Method for Stationary and Portable Compression Ignition Engines develop a simplified test method based on existing ARB methods to measure particulate matter from stationary and portable diesel engines. Amount Approved: $299,895.
  
  
• Reducing Emissions of VOCs from Agricultural Soil Fumigation will generate field-based data that will verify existing laboratory estimates of fumigant pesticide emissions and estimate the emissions reductions achievable with existing strategies. Amount Approved: $200,000.
  
  
• Characterization of Versatile Aerosol Concentration Enrichment System (VACES) results from this study will resolve uncertainties in artifact formation, and stability of concentrated aerosols from VACES. Amount Approved: $94,739.
  
  
• How New Chemistry Findings Affect Our Understanding of the Weekend Effect - A Modeling Study ozone levels often are higher on weekends than on weekdays, despite lower atmospheric levels of ozone precursors on the weekends. This study will improve our understanding of ozone and particulate matter air quality dynamics associated with new chemistry on the weekend effect. Amount Approved: $150,000.           
  
  
• Investigation of Atmospheric Ozone Impacts of Selected Pesticides will develop methods for estimating and quantifying ozone impacts for major pesticides. Amount Approved: $99,850
  
  
• Nighttime Chemistry: Observations of NO3 and N2O5 project will develop an instrument capable of making routine measurements of NO3 and N2O5. With improved measurements we will achieve clearer understanding of the nighttime chemistry of NO3 and N2O5. Amount Approved: $122,778

The Air Resources Board is a department of the California Environmental Protection Agency. ARB's mission is to promote and protect public health, welfare, and ecological resources through effective reduction of air pollutants while recognizing and considering effects on the economy. The ARB oversees all air pollution control efforts in California to attain and maintain health based air quality standards.