Dr. Koutrakis' research activities focus on the development of human exposure measurement techniques and the investigation of sources, transport, and the fate of air pollutants. In collaboration with his colleagues in the Environmental Chemistry Laboratory, he has developed ambient particle concentrators and high volume samplers that can be used to conduct human and animal inhalation studies. He has also developed a personal ozone monitor, a continuous fine particle measurement technique and several other sampling methods for a variety of gaseous and particulate air pollutants. These novel techniques have been used extensively by air pollution scientists and human exposure assessors in United States and worldwide.
Dr. Koutrakis has conducted a number of comprehensive air pollution studies in the United States, Canada, Spain, Chile, Kuwait, Cyprus and Greece that investigate the extent of human exposures to gaseous and particulate air pollutants. Other research interests include the assessment of particulate matter exposures and their effects on the cardiac and pulmonary health.
Dr. Koutrakis is the Head of the Exposure, Epidemiology and Risk Program and the Director of the EPA/Harvard University Center for Ambient Particle Health Effects.
Dr. Koutrakis is a member national and international committees and the past Technical Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association. He has published over 170 peer reviewed papers in the areas of air quality, exposure and health effects assessment and instrumentation.
Matthaios VN, Harrison RM, Koutrakis P, Bloss WJ.
Sci Total Environ. 2023 Jul 14. 900:165537. PMID: 37454853
Maccarone J, Grady ST, Moy ML, Hart JE, Kang CM, Coull BA, Schwartz JD, Koutrakis P, Zhang J, Garshick E.
Sci Total Environ. 2023 Jul 05. 897:165352. PMID: 37419349
Stern RA, Lawrence J, Wolfson JM, Li L, Koutrakis P.
J Air Waste Manag Assoc. 2023 07. 73(7):519-524. PMID: 37311115
Requia WJ, Alahmad B, Schwartz JD, Koutrakis P.
Environ Res. 2023 Oct 01. 234:116532. PMID: 37394170
Wang H, Wang H, Wang K, Xiong J, Huang S, Wolfson JM, Koutrakis P.
J Hazard Mater. 2023 09 15. 458:131917. PMID: 37379590
Alahmad B, Li J, Achilleos S, Al-Mulla F, Al-Hemoud A, Koutrakis P.
J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol. 2023 07. 33(4):646-651. PMID: 37322149
Wang VA, Leung M, Modest AM, Zilli Vieira CL, Hacker MR, Schwartz J, Coull BA, Koutrakis P, Papatheodorou S.
Sci Total Environ. 2023 Aug 10. 885:163862. PMID: 37142041
Chen K, Aglan M, Purcell A, Nurhussien L, Koutrakis P, Coull BA, Synn A, Rice MB.
Chronic Obstr Pulm Dis. 2023 Apr 27. 10(2):170-177. PMID: 36976544
Banzon TM, Greco KF, Li L, Mukharesh L, Vieira CLZ, Steiner MK, Hauptman M, Ratchataswan T, Koutrakis P, Phipatanakul W, Gaffin JM.
Pediatr Pulmonol. 2023 Jul. 58(7):2042-2049. PMID: 37083192
Alahmad B, Al-Hemoud A, Al-Bouwarthan M, Khraishah H, Kamel M, Akrouf Q, Wegman DH, Bernstein AS, Koutrakis P.
Occup Environ Med. 2023 06. 80(6):347-352. PMID: 37068948
Days that are very hot or very cold increased the risk of death among people with cardiovascular diseases, according to large long-term international study co-authored by experts from Harvard Chan School.
Elderly people living near or downwind of unconventional oil and gas development—which involves extraction methods including directional (non-vertical) drilling and hydraulic fracturing, or fracking—are at higher risk of early death compared with elderly individuals who don’t live near…
Barrak Alahmad, PhD ’22, is studying the health impacts of heat and air pollution in Kuwait.
Exposure to low concentrations of air pollution, even at levels permitted under federal regulations, may be causing tens of thousands of early deaths each year among elderly people and other vulnerable groups in the U.S., according to a…
Long-term exposure to low levels of air pollution—even levels below national standards—can increase the risk of several serious cardiac and respiratory conditions in elderly adults, according to a new study.
