Faculty

Dr. Tony Ward

Research Assistant Professor
Email: tony.ward@umontana.edu
Phone: (406) 243-4092

Tony Ward is a Research Assistant Professor at The University of Montana’s, Center for Environmental Health Sciences (CEHS).  He has both a B.S. (Sam Houston State University, Huntsville, Texas) and M.S. (The University of Houston – Clear Lake, Houston, Texas) in Environmental Science, and received his Ph.D. in Chemistry from The University of Montana in 2001.  He has been a Research Assistant Professor at CEHS since 2005.  Dr. Ward also worked for several years as an environmental consultant in the Houston and Seattle areas specializing in air quality issues.  In addition to conducting research, he also teaches in the University of Montana’s School of Public and Community Health Sciences.

RESEARCH STATEMENT - Ward lab

Research in the Ward lab focuses on assessing those indoor and ambient exposures (including emissions from woodstoves and smoke from forest fires) common to residents of rural northern Rocky Mountain valley communities.  In addition to the Air Toxics Under the Big Sky education / outreach program, another focus of our research is understanding the potential for exposure when disturbing asbestos contaminated trees in Libby, Montana.  Current exposure assessment research projects include:

Indoor woodsmoke PM and asthma: a randomized trial
In collaboration with co-investigator Dr. Curtis Noonan, this study focuses on indoor air quality and clinically relevant changes in health effects among asthmatics living in homes whose primary heating sources are non EPA-certified woodstoves.  The Primary Aim of this study is to assess the efficacy of residential interventions to reduce indoor PM2.5 exposure from woodstoves and the corresponding improvements in quality of life and health outcomes for asthmatic children.  The study areas for this project include rural communities in western Montana and Idaho (Nez Perce Reservation).  This study uses a three arm (Tx1, Tx2, and Tx3) randomized placebo-controlled intervention trial.  The interventions are at the household level, and exposure and outcomes are assessed for one asthmatic child in each household.  Households in Tx1 receive inactive high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) devices and serve as the placebo group.  Households in Tx2 receive a new EPA-certified woodstove, while households in Tx3 receive active HEPA devices.  The Secondary Aims of this study are to assess the impact of these interventions on residential PM2.5 exposures and other health outcomes.  Secondary exposure outcomes measured prior to and following the intervention include PM2.5 mass, chemical woodsmoke markers on PM2.5 filters (including levoglucosan and resin acids), and biomarkers of woodsmoke exposure.  Secondary asthma-related health outcomes measured prior to and following the intervention include peak expiratory flow (PEF) and forced expiratory volume in first second (FEV1), biomarkers in exhaled breath condensate, and frequency of asthma symptoms, medication usage, and healthcare utilization.  The results from this project will be translatable to other regions in the US and the world where biomass burning is commonly used for heating and cooking.  Funding is provided by NIEHS (1R01ES016336-01).

Woodstove Changeout Evaluations
We have investigated the change in air quality (indoor and ambient) following a large woodstove changeout in Libby, Montana.  As part of this project, PM2.5 mass and chemical markers of woodsmoke (i.e. levoglucosan, resin acids, and methoxphenols) have been measured throughout the changeout, where ~1200 older model woodstoves have been replaced with cleaner burning devices.  A smaller woodstove changeout (16 homes) has been evaluated on the Nez Perce Reservation in Idaho.  Funding for these projects was provided by the Health Effects Institute, the Hearth Patio and Barbecue Association, and the EPA.

PM2.5 Source Apportionment
Using a Chemical Mass Balance (CMB) model, PM2.5 source apportionment projects are ongoing in woodsmoke impacted communities to determine the ambient sources of PM2.5.  The Ward lab has conducted PM2.5 source apportionment projects in several western Montana communities, including Missoula, Hamilton, Belgrade, Butte, Helena, Libby, and Kalispell.  Dr. Ward is also working on PM2.5 source apportionment projects in Fairbanks, Alaska and in the Annapolis Valley, Nova Scotia. Funding has been provided by the Montana Department of Environmental Quality, Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, and Health Canada. 

Air Toxics Under the Big Sky
The Air Toxics Under the Big Sky program is an outreach/education that works with high school students in multiple schools throughout Montana, Idaho, and Alaska.  As part of the project, students are educated on the importance of good air quality, and the adverse respiratory health effects resulting from exposure to poor air quality.  Using the scientific method, students also collect PM2.5 samples within their homes as part of mini-research projects during the school year.  Funding has been provided by NIH (SEPA), 3M, the Toyota USA Foundation, Region 10 EPA, Montana Department of Environmental Quality, Toshiba, and the Alaska Intertribal Council.

Asbestos in Tree Bark Projects
The Ward lab is also investigating the capacity of trees to serve as reservoirs for asbestos fibers, and the implications of disturbing asbestos-contaminated trees.  Using tree bark, we have identified new sources of asbestos contamination in areas surrounding the historical Libby vermiculite mine, and in transportation corridors emanating from Libby.  We have also conducted a firewood harvesting simulation to determine the potential for exposure when harvesting contaminated firewood, and conducted a combustion study to determine the fate of Libby amphibole fibers when combusting contaminated wood during residential home heating.

Asbestos Fiber Elutriation
Using an aqueous elutriation system developed by our collaborator Dr. James Webber (Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health), we can separate the respirable fraction of Libby asbestos fibers from an initial complex mixture containing larger, non-respirable fibers (Libby “6-Mix”).  Through this process, respirable fibers are recovered while discarding the larger fibers.  These respirable fibers are then used for health studies at the University of Montana.

Particle Concentrator
The particle concentrator located at The University of Montana (purchased from the University of Southern California, Dr. Costas Sioutas) has three parallel sampling lines (concentrators) to simultaneously collect coarse (2.5 – 10 µm), fine (0.18-2.5 µm), and ultrafine (less than 0.18 µm) particles.  This air sampler has been used to harvest ambient PM during the winter months in Missoula, urban PM in Houston, Texas, and has also collected woodsmoke PM from woodstove emissions.  These particles are recovered and provided to researchers that study the health effects of PM.

Pollen Reporting Station
The Ward lab manages the only certified pollen count station in the Northern Rocky Mountains.  Using a Burkard 7 day pollen and spore sampler, sampling is conducted every day from March through October.  The counts are reported to the National Allergy Bureau three times per week, and displayed on their website:

(http://www.aaaai.org/nab/index.cfm?p=allergenreport&stationid=177).

Results are also provided to local allergists, KPAX (Missoula CBS affiliate), the National Allergy Bureau, and the Weather Channel for weekly pollen reports.  Emily Weiler is the current certified pollen counter for the Missoula station.

Combustion Exposure Chamber
The combustion exposure chamber allows us to generate woodsmoke PM under controlled conditions, and expose mice to pre-determined concentrations for specific periods of time.  This system allows us to study the chemistry of the woodsmoke PM, while also conducting research into the health effects resulting from woodsmoke exposure.

Recent Publications

Bergauff, M.A., Ward, T.J., Noonan, C.W., Migliaccio, C.T., Simpson, C.D., Evanoski, A.R., and Palmer, C.P. Urinary levoglucosan as a biomarker for wood smoke: results of human exposure studies. Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology, in press.

Morandi, M., and Ward, T., Biomass smoke risk assessment: defining the questions. Inhalation Toxicology, in press.

Ward, T.J., Palmer, C.P., Houck, J.E., Navidi, W.C., Geinitz, S., and Noonan, C.W. A community woodstove changeout and impact on ambient concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Environmental Science & Technology, in press.

Holian, A., Stock, A., Migliaccio, C., Noonan, C., and Ward, T. Conference Summary: International Biomass Smoke Health Effects (IBSHE), Inhalation Toxicology, in press.

Ward, T.J., Hamilton, R.F., Underberg, H., Adams, E., and Jones, D., 2009. Indoor/ambient residential air toxics results in western Montana, Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 153(1), 119-126.PMCID:PMC2765656.

Bergauff, M.A., Ward, T.J., Noonan, C.W., and Palmer C.P. 2009. The effect of a woodstove changeout on ambient levels of PM2.5 and chemical tracers for woodsmoke in Libby, Montana. Atmospheric Environment, 43, 2938-2943. Science Direct

Ward, T.J., Hart, J.F., Spear, T.M., Meyer, B.J., and Webber, J.S., 2009. Fate of Libby amphibole fibers when burning contaminated firewood, Environmental Science & Technology, 43(8) 2878-2883. PMCID: PMC2688714.

Adams, E., Ward, T.J., Vanek, D., Marra, N., Hester, C., Knuth, R., Spangler, T., Jones, D., Henthorn, M., Hammill, B., Smith, P., Salisbury, R., Reckin, G., and Boulafentis, J., 2009. The Big Sky Inside: Measuring rural indoor air quality and its impact on the community, The Science Teacher, April/May, 40-45. NIHMSID:140777.

Migliaccio C.T., Bergauff, M., Palmer, C., Jessop, F., Noonan, C., and Ward. T. Urinary Levoglucosan as a Biomarker of Woodsmoke Exposure: Observations in a Mouse Model and in Children. Environmental Health and Perspectives, 117(1): 74-79. PMCID: PMC2627869.

Ward, T.J., Palmer, C., Bergauff, M., Hooper, K., and Noonan, C., 2008. Results of a Residential Indoor PM2.5 Sampling Program Before and After a Woodstove Changeout, Indoor Air, 18: 408–415.

Ward, T.J., Vanek, D., Marra, N., Holian, A., Adams, E., Jones, D., and Knuth R. 2008. The Big Sky Model: A regional collaboration for participatory research on environmental health in the rural West. Journal of Higher Education Outreach & Engagement. Vol 12(3): 103-115.

Webber, J.S., Blake, D.J., Ward, T.J., and Pfau, J., 2008. Separation and characterization of respirable amphibole fibers from Libby, Montana, Inhalation Toxicology, 20:733-740.

Adams, E, Ward, T., Vanek, D., Marra, N., Noonan, C., Smith, G., Jones, D., Henthorn, M., and Striebel, J. 2008. Air Toxics Under The Big Sky: A real-world investigation to engage high school science students, Journal of Chemical Education, 85(22): 221-224.

Bergauff, M., Ward, T., Noonan, C., and Palmer, C.P., 2008. Determination and evaluation of selected organic chemical tracers for wood smoke in airbourne particulate matter, International Journal of Environmental Analytical Chemistry, 88(7): 473-486.

Research Support

• NIH
• Indoor woodsmoke PM and asthma: a randomized trial
• Nat.Hearth, Patio&Barbeque Assoc. - PAH sampling during woodstove change-out project in Libby, MT
• CDC - Study of asbestos in tree bark samples, Libby, MT