I used google scholar in order to find a research example that best fits my topic, my topic is agrochemicals and whether or not they increase the chances of heart disease. I’ve stumbled upon a few articles and online research examples that address the same concept of particulate matter and heart disease. The research article I’m using is titled “Long-Term Exposure to Fine Particulate Matter: Association with Nonaccidental and Cardiovascular Mortality in the Agricultural Health Study Cohort” and can be found online in Environmental Health Perspectives. The study focused on nonaccidental and cardiovascular mortality in the U.S. Agricultural Health Study Cohort. The Cohort has 83,378 subjects made up of farmers, their spouses, and pesticide applicators mostly found in Iowa and North Carolina. Estimates of PM2.5 were assigned to each subject at enrollment, this helps determine a correlation between pesticides and heart disease. With different PM2.5 values being assigned to each subject of the cohort, it is possible to determine a correlation by determining whether or not there are more deaths amongst subjects with higher PM2.5 values or vice versa. The results were 5,931 nonaccidental and 1,967 cardiovascular deaths over a follow up time of 13.9 years. However, there were positive associations with PM2.5 amongst men, but inverse relationships among woman. This research example has helped me further understand the effects of pesticides on the nearby population. Furthermore, I have no narrowed my research question to only men, due to the lack of correlation of women, heart disease, and pesticides.

“Long-Term Exposure to Fine Particulate Matter: Association with Nonaccidental and Cardiovascular Mortality in the Agricultural Health Study Cohort.” National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 1 June 2014, ehp.niehs.nih.gov/1307277/.