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.
Peralta AA, Schwartz J, Gold DR, Coull B, Koutrakis P.
Eur J Prev Cardiol. 2021 Dec 20. 28(14):1610-1617. PMID: 33580791
Frampton MW, Balmes JR, Bromberg PA, Arjomandi M, Hazucha MJ, Thurston SW, Alexis NE, Ganz P, Zareba W, Koutrakis P, Thevenet-Morrison K, Rich DQ.
Environ Res. 2021 Dec 15. 205:112522. PMID: 34919956
Requia WJ, Papatheodorou S, Koutrakis P, Mukherjee R, Roig HL.
Int J Hyg Environ Health. 2021 Dec 07. 240:113901. PMID: 34891058
Kouis P, Michaelidou E, Kinni P, Michanikou A, Anagnostopoulou P, Dimitriou H, Karanicolas K, Matthaiou AM, Achilleos S, Papatheodorou SI, Koutrakis P, Middleton N, Galanakis E, Yiallouros PK.
Pediatr Pulmonol. 2021 Nov 24. PMID: 34818465
Zilli Vieira CL, Link MS, Garshick E, Peralta AA, Luttmann-Gibson H, Laden F, Liu M, Gold DR, Koutrakis P.
Europace. 2021 Nov 13. PMID: 34791174
Wang VA, Zilli Vieira CL, Garshick E, Schwartz JD, Garshick MS, Vokonas P, Koutrakis P.
J Am Heart Assoc. 2021 11 02. 10(21):e021006. PMID: 34713707
Wang C, Cardenas A, Hutchinson JN, Just A, Heiss J, Hou L, Zheng Y, Coull BA, Kosheleva A, Koutrakis P, Baccarelli AA, Schwartz JD.
Environ Int. 2022 01. 158:106955. PMID: 34717175
Nurhussien L, Kang CM, Koutrakis P, Coull BA, Rice MB.
Ann Am Thorac Soc. 2021 Oct 22. PMID: 34678126
Yazdi MD, Wang Y, Di Q, Requia WJ, Wei Y, Shi L, Sabath MB, Dominici F, Coull B, Evans JS, Koutrakis P, Schwartz JD.
Lancet Planet Health. 2021 Oct. 5(10):e689-e697. PMID: 34627473
Carrion-Matta A, Lawrence J, Kang CM, Wolfson JM, Li L, Vieira CLZ, Schwartz J, Demokritou P, Koutrakis P.
J Air Waste Manag Assoc. 2021 12. 71(12):1515-1528. PMID: 34233125
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.
The energy production process commonly known as fracking is associated with increased levels of airborne radioactive particles in areas downwind of fracking sites, according to new research led by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. The study…
November 8, 2018 – Dust storms in Kuwait. Tourism in Tunisia. Air pollution in Uganda. Three different countries facing three different challenges. A common thread? Harvard T.H. Chan School researchers are working in each setting to understand how…
