Early household cooking smoke and metals' effects on children's heart health
Official title: Early life household air pollution, metal composition and cardiovascular health: Evidence from GRAPHS
Funded at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai · NIH-11392931 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at whether babies' and young children's exposure to cooking smoke and airborne metals affects their heart health up to age 12.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New York, United States) |
| Project start | September 7, 2022 |
| Project end | June 30, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $181,259 |
| NIH project number | 3R01ES034433-04S2 |
| Project ID | NIH-11392931 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Children who were exposed to household cooking smoke early in life, especially those enrolled in the GRAPHS cohort in Ghana and followed up through age 12, are the ideal participants.
✕Less likely to help
Adults, people not exposed to household cooking smoke, or those with heart conditions unrelated to air pollution are unlikely to gain direct benefit from this specific project.
What this research studies
From a parent's view, researchers are following children born in the GRAPHS pregnancy group in Ghana to see how exposure to household cooking smoke and the metals in that smoke relate to heart growth and function. They will combine air measurements, metal analyses, and standard child heart and body measurements collected over time. The team will use validated clinical tests and established lab methods to link early-life exposures (including during pregnancy and the first year) to heart-related outcomes through age 12. Results will help show which exposures matter most for children's cardiovascular development.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could point to cost-effective ways to reduce household air pollution and protect children's long-term heart health.
How similar studies have gone: There is strong evidence linking air pollution to adult heart disease, but long-term childhood follow-up and the focus on metal components of household smoke represent a newer, less-tested approach.
Where this research is happening
-
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
New York, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Lee, Alison G — Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
- Study coordinator: Lee, Alison G
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.