Browsing by Author "Filippelli, Gabriel"

Now showing 1 - 10 of 53
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    A new, lower threshold for lead poisoning in children means more kids will get tested – but the ultimate solution is eliminating lead sources
    (The Conversation US, Inc., 2021-11-05) Filippelli, Gabriel; Earth and Environmental Sciences, School of Science
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    Addressing Risks of Lead in Water and Soil: Using Citizen Science and a Unique Partnership with Faith Organizations
    (ENGAGE! Co-created Knowledge Serving the City, 2021-10-12) Filippelli, Gabriel; Hicks, Ivan; Druschel, Gregory; Kelly, Jason M.; Shukle, John; Strout, Spencer; Nichols, Natalie; Stroud, Dawson; Ottenweller, Megan; Ohrberg, Makayla; Longbrake, Marisa; Wood, Leah; Clark, Benjamin; Fryling, Kevin
    One of the most widespread environmental health hazards in the United States remains exposure to the harmful neurotoxin lead. So much lead remains in the urban environment that it is not unusual to find neighborhoods where more than 10% of children exhibit harmful levels of lead, compared to the national average of about 1%. To overcome this challenge, a partnership between IUPUI researchers and faith organizations in Indianapolis is taking aim at the risk of household lead contamination by providing residents the tools they need to protect against it. The community-driven science aspect of this project is intentional—not only will the individuals who participate benefit directly, but the resulting data will also play a role in keeping communities safer more broadly.
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    Analysing Urban Air Pollution Using Low-Cost Methods and Community Science
    (2022-12) Heintzelman, Asrah; Filippelli, Gabriel; Moreno-Madriñan, Max J.; Wilson, Jeffrey S.; Wang, Lixin; Druschel, Gregory K.
    Rise in air pollution resulting in negative health externalities for humans has created an urgent need for cities and communities to monitor it regularly. At present we have insufficient ground passive and active monitoring networks in place which presents a huge challenge. Satellite imagery has been used extensively for such analysis, but its resolution and methodology present other challenges in estimating pollution burden. The objective of this study was to propose three low-cost methods to fill in the gaps that exist currently. First, EPA grade sensors were used in 11 cities across the U.S. to examine NO2. This is a simplistic way to assess the burden of air pollution in a region. However, this technique cannot be applied to fine scale analysis, which resulted in the next two components of this research study. Second, a citizen science network was established on the east side of Indianapolis, IN who hosted 32 Ogawa passive sensors to examine NO2 and O3 at a finer scale. These low-cost passive sensors, not requiring power, and very little maintenance, have historically tracked very closely with Federal Reference Monitors. Third, a low-cost PurpleAir PA-II-SD active sensors measuring PM2.5 were housed with the citizen scientists identified above. This data was uploaded via Wi-Fi and available via a crowd sourced site established by PurpleAir. These data sets were analyzed to examine the burden of air pollution. The second and third research studies enabled granular analyses utilizing citizen science, tree canopy data, and traffic data, thus accommodating some of the present limitations. Advancement in low-cost sensor technology, along with ease of use and maintenance, presents an opportunity for not just communities, but cities to take charge of some of these analyses to help them examine health equity impacts on their citizens because of air pollution.
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    Applications of geospatial analysis techniques for public health
    (2016-05-02) Stanforth, Austin Curran; Filippelli, Gabriel; Johnson, Daniel P.; Wang, Lixin; Wilson, Jeffrey; Moreno-Madriñán, Max J.; Jacinthe, Pierre-André
    Geospatial analysis is a generic term describing several technologies or methods of computational analysis using the Earth as a living laboratory. These methods can be implemented to assess risk and study preventative mitigation practices for Public Health. Through the incorporation Geographic Information Science and Remote Sensing tools, data collection can be conducted at a larger scale, more frequent, and less expensive that traditional in situ methods. These techniques can be extrapolated to be used to study a variety of topics. Application of these tools and techniques were demonstrated through Public Health research. Although it is understand resolution, or scale, of a research project can impact a study’s results; further research is needed to understand the extent of the result’s bias. Extreme heat vulnerability analysis was studied to validate previously identified socioeconomic and environmental variables influential for mitigation studies, and how the variability of resolution impacts the results of the methodology. Heat was also investigated for the implication of spatial and temporal resolution, or aggregation, influence on results. Methods studying the physical and socioeconomic environments of Dengue Fever outbreaks were also studied to identify patters of vector emergence.
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    Attributes of Organic Phosphorus Exported from a Central Indiana Agricultural Watershed: Effects of Season and Hydrologic Flowpath
    (2023-05) Pitcock, Rebecca Jo; Jacinthe, Pierre-Andre; Filippelli, Gabriel; Wang, Lixin
    The export of phosphorus (P) from agricultural watersheds has been extensively investigated but monitoring efforts have generally focused on inorganic P (Pi or soluble reactive phosphorus [SRP]), the P fraction thought to be immediately available to algae. However, in settings where no-till management is implemented and organic matter accumulates on soil surface, the amount of organic P (Po) in agricultural drainage waters can be significant and may represent another important P source to fuel algal growth in receiving water bodies. From a 2018 monitoring study at a Central Indiana agricultural watershed, measured total P and SRP loss amounted to 1.22 and 0.17 kg P/ha/year, respectively, indicating that the bulk (84%) of P exported from that watershed was in organic form. Results also showed that tile drainage was the main pathway for P transport (96% of Po loss). In light of these observations, the bioavailability of Po in agricultural drainage waters was investigated in 2019, and the effect of hydrologic flow path (surface versus subsurface flow) on the biochemical attributes of Po was examined. In these assessments, the iron strip method and a suite of enzymatic assays were used to gain a better understanding of the chemical composition of the exported Po. Higher concentration of labile Po was consistently measured in tile discharge than in surface runoff (59% versus 38% of the total bioavailable P). Further, the concentration of EHP (enzymatically hydrolysable P), in the form of monoester, diester, and phytate compounds, was highest during the summer season, for both tile and surface pathways. This elevated bioavailability of Po during the summer is a concern because, in combination with favorable water temperature and solar radiation during that period, this could lead to enhanced Po mineralization and release of Pi, resulting in further algal proliferation and continued degradation of water quality. Considering the high prevalence of tile drainage in agricultural landscapes of the US Midwest, this finding underscores the need for further investigation of the impact of land management and climate on the speciation and bioavailability of Po in the region’s agricultural waters.
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    Biden’s infrastructure plan targets lead pipes that threaten public health across the US
    (The Conversation US, Inc., 2021-05-04) Filippelli, Gabriel; Earth and Environmental Sciences, School of Science
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    Building Environmental Optimism from the Ground Up
    (Center for Translating Research Into Practice, IU Indianapolis, 2024-04-26) Filippelli, Gabriel
    Many communities are plagued by long-standing environmental injustices, many of them deeply embedded in the fabric of neighborhoods due to redlining and other systemic practices. These injustices include widespread contamination by lead (a neurotoxin), poor air quality, and lack of climate resilience. Dr. Filippelli shares in-depth examples of these issues, and his own approach to community-based research that strives to provide data, resources, and agency for communities to tip the balance toward equity.
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    Center for Urban Health: Enhancing the health of cities by focusing on communities and the environment
    (Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research, 2012-04-13) Filippelli, Gabriel; Johnson, Daniel P.; Wiehe, Sarah; Zollinger, Terry
    Urban sustainability is a new philosophy of developing healthy, productive communities that (1) promote and use locally-produced foods and products, (2) ensure safe access to natural spaces, and (3) establish low-carbon transportation systems. Urban living is arguably the most sustainable form of community given the concentration of resources, protection of arable land, and vertical structure of housing. In fact, urbanization is becoming the global norm; the percentage of global population living in urban settings has increased from less than 30% in 1950 to 47% in 2000; the percentage of urban dwellers is expected to increase to 60% by 2025. The promise of a healthy and sustainable urban future is clouded, however, by the reality of environmental insults, economic disparities, and behavioral pressures that exist in modern cities. The challenge is not how to build a shiny carbon-neutral city from scratch, but rather how to transition our current urban state toward one that is healthier, has less environmental impact, and is more prepared to respond and adjust to variety of environmental, social, and health changes in the future. Several groups at IUPUI and in the community are collaborating to explore connections between environment, behavior, health, and climate as related to urban environments. These translational efforts are inter- and trans-disciplinary, as evidenced by earth scientists publishing with pediatricians, and geographers publishing with epidemiologists. These efforts are largely undertaken with a geospatial and geotemporal research template. This template allows environmental, health, and behavioral data to be collected individually but with reference to space and time, which become important metadata components for analysis. The Center for Urban Health promotes discovery by building research collaborations among Center Investigators, providing seed funds for new research areas, funding graduate fellowships, and sponsoring educational activities such as public lectures and a Visiting Scholars Program.
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    Center for Urban Health: Enhancing the health of cities by focusing on communities and the environment
    (Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research, 2013-04-05) Filippelli, Gabriel; Johnson, Daniel P.; Wiehe, Sarah E.; Zollinger, Terrell
    Urban sustainability is a new philosophy of developing healthy, productive communities that (1) promote and use locally-produced foods and products, (2) ensure safe access to natural spaces, and (3) establish low-carbon transportation systems. Urban living is arguably the most sustainable form of community given the concentration of resources, protection of arable land, and vertical structure of housing. In fact, urbanization is becoming the global norm; the percentage of global population living in urban settings has increased from less than 30% in 1950 to 47% in 2000; the percentage of urban dwellers is expected to increase to 60% by 2025. The promise of a healthy and sustainable urban future is clouded, however, by the reality of environmental insults, economic disparities, and behavioral pressures that exist in modern cities. The challenge is not how to build a shiny carbon-neutral city from scratch, but rather how to transition our current urban state toward one that is healthier, has less environmental impact, and is more prepared to respond and adjust to variety of environmental, social, and health changes in the future. Several groups at IUPUI and in the community are collaborating to explore connections between environment, behavior, health, and climate as related to urban environments. These translational efforts are inter- and trans-disciplinary, as evidenced by earth scientists publishing with pediatricians, and geographers publishing with epidemiologists. These efforts are largely undertaken with a geospatial and geotemporal research template. This template allows environmental, health, and behavioral data to be collected individually but with reference to space and time, which become important metadata components for analysis. The Center for Urban Health promotes discovery by building research collaborations among Center Investigators, providing seed funds for new research areas, funding graduate fellowships, and sponsoring educational activities such as public lectures and a Visiting Scholars Program.
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    Center for Urban Health: Enhancing the health of cities by focusing on communities and the environment
    (Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research, 2014-04-11) Filippelli, Gabriel; Johnson, Daniel P.; Wiehe, Sarah E.; Watson, Dennis P.
    Urban sustainability is a new philosophy of developing healthy, productive communities that (1) promote and use locally-produced foods and products, (2) ensure safe access to natural spaces, and (3) establish low-carbon transportation systems. Urban living is arguably the most sustainable form of community given the concentration of resources, protection of arable land, and vertical structure of housing. In fact, urbanization is becoming the global norm; the percentage of global population living in urban settings has increased from less than 30% in 1950 to 47% in 2000; the percentage of urban dwellers is expected to increase to 60% by 2025. The promise of a healthy and sustainable urban future is clouded, however, by the reality of environmental insults, economic disparities, and behavioral pressures that exist in modern cities. The challenge is not how to build a shiny carbon-neutral city from scratch, but rather how to transition our current urban state toward one that is healthier, has less environmental impact, and is more prepared to respond and adjust to variety of environmental, social, and health changes in the future. Several groups at IUPUI and in the community are collaborating to explore connections between environment, behavior, health, and climate as related to urban environments. These translational efforts are inter- and trans-disciplinary, as evidenced by earth scientists publishing with pediatricians, and geographers publishing with epidemiologists. These efforts are largely undertaken with a geospatial and geotemporal research template. This template allows environmental, health, and behavioral data to be collected individually but with reference to space and time, which become important metadata components for analysis. The Center for Urban Health promotes discovery by building research collaborations among Center Investigators, conducting workshops on cutting-edge developments in urban health, and bridging campus and community efforts in public health, including the Reconnecting to Our Waterways (RWO) initiative.