BOARD MEETING DATE: November 5, 2004
AGENDA NO. 32

Recognize and Appropriate Funds from U.S. EPA and Execute Sole-Source Contract to Conduct Ambient PM Measurements for Children’s Health Study

SYNPOSIS:

U.S. EPA has allocated Section 103 funds to continue PM air sampling as part of the Children’s Health Study being conducted by the University of Southern California (USC). This action is to 1) recognize supplemental Section 103 Grant funds of $125,000 upon grant award and appropriate funds to the FY 2004-05 Budget to conduct PM sampling for the Children’s Health Study, and 2) execute a sole-source contract with USC to conduct supplemental ambient PM measurements for the Children’s Health Study.

COMMITTEE:

Technology, October 22, 2004, Recommended for Approval

RECOMMENDED ACTION:

1. Upon receipt of the Section 103 Grant award, recognize $125,000 in revenue from U.S. EPA Section 103 Grant funds and appropriate $125,000 from the Undesignated Fund balance to the Professional and Special Services in the FY 2004-05 Science and Technology Advancement budget to conduct PM sampling for the Children’s Health Study.
    
2. Execute a sole-source contract with the University of Southern California for an amount not to exceed $125,000 to conduct ambient PM measurements for the Children’s Health Study.

Barry R. Wallerstein, D.Env.
Executive Officer

Background

The Children’s Health Study is a multi-year study that tracked the health of school age children from the fourth grade through the twelfth grade. The study examined children growing up in twelve communities in Southern California with differing levels of air pollutants. A majority of children studied live in the South Coast Air Basin. The study team was led by the University of Southern California (USC) School of Medicine and the study concluded in June 2004.

A staff presentation on the Children’s Health Study was given to the Board at its July 9, 2004 meeting. In summary, the study provided strong evidence that exposure to air pollutants at current levels in the South Coast Air Basin are linked to adverse health effects in children. Effects associated with ozone exposures include increased school absences due to respiratory disease; higher use of medication in asthmatic children, and increased risk for new cases of asthma in children who participate in multiple sports. Nitrogen dioxide, particulate matter, components of particulate matter and acid vapors are a correlated package of pollutants that are linked with increased bronchitis in children with asthma, increased prevalence of asthma, and reduced growth in lung function. These results indicate that reducing exposure to air pollutants will likely lead to improvement in the health of children living in the South Coast Air Basin.

Due to the importance of this study, the study team plans to continue the program with funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to investigate the long-term chronic respiratory health effects in young school children. However, the new program will not begin until early 2005. Since data collection is a vital component of the Children’s Health Study, U.S. EPA indicated a desire to continue ambient PM measurements and would be able to provide supplemental Section 103 Grant funds in the interim. However, the funds cannot be awarded directly to USC and could only go through a state or local air district. Given that the majority of the data collection would be in the South Coast Air Basin, U.S. EPA asked if the AQMD would be willing to administer the funds.

Proposal

Staff is recommending that the Board recognize $125,000 in revenue from U.S. EPA to fund the continuation of the ambient PM measurements for the Children’s Health Study. Under the Children’s Health Study, ambient PM measurements collected in the study communities are used with health parameters to determine the impacts of air pollution on children’s health. The PM data collected under the study is taken with sampling instruments set to collect data over a two-week period. This collection period is much longer than the 24-hr sampling period that the AQMD follows in reporting PM10 to the U.S. EPA. Hence, the information currently collected by the AQMD would serve as collaborative information for the Children’s Health Study.

Upon award of the U.S. EPA funds, staff recommends that a sole-source contract be executed with the University of Southern California to conduct the ambient PM measurements. The cost of the contract would not exceed $125,000. The proposed funding would cover about four months of sampling. Additional sampling would continue under funding from the NIH program.

Sole-Source Justification

A sole-source award is authorized under Sections IV.B. of the Procurement Policy and Procedure when a purchase does not lend itself to substitution. Section VIII, (B) (2) of the Procurement Policy and Procedure identifies four major provisions under which a sole-source award may be justified. This request for a sole- source purchase is made under provisions B.2.c.1 and B.2.d.1. USC has been the principal investigator for the Children’s Health Study and will continuing this role in the upcoming add-on study being funded by the NIH. As such, the provision identified in Section B.2.c.1 of the Procurement Policy and Procedure (the unique experience and capabilities of the proposed contractor) would apply. In addition, the U.S. EPA is requesting that the Section 103 Grant funds be used to continue ambient PM measurements for the Children’s Health Study. Therefore, Section B.2.d.1 of the Procurement Policy and Procedure (projects involving cost sharing by multiple sponsors) would apply.

Resource Impacts

The proposed funding levels will be provided by the U.S. EPA Section 103 Grant to support the continuation of the ambient PM measurements for the Children’s Health Study.

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