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Tony Ward
Research Assistant Professor

Phone: (406) 243-4092

Email: tony.ward@umontana.edu

Tony Ward is a Research Assistant Professor at the Center for Environmental Health Sciences (CEHS).  He has both a B.S. (Sam Houston State University, Huntsville, Texas) and M.S. (The University of Houston – Clear Lake, Houston, Texas) in Environmental Science, and received his Ph.D. in Chemistry from The University of Montana in 2001.  He has been a Research Assistant Professor at CEHS since 2005.  Tony has also worked for several years as an environmental consultant in the Houston and Seattle areas specializing in air quality issues.

 

RESEARCH STATEMENT


Research in the Ward lab involves studying the chemistry of air pollution, and how air pollution events, such as winter inversions and smoke from regional forest fires, impact respiratory health among the inhabitants of western Montana and Idaho.  Some of our latest research has dealt with evaluating the air quality (indoor and ambient) following a woodstove changeout, determining the sources of PM2.5 in western Montana communities, and expanding the Air Toxics Under the Big Sky program in collaboration with western Montana  / Idaho high schools and tribal colleges.  The Ward lab is also investigating the capacity of trees to serve as reservoirs for asbestos fibers, and the implications of disturbing asbestos-contaminated trees.

 

KEY PUBLICATIONS

Ward, T.J., Hamilton, R.F., Underberg, H., Adams, E., and Jones, D.  Indoor/ambient residential air toxics results in western Montana, submitted to Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association, in press.

Ward, T.J., Palmer, C., Bergauff, M., Hooper, K., and Noonan, C., Results of a Residential Indoor PM2.5 Sampling Program Before and After a Woodstove Changeout, Indoor Air, in press.

Webber, J.S., Blake, D.J., Ward, T.J., and Pfau, J.  Separation and Characterization of Respirable Amphibole Fibers from Libby, Montana, Inhalation Toxicology, in press.

Bergauff, M., Watd, T., Noonan, C., and Palmer C.P., Determination and evaluation of selected organic chemical tracers for wood smoke in airbourne particulate matter, Internation Journal of Environmental Analytical Chemistry, in press.

Adams, E., Ward, T.J., Vanek, D., Marra, N., Noonan, C., Smith, G., Jones, D., Henthorn, M., and Striebel, J., 2008.  Air Toxics Under The Big Sky – A Real World Investigation to Engage High School Science Students, Journal of Chemical Education, 85(2): 221-224.

Noonan C.W. and Ward, T.J. Environmental Tobacco Smoke, Woodstove Heating and Risk of Asthma Symptoms, Journal of Asthma, in press.

Jones, D., Ward, T.J., Vanek, D., Marra, N., Noonan, C., Smith, G., and Adams, E., 2007.  Air Toxics Under The Big Sky – A High School Science Teaching Tool, International Journal of SENCER, 1, 2, 51-55.

Hart, J.F., Ward, T.J., Spear, T.M., Crispen, K., and Zolnikov, T.R., 2007.  Evaluation of Asbestos Exposures During Firewood Harvesting Simulations in Libby, Montana, Annals of Occupational Hygiene, 51, 8: 1-7.

Ward, T.J., Hooper, K., and Noonan, C.W., 2007.  Indoor PM2.5 Concentrations in Libby, Montana Schools, Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 130, 1-3.

Webber, J.S., Getman, G., Ward, T.J., 2006.  Evidence and Reconstruction of Airborne Asbestos from Unconventional Environmental Samples, Inhalation Toxicology, 18: 969-973.

Ward, T.J., Hamilton, R.F., Dixon, R.W., Paulsen, M., Simpson, C., 2006. Characterization and Evaluation of Smoke Tracers in PM: Results from the 2003 Montana Wildfire Season, Atmospheric Environment, 40:7005-7017.

Ward, T.J., Spear, T., Hart, J., Noonan, C., Holian, A., Getman, M., Webber, J.S., 2006. Amphibole Fibers in Tree Bark, Science of the Total Environment, 367:1,460-465.

Ward, T.J., Rinehart, L.R., and Lange, T., 2006.  The 2003/2004 Libby, Montana PM2.5 Source Apportionment Research Study, Aerosol Science and Technology, 40: 166-177.

Schumpert J.C., Noonan C.W., Sylvester J., Vanek D., Ward T., and Holian A., 2006. Patterns of Asthma Symptoms and Perceptions of Harm from Seasonal Atmospheric Events in Rural Western Montana.  International Journal of Occupational Environmental Health, 12: 52-58.

Ward, T.J., Lincoln, E., 2006.  Concentrations of PM2.5-Associated OC, EC, and PCDD/Fs Measured during the 2003 Wildfire Season in Missoula, Montana, Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 115:1-3.

Ward, T.J., Smith, G.C., 2005.  Vapor-Phase and Fine Particulate Matter Concentrations of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons Measured During the Winter Months in a Northern Rocky Mountain Urban Airshed, Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association, 55, 1327-1334.

Ward, T.J., Hamilton, R.F., Smith, G.C., 2005.  The Missoula Valley Semivolatile and Volatile Organic Compound Study – Seasonal Average Concentrations, Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association, 55, 1007-1013.

Ward, T.J., Smith, G.C., 2005.  The 2000/2001 Missoula Valley PM2.5 Chemical Mass Balance Study, Including the 2000 Wildfire Season – Seasonal Source Apportionment, Atmospheric Environment, 39, 709-717.

Ward, T.J., Hamilton, R.F., Smith, G.C., 2004.  The Missoula, Montana PM2.5 Speciation Study – Seasonal Average Concentrations, Atmospheric Environment, 38, 6371-6379.

Ward, T.J., Smith, G.C., 2004.  High Volume PUF vs. Low Volume PUF Sampling Comparison for Collecting Gas Plus Particulate Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons, Aerosol Science and Technology, 38, 972-979.

Ward, T.J., Smith, G.C., 2001.  Air Sampling Study of the 2000 Montana Wildfire Season, proceedings of the 2001 Air & Waste Management Conference in Orlando, Florida.