MSU and University of Michigan researchers are collaborating on efforts to study air particles to determine the source of pollutant emissions and help solve the problem of unhealthy exposure in individuals, said Gerald Keeler, a professor in environmental health science at U-M.

“We’re kind of like detectives,” he said. “We try to understand how the exposures are taking place. … From there, we try to work backward to determine where the exposures are coming from.”

The research is funded primarily by a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, or EPA, grant and by MSU Strategic Partnership Grants.

The lab is unique because instead of studying air particles in a lab, which can be artificial, the mobile lab can be placed in real-world environments, said James Wagner, an MSU respiratory toxicologist who participates in the research.

“We are doing real-world air pollution studies, rather than taking particles and using them in the lab,” he said.

Studying the particles to determine which are the most toxic could eventually lead to more pollution regulation by the EPA, said Jack Harkema, a professor in the Department of Pathobiology and Diagnostic Investigation.

“That’s really crucial to understand … how we can make better cars, how we can decrease emissions,” he said. “It’s all related (and) the more we understand … it will be easier to help protect the public.”

The lab will be in different parts of the state to help the researchers better understand the exposures to air pollutants in various places, Harkema said.

“We want to go to that location and actually try to figure out … what type of exposures that community is exposed to and whether or not that is dangerous,” he said.

Air pollution can come from many different sources, which can vary depending on the area, Wagner said.

“On some days maybe most of the air pollution in the particles is from all of the traffic,” he said. “On another day (it) may be from a manufacturing plant.”

Measuring things people are exposed to on a day-to-day basis is something the lab will make possible, Keeler said.

Preventing health ailments, such as asthma and heart problems could be successful through research made possible by the lab, Wagner said.

“If we know how particles are affecting these diseases … we may think of how we may protect people from that,” he said.