Date of Conferral

9-30-2026

Date of Award

September 2026

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Health Sciences

Advisor

Simone Salandy

Abstract

Exposures to particulate dust matter (PM10 and smaller) from aggregate comminution facilities (ACF) can lead to the onset of environmentally associated pulmonary diseases (EAPDs); acute and chronic asthma (Type I allergic hypersensitivity reaction), chronic pulmonary disease, interstitial lung disease (ILD), and lung cancer. In this environmental epidemiological research study, three primary spatial and spatiotemporal research questions related to nonoccupational exposures from 118 facilities across Georgia were evaluated. Secondary data analysis was conducted from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) 2018–2023 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) and the Metropolitan Statistical Areas, Micropolitan Statistical Areas, and Metropolitan Divisions to determine the relationships using ArcGIS Pro. Using the multi-distance spatial cluster analysis (Ripley’s K) and the spatial autocorrelation analysis (Global Moran’s I), 48–52 ACFs were spatially significant and 53 ACFs were spatiotemporally significant from 2018 to 2023 suggesting that these relationships exist between the ACFs and the communities they serve. Rejection of all three primary research hypotheses resulted from statistical confirmation of significant dispersed and clustered spatial and spatiotemporal patterns between ACF locations and EAPD incidence ratios based on the CDC’s BRFSS cases across the urban and rural regions of Georgia. These findings underscore the need for an integrative environmental and public health monitoring system to address nonoccupational exposure to PM10 and smaller.

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