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University Centers of Excellence
Technion Center of Excellence in Exposure Science and Environmental Health
The Technion Center of Excellence in Exposure Science and Environmental Health (TCEEH) was
established in 2011 as a joint collaboration between theTechnion’s Faculty of Civil and Environmental
Engineering and the Ruth and Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine.
TCEEH research focuses on understanding human exposure to relevant air pollutants, and the
biological responses that follow this exposure. Due to population growth, industrialization,
and urbanization, the Israeli public is exposed to high levels of air pollutants, experiences
deteriorating urban air quality, suffers from reduced visibility and from increasing frequency
of photochemical smog episodes, and faces aggravating warming and drought due to both
urban heat island effects and climate changes. The global trend of improved standards of
living and Israel’s distinct national situation (political, military, economic, etc.) and unique
geo-meteorological conditions contribute, and oftentimes synergistically exacerbate, environment-
health relationships. Moreover, on top of these dynamic conditions the close proximity between
people (the receptors) and pollutant sources gives rise to unique circumstances. In these
circumstances Israelis are routinely exposed to mixtures of anthropogenic and biogenic, fresh
and aged, organic and inorganic, urban and rural/agricultural, and toxic and harmless respirable
pollutants. The Center, through its research cores, addresses these issues by promoting research
on priority pollutants and in relation to aggregate exposure scenarios.
The Center’s ongoing projects include:
CITI-SENSE - Development of sensor-based Citizens’ Observatory Community for air pollution
measurement and exposure estimation
IT and video based estimation of exposure to traffic related pollutants
Assessment of primary and secondary pesticide drift under sub-humid climate; fieldmeasurements
and modeling approaches
Decontamination of toxic residues on surfaces via in situ photo-oxidation
Remote sensing of airborne particulate matter via both satellite-borne and ground measurements
Development of a comprehensive national air quality monitoring database that covers observations
since the late 90’s
Modeling ambient concentrations of, and exposure to, respirable pollutants, especially in urban
areas
The Center’s activities benefit from the input of an international Scientific Advisory Committee
(SAC) comprising leading researchers in the fields of exposure science and environmental health:
Jeremy Sarnat, SAC Chair, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, USA
Petros Koutrakis, School of Public Health, Harvard University, USA
Michael Brauer, School of Population and Public Health, University of British Columbia, Canada
James Schauer, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering,
University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA
Mark Nieuwenhuijsen, Center for Research in Environmental Epidemiology (CREAL),
Barcelona, Spain
Director
David Broday
Members
Yael Dubowski
Barak Fishbain
Abraham Reznick
Yuval Zudman
Ilan Levy
Scientific
Coordinator
Yael Etzion