Drs. Angela Aherrera and Jessica Rice receive three-year American Lung Association Indoor Air Research Awards

Congratulations to CEET Early-Stage Investigators Angela Aherrera, DrPH, MPH (Assistant Professor of Epidemiology) and Jessica Rice, DO, MHS (Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Pulmonary) on receiving prestigious American Lung Association Indoor Air Research Awards.

The American Lung Association’s Indoor Air Research Award was created to address the critical need for advancing scientific understanding of the health impacts associated with indoor air quality and to find solutions for them. The grant aims to stimulate innovative research, discoveries, and interventions that can ultimately guide policies and practices to improve indoor air quality.

Angela Aherrera, DrPH, MPH
Hazardous Thread? Physicochemical Characterization, Exposure, and Respiratory Health Effects of Microplastics in a Garment Factory
This pilot project will investigate occupational exposure to airborne microfibers—small, thread-like microplastics released during the production and handling of textiles—and their potential effects on respiratory health. The study will be conducted in a New York City garment factory, with a community-based comparison group. Dr. Aherrera’s team will characterize the size, shape, and chemical composition of airborne microfibers; examine associations between microfiber exposure, respiratory symptoms, lung function, and inflammatory biomarkers; and evaluate whether portable air cleaners equipped with high-efficiency particulate air filters can reduce indoor microfiber concentrations and related health risks. Findings will help establish methods for assessing and mitigating chronic indoor microfiber exposures in garment factories and other environments, including schools and offices.

Jessica Rice, DO, MHS
Built to Last: How Whole Home Repairs in Philadelphia Impact Health
Indoor air quality profoundly affects health, especially for people with asthma, and is worsened by poor housing conditions such as mold, inadequate ventilation, and pests. Philadelphia has high asthma rates that disproportionately affect racial and ethnic minorities and residents living in poverty, with aging homes in desperate need of repairs. The Philadelphia Energy Authority’s Built to Last program seeks to improve home environments for low-income homeowners and since its launch has completed renovations in more than three hundred homes. This study will evaluate how these comprehensive home repairs impact indoor air quality, respiratory health in adults and children with lung disease, and overall homeowner well-being in 40 homes scheduled for renovation. Findings will support continued investment in home repair programs aimed at reducing health disparities in Philadelphia.