Generally Asked Questions

• It is unlikely that this study will be able to evaluate all illnesses that might be caused by environmental pollution.
• Some of these ailments are rare.
• Reconstructing an individual’s levels of historical exposure to common environmental pollutants (such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and benzene) is an imperfect process and may not be able to conclude with certainty a relationship between exposure and some health outcomes.
• It is unlikely that all people have been exposed to both benzene and PAHs exclusively from Tonawanda Coke since exposure happens during everyday activities like pumping gas, smoking, or eating grilled vegetables and meats. There is no way to be sure where exposure comes from. It most likely comes from multiple sources.

Fines paid by Tonawanda Coke are funding this study, but the company is not involved in this study in any way. 

• The main exposures of interest are chemicals released in the air from the Tonawanda Coke plant. The two main air pollutants the study is assessing are benzene and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). At high levels, both of these chemicals have been shown to have harmful effects on humans, contributing to diseases such as lung cancer, bladder cancer, and leukemia. We learned this from studies on various jobs that were made up of mostly male participants who had high levels of exposure. Not much is known about impact of these chemicals on diseases in other groups like women, children, and the elderly. Not much is known about the impact of low levels of exposure to these chemicals on diseases.
• Not everyone exposed to these chemicals will get sick. This study will look at exposures between people who get a disease compared to those who do not. Information from the surveys and biomarkers will also look at lifestyle, behavior, and family histories that may contribute to disease or help prevent disease from happening, even in people who were exposed to these chemicals.

Just as your body breaks down food after you eat, your body also needs to break down chemicals you breathe in to eliminate them from your body. When your body breaks down benzene or PAHs, other chemicals are created that can damage your DNA. This damage can lead to diseases like cancer in some people. Your body can break down PAHs in several ways, and everyone’s body may do so slightly differently, depending on your genetics, and exactly how much of the chemical is in your body.

The study is not accepting any new participants. If you filled out one survey, you will continue to be contacted by the study team. We encourage members to continue to participate! 

Air pollution is only one factor that contributes to developing diseases. Other behaviors, exposures and diseases may also contribute to whether a person develops a disease. 

There is no direct benefit to participants in the study. What we learn from the study will help us understand the health of the community and how it changes over time. We will learn more about the impact of low levels of air pollution on the health of your community. All members of the study are contributing to knowledge about your community. If a problem is identified, steps can be taken to address it.

There are many reasons why a person develops a particular health condition. Pollution is unlikely to be the only reason for a person’s health condition. Genetics and lifestyle factors like smoking, drinking and occupation can often play a role as well. 

Knowing where you’ve lived and for how long helps us understand what sources of environmental contamination you may have been exposed to over your lifetime. This gives us a better idea of the overall impact of pollution on your health. It often takes a long time for different conditions to develop in a person. Exposures over one’s lifetime can contribute to the possibility of developing a disease. 

All data from the Environmental Health Study for Western New York are kept strictly confidential. This includes any data we collect from you from the surveys, biological samples (urine, saliva, blood, etc.), laboratory measures like blood pressure, height or weight, address, name, and contact information. We will never sell, distribute, or lend our participant list to anyone. A study ID was made for each person when they enrolled in the study to make sure that their name is never connected directly to the data given to us. Any study results will only be presented in a summary format so that no one will be able to link answers to anyone.

• A detailed study plan was given to and reviewed by the University at Buffalo's Internal Review Board (IRB), who have taken all necessary precautions to protect identifying information of participants in the study.
• Results will never be published on individuals; results will only be reported in summary format.
• Participants are assigned an ID number so that responses are not identifiable in the data.

• All paper questionnaires are stored in locked offices, in locked filing cabinets. All contact information, on the last page of the questionnaire, is separated from responses to the survey and stored in a separate, locked location.
• Deidentified survey data are stored on UB servers and also protected by a combination of firewalls, encryption and scanning tools.

If you have any questions regarding your rights as a participant and would like to contact someone outside of the study team, we encourage you to reach out to the University at Buffalo Institutional Review Board, (716) 888-4888 or ub-irb@buffalo.edu.