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Gudziunaite S, Shabani Z, Weitensfelder L, Moshammer H. Time series analysis in environmental epidemiology: challenges and considerations. Int J Occup Med Environ Health 2023; 36:704-716. [PMID: 37782034 PMCID: PMC10743348 DOI: 10.13075/ijomeh.1896.02237] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2023] [Accepted: 08/24/2023] [Indexed: 10/03/2023] Open
Abstract
In environmental epidemiology, time series analyses represent a widely used statistical tool. However, though being commonly used, there is soften confusion regarding the specific requirements, such as which link function might be most appropriate, when or how to control for seasonality or how to account for lags. The present overview draws from experiences in other disciplines and discusses the proper execution of time series analyses based on considerations that are relevant in environmental epidemiology. Time series analysis in environmental epidemiology focuses on acute events caused by short-term changes in exposure. These exposures should be fairly wide-spread affecting a large number of persons, usually all inhabitants of a political entity. Pollutants in air or drinking water as well as meteorological factors serve as typical examples. Despite the many time series analyses performed world-wide, some health effects that would lend themselves to that approach are still under-explored. This would include also some neurological and psychiatric endpoints. Int J Occup Med Environ Health. 2023;36(6):704-16.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandra Gudziunaite
- Medical University of Vienna, Department of Environmental Health, Center for Public Health, Vienna, Austria
| | - Zana Shabani
- University of Hasan Pristina, Medical Faculty, Pristina, Kosovo
| | - Lisbeth Weitensfelder
- Medical University of Vienna, Department of Environmental Health, Center for Public Health, Vienna, Austria
| | - Hanns Moshammer
- Medical University of Vienna, Department of Environmental Health, Center for Public Health, Vienna, Austria
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Kelchtermans J, Hakonarson H. The role of gene-ambient air pollution interactions in paediatric asthma. Eur Respir Rev 2022; 31:31/166/220094. [PMID: 36384702 PMCID: PMC9724879 DOI: 10.1183/16000617.0094-2022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2022] [Accepted: 08/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Globally, asthma prevention and treatment remain a challenge. Ambient air pollution (AAP) is an environmental risk factor of special interest in asthma research. AAP is poorly defined and has been subdivided either by the origin of the air pollution or by the specific bioactive compounds. The link between AAP exposure and asthma exacerbations is well established and has been extensively reviewed. In this narrative review, we discuss the specific genetic variants that have been associated with increased AAP sensitivity and impact in paediatric asthma. We highlight the relative importance of variants associated with genes with a role in oxidant defences and the nuclear factor-κB pathway supporting a potential central role for these pathways in AAP sensitivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jelte Kelchtermans
- Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA,The Center of Applied Genomics, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA,Division of Pulmonary Medicine, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA,Corresponding author: Jelte Kelchtermans ()
| | - Hakon Hakonarson
- Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA,The Center of Applied Genomics, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA,Division of Pulmonary Medicine, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA
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Cameron MP, Brown J, Cochrane W, Robertson N. A mixed-methods evaluation of the one-way door and CitySafe patrol policies in Whangarei, New Zealand. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0270149. [PMID: 35727795 PMCID: PMC9212131 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0270149] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2022] [Accepted: 06/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
In this paper, we evaluate the impacts of one-way door and CitySafe patrol policies in Whangarei, New Zealand, using a mixed-methods approach. In the quantitative analyses, we apply interrupted time series analysis and difference-in-differences analysis to data on antisocial behaviour derived from CCTV footage, and to police calls-for-service data. In the qualitative analysis, we apply thematic analysis to data from semi-structured interviews with 33 local stakeholders. We find a statistically significant increase in observed antisocial behaviour, but statistically significant decreases in violence and drug and alcohol offences, except when other small cities are used as a control group. In the qualitative analysis, a large majority of interviewees thought that the policy had reduced alcohol-related harm and increased safety, although a number of possible unintended consequences were also noted, including a reallocation of police resources, a redistribution of night-time drinking towards the suburbs, and a change in the demand for taxi companies. Overall, there is evidence only that the policies have reduced perceived alcohol-related harm, rather than reducing measures of harm.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael P. Cameron
- School of Accounting, Finance and Economics, University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand
- Te Ngira – Institute for Population Research, University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand
- * E-mail:
| | - Juliana Brown
- School of Psychology, University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand
| | - William Cochrane
- Te Ngira – Institute for Population Research, University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand
- School of Social Sciences, University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand
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Abstract
Human health is reflected in all spheres of life and the economy. One of the main causes of morbidity and early mortality is polluted air. Ambient air pollution is a serious source of disease and mortality across the world. Cities are notorious for their high levels of air pollution and sickness. However, the precise degree of the health impacts of air pollution at the municipal level are still largely unclear. One of the main reasons for increased morbidity is the presence of particulate matter. The aim of our study is to show the relationship between elevated levels of particulate matter in the air and certain diseases. In this paper, we apply InterCriteria Analysis (ICrA) to find the correlation between the level of air pollution and the number of people seeking medical help. This is a new approach for the problem. The results show the affect of air pollution on certain diseases with a short exposure on polluted air and when the exposure is prolonged. We observed that some diseases are exacerbated by brief exposure to polluted air, while in others, exacerbation occurs after prolonged exposure.
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Ambient Particulate Air Pollution and Daily Hospital Admissions in 31 Cities in Poland. ATMOSPHERE 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/atmos13020345] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
A strong and consistent association has been observed between morbidity or mortality rates and PM concentration, and is well documented in many countries. In Poland, despite poor air quality, studies concerning the evaluation of acute health effects of ambient air pollution on morbidity from respiratory or cardiovascular diseases are rare. We examined the short-term impact of PMx concentration on hospital admission in 31 Polish cities based on the daily PM10, PM2.5 concentration, meteorological variables, and hospital data. The generalized additive model (GAM) and a random-effects meta-analysis were used to assess the impact of air pollution on morbidity within the exposed population. Almost 1.6 million cardiovascular admissions and 600 thousand respiratory disorders were analyzed. The RR values for PM10-related cardiovascular and respiratory hospital admissions in Poland are equal to 1.0077 (95% confidence interval, 1.0062 to 1.0092) and 1.0218 (95% confidence interval, 1.0182 to 1.0253), respectively, while for PM2.5 1.0088 (95% confidence interval, 1.0072 to 1.0103) and 1.0289 (95% confidence interval, 1.0244 to 1.0335), respectively. Moreover, a moderate heterogeneity of RR estimates was observed between the analyzed cities (I2 values from 27% to 45%). The presented analysis confirms the significant association between hospital admission and PMx concentration, especially during heating seasons.
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Cao D, Zheng D, Qian ZM, Shen H, Liu Y, Liu Q, Sun J, Zhang S, Jiao G, Yang X, Vaughn MG, Wang C, Zhang X, Lin H. Ambient sulfur dioxide and hospital expenditures and length of hospital stay for respiratory diseases: A multicity study in China. ECOTOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY 2022; 229:113082. [PMID: 34929503 DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2021.113082] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2021] [Revised: 12/03/2021] [Accepted: 12/10/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Ambient sulfur dioxide (SO2) has been associated with morbidity and mortality of respiratory diseases, however, its effect on length of hospital stays (LOS) and cost for these diagnoses remain unclear. METHODS We collected hospital admission information for respiratory diseases from all 11 cities in the Shanxi Province of China during 2017-2019. We assessed individual-level exposure by using an inverse distance weighting approach based on geocoded residential addresses. A generalized additive model was built to delineate city-specific effects of SO2 on hospitalization, hospital expenditure, and length of hospital stay for respiratory diseases. The overall effects were obtained by random-effects meta-analysis. We further estimated the respiratory burden attributable to SO2 by comparing different reference concentrations. RESULTS We observed significant effects of SO2 exposure on respiratory diseases. At the provincial level, each 10 μg/m3 increase in SO2 on lag03 was associated with a 0.63% (95% CI: 0.14-0.11) increase in hospital admission, an increase of 4.56 days (95% CI: 1.16-7.95) of hospital stay, and 3647.97 renminbi (RMB, Chinese money) (95% CI: 1091.05-6204.90) in hospital cost. We estimated about 6.13 (95% CI: 1.33-11.10) thousand hospital admissions, 65.77 million RMB (95% CI: 19.67-111.87) in hospital expenditure, and 82.13 (95% CI: 20.87-143.40) thousand days of hospital stay could have potentially been avoided had the daily SO2 concentrations been reduced to WHO's reference concentration (40 µg/m3). Variable values in correspondence with this reference concentration could reduce the hospital cost and LOS of each case by 52.67 RMB (95% CI: 15.75-89.59) and 0.07 days (95% CI: 0.02-0.117). CONCLUSION This study provides evidence that short-term ambient SO2 exposure is an important risk factor of respiratory diseases, indicating that continually tightening policies to reduce SO2 levels could effectively reduce respiratory disease burden in Shanxi Province.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dawei Cao
- Department of Respiration, Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease Prevention and Control of Shanxi Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, First Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, Shanxi, China
| | - Dashan Zheng
- School of Public Health, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, Guangdong Province, China
| | - Zhengmin Min Qian
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, College for Public Health & Social Justice, Saint Louis University, 3545 Lafayette Avenue, Saint Louis, MO 63104, USA
| | - Huiqing Shen
- Department of Respiration, Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease Prevention and Control of Shanxi Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, First Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, Shanxi, China
| | - Yi Liu
- Department of Respiration, Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease Prevention and Control of Shanxi Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, First Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, Shanxi, China
| | - Qiyong Liu
- Key Laboratory of Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China
| | - Jimin Sun
- Key Laboratory of Vaccine, Prevention and Control of Infectious Disease of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Shiyu Zhang
- School of Public Health, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, Guangdong Province, China
| | - Guangyuan Jiao
- Department of Ideological and Political Education, School of Marxism, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Xiaoran Yang
- Department of Standards and Evaluation, Beijing Municipal Health Commission Policy Research Center, Beijing Municipal health Commission Information Center, Beijing, China
| | - Michael G Vaughn
- School of Social Work, College for Public Health & Social Justice, Saint Louis University, Tegeler Hall, 3550 Lindell Boulevard, St. Louis, MO 631034, USA
| | - Chongjian Wang
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, College of Public Health, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China
| | - Xinri Zhang
- Department of Respiration, Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease Prevention and Control of Shanxi Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, First Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, Shanxi, China.
| | - Hualiang Lin
- School of Public Health, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, Guangdong Province, China.
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Carter TM, Turner ND. Examining the immediate effects of COVID-19 on residential and commercial burglaries in Michigan: An interrupted time-series analysis. JOURNAL OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE 2021; 76:101834. [PMID: 36540624 PMCID: PMC9754902 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcrimjus.2021.101834] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2021] [Revised: 07/23/2021] [Accepted: 07/23/2021] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE Research assessing the relationship between COVID-19 lockdown restrictions and crime is growing. Attention to the nuances of burglary and intra-state variation in lockdown restrictions has received less attention. The current study contributes to this ongoing body of research by investigating the relationship between COVID-19 lockdown restrictions and burglary across four cities in Michigan. METHOD We use an interrupted time-series design to analyze weekly counts of residential and non-residential burglary from 2018 to 2020 in four Michigan cities: Detroit, Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, and Lansing. RESULTS Findings demonstrate that the relationship between the lockdown and weekly counts of burglary vary by the type of burglary and the city being analyzed. Residential burglaries in half of the sampled cities declined during the Michigan lockdown order. Commercial burglaries increased during the lockdown order in only one of the four cities examined. CONCLUSIONS City-wide crime trends following lockdown orders during the pandemic are not shared equally and vary according to the type of burglary under examination. In studying the effects of COVID-19 on crime, researchers should account for crime- and city-specific dynamics which may influence crime trends. Further, practitioners and policymakers should consider the impact of similar lockdown orders on burglary trends during public health emergencies.
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AlBalawi SM, Namdeo A, Hodgson S, Pless-Mulloli T, McNally RJQ. Short-term effects of air pollution on daily asthma-related emergency department visits in an industrial city. J Public Health (Oxf) 2021; 43:e45-e53. [PMID: 32193561 DOI: 10.1093/pubmed/fdaa035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Epidemiological studies from Europe and North America have provided evidence that exposure to air pollution can aggravate symptoms in asthmatic patients. METHODS Daily number of AEDv, air pollution levels (PM10, PM2.5, SO2, NO2 and CO) and meteorological variables was obtained from Jubail Industrial City, Saudi Arabia, for the period of 2007-11. Data were analyzed using a time-series approach. Relative risks (RRs) were estimated using Poisson regression. RESULTS The associations between AEDv and PM10, PM2.5, SO2 and NO2 remained positive and statistically significant after mutual adjustment in the multi-pollutant model.The RR of AEDv increased by 5.4, 4.4, 3.4 and 2.2% per an inter-quartile range increase in SO2 (2.0 ppb), PM2.5 (36 μg/m3), NO2 (7.6 ppb) and PM10 (140 μg/m3), respectively. No significant associations between AEDv and CO were found. CONCLUSIONS Current levels of ambient air pollution are associated with AEDv in this industrial setting in the Middle East. Greater awareness of environmental health protection and the implementation of effective measures to improve the quality of air in such settings would be beneficial to public health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Salem M AlBalawi
- Institute for Health and Society, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne & Wear NE2 4AA, UK
| | - Anil Namdeo
- Environmental Engineering Group, School of Engineering, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne & Wear NE1 7RU, UK
| | - Susan Hodgson
- MRC-PHE Centre for Environment and Health, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London W2 1PG, UK
| | - Tanja Pless-Mulloli
- Institute for Health and Society, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne & Wear NE2 4AA, UK
| | - Richard J Q McNally
- Institute for Health and Society, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne & Wear NE2 4AA, UK
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Cao D, Li D, Wu Y, Qian ZM, Liu Y, Liu Q, Sun J, Guo Y, Zhang S, Jiao G, Yang X, Wang C, McMillin SE, Zhang X, Lin H. Ambient PM 2.5 exposure and hospital cost and length of hospital stay for respiratory diseases in 11 cities in Shanxi Province, China. Thorax 2021; 76:thoraxjnl-2020-215838. [PMID: 34088786 DOI: 10.1136/thoraxjnl-2020-215838] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2020] [Revised: 04/09/2021] [Accepted: 05/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Few studies have examined the effects of ambient particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter less than or equal to 2.5 μm (PM2.5) on hospital cost and length of hospital stay for respiratory diseases in China. METHODS We estimated ambient air pollution exposure for respiratory cases through inverse distance-weighted averages of air monitoring stations based on their residential address and averaged at the city level. We used generalised additive models to quantify city-specific associations in 11 cities in Shanxi and a meta-analysis to estimate the overall effects. We further estimated respiratory burden attributable to PM2.5 using the standards of WHO (25 µg/m3) and China (75 µg/m3) as reference. RESULTS Each 10 µg/m3 increase in lag03 PM2.5 corresponded to 0.53% (95% CI: 0.33% to 0.73%) increase in respiratory hospitalisation, an increment of 3.75 thousand RMB (95% CI: 1.84 to 5.670) in hospital cost and 4.13 days (95% CI: 2.51 to 5.75) in length of hospital stay. About 9.7 thousand respiratory hospitalisations, 132 million RMB in hospital cost and 145 thousand days of hospital stay could be attributable to PM2.5 exposures using WHO's guideline as reference. We estimated that 193 RMB (95% CI: 95 to 292) in hospital cost and 0.21 days (95% CI: 0.13 to 0.30) in hospital stay could be potentially avoidable for an average respiratory case. CONCLUSION Significant respiratory burden could be attributable to PM2.5 exposures in Shanxi Province, China. The results need to be factored into impact assessment of air pollution policies to provide a more complete indication of the burden addressed by the policies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dawei Cao
- Department of Respiration, First Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, Shanxi, China
| | - Dongyan Li
- Department of Respiration, First Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, Shanxi, China
| | - Yinglin Wu
- Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Zhengmin Min Qian
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, College for Public Health and Social Justice, Saint Louis University, Saint Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Yi Liu
- Department of Respiration, First Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, Shanxi, China
| | - Qiyong Liu
- Key Laboratory of Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China
| | - Jimin Sun
- Key Laboratory of Vaccine, Prevention and Control of Infectious Disease of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Yuming Guo
- School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Shiyu Zhang
- Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Guangyuan Jiao
- Department of Ideological and Political Education, School of Marxism, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Xiaoran Yang
- Department of Standards and Evaluation, Beijing Municipal Health Commission Policy Research Center, Beijing Municipal health Commission Information Center, Beijing, China
| | - Chongjian Wang
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, College of Public Health, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China
| | - Stephen Edward McMillin
- School of Social Work, College for Public Health and Social Justice, Saint Louis University, Saint Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Xinri Zhang
- Department of Respiration, First Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, Shanxi, China
| | - Hualiang Lin
- Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
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Abstract
INTRODUCTION Air in urban areas is usually contaminated with particle matter. High concentrations lead to a rise in the risk of cardiovascular and respiratory diseases. Some studies have reported that ultrafine particles (UFP) play a greater role in cardiovascular diseases than other particle matter, particularly regarding hypertensive crises and DBP, although in the latter such effects were described concerning clinical blood pressure (BP). In this study, we evaluate the relationship between 24-h ambulatory BP monitoring (ABPM) and atmospheric UFP concentrations in Barcelona. METHODS An observational study of individual patients' temporal and geographical characteristics attended in Primary Care Centres and Hypertensive Units during 2009-2014 was performed. RESULTS The participants were 521 hypertensive patients, mean age 56.8 years (SD 14.5), 52.4% were women. Mean BMI was 28.0 kg/m and the most prominent cardiovascular risk factors were diabetes (N = 66, 12.7%) and smoking (N = 79, 15.2%). We describe UFP effects at short-term and up to 1 week (from lag 0 to 7). For every 10 000 particle/cm UFP increase measured at an urban background site, a corresponding statistically significant increase of 2.7 mmHg [95% confidence interval = (0.5-4.8)] in 24-h DBP with ABPM for the following day was observed (lag 1). CONCLUSION We have observed that a rise in UFP concentrations during the day prior to ABPM is significantly associated with an increase in 24 h and diurnal DBP. It has been increasingly demonstrated that UFP play a key role in cardiovascular risk factors and, as we have demonstrated, in good BP control.
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Evangelopoulos D, Analitis A, Giannakopoulos C, Katsouyanni K. Does climatic zone of birth modify the temperature-mortality association of London inhabitants during the warm season? A time-series analysis for 2004-2013. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2021; 193:110357. [PMID: 33131709 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2020.110357] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2020] [Revised: 08/11/2020] [Accepted: 10/13/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND It is known that on days with high temperatures higher mortality is observed and there is a minimum mortality temperature (MMT) point which is higher in places with warmer climate. This indicates some population adaptation to local climate but information on how quickly this adaptation will occur under climate change is lacking. METHODS To investigate this, we associated daily mortality data with temperature during the warm period in 2004-2013 for London inhabitants born in five climatic zones (UK, Tropical, Sub-tropical, Boreal and Mixed). We fitted Poisson regression with distributed-lag non-linear models for each climatic zone group separately to estimate group-specific exposure-response associations and MMTs. We report relative risks of death comparing the 95th percentile (21 °C) and maximum (25 °C) of the temperature distribution in London with the zone-specific minimum mortality temperature. RESULTS No heat-related mortality was observed for people born in countries with Sub-tropical and Mixed climates. We observed an increase of 26%, 35% and 39% in the risk of death at 25 °C compared to the MMT in people born in the UK (marine climate), Tropical and Boreal climate respectively. The temperatures with the lowest mortality in these groups ranged from 15.9 to 17.7 °C. DISCUSSION Our findings imply that people born in different climatic zones do not adapt fully to their new environment within their lifetime. This implies that populations may not adapt readily to climate change and will suffer increased effects from heat. In the presence of climate change, policy makers should be aware of a delayed process of adaptation.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Antonis Analitis
- Department of Hygiene, Epidemiology and Medical Statistics, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Christos Giannakopoulos
- Institute for Environmental Research and Sustainable Development, National Observatory of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Klea Katsouyanni
- Environmental Research Group, Imperial College, London, United Kingdom; Department of Hygiene, Epidemiology and Medical Statistics, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
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Public Health Considerations for PM10 in a High-Pollution Megacity: Influences of Atmospheric Condition and Land Coverage. ATMOSPHERE 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/atmos12010118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
This paper analyzes the PM10 concentrations and influences of atmospheric condition (AC) and land coverage (LC) on a high-pollution megacity (Bogota, Colombia) from a public health viewpoint. Information of monitoring stations equipped with measuring devices for PM10/temperature/solar-radiation/wind-speed were used. The research period lasted eight years (2007–2014). AC and LC were determined after comparing daily PM10 concentrations (DPM10) to reference limits published by the World Health Organization (WHO). ARIMA models for DPM10 were also developed. The results indicated that urban sectors with lower atmospheric instability (AI) had a 2.85% increase in daily mortality (DM) in relation to sectors with greater AI. In these sectors of lower AI, impervious LC predominated, instead of vegetated LC. An ARIMA analysis revealed that a greater extent of impervious LC around a station led to a greater effect on previous days’ DPM10 concentrations. Extreme PM10 episodes persisted for up to two days. Extreme pollution episodes were probably also preceded by low mixing-layer heights (between 722–1085 m). The findings showed a 13.0% increase in WHO standard excesses (PE) for each 10 µg/m3 increase in DPM10, and a 0.313% increase in DM for each 10% increase in PE. The observed average reduction of 14.8% in DPM10 (−0.79% in DM) was probably due to 40% restriction of the traffic at peak hours.
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Sorek-Hamer M, Chatfield R, Liu Y. Review: Strategies for using satellite-based products in modeling PM 2.5 and short-term pollution episodes. ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL 2020; 144:106057. [PMID: 32889481 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2020.106057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2020] [Revised: 08/06/2020] [Accepted: 08/10/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Short-term air pollution episodes motivate improved understanding of the association between air pollution and acute morbidity and mortality episodes, and triggers required mitigation plans. A variety of methods have been employed to estimate exposure to air pollution episodes, including GIS-based dispersion models, interpolation between sparse monitoring sites, land-use regression models, optimization models, line- or area-dispersion plume models, and models using information from imaging satellites, often including land-use and meteorological variables. There has been increasing use of satellite-borne aerosol products for assessing short-term air quality events. They provide better spatial coverage, but currently at the price of low temporal coverage and rather crude spatial resolution. This is a brief review on using satellite data for modeling short-term air quality and pollution events. The review can be pursued as a practical guide for modeling air quality with satellite-based products, as it includes important questions that should be considered in both the study design as well as the model development stages. Progress in this field is detailed and includes published models and their use in environmental and health studies. Both current and future satellite-borne capabilities are covered. It also provides links to access and download relevant datasets and some example R code for data processing and modeling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meytar Sorek-Hamer
- NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA, United States; Universities Space Research Association (USRA), Mountain View, CA, United States.
| | | | - Yang Liu
- Emory University, Rollins School of Public Health, Atlanta, GA, United States
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Impact of Relative Change in Temperature and Atmospheric Pressure on Acute Aortic Syndrome Occurrence in France. Sci Rep 2020; 10:76. [PMID: 31919377 PMCID: PMC6952440 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-56841-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2019] [Accepted: 11/14/2019] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Acute aortic syndromes (AAS) have been related to significant circadian and seasonal conditions. We used time series analyses to study the impact of meteorological variations on AAS occurrence. We retrospectively assessed 140 patients presenting with AAS over a 6-year period in a French university hospital. Average daily temperature (T) and atmospheric pressure (AP) at the location of the event were collected within the previous 10 days, and their association with AAS investigated with generalized additive models. A decrease in temperature of more than 5 °C within the previous seven days was significantly associated with an increased risk of AAS occurrence (OR equal to 1.86 [1.06; 3.44]). Subgroup analysis revealed that the risk was only significant among normotensive individuals (n = 41) free from blood pressure lowering medication (OR equal to 2.3 [1.05; 5.37]), but not among hypertensive individuals under blood pressure lowering medication despite a larger patient number (n = 99). Similarly, only among the subgroup of normotensive individuals a decrease of AP between 2 and 4 kPa within the previous 3 days was associated with an increased risk of AAS (OR equal to 2.93 [1.1; 8.15]) and an increased between 2 and 4 kPa was associated with a decreased risk (OR equal to 0.59 [0.36; 1.00]). Variations of meteorological conditions (temperature and AP) within the previous week seem to have effects on triggering AAS especially among the population free from blood pressure lowering medication.
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Matos EP, Reisen VA, Serpa FS, Prezotti Filho PR, Leite MDFS. Space-time analysis of the effect of air pollution on children's health. CAD SAUDE PUBLICA 2019; 35:e00145418. [PMID: 31596399 DOI: 10.1590/0102-311x00145418] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2018] [Accepted: 04/05/2019] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The study aimed to investigate the short-term association between air pollution and emergency treatments for respiratory diseases in children 0 to 6 years of age. This was an ecological space-time study in Greater Metropolitan Vitória, Espírito Santo State, Brazil. A Poisson regression general additive model (GAM) used the number of daily treatments for respiratory diseases as the dependent variable, and the independent variables were daily concentrations of air pollutants (PM10, SO2, NO2, O3, and CO), temperature, humidity, and precipitation. Average daily concentrations were used to make estimates for the entire metropolitan area and in loco analyses considering children residing in a 2km radius around 8 air quality monitoring stations. An increase of 10μg/m3 in the concentration of air pollutants increased the risk of emergency treatment for respiratory disease. In the overall area, for PM10, the increase was 2.43%, 2.73%, and 3.29% in the cumulative values at 5, 6, and 7 days, respectively. For SO2, the increase was 4.47% on the day of exposure, 5.26% two days later, and 6.47%, 8.8%, 8.76%, and 7.09% for the cumulative values at days 2, 3, 4, and 5 days, respectively. CO showed a significant association for residents around two stations, and O3 for only one. Even within the limits set by the World Health Organization, the pollutants PM10, SO2, NO2, and O3 are associated with increased risk of treatment for respiratory diseases in children 0 to 6 years of age, and some effects were only identified when disaggregating by neighborhood, i.e., in loco, which allows capturing greater variation in the data.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Valdério Anselmo Reisen
- Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, Vitória, Brasil.,Escola Superior de Ciências, Santa Casa de Misericórdia de Vitória, Vitória, Brasil
| | - Faradiba Sarquis Serpa
- Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, Vitória, Brasil.,Escola Superior de Ciências, Santa Casa de Misericórdia de Vitória, Vitória, Brasil
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Aisanov ZR, Chuchalin AG, Kalmanova EN. [Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and cardiovascular comorbidity]. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2019; 59:24-36. [PMID: 31526359 DOI: 10.18087/cardio.2572] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2019] [Accepted: 09/16/2019] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
In recent years, a greater understanding of the heterogeneity and complexity of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) has come from the point of view of an integrated clinical assessment of severity, pathophysiology, and the relationship with other pathologies. A typical COPD patient suffers on average 4 or more concomitant diseases and every day about a third of patients take from 5 to 10 different drugs. The mechanisms of the interaction of COPD and cardiovascular disease (CVD) include the effects of systemic inflammation, hyperinflation (hyperinflation) of the lungs and bronchial obstruction. The risk of developing CVD in patients with COPD is on average 2-3 times higher than in people of a comparable age in the general population, even taking into account the risk of smoking. The prevalence of coronary heart disease, heart failure, and rhythm disturbances among COPD patients is significantly higher than in the general population. The article discusses in detail the safety of prescribing various groups of drugs for the treatment of CVD in patients with COPD. Achieving success in understanding and managing patients with COPD and CVD is possible using an integrated multidisciplinary approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Z R Aisanov
- Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University
| | - A G Chuchalin
- Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University
| | - E N Kalmanova
- Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University
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17
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A Review of Early Injection Strategy in Premixed Combustion Engines. APPLIED SCIENCES-BASEL 2019. [DOI: 10.3390/app9183737] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Due to the increasing awareness of environmental protection, limitations on exhaust emissions of diesel engines have become increasingly stringent. This challenges diesel engine manufacturers to find a new balance between engine performance and emissions. Advanced combustion modes for diesel engines, such as homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) and premixed charge compression ignition (PCCI), which can simultaneously reduce exhaust emissions and substantially improve thermal efficiency, have drawn increasing attention. In order to allow enough time to prepare the homogeneous mixture, the early injection strategy has been utilized widely in HCCI and PCCI diesel engines. This paper is aimed at providing a comprehensive review of the effects of early injection parameters on the performance and emissions of HCCI and PCCI engines fueled by both diesel and alternative fuels. Various early injection parameters, including injection pressure, injection timing, and injection angle, are discussed. In addition, the effect of the blending ratio of alternative fuels is also summarized. Every change in parameters has its own advantages and disadvantages, which are explained in detail in order to help researchers choose the best early injection parameters for HCCI and PCCI engines.
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18
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Rodríguez-Campuzano AG, Hernández-Kelly LC, Ortega A. Acute Exposure to SiO 2 Nanoparticles Affects Protein Synthesis in Bergmann Glia Cells. Neurotox Res 2019; 37:366-379. [PMID: 31292883 DOI: 10.1007/s12640-019-00084-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2019] [Revised: 06/04/2019] [Accepted: 06/26/2019] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Attractive due to an alleged high biocompatibility, silica nanoparticles have been widely used in the field of nanomedicine; however, their proven capacity to induce the synthesis and release of pro-inflammatory cytokines in several cellular models has raised concern about their safety. Glutamate, the main excitatory amino acid transmitter triggers a wide variety of signal transduction cascades that regulate protein synthesis at transcriptional and translational levels. A stimulus-dependent dynamic change in the protein repertoire in neurons and glia cells is the molecular framework of higher brain functions. Within the cerebellum, Bergmann glia cells are the most abundant non-neuronal cells and span the entire molecular layer of the cerebellar cortex, wrapping the synapses in this structure. Taking into consideration the functional role of Bergmann glia in terms of the recycling of glutamate, lactate supply to neurons, and prevention of neurotoxic insults, we decided to investigate the possibility that silica nanoparticles affect Bergmann glia and by these means alter the major excitatory neurotransmitter system in the brain. To this end, we exposed cultured chick cerebellar Bergmann glia cells to silica nanoparticles and measured [35S]-methionine incorporation into newly synthesized polypeptides. Our results demonstrate that exposure of the cultured cells to silica nanoparticles exerts a time- and dose-dependent modulation of protein synthesis. Furthermore, altered patterns of eukaryotic initiation factor 2 alpha and eukaryotic elongation factor 2 phosphorylation were present upon nanoparticle exposure. These results demonstrate that glia cells respond to the presence of this nanomaterial modifying their proteome, presumably in an effort to overcome any plausible neurotoxic effect.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ada G Rodríguez-Campuzano
- Laboratorio de Neurotoxicología, Departamento de Toxicología, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Av. Instituto Politécnico Nacional No. 2508, Col. San Pedro Zacatenco, Apartado Postal 14-740, 07000, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Luisa C Hernández-Kelly
- Laboratorio de Neurotoxicología, Departamento de Toxicología, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Av. Instituto Politécnico Nacional No. 2508, Col. San Pedro Zacatenco, Apartado Postal 14-740, 07000, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Arturo Ortega
- Laboratorio de Neurotoxicología, Departamento de Toxicología, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Av. Instituto Politécnico Nacional No. 2508, Col. San Pedro Zacatenco, Apartado Postal 14-740, 07000, Mexico City, Mexico.
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Nori-Sarma A, Benmarhnia T, Rajiva A, Azhar GS, Gupta P, Pednekar MS, Bell ML. Advancing our Understanding of Heat Wave Criteria and Associated Health Impacts to Improve Heat Wave Alerts in Developing Country Settings. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2019; 16:ijerph16122089. [PMID: 31200449 PMCID: PMC6617133 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph16122089] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2019] [Revised: 06/01/2019] [Accepted: 06/07/2019] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Health effects of heat waves with high baseline temperatures in areas such as India remain a critical research gap. In these regions, extreme temperatures may affect the underlying population’s adaptive capacity; heat wave alerts should be optimized to avoid continuous high alert status and enhance constrained resources, especially under a changing climate. Data from registrars and meteorological departments were collected for four communities in Northwestern India. Propensity Score Matching (PSM) was used to obtain the relative risk of mortality and number of attributable deaths (i.e., absolute risk which incorporates the number of heat wave days) under a variety of heat wave definitions (n = 13) incorporating duration and intensity. Heat waves’ timing in season was also assessed for potential effect modification. Relative risk of heat waves (risk of mortality comparing heat wave days to matched non-heat wave days) varied by heat wave definition and ranged from 1.28 [95% Confidence Interval: 1.11–1.46] in Churu (utilizing the 95th percentile of temperature for at least two consecutive days) to 1.03 [95% CI: 0.87–1.23] in Idar and Himmatnagar (utilizing the 95th percentile of temperature for at least four consecutive days). The data trended towards a higher risk for heat waves later in the season. Some heat wave definitions displayed similar attributable mortalities despite differences in the number of identified heat wave days. These findings provide opportunities to assess the “efficiency” (or number of days versus potential attributable health impacts) associated with alternative heat wave definitions. Findings on both effect modification and trade-offs between number of days identified as “heat wave” versus health effects provide tools for policy makers to determine the most important criteria for defining thresholds to trigger heat wave alerts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amruta Nori-Sarma
- Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies, New Haven, CT 06511, USA.
| | - Tarik Benmarhnia
- Department of Family Medicine and Public Health and Scripps Institute of Oceanography, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA.
| | - Ajit Rajiva
- Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies, New Haven, CT 06511, USA.
| | | | - Prakash Gupta
- Healis-Sekhsaria Institute for Public Health, Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra 400 701, India.
| | - Mangesh S Pednekar
- Healis-Sekhsaria Institute for Public Health, Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra 400 701, India.
| | - Michelle L Bell
- Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies, New Haven, CT 06511, USA.
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Slama A, Śliwczyński A, Woźnica J, Zdrolik M, Wiśnicki B, Kubajek J, Turżańska-Wieczorek O, Gozdowski D, Wierzba W, Franek E. Impact of air pollution on hospital admissions with a focus on respiratory diseases: a time-series multi-city analysis. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2019; 26:16998-17009. [PMID: 30929168 PMCID: PMC6546668 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-019-04781-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2019] [Accepted: 03/04/2019] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
Together with the growing availability of data from electronic records from healthcare providers and healthcare systems, an assessment of associations between different environmental parameters (e.g., pollution levels and meteorological data) and hospitalizations, morbidity, and mortality has become possible. This study aimed to assess the association of air pollution and hospitalizations using a large database comprising almost all hospitalizations in Poland. This time-series analysis has been conducted in five cities in Poland (Warsaw, Białystok, Bielsko-Biała, Kraków, Gdańsk) over a period of almost 4 years (2014-2017, 1255 days), covering more than 20 million of hospitalizations. The hospitalizations have been extracted from the National Health Fund registries as daily summaries. Correlation analysis and distributed lag nonlinear models have been used to investigate for statistically relevant associations of air pollutants on hospitalizations, trying by various methods to minimize potential bias from atmospheric parameters, days of the week, bank holidays, etc. A statistically significant increase of respiratory disease hospitalizations has been detected after peaks of particulate matter concentrations (particularly PM2.5, between 0.9 and 4.5% increase per 10 units of pollutant increase, and PM10, between 0.9 and 3.5% per 10 units of pollutant increase), with a typical time lag between the pollutant peak and the event of 2 to 6 days. For other pollution parameters and other types of hospitalizations (e.g., cardiovascular events, eye and skin diseases, etc.), a weaker and ununiform correlations were recorded. Ambient air pollution exposure increases are associated with a short-term increase of hospitalizations due to respiratory tract diseases. The most prominent effect was recorded with the correlation of PM2.5 and PM10. There is only weak evidence indicating that such short-term associations exist between peaks of air pollution concentrations and increased hospitalizations for other (e.g., cardiovascular) diseases. The obtained information could be used to better predict hospitalization patterns and costs for the healthcare system and perhaps trigger additional vigilance on particulate matter pollution in the cities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandro Slama
- Central Clinical Hospital MSWiA in Warsaw, Wołoska 137, 02-507, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Andrzej Śliwczyński
- University of Humanities and Economics in Łodz, Satellite Campus in Warsaw, ul. Wolność 2a, 01-018, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Jolanta Woźnica
- Chancellery of the Prime Minister of Poland, al. Ujazdowskie 1/3, 00-001, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Maciej Zdrolik
- Chancellery of the Prime Minister of Poland, al. Ujazdowskie 1/3, 00-001, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Bartłomiej Wiśnicki
- Chancellery of the Prime Minister of Poland, al. Ujazdowskie 1/3, 00-001, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Jakub Kubajek
- Chancellery of the Prime Minister of Poland, al. Ujazdowskie 1/3, 00-001, Warsaw, Poland
| | | | - Dariusz Gozdowski
- Warsaw University of Life Sciences, Nowoursynowska 166, 02-787, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Waldemar Wierzba
- University of Humanities and Economics in Łodz, Satellite Campus in Warsaw, ul. Wolność 2a, 01-018, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Edward Franek
- Central Clinical Hospital MSWiA in Warsaw, Wołoska 137, 02-507, Warsaw, Poland.
- Mossakowski Clinical Research Centre, Polish Academy of Sciences, Pawinskiego 5, 02-106 Warsaw, Poland.
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Murage P, Hajat S, Bone A. Variation in Cold-Related Mortality in England Since the Introduction of the Cold Weather Plan: Which Areas Have the Greatest Unmet Needs? INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2018; 15:E2588. [PMID: 30463273 PMCID: PMC6265768 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph15112588] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2018] [Revised: 11/14/2018] [Accepted: 11/15/2018] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
: The Cold Weather Plan (CWP) in England was introduced to prevent the adverse health effects of cold weather; however, its impact is currently unknown. This study characterizes cold-related mortality and fuel poverty at STP (Sustainability and Transformation Partnership) level, and assesses changes in cold risk since the introduction of the CWP. Time series regression was used to estimate mortality risk for up to 28 days following exposure. Area level fuel poverty was used to indicate mitigation against cold exposure and mapped alongside area level risk. We found STP variations in mortality risk, ranging from 1.74, 1.44⁻2.09 (relative risk (RR), 95% CI) in Somerset, to 1.19, 1.01⁻1.40 in Cambridge and Peterborough. Following the introduction of the CWP, national-level mortality risk declined significantly in those aged 0⁻64 (1.34, 1.23⁻1.45, to 1.09, 1.00⁻1.19), but increased significantly among those aged 75+ (1.36, 1.28⁻1.44, to 1.58, 1.47⁻1.70) and for respiratory conditions (1.78, 1.56⁻2.02, to 2.4, 2.10⁻2.79). We show how spatial variation in cold mortality risk has increased since the introduction of the CWP, which may reflect differences in implementation of the plan. Combining risk with fuel poverty information identifies 14 STPs with the greatest need to address the cold effect, and that would gain most from enhanced CWP activity or additional intervention measures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peninah Murage
- Department of Public Health, Environment and Society, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, 15⁻17 Tavistock Place, London, WC1H 9SH, UK.
| | - Shakoor Hajat
- Department of Public Health, Environment and Society, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, 15⁻17 Tavistock Place, London, WC1H 9SH, UK.
| | - Angie Bone
- European Centre for Environment and Human Health, University of Exeter College of Medicine and Health, Heavitree Road, Exeter, EX1 2LU, UK.
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Tateo F, Grassivaro F, Ermani M, Puthenparampil M, Gallo P. PM2.5 levels strongly associate with multiple sclerosis prevalence in the Province of Padua, Veneto Region, North-East Italy. Mult Scler 2018; 25:1719-1727. [DOI: 10.1177/1352458518803273] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Background: Incidence and prevalence trends of multiple sclerosis (MS) in the Province of Padua, North-East Italy, suggest that environmental factors may be associated with increased MS risk. Objective: To investigate the association of PM2.5 with MS prevalence in one of the most polluted geographical area of Italy. Methods: In total, 1435 Italian MS patients residing in the Province of Padua were enrolled. The province surface was classified into urban areas, isolated villages, industrialized places, and countryside. Satellite-derived dust-free and sea salt-free PM2.5 concentrations (annual average 1998–2015, μg/m3) allowed the identification of 18 classes of territorial sections with statistically evaluable numbers of inhabitants. Possible correlations between residential locality types, PM2.5 concentrations, and MS prevalence were investigated. Results: MS prevalence was significantly ( p < 0.0001) higher in urban areas (ranging from 219 in Padua City to 169/100,000 in other urban areas) compared to isolated villages (116/100,000) or rural domains (109/100,000) and strongly correlated with the annual average concentration of PM2.5 ( r = 0.81, p < 0.001). Regression analysis further associated MS cases with PM.2.5 average concentration ( β = 0.11, p < 0.001). Conclusion: In the Province of Padua, MS prevalence is strongly associated with PM2.5 exposure suggesting that air pollutants may be one of the possible environmental risk factors for MS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabio Tateo
- Institute of Geosciences and Earth Resources, National Research Council of Italy, Department of Geosciences, Università degli Studi di Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Francesca Grassivaro
- Multiple Sclerosis Centre, Department of Neurosciences (DNS), Università degli Studi di Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Mario Ermani
- Department of Neurosciences (DNS), Università degli Studi di Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Marco Puthenparampil
- Multiple Sclerosis Centre, Department of Neurosciences (DNS), Università degli Studi di Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Paolo Gallo
- Multiple Sclerosis Centre, Department of Neurosciences (DNS), Università degli Studi di Padova, Padova, Italy
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Zhou N, Jiang C, Chen Q, Yang H, Wang X, Zou P, Sun L, Liu J, Li L, Li L, Huang L, Chen H, Ao L, Zhou Z, Liu J, Cui Z, Cao J. Exposures to Atmospheric PM 10 and PM 10-2.5 Affect Male Semen Quality: Results of MARHCS Study. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2018; 52:1571-1581. [PMID: 29320852 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.7b05206] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Studies have shown that the effects of ambient particulate matter (PM) may be related to particle's size. However, results on the relationships between different PM and reproductive health are controversial. To explore the impacts of various PM fractions on male reproductive health, a total of 796 eligible subjects recruited in 2013 baseline investigation. In addition, there were 656 (82.4%) and 568 (71.3%) subjects participated follow-up surveys in 2014 and 2015, respectively. We used multivariable regression analysis and mixed-effect model to investigate the associations between air pollutants PM10, PM10-2.5, and PM2.5 exposures and semen quality, sperm DNA fragmentation and serum reproductive hormones of subjects. In the preliminary regression analysis, PM10, PM10-2.5, and PM2.5 exposure all associated with sperm concentration, morphology, sperm high DNA stainability (HDS), serum estradiol and testosterone levels. However, in mixed models, we only found that PM10 exposure were negatively associated with sperm normal morphology (95% CI: -14.13, -24.47) but positively associated with sperm progressive motility (95% CI: 23.00, 8.49), and PM10-2.5 exposure was inversely associated with sperm concentration (95% CI: -9.06, -27.31) after multiplicity adjustment. Our results provide the evidence that air PM10 and PM10-2.5 exposures, not PM2.5, are risk factors of semen quality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Niya Zhou
- Key Lab of Medical Protection for Electromagnetic Radiation, Ministry of Education of China, Institute of Toxicology, College of Preventive Medicine, Third Military Medical University , Chongqing, China
| | - Changtan Jiang
- Ecological and Environmental Monitoring Center of Chongqing, Chongqing, China
| | - Qing Chen
- Key Lab of Medical Protection for Electromagnetic Radiation, Ministry of Education of China, Institute of Toxicology, College of Preventive Medicine, Third Military Medical University , Chongqing, China
| | - Huan Yang
- Key Lab of Medical Protection for Electromagnetic Radiation, Ministry of Education of China, Institute of Toxicology, College of Preventive Medicine, Third Military Medical University , Chongqing, China
| | - Xiaogang Wang
- Key Lab of Medical Protection for Electromagnetic Radiation, Ministry of Education of China, Institute of Toxicology, College of Preventive Medicine, Third Military Medical University , Chongqing, China
| | - Peng Zou
- Key Lab of Medical Protection for Electromagnetic Radiation, Ministry of Education of China, Institute of Toxicology, College of Preventive Medicine, Third Military Medical University , Chongqing, China
| | - Lei Sun
- Key Lab of Medical Protection for Electromagnetic Radiation, Ministry of Education of China, Institute of Toxicology, College of Preventive Medicine, Third Military Medical University , Chongqing, China
| | - Jiaojiao Liu
- Ecological and Environmental Monitoring Center of Chongqing, Chongqing, China
| | - Ling Li
- Ecological and Environmental Monitoring Center of Chongqing, Chongqing, China
| | - Lianbing Li
- Key Laboratory of Birth Defects and Reproductive Health of the National Health and Family Planning Commission, Chongqing Population and Family Planning Science and Technology Research Institute , Chongqing, China
| | - Linping Huang
- Key Lab of Medical Protection for Electromagnetic Radiation, Ministry of Education of China, Institute of Toxicology, College of Preventive Medicine, Third Military Medical University , Chongqing, China
| | - Hongqiang Chen
- Key Lab of Medical Protection for Electromagnetic Radiation, Ministry of Education of China, Institute of Toxicology, College of Preventive Medicine, Third Military Medical University , Chongqing, China
| | - Lin Ao
- Key Lab of Medical Protection for Electromagnetic Radiation, Ministry of Education of China, Institute of Toxicology, College of Preventive Medicine, Third Military Medical University , Chongqing, China
| | - Ziyuan Zhou
- Department of Environmental Health, College of Preventive Medicine, Third Military Medical University , Chongqing, China
| | - Jinyi Liu
- Key Lab of Medical Protection for Electromagnetic Radiation, Ministry of Education of China, Institute of Toxicology, College of Preventive Medicine, Third Military Medical University , Chongqing, China
| | - Zhihong Cui
- Key Lab of Medical Protection for Electromagnetic Radiation, Ministry of Education of China, Institute of Toxicology, College of Preventive Medicine, Third Military Medical University , Chongqing, China
| | - Jia Cao
- Key Lab of Medical Protection for Electromagnetic Radiation, Ministry of Education of China, Institute of Toxicology, College of Preventive Medicine, Third Military Medical University , Chongqing, China
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Achilleos S, Kioumourtzoglou MA, Wu CD, Schwartz JD, Koutrakis P, Papatheodorou SI. Acute effects of fine particulate matter constituents on mortality: A systematic review and meta-regression analysis. ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL 2017; 109:89-100. [PMID: 28988023 PMCID: PMC5689473 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2017.09.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 180] [Impact Index Per Article: 25.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2016] [Revised: 09/01/2017] [Accepted: 09/09/2017] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The link between PM2.5 exposure and adverse health outcomes is well documented from studies across the world. However, the reported effect estimates vary across studies, locations and constituents. We aimed to conduct a meta-analysis on associations between short-term exposure to PM2.5 constituents and mortality using city-specific estimates, and explore factors that may explain some of the observed heterogeneity. METHODS We systematically reviewed epidemiological studies on particle constituents and mortality using PubMed and Web of Science databases up to July 2015.We included studies that examined the association between short-term exposure to PM2.5 constituents and all-cause, cardiovascular, and respiratory mortality, in the general adult population. Each study was summarized based on pre-specified study key parameters (e.g., location, time period, population, diagnostic classification standard), and we evaluated the risk of bias using the Office of Health Assessment and Translation (OHAT) Method for each included study. We extracted city-specific mortality risk estimates for each constituent and cause of mortality. For multi-city studies, we requested the city-specific risk estimates from the authors unless reported in the article. We performed random effects meta-analyses using city-specific estimates, and examined whether the effects vary across regions and city characteristics (PM2.5 concentration levels, air temperature, elevation, vegetation, size of elderly population, population density, and baseline mortality). RESULTS We found a 0.89% (95% CI: 0.68, 1.10%) increase in all-cause, a 0.80% (95% CI: 0.41, 1.20%) increase in cardiovascular, and a 1.10% (95% CI: 0.59, 1.62%) increase in respiratory mortality per 10μg/m3 increase in PM2.5. Accounting for the downward bias induced by studies of single days, the all-cause mortality estimate increased to 1.01% (95% CI: 0.81, 1.20%). We found significant associations between mortality and several PM2.5 constituents. The most consistent and stronger associations were observed for elemental carbon (EC) and potassium (K). For most of the constituents, we observed high variability of effect estimates across cities. CONCLUSIONS Our meta-analysis suggests that (a) combustion elements such as EC and K have a stronger association with mortality, (b) single lag studies underestimate effects, and (c) estimates of PM2.5 and constituents differ across regions. Accounting for PM mass in constituent's health models may lead to more stable and comparable effect estimates across different studies. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION PROSPERO: CRD42017055765.
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Affiliation(s)
- Souzana Achilleos
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA.
| | | | - Chih-Da Wu
- Department of Forestry and Natural Resources, National Chiayi University, Chiayi, Taiwan
| | - Joel D Schwartz
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Petros Koutrakis
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Stefania I Papatheodorou
- Cyprus International Institute for Environmental and Public Health, Cyprus University of Technology, Limassol, Cyprus
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Bañeras J, Ferreira-González I, Marsal JR, Barrabés JA, Ribera A, Lidón RM, Domingo E, Martí G, García-Dorado D. Short-term exposure to air pollutants increases the risk of ST elevation myocardial infarction and of infarct-related ventricular arrhythmias and mortality. Int J Cardiol 2017; 250:35-42. [PMID: 29056239 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijcard.2017.10.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2017] [Revised: 09/25/2017] [Accepted: 10/02/2017] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The relation between STEMI and air pollution (AP) is scant. We aimed to investigate the short term association between AP and the incidence of STEMI, and STEMI-related ventricular arrhythmias (VA) and mortality. METHODS The study was carried out in the area of Barcelona from January 2010 to December 2011. Daily STEMI rates and incidence of STEMI-related VA and mortality were obtained prospectively. The corresponding daily levels of the main pollutants were recorded as well as the atmospheric variables. Three cohorts were defined in order to minimize exposure bias. The magnitude of association was estimated using a time-series design and was adjusted according to atmospheric variables. RESULTS The daily rate of hospital admissions for STEMI was associated with increases in PM 2.5, PM 10, lead and NO2 concentrations. VA incidence and mortality were associated with increases in PM 2.5 and PM 10 concentrations. In the most specific cohort, BCN (Barcelona) Attended & Resident, STEMI incidence was associated with increases in PM 2.5 (1.009% per 10μg/m3) and PM 10 concentrations (1.005% per 10μg/m3). VA was associated with increases in PM 2.5 (1.021%) and PM 10 (1.015%) and mortality was associated with increases in PM 2.5 (1.083%) and PM 10 (1.045%). CONCLUSIONS Short-term exposure to high levels of PM 2.5 and PM 10 is associated with increased daily STEMI admissions and STEMI-related VA and mortality. Exposure to high levels of lead and NO2 is associated with increased daily STEMI admissions, and NO2 with higher mortality in STEMI patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jordi Bañeras
- Department of Cardiology, Vall d'Hebron Hospital, CIBERCV, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Passeig Vall d'Hebron 119-129, 08035 Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Ignacio Ferreira-González
- Department of Cardiology, Vall d'Hebron Hospital, CIBERCV, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Passeig Vall d'Hebron 119-129, 08035 Barcelona, Spain; CIBER de Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Spain
| | | | - José A Barrabés
- Department of Cardiology, Vall d'Hebron Hospital, CIBERCV, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Passeig Vall d'Hebron 119-129, 08035 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Aida Ribera
- Department of Cardiology, Vall d'Hebron Hospital, CIBERCV, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Passeig Vall d'Hebron 119-129, 08035 Barcelona, Spain; CIBER de Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Spain
| | - Rosa Maria Lidón
- Department of Cardiology, Vall d'Hebron Hospital, CIBERCV, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Passeig Vall d'Hebron 119-129, 08035 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Enric Domingo
- Department of Cardiology, Vall d'Hebron Hospital, CIBERCV, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Passeig Vall d'Hebron 119-129, 08035 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Gerard Martí
- Department of Cardiology, Vall d'Hebron Hospital, CIBERCV, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Passeig Vall d'Hebron 119-129, 08035 Barcelona, Spain
| | - David García-Dorado
- Department of Cardiology, Vall d'Hebron Hospital, CIBERCV, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Passeig Vall d'Hebron 119-129, 08035 Barcelona, Spain
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Osborne NJ, Alcock I, Wheeler BW, Hajat S, Sarran C, Clewlow Y, McInnes RN, Hemming D, White M, Vardoulakis S, Fleming LE. Pollen exposure and hospitalization due to asthma exacerbations: daily time series in a European city. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BIOMETEOROLOGY 2017; 61:1837-1848. [PMID: 28500390 PMCID: PMC5643363 DOI: 10.1007/s00484-017-1369-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2016] [Revised: 04/17/2017] [Accepted: 04/27/2017] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Exposure to pollen can contribute to increased hospital admissions for asthma exacerbation. This study applied an ecological time series analysis to examine associations between atmospheric concentrations of different pollen types and the risk of hospitalization for asthma in London from 2005 to 2011. The analysis examined short-term associations between daily pollen counts and hospital admissions in the presence of seasonal and long-term patterns, and allowed for time lags between exposure and admission. Models were adjusted for temperature, precipitation, humidity, day of week, and air pollutants. Analyses revealed an association between daily counts (continuous) of grass pollen and adult hospital admissions for asthma in London, with a 4-5-day lag. When grass pollen concentrations were categorized into Met Office pollen 'alert' levels, 'very high' days (vs. 'low') were associated with increased admissions 2-5 days later, peaking at an incidence rate ratio of 1.46 (95%, CI 1.20-1.78) at 3 days. Increased admissions were also associated with 'high' versus 'low' pollen days at a 3-day lag. Results from tree pollen models were inconclusive and likely to have been affected by the shorter pollen seasons and consequent limited number of observation days with higher tree pollen concentrations. Future reductions in asthma hospitalizations may be achieved by better understanding of environmental risks, informing improved alert systems and supporting patients to take preventive measures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas J Osborne
- European Centre for Environment and Human Health, University of Exeter Medical School, Truro, Cornwall, UK.
- School of Public Health and Community Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia.
| | - Ian Alcock
- European Centre for Environment and Human Health, University of Exeter Medical School, Truro, Cornwall, UK
| | - Benedict W Wheeler
- European Centre for Environment and Human Health, University of Exeter Medical School, Truro, Cornwall, UK
| | - Shakoor Hajat
- London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | | | | | - Rachel N McInnes
- European Centre for Environment and Human Health, University of Exeter Medical School, Truro, Cornwall, UK
- Met Office Hadley Centre, Fitzroy Road, Exeter, EX1 3PB, UK
| | | | - Mathew White
- European Centre for Environment and Human Health, University of Exeter Medical School, Truro, Cornwall, UK
| | - Sotiris Vardoulakis
- European Centre for Environment and Human Health, University of Exeter Medical School, Truro, Cornwall, UK
- London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK
- Environmental Change Department, Centre for Radiation, Chemical and Environmental Hazards, Public Health England, Chilton, Oxon, OX11 0RQ, UK
| | - Lora E Fleming
- European Centre for Environment and Human Health, University of Exeter Medical School, Truro, Cornwall, UK
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Renzi M, Stafoggia M, Faustini A, Cesaroni G, Cattani G, Forastiere F. Analysis of Temporal Variability in the Short-term Effects of Ambient Air Pollutants on Nonaccidental Mortality in Rome, Italy (1998-2014). ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PERSPECTIVES 2017; 125:067019. [PMID: 28657539 PMCID: PMC5761706 DOI: 10.1289/ehp19] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2016] [Revised: 11/07/2016] [Accepted: 11/07/2016] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES The association between short-term air pollution exposure and daily mortality has been widely investigated, but little is known about the temporal variability of the effect estimates. We examined the temporal relationship between exposure to particulate matter (PM) (PM10, PM2.5) and gases (NO2, SO2, and CO) with mortality in a large metropolitan area over the last 17 y. METHODS Our analysis included 359,447 nonaccidental deaths among ≥35-y-old individuals in Rome, Italy, over the study period 1998–2014. We related daily concentrations to mortality counts with a time-series Poisson regression analysis adjusted for long-term trends, meteorology, and population dynamics. RESULTS Annual average concentrations decreased over the study period for all pollutants (e.g., from 42.9 to 26.6 μg/m3 for PM10). Each pollutant was positively associated with mortality, with estimated percentage increases over the entire study period ranging from 0.19% (95% CI: 0.13, 0.26) for a 1-Mg/m3 increase in CO (0–1 d lag) to 3.03% (95% CI: 2.44, 3.63) for a 10-μg/m3 increase in NO2 (0–5 d lag). We did not observe clear temporal patterns in year- or period-specific effect estimates for any pollutant. For example, we estimated that a 10-μg/m3 increase in PM10 was associated with 1.16% (95% CI: 0.53, 1.79), 0.99% (95% CI: 0.23, 1.77), and 1.87% (95% CI: 1.00, 2.74) increases in mortality for the periods 2001–2005, 2006–2010, and 2011–2014, respectively, and corresponding estimates for a 10-μg/m3 increase in NO2 were 4.20% (95% CI: 3.15, 5.25), 1.78% (95% CI: 0.73, 2.85), and 3.32% (95% CI: 2.03, 4.63). CONCLUSIONS Mean concentrations of air pollutants have decreased over the last two decades in Rome, but effect estimates for a fixed increment in each exposure were generally consistent. These findings suggest that there has been little or no change in the overall toxicity of the air pollution mixture over time. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matteo Renzi
- Department of Epidemiology, Lazio Region Health Service/ASL Roma 1 , Rome, Italy
| | - Massimo Stafoggia
- Department of Epidemiology, Lazio Region Health Service/ASL Roma 1 , Rome, Italy
| | - Annunziata Faustini
- Department of Epidemiology, Lazio Region Health Service/ASL Roma 1 , Rome, Italy
| | - Giulia Cesaroni
- Department of Epidemiology, Lazio Region Health Service/ASL Roma 1 , Rome, Italy
| | - Giorgio Cattani
- Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA) , Rome, Italy
| | - Francesco Forastiere
- Department of Epidemiology, Lazio Region Health Service/ASL Roma 1 , Rome, Italy
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Association between Air Pollution and Emergency Room Visits for Atrial Fibrillation. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2017. [PMID: 28632149 PMCID: PMC5486347 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph14060661] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Despite the large prevalence in the population, possible factors responsible for the induction of atrial fibrillation (AF) events in susceptible individuals remain incompletely understood. We investigated the association between air pollution levels and emergency department admissions for AF in Rome. We conducted a 14 years’ time-series study to evaluate the association between the daily levels of air pollution (particulate matter, PM10 and PM2.5, and nitrogen dioxide, NO2) and the daily count of emergency accesses for AF (ICD-9 code: 427.31). We applied an over-dispersed conditional Poisson model to analyze the associations at different lags after controlling for time, influenza epidemics, holiday periods, temperature, and relative humidity. Additionally, we evaluated bi-pollutant models by including the other pollutant and the influence of several effect modifiers such as personal characteristics and pre-existing medical conditions. In the period of study, 79,892 individuals were admitted to the emergency departments of Rome hospitals because of AF (on average, 15.6 patients per day: min = 1, max = 36). Air pollution levels were associated with increased AF emergency visits within 24 h of exposure. Effect estimates ranged between 1.4% (0.7–2.3) for a 10 µg/m3 increase of PM10 to 3% (1.4–4.7) for a 10 µg/m3 increase of PM2.5 at lag 0–1 day. Those effects were higher in patients ≥75 years for all pollutants, male patients for PM10, and female patients for NO2. The presence of previous cardiovascular conditions, but not other effect modifiers, increase the pollution effects by 5–8% depending on the lag. This study found evidence that air pollution is associated with AF emergency visits in the short term.
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Hospital-Acquired Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Bloodstream Infections in Québec: Impact of Guidelines. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2017; 38:840-847. [PMID: 28580894 DOI: 10.1017/ice.2017.81] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE We examined the impact of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) guidelines in Québec adult hospitals from January 1, 2006, to March 31, 2015, by examining the incidence rate reduction (IRR) in healthcare-associated MRSA bloodstream infections (HA-MRSA), using central-line associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs) as a comparator. METHODS In this study, we utilized a quasi-experimental design with Poisson segmented regression to model HA-MRSA and CLABSI incidence for successive 4-week surveillance segments, stratified by teaching status. We used 3 distinct periods with 2 break points (April 1, 2007, and January 3, 2010) corresponding to major MRSA guideline publications and updates. RESULTS Over the study period, HA-MRSA incidence decreased significantly in adult teaching facilities but not in nonteaching facilities. Prior to MRSA guideline publication (2006-2007), HA-MRSA incidence decrease was not significant (P=.89), while CLABSI incidence decreased by 4% per 4-week period (P=.05). After the publication of guidelines (2007-2009), HA-MRSA incidence decreased significantly by 1% (P=.04), while no significant decrease in CLABSI incidence was observed (P=.75). HA-MRSA and CLABSI decreases were both significant at 1% for 2010-2015 (P<.001 and P=.01, respectively). These decreases were gradual rather than sudden; break points were not significant. Teaching facilities drove these decreases. CONCLUSION During the study period, HA-MRSA and CLABSI rates decreased significantly. In 2007-2009, the significant decrease in HA-MRSA rates with stable CLABSI rates suggests an impact from MRSA-specific guidelines. In 2010-2015, significant and equal IRRs for HA-MRSA and CLABSI may be due to the continuing impact of MRSA guidelines, to the impact of new interventions targeting device-associated infections in general by the 2010-2015 Action Plan, or to a combination of factors. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2017;38:840-847.
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Wichmann J. Heat effects of ambient apparent temperature on all-cause mortality in Cape Town, Durban and Johannesburg, South Africa: 2006-2010. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2017; 587-588:266-272. [PMID: 28242220 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.02.135] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2016] [Revised: 02/16/2017] [Accepted: 02/16/2017] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Due to climate change, an increase of 3-4°C in ambient temperature is projected along the South African coast and 6-7°C inland during the next 80years. The objective of this study was to investigate the association between daily ambient apparent temperature (Tapp) and daily all-cause non-accidental mortality (hereafter mortality) in Cape Town, Durban and Johannesburg during a 5-year study period (2006-2010). Susceptibility by sex and age groups (<15years, 15-64years and ≥65years) was also investigated. The associations were investigated with the time-stratified case-crossover epidemiological design. Models were controlled for PM10, public holidays and influenza epidemics. City-specific Tapp thresholds were determined using quasi-Poisson generalised additive models. The pooled estimates by sex and age groups were determined in meta-analyses. The city-specific Tapp thresholds were 18.6°C, 24.8°C and 18.7°C, respectively for Cape Town, Durban and Johannesburg. A 3.3%, 2.6% and 2.8% increase in mortality per IQR increase in Tapp (lag0-1) was observed in Cape Town, Durban and Johannesburg, respectively above the city-specific thresholds. The elderly were more at risk in Cape Town and Johannesburg. No difference in risk was observed for males and females in the three cities. In the meta-analysis an overall significant increase of 0.9% in mortality per 1°C increase in Tapp (lag0-1) was observed for all age groups combined in the three cities. For the ≥65year group a significant increase of 2.1% in mortality was observed. In conclusion, the risks for all age groups combined and the elderly are similar to those reported in studies from developed and developing countries. The results can be used in present-day early warning systems and in risk assessments to estimate the impact of increased Tapp in the country due to climate change. Future research should investigate the association between Tapp and cause-specific mortality and also morbidity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janine Wichmann
- School of Health Systems and Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0001, South Africa.
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Mortality Associated with High Ambient Temperatures, Heatwaves, and the Urban Heat Island in Athens, Greece. SUSTAINABILITY 2017. [DOI: 10.3390/su9040606] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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Kim SE, Honda Y, Hashizume M, Kan H, Lim YH, Lee H, Kim CT, Yi SM, Kim H. Seasonal analysis of the short-term effects of air pollution on daily mortality in Northeast Asia. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2017; 576:850-857. [PMID: 27833062 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.10.036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2016] [Revised: 10/03/2016] [Accepted: 10/05/2016] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
The constituents and concentrations of pollutants, individual exposures, and biologic responses to air pollution may vary by season and meteorological conditions. However, evidence regarding seasonality of the acute effects of air pollution on mortality is limited and inconsistent. Herein, we examined seasonal patterns in the short-term associations of particulate matter (PM) smaller than 10μm (PM10) with daily mortality in 29 cities of three northeast Asian countries. Stratified time-series models were used to determine whether season altered the effect of PM10 on mortality. This effect was first quantified within each season and at each location using a time-series model, after which city-specific estimates were pooled using a hierarchical Bayesian model. In all data sets, 3,675,348 non-accidental deaths were registered from 1993 to 2009. In Japan, a 10μg/m3 increase in PM10 was significantly associated with increases in non-accidental mortality of 0.44% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.03%, 0.8%) in spring and 0.42% (0.02%, 0.82%) in fall. In South Korea, a 10μg/m3 increase in PM10 was significantly associated with increases in non-accidental mortality of 0.51% (0.01%, 1.01%) in summer and 0.45% (0.03%, 0.87%) in fall, in cardiovascular disease mortality of 0.96% (0.29%, 1.63%) in fall, and in respiratory disease mortality of 1.57% (0.40%, 2.75%) in fall. In China, a 10μg/m3 increase in PM10 was associated with increases in non-accidental mortality of 0.33% (0.01%, 0.66%) in summer and 0.41% (0.09%, 0.73%) in winter, in cardiovascular disease mortality of 0.41% (0.08%, 0.74%) in spring and 0.33% (0.02%, 0.64%) in winter, and in respiratory diseases mortality of 0.78% (0.27%, 1.30%) in winter. Our analyses suggest that the acute effect of particulate air pollution could vary seasonally and geographically.
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Affiliation(s)
- Satbyul Estella Kim
- Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Graduate School of Public Health, Seoul National University, Republic of Korea.
| | - Yasushi Honda
- Faculty of Health and Sport Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Masahiro Hashizume
- Department of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Nagasaki University, Nagasaki, Japan
| | - Haidong Kan
- Department of Environmental Health, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Youn-Hee Lim
- Institute of Environmental Medicine, Seoul National University of Medical Research Center and Environmental Health Center, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Hyewon Lee
- Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Graduate School of Public Health, Seoul National University, Republic of Korea
| | - Clara Tammy Kim
- Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Graduate School of Public Health, Seoul National University, Republic of Korea
| | - Seung-Muk Yi
- Department of Environmental Health, Graduate School of Public Health, Seoul National University, Republic of Korea; Institute of Health and Environment, Seoul National University, Republic of Korea
| | - Ho Kim
- Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Graduate School of Public Health, Seoul National University, Republic of Korea; Institute of Health and Environment, Seoul National University, Republic of Korea.
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Hajat S, Whitmore C, Sarran C, Haines A, Golding B, Gordon-Brown H, Kessel A, Fleming LE. Development of a browser application to foster research on linking climate and health datasets: Challenges and opportunities. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2017; 575:79-86. [PMID: 27741457 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.09.162] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2016] [Revised: 08/30/2016] [Accepted: 09/19/2016] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Improved data linkages between diverse environment and health datasets have the potential to provide new insights into the health impacts of environmental exposures, including complex climate change processes. Initiatives that link and explore big data in the environment and health arenas are now being established. OBJECTIVES To encourage advances in this nascent field, this article documents the development of a web browser application to facilitate such future research, the challenges encountered to date, and how they were addressed. METHODS A 'storyboard approach' was used to aid the initial design and development of the application. The application followed a 3-tier architecture: a spatial database server for storing and querying data, server-side code for processing and running models, and client-side browser code for user interaction and for displaying data and results. The browser was validated by reproducing previously published results from a regression analysis of time-series datasets of daily mortality, air pollution and temperature in London. RESULTS Data visualisation and analysis options of the application are presented. The main factors that shaped the development of the browser were: accessibility, open-source software, flexibility, efficiency, user-friendliness, licensing restrictions and data confidentiality, visualisation limitations, cost-effectiveness, and sustainability. CONCLUSIONS Creating dedicated data and analysis resources, such as the one described here, will become an increasingly vital step in improving understanding of the complex interconnections between the environment and human health and wellbeing, whilst still ensuring appropriate confidentiality safeguards. The issues raised in this paper can inform the future development of similar tools by other researchers working in this field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shakoor Hajat
- Department of Social & Environmental Health Research, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK.
| | - Ceri Whitmore
- European Centre for Environment and Human Health, University of Exeter Medical School, Truro, Cornwall, UK
| | | | - Andy Haines
- Department of Social & Environmental Health Research, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | | | - Harriet Gordon-Brown
- European Centre for Environment and Human Health, University of Exeter Medical School, Truro, Cornwall, UK
| | | | - Lora E Fleming
- European Centre for Environment and Human Health, University of Exeter Medical School, Truro, Cornwall, UK
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Sun S, Qiu H, Ho KF, Tian L. Chemical components of respirable particulate matter associated with emergency hospital admissions for type 2 diabetes mellitus in Hong Kong. ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL 2016; 97:93-99. [PMID: 27835752 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2016.10.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2016] [Revised: 10/21/2016] [Accepted: 10/21/2016] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Epidemiological studies have shown that short-term exposure to particulate matter (PM) mass is associated with diabetes morbidity and mortality, although inconsistencies still exist. Variation of chemical components in PM may have contributed to these inconsistencies. We hypothesize that certain components of respirable particulate matter (PM10), not simply PM10 mass, can exacerbate symptoms or cause acute complications for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). METHODS We used a Poisson time-series model to examine the association between 17 chemical components of PM10 and daily emergency hospital admissions for T2DM among residents aged 65years or above from January 1998 to December 2007 in Hong Kong. We estimated excess risk (ER%) for T2DM hospitalizations per interquartile range (IQR) increment in chemical component concentrations of days at lag0 through lag3, and the moving average of the same-day and previous-day (lag0-1) in single-pollutant models. To further evaluate the independent effects of chemical components on T2DM, we controlled for PM10 mass, major PM10 chemical components, and gaseous pollutants in two-pollutant models. RESULTS In the single-pollutant models, PM10 components associated with T2DM admissions include: elemental carbon, organic carbon, nitrate, and nickel. The ER% estimates per IQR increment at lag0-1 for these four components were 3.79% (1.63, 5.95), 3.74% (0.83, 6.64), 4.58% (2.17, 6.99), and 1.91% (0.43, 3.38), respectively. Risk estimates for nitrate and elemental carbon were robust to adjustment for co-pollutant concentrations. CONCLUSIONS Short-term exposure to some PM10 chemical components such as nitrate and elemental carbon increases the risk of acute complications or exacerbation of symptoms for the T2DM patients. These findings may have potential biological and policy implications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shengzhi Sun
- School of Public Health, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Hong Qiu
- School of Public Health, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Kin-Fai Ho
- Jockey Club School of Public Health and Primary Care, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Linwei Tian
- School of Public Health, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.
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Ward-Caviness CK, Breitner S, Wolf K, Cyrys J, Kastenmüller G, Wang-Sattler R, Schneider A, Peters A. Short-term NO2 exposure is associated with long-chain fatty acids in prospective cohorts from Augsburg, Germany: results from an analysis of 138 metabolites and three exposures. Int J Epidemiol 2016; 45:1528-1538. [PMID: 27892410 DOI: 10.1093/ije/dyw247] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/04/2016] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Short-term exposure to air pollution is associated with morbidity and mortality. Metabolites are intermediaries in biochemical processes, and associations between air pollution and metabolites can yield unique mechanistic insights. METHODS We used independent cross-sectional samples with targeted metabolomics (138 metabolites across five metabolite classes) from three cohort studies, each a part of the Cooperative Health Research in the Region of Augsburg (KORA). The KORA cohorts are numbered (1 to 4) according to which survey they belong to, and lettered S or F according to whether the survey was a baseline or follow-up survey. KORA F4 (N = 3044) served as our discovery cohort, with KORA S4 (N = 485) serving as the primary replication cohort. KORA F4 and KORA S4 were primarily fasting cohorts. We used the non-fasting KORA F3 (N = 377) cohort to evaluate replicated associations in non-fasting individuals, and we performed a random effects meta-analysis of all three cohorts. Associations between the 0-4-day lags and the 5-day average of particulate matter (PM)2.5, NO2 and ozone were modelled via generalized additive models. All air pollution exposures were scaled to the interquartile range, and effect estimates presented as percent changes relative to the geometric mean of the metabolite concentration (ΔGM). RESULTS There were 10 discovery cohort associations, of which seven were lysophosphatidylcholines (LPCs); NO2 was the most ubiquitous exposure (5/10). The 5-day average NO2-LPC(28:0) association was associated at a Bonferroni corrected P-value threshold (P < 1.2x10-4) in KORA F4 [ΔGM = 11.5%; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 6.60, 16.3], and replicated (P < 0.05) in KORA S4 (ΔGM = 21.0%; CI = 4.56, 37.5). This association was not observed in the non-fasting KORA F3 cohort (ΔGM = -5.96%; CI = -26.3, 14.3), but remained in the random effects meta-analysis (ΔGM = 10.6%; CI = 0.16, 21). CONCLUSIONS LPCs are associated with short-term exposure to air pollutants, in particular NO2 Further research is needed to understand the effect of nutritional/fasting status on these associations and the causal mechanisms linking air pollution exposure and metabolite profiles.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | - Rui Wang-Sattler
- Institute of Epidemiology II.,Research Unit of Molecular Epidemiology, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Neuherberg, Germany
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Gong X, Zhan FB, Brender JD, Langlois PH, Lin Y. Validity of the Emission Weighted Proximity Model in estimating air pollution exposure intensities in large geographic areas. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2016; 563-564:478-485. [PMID: 27152989 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.04.088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2015] [Accepted: 04/12/2016] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Accurate estimates of air pollution exposure intensities are important to support environmental epidemiology analyses that require data covering large geographic areas over multiple years. The Emission Weighted Proximity Model (EWPM) and the National-Scale Air Toxics Assessment (NATA) are two viable approaches for obtaining estimate exposure intensities. The advantages of the EWPM include its simplicity and significantly lower costs of implementation. However, very limited data are available regarding the validity of the results from the EWPM and how these results would fare when compared with those from the NATA. METHODS This study evaluates the validity of the estimated exposure intensities from the EWPM through a correlation analysis with ground monitoring data obtained by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ). The monitoring data used in the comparison included 27 non-criteria air pollutants at 48 monitoring sites in Texas in 2005. In addition, this study compares the results from the EWPM with those from NATA using the TCEQ data as a gold standard. RESULTS Analysis results suggest that estimated exposure intensities from the EWPM and the NATA were comparable when the intensities from both approaches are used to categorize environmental exposure intensities into different levels in relative terms. CONCLUSION These findings suggest that the EWPM is a valid alternative approach to the NATA in situations where epidemiological analysis requires both environmental data and health outcome data that cover a large geographic area over multiple years.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xi Gong
- Texas State University, Texas Center for Geographic Information Science, Department of Geography, San Marcos, TX 78666, USA.
| | - F Benjamin Zhan
- Texas State University, Texas Center for Geographic Information Science, Department of Geography, San Marcos, TX 78666, USA.
| | - Jean D Brender
- Texas A&M Health Science Center School of Public Health, Department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics, College Station, TX 77843-1266, USA.
| | - Peter H Langlois
- Birth Defects Epidemiology and Surveillance Branch, Texas Department of State Health Services, PO Box 149347, MC 1964, Austin, TX 78714-9347, USA.
| | - Yan Lin
- South Dakota State University, Department of Geography, Brookings, SD 57007, USA.
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Hou Q, An X, Tao Y, Sun Z. Assessment of resident's exposure level and health economic costs of PM10 in Beijing from 2008 to 2012. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2016; 563-564:557-565. [PMID: 27155078 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.03.215] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2016] [Revised: 03/29/2016] [Accepted: 03/30/2016] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Epidemiological studies have asserted a negative association between atmospheric particulates and human health, especially particulate matter (PM10), which can cause a noticeable damage to human health. In recent years, PM10 has become the primary pollutant in major cities in China. It is crucial to evaluate the health impacts of PM10 to make pollution control policies and protect public health. For health-based assessments, human exposure evaluation is a key step, which is related to offering an exact exposure date for assessment. Using high-density PM10 and population data based on the Geographic Information System (GIS), this study estimated the impact of PM10 on human exposure levels and combined the exposure-response function with the health-economic loss relationship to assess the effect of PM10 on human health in Beijing from 2008 to 2012 quantitatively. The results showed that the population distribution was highly centralized in urban areas, especially inside the fifth ring road. A high proportion, 63.4% of the population, was exposed to the range of 120 to 130μg/m(3). Approximately 44.1% of that population was located inside the fifth ring road, and approximately 55.9% of it was located outside of the fifth ring road. The spatial distribution of the economic cost associated with PM10 from 2008 to 2012 was uneven, being highly centralized in urban areas, especially inside the fifth ring road, similar to the population densities. The economic cost increased from 2008 to 2012, similar to GDP. The proportion of economic cost to Beijing's GDP decreased from 2008 to 2012. The average economic cost of 5years inside the fifth ring road was 4.55billion US$; that of the outside was 4.95billion US$. The proportions of average economic losses compared with GDP inside and outside of the fifth ring road changed slightly in the period from 2008 to 2012.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qing Hou
- State Key Laboratory of Severe Weather, Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Chemistry of CMA, Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
| | - Xingqin An
- State Key Laboratory of Severe Weather, Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Chemistry of CMA, Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences, Beijing 100081, China.
| | - Yan Tao
- College of Earth and Environmental Science, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Zhaobin Sun
- Beijing Meteorological Observatory, Beijing 100089, China
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Tamayo-Uria I, Altzibar JM, Mughini-Gras L, Dorronsoro M. Exacerbations of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD): An Ecological Study in the Basque Country, Spain (2000-2011). COPD 2016; 13:726-733. [PMID: 27232203 DOI: 10.1080/15412555.2016.1182145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a prevalent condition in adults aged ≥40 years characterized by progressive airflow limitation associated with chronic inflammatory response to noxious particles in the airways and lungs. Smoking, genetics, air pollution, nutrition and other factors may influence COPD development. Most hospitalizations and deaths for COPD are caused by its acute exacerbations, which greatly affect the health and quality of life of COPD patients and pose a high burden on health services. The aims of this project were to identify trends, geographic patterns and risk factors for COPD exacerbations, as revealed by hospitalizations and deaths, in the Basque Country, Spain, over a period of 12 years (2000-2011). Hospitalization and mortality rates for COPD were 262 and 18 per 100,000 population, respectively, with clusters around the biggest cities. Hospital mortality was 7.4%. Most hospitalized patients were male (77.4%) and accounted for 72.1% of hospital mortality. Hospitalizations decreased during the study period, except for 50-64 year-old women, peaking significantly. Using a multivariate modeling approach it was shown that hospitalizations were positively correlated with increased atmospheric concentrations of NO2, CO, PM10, and SO2, and increased influenza incidence, but were negatively associated with increased temperatures and atmospheric O3 concentration. COPD exacerbations decreased in the Basque Country during 2000-2011, but not among 50-64-year-old women, reflecting the high smoking prevalence among Spanish women during the 1970-1990s. The main metropolitan areas were those with the highest risk for COPD exacerbations, calling attention to the role of heavy car traffic. Influenza virus, cold temperatures, and increased atmospheric NO2, CO, PM10, and SO2 (but decreased O3) concentrations were identified as potential contributors to the burden of COPD exacerbations in the community. These findings are important for both the understanding of the disease process and in providing potential targets for COPD-reducing initiatives and new avenues for research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ibon Tamayo-Uria
- a ISGlobal, Centre for Research in Environmental Epidemiology (CREAL) , Barcelona , Spain.,b Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF) , Barcelona , Spain.,c CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP) , Spain
| | - Jone M Altzibar
- c CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP) , Spain.,d Public Health Division of Gipuzkoa, BioDonostia Research Institute , San Sebastian , Spain
| | - Lapo Mughini-Gras
- e Centre for Infectious Disease Control, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, the Netherlands Department of Infectious Diseases and Immunology, Utrecht University, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine , the Netherlands
| | - Miren Dorronsoro
- c CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP) , Spain.,f Public Health Direction , Basque Regional Health Department , Vitoria-Gasteiz , Spain
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Lanzinger S, Schneider A, Breitner S, Stafoggia M, Erzen I, Dostal M, Pastorkova A, Bastian S, Cyrys J, Zscheppang A, Kolodnitska T, Peters A. Associations between ultrafine and fine particles and mortality in five central European cities - Results from the UFIREG study. ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL 2016; 88:44-52. [PMID: 26708280 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2015.12.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2015] [Revised: 11/25/2015] [Accepted: 12/08/2015] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Evidence on health effects of ultrafine particles (UFP) is still limited as they are usually not monitored routinely. The few epidemiological studies on UFP and (cause-specific) mortality so far have reported inconsistent results. OBJECTIVES The main objective of the UFIREG project was to investigate the short-term associations between UFP and fine particulate matter (PM)<2.5μm (PM2.5) and daily (cause-specific) mortality in five European Cities. We also examined the effects of PM<10μm (PM10) and coarse particles (PM2.5-10). METHODS UFP (20-100nm), PM and meteorological data were measured in Dresden and Augsburg (Germany), Prague (Czech Republic), Ljubljana (Slovenia) and Chernivtsi (Ukraine). Daily counts of natural and cardio-respiratory mortality were collected for all five cities. Depending on data availability, the following study periods were chosen: Augsburg and Dresden 2011-2012, Ljubljana and Prague 2012-2013, Chernivtsi 2013-March 2014. The associations between air pollutants and health outcomes were assessed using confounder-adjusted Poisson regression models examining single (lag 0-lag 5) and cumulative lags (lag 0-1, lag 2-5, and lag 0-5). City-specific estimates were pooled using meta-analyses methods. RESULTS Results indicated a delayed and prolonged association between UFP and respiratory mortality (9.9% [95%-confidence interval: -6.3%; 28.8%] increase in association with a 6-day average increase of 2750particles/cm(3) (average interquartile range across all cities)). Cardiovascular mortality increased by 3.0% [-2.7%; 9.1%] and 4.1% [0.4%; 8.0%] in association with a 12.4μg/m(3) and 4.7μg/m(3) increase in the PM2.5- and PM2.5-10-averages of lag 2-5. CONCLUSIONS We observed positive but not statistically significant associations between prolonged exposures to UFP and respiratory mortality, which were independent of particle mass exposures. Further multi-centre studies are needed investigating several years to produce more precise estimates on health effects of UFP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefanie Lanzinger
- Helmholtz Zentrum München-German Research Center for Environmental Health, Institute of Epidemiology II, Neuherberg, Germany.
| | - Alexandra Schneider
- Helmholtz Zentrum München-German Research Center for Environmental Health, Institute of Epidemiology II, Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Susanne Breitner
- Helmholtz Zentrum München-German Research Center for Environmental Health, Institute of Epidemiology II, Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Massimo Stafoggia
- Department of Epidemiology, Lazio Region Health Service, Rome, Italy
| | - Ivan Erzen
- National Institute of Public Health Slovenia, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Miroslav Dostal
- Institute of Experimental Medicine, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Anna Pastorkova
- Institute of Experimental Medicine, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Susanne Bastian
- Saxon State Office for Environment, Agriculture and Geology, Dresden, Germany
| | - Josef Cyrys
- Helmholtz Zentrum München-German Research Center for Environmental Health, Institute of Epidemiology II, Neuherberg, Germany; Environmental Science Center, University of Augsburg, Augsburg, Germany
| | - Anja Zscheppang
- Research Association Public Health Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt, Faculty of Medicine Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Tetiana Kolodnitska
- L.I. Medved's Research Center of Preventive Toxicology, Food and Chemical Safety, Ministry of Health, Chernivtsi, Ukraine
| | - Annette Peters
- Helmholtz Zentrum München-German Research Center for Environmental Health, Institute of Epidemiology II, Neuherberg, Germany
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Changes in the Effect of Heat on Mortality in the Last 20 Years in Nine European Cities. Results from the PHASE Project. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2015; 12:15567-83. [PMID: 26670239 PMCID: PMC4690942 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph121215006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 76] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2015] [Revised: 11/30/2015] [Accepted: 12/01/2015] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
The European project PHASE aims to evaluate patterns of change in the temperature–mortality relationship and in the number of deaths attributable to heat in nine European cities in two periods, before and after summer 2003 (1996–2002 and 2004–2010). We performed age-specific Poisson regression models separately in the two periods, controlling for seasonality, air pollution and time trends. Distributed lag non-linear models were used to estimate the Relative Risks of daily mortality for increases in mean temperature from the 75th to 99th percentile of the summer distribution for each city. In the recent period, a reduction in the mortality risk associated to heat was observed only in Athens, Rome and Paris, especially among the elderly. Furthermore, in terms of heat-attributable mortality, 985, 787 and 623 fewer deaths were estimated, respectively, in the three cities. In Helsinki and Stockholm, there is a suggestion of increased heat effect. Noteworthy is that an effect of heat was still present in the recent years in all cities, ranging from +11% to +35%. In Europe, considering the warming observed in recent decades and population ageing, effective intervention measures should be promoted across countries, especially targeting vulnerable subgroups of the population with lower adaptive resources.
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Singh D, Johnson GT, Harbison RD. Human health risk characterization of petroleum coke calcining facility emissions. Regul Toxicol Pharmacol 2015; 73:706-11. [DOI: 10.1016/j.yrtph.2015.10.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2015] [Revised: 10/06/2015] [Accepted: 10/25/2015] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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Rodopoulou S, Samoli E, Analitis A, Atkinson RW, de'Donato FK, Katsouyanni K. Searching for the best modeling specification for assessing the effects of temperature and humidity on health: a time series analysis in three European cities. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BIOMETEOROLOGY 2015; 59:1585-96. [PMID: 25638489 DOI: 10.1007/s00484-015-0965-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2014] [Revised: 01/09/2015] [Accepted: 01/09/2015] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Epidemiological time series studies suggest daily temperature and humidity are associated with adverse health effects including increased mortality and hospital admissions. However, there is no consensus over which metric or lag best describes the relationships. We investigated which temperature and humidity model specification most adequately predicted mortality in three large European cities. Daily counts of all-cause mortality, minimum, maximum and mean temperature and relative humidity and apparent temperature (a composite measure of ambient and dew point temperature) were assembled for Athens, London, and Rome for 6 years between 1999 and 2005. City-specific Poisson regression models were fitted separately for warm (April-September) and cold (October-March) periods adjusting for seasonality, air pollution, and public holidays. We investigated goodness of model fit for each metric for delayed effects up to 13 days using three model fit criteria: sum of the partial autocorrelation function, AIC, and GCV. No uniformly best index for all cities and seasonal periods was observed. The effects of temperature were uniformly shown to be more prolonged during cold periods and the majority of models suggested separate temperature and humidity variables performed better than apparent temperature in predicting mortality. Our study suggests that the nature of the effects of temperature and humidity on mortality vary between cities for unknown reasons which require further investigation but may relate to city-specific population, socioeconomic, and environmental characteristics. This may have consequences on epidemiological studies and local temperature-related warning systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sophia Rodopoulou
- Department of Hygiene, Epidemiology and Medical Statistics, Medical School, University of Athens, 75 Mikras Asias Str, 115 27, Athens, Greece
| | - Evangelia Samoli
- Department of Hygiene, Epidemiology and Medical Statistics, Medical School, University of Athens, 75 Mikras Asias Str, 115 27, Athens, Greece
| | - Antonis Analitis
- Department of Hygiene, Epidemiology and Medical Statistics, Medical School, University of Athens, 75 Mikras Asias Str, 115 27, Athens, Greece
| | - Richard W Atkinson
- Population Health Research Institute and MRC-PHE Centre for Environment and Health, St George's, University of London, London, UK
| | | | - Klea Katsouyanni
- Department of Hygiene, Epidemiology and Medical Statistics, Medical School, University of Athens, 75 Mikras Asias Str, 115 27, Athens, Greece.
- Environmental Research Group and Department of Primary Care & Public Health Sciences, King's College London, London, UK.
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Román Ortiz C, Tenías JM, Estarlich M, Ballester F. Systematic review of the association between climate and hip fractures. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BIOMETEOROLOGY 2015; 59:1511-1522. [PMID: 25504270 DOI: 10.1007/s00484-014-0945-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2013] [Revised: 11/30/2014] [Accepted: 11/30/2014] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
This study aims to systematically review epidemiological studies that evaluate the relationship between meteorology and the incidence of hip fracture (HF). After a search in Scopus, PubMed, and Embase, two independent authors assessed the relevance of studies and extracted data for description. From each study, we extracted the geographic and temporal scope, design, study variables (meteorological and related to HF), statistical analysis, and estimated associations. Of a total of 134 works, 20 studies were selected. All use an ecological design but one case-crossover. Most studies have been conducted in northern latitudes. The analysis methodology did not take into account the temporal structure of the data in 10 studies (regression and linear correlations); the rest used Poisson regression (7) and ARIMA model (3). Most studies showed significant positive associations with rainfall, especially in the form of snow: HF relative risk (RR) on days with precipitation vs. days without precipitation that ranged from 1.14 (95 % confidence interval (CI)1.04 to 1.24) to 1.60 (95 % CI 1.06 to 2.41), the temperature, with RR by one degree Celsius decline from 1.012 (95 % CI 1.004 to 1.020) to 1.030 (95 % CI 1.023 to 1.037), and wind (3) RR FC windiest days vs. calm days: 1.32 (95 % CI 1.10 to 1.58) to 1.35 (95 % CI 0.88 to 2.08). This review shows that analytic methods are very heterogeneous and poorly adapted to the temporary nature of the data. Studies confirm a certain seasonality, with more fractures in winter and meaningful relationships with meteorological conditions typical of this season.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carmen Román Ortiz
- Research Support Unit, La Mancha Centro General Hospital, Avenida Constitución 3, 13600, Alcázar de San Juan, Spain
| | - José María Tenías
- Research Support Unit, La Mancha Centro General Hospital, Avenida Constitución 3, 13600, Alcázar de San Juan, Spain.
- Spanish Consortium for Research on Epidemiology and Public Health, (CIBERESP), Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Marisa Estarlich
- Spanish Consortium for Research on Epidemiology and Public Health, (CIBERESP), Barcelona, Spain
- Higher Center for Public Health Research (Centro Superior de Investigación en Salud Pública), CSISP, Valencia, Spain
| | - Ferran Ballester
- Spanish Consortium for Research on Epidemiology and Public Health, (CIBERESP), Barcelona, Spain
- Higher Center for Public Health Research (Centro Superior de Investigación en Salud Pública), CSISP, Valencia, Spain
- University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain
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Soebiyanto RP, Gross D, Jorgensen P, Buda S, Bromberg M, Kaufman Z, Prosenc K, Socan M, Vega Alonso T, Widdowson MA, Kiang RK. Associations between Meteorological Parameters and Influenza Activity in Berlin (Germany), Ljubljana (Slovenia), Castile and León (Spain) and Israeli Districts. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0134701. [PMID: 26309214 PMCID: PMC4550247 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0134701] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2014] [Accepted: 07/13/2015] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Studies in the literature have indicated that the timing of seasonal influenza epidemic varies across latitude, suggesting the involvement of meteorological and environmental conditions in the transmission of influenza. In this study, we investigated the link between meteorological parameters and influenza activity in 9 sub-national areas with temperate and subtropical climates: Berlin (Germany), Ljubljana (Slovenia), Castile and León (Spain) and all 6 districts in Israel. METHODS We estimated weekly influenza-associated influenza-like-illness (ILI) or Acute Respiratory Infection (ARI) incidence to represent influenza activity using data from each country's sentinel surveillance during 2000-2011 (Spain) and 2006-2011 (all others). Meteorological data was obtained from ground stations, satellite and assimilated data. Two generalized additive models (GAM) were developed, with one using specific humidity as a covariate and another using minimum temperature. Precipitation and solar radiation were included as additional covariates in both models. The models were adjusted for previous weeks' influenza activity, and were trained separately for each study location. RESULTS Influenza activity was inversely associated (p<0.05) with specific humidity in all locations. Minimum temperature was inversely associated with influenza in all 3 temperate locations, but not in all subtropical locations. Inverse associations between influenza and solar radiation were found in most locations. Associations with precipitation were location-dependent and inconclusive. We used the models to estimate influenza activity a week ahead for the 2010/2011 period which was not used in training the models. With exception of Ljubljana and Israel's Haifa District, the models could closely follow the observed data especially during the start and the end of epidemic period. In these locations, correlation coefficients between the observed and estimated ranged between 0.55 to 0.91and the model-estimated influenza peaks were within 3 weeks from the observations. CONCLUSION Our study demonstrated the significant link between specific humidity and influenza activity across temperate and subtropical climates, and that inclusion of meteorological parameters in the surveillance system may further our understanding of influenza transmission patterns.
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Affiliation(s)
- Radina P. Soebiyanto
- Goddard Earth Sciences Technology and Research, Universities Space Research Associations, Columbia, Maryland, United States of America
- Global Change Data Center, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Diane Gross
- Regional Office for Europe, World Health Organization, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Influenza Division, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Pernille Jorgensen
- Regional Office for Europe, World Health Organization, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | | | - Michal Bromberg
- Israel Center for Disease Control, Ministry of Health, Tel-Hashomer, Israel
| | - Zalman Kaufman
- Israel Center for Disease Control, Ministry of Health, Tel-Hashomer, Israel
| | - Katarina Prosenc
- Laboratory for Virology, National Institute of Public Health Slovenia, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Maja Socan
- Communicable Diseases and Environmental Health Care, National Institute of Public Health, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | | | - Marc-Alain Widdowson
- Influenza Division, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Richard K. Kiang
- Global Change Data Center, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland, United States of America
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The association between air pollution and weather conditions with increase in the number of admissions of asthmatic patients in emergency wards: a case study in Kermanshah. Med J Islam Repub Iran 2015; 29:229. [PMID: 26478887 PMCID: PMC4606958] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2014] [Accepted: 03/17/2015] [Indexed: 11/02/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Industrialization and urbanization had a devastating impact on public health and caused an increase in health related morbidity and mortality. In fact, asthma is a chronic condition which is considered as one of the significant challenges of public health. In this study, we investigated the association of air pollution and weather conditions with excess emergency ward admissions of asthmatic patients in Kermanshah hospitals. METHODS This was an ecological study. The total number of hospital admissions to emergency wards from all related and major hospitals of Kermanshah was collected from September 2008 through August 2009. In addition, data on air pollution as well as meteorological data were collected from the Environmental Protection Agency and Meteorological Organization of Kermanshah. To determine the association between the number of hospitalization due to asthma with those parameters, Poisson regression was used. RESULTS The results of Poisson regression revealed a significant association between carbon monoxide, ozone, nitrogen dioxide and temperature with emergency room visits due to asthma in Kermanshah. No associations were found for sulfur dioxide or for particulate matter. CONCLUSION This study provides further evidence for the significant effect of monoxide carbon on asthma; and it suggests that temperature may have a role in the exacerbation of asthma. However, due to the multi-factorial nature of asthma, other factors also play a major role in the development and exacerbation of this illness.
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Richmond-Bryant J, Meng Q, Cohen J, Davis JA, Svendsgaard D, Brown JS, Tuttle L, Hubbard H, Rice J, Kirrane E, Vinikoor-Imler L, Kotchmar D, Hines E, Ross M. Effect measure modification of blood lead-air lead slope factors. JOURNAL OF EXPOSURE SCIENCE & ENVIRONMENTAL EPIDEMIOLOGY 2015; 25:411-416. [PMID: 24961837 DOI: 10.1038/jes.2014.46] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2014] [Revised: 04/10/2014] [Accepted: 04/23/2014] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
There is abundant literature finding that susceptibility factors, including race and ethnicity, age, and housing, directly influence blood lead levels. No study has explored how susceptibility factors influence the blood lead-air lead relationship nationally. The objective is to evaluate whether susceptibility factors act as effect measure modifiers on the blood lead-air lead relationship. Participant level blood lead data from the 1999 to 2008 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey were merged with air lead data from the US Environmental Protection Agency. Linear mixed effects models were run with and without an air lead interaction term for age group, sex, housing age, or race/ethnicity to determine whether these factors are effect measure modifiers for all ages combined and for five age brackets. Age group and race/ethnicity were determined to be effect measure modifiers in the all-age model and for some age groups. Being a child (1-5, 6-11, and 12-19 years) or of Mexican-American ethnicity increased the effect estimate. Living in older housing (built before 1950) decreased the effect estimate for all models except for the 1-5-year group, where older housing was an effect measure modifier. These results are consistent with the peer-reviewed literature of time-activity patterns, ventilation, and toxicokinetics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer Richmond-Bryant
- National Center for Environmental Assessment, US Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA
| | - Qingyu Meng
- School of Public Health, Rutgers University, Piscataway, New Jersey, USA
| | | | - J Allen Davis
- National Center for Environmental Assessment, US Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA
| | - David Svendsgaard
- National Center for Environmental Assessment, US Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA
| | - James S Brown
- National Center for Environmental Assessment, US Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA
| | - Lauren Tuttle
- School of Architecture, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
| | | | - Joann Rice
- Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards, US Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA
| | - Ellen Kirrane
- National Center for Environmental Assessment, US Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA
| | - Lisa Vinikoor-Imler
- National Center for Environmental Assessment, US Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA
| | - Dennis Kotchmar
- National Center for Environmental Assessment, US Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA
| | - Erin Hines
- National Center for Environmental Assessment, US Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA
| | - Mary Ross
- National Center for Environmental Assessment, US Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA
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Wolf K, Schneider A, Breitner S, Meisinger C, Heier M, Cyrys J, Kuch B, von Scheidt W, Peters A. Associations between short-term exposure to particulate matter and ultrafine particles and myocardial infarction in Augsburg, Germany. Int J Hyg Environ Health 2015; 218:535-42. [PMID: 26013401 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijheh.2015.05.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2015] [Revised: 05/04/2015] [Accepted: 05/04/2015] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Short-term exposure to increased particulate matter (PM) concentration has been reported to trigger myocardial infarction (MI). However, the association with ultrafine particles remains unclear. OBJECTIVES We aimed to assess the effects of short-term air pollution and especially ultrafine particles on registry-based MI events and coronary deaths in the area of Augsburg, Germany. METHODS Between 1995 and 2009, the MONICA/KORA myocardial infarction registry recorded 15,417 cases of MI and coronary deaths. Concentrations of PM<10μm (PM10), PM<2.5μm (PM2.5), particle number concentration (PNC) as indicator for ultrafine particles, and meteorological parameters were measured in the study region. Quasi-Poisson regression adjusting for time trend, temperature, season, and weekday was used to estimate immediate, delayed and cumulative effects of air pollutants on the occurrence of MI. The daily numbers of total MI, nonfatal and fatal events as well as incident and recurrent events were analysed. RESULTS We observed a 1.3% risk increase (95%-confidence interval: [-0.9%; 3.6%]) for all events and a 4.4% [-0.4%; 9.4%] risk increase for recurrent events per 24.3μg/m(3) increase in same day PM10 concentrations. Nonfatal events indicated a risk increase of 3.1% [-0.1%; 6.5%] with previous day PM10. No association was seen for PM2.5 which was only available from 1999 on. PNC showed a risk increase of 6.0% [0.6%; 11.7%] for recurrent events per 5529 particles/cm(3) increase in 5-day average PNC. CONCLUSIONS Our results suggested an association between short-term PM10 concentration and numbers of MI, especially for nonfatal and recurrent events. For ultrafine particles, risk increases were notably high for recurrent events. Thus, persons who already suffered a MI seemed to be more susceptible to air pollution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathrin Wolf
- Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health, Institute of Epidemiology II, Neuherberg, Germany.
| | - Alexandra Schneider
- Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health, Institute of Epidemiology II, Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Susanne Breitner
- Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health, Institute of Epidemiology II, Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Christa Meisinger
- Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health, Institute of Epidemiology II, Neuherberg, Germany; Central Hospital of Augsburg, MONICA/KORA Myocardial Infarction Registry, Augsburg, Germany
| | - Margit Heier
- Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health, Institute of Epidemiology II, Neuherberg, Germany; Central Hospital of Augsburg, MONICA/KORA Myocardial Infarction Registry, Augsburg, Germany
| | - Josef Cyrys
- Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health, Institute of Epidemiology II, Neuherberg, Germany; Environmental Science Center, University of Augsburg, Augsburg, Germany
| | - Bernhard Kuch
- Department of Internal Medicine I, Central Hospital of Augsburg, Augsburg, Germany; Department of Internal Medicine/Cardiology, Hospital of Nördlingen, Nördlingen, Germany
| | - Wolfgang von Scheidt
- Department of Internal Medicine I, Central Hospital of Augsburg, Augsburg, Germany
| | - Annette Peters
- Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health, Institute of Epidemiology II, Neuherberg, Germany; German Research Center for Cardiovascular Disease (DZHK), Partner Site Munich, Germany
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48
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Janke K. Air pollution, avoidance behaviour and children's respiratory health: evidence from England. JOURNAL OF HEALTH ECONOMICS 2014; 38:23-42. [PMID: 25220266 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhealeco.2014.07.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2012] [Revised: 07/03/2014] [Accepted: 07/17/2014] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
Despite progress in air pollution control, concerns remain over the health impact of poor air quality. Governments increasingly issue air quality information to enable vulnerable groups to avoid exposure. Avoidance behaviour potentially biases estimates of the health effects of air pollutants. But avoidance behaviour imposes a cost on individuals and therefore may not be taken in all circumstances. This paper exploits panel data at the English local authority level to estimate the relationship between children's daily hospital emergency admissions for respiratory diseases and common air pollutants, while allowing for avoidance behaviour in response to air pollution warnings. A 1% increase in nitrogen dioxide or ozone concentrations increases hospital admissions by 0.1%. For the subset of asthma admissions - where avoidance is less costly - there is evidence of avoidance behaviour. Ignoring avoidance behaviour, however, does not result in statistically significant underestimation of the health effect of air pollution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katharina Janke
- University of Bristol, 2 Priory Road, Bristol BS8 1TX, United Kingdom.
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49
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Cisternas PC, Bronfman NC, Jimenez RB, Cifuentes LA, De La Maza C. Structured expert judgment to characterize uncertainty between PM2.5 exposure and mortality in Chile. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2014; 48:9717-9727. [PMID: 24999529 DOI: 10.1021/es500037k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
To further the understanding and implementation of expert elicitation methods in the evaluation of public policies related to air pollution, the present study's main goal was to explore the potential strengths and weaknesses of structured expert judgment (SEJ) methodology as a way to derive a C-R function for chronic PM(2.5) exposure and premature mortality in Chile. Local experts were classified in two groups according to background and experience: physicians (Group 1) and engineers (Group 2). Experts were required to provide an estimate of the true percent change in nonaccidental mortality resulting from a permanent 1 μg/m(3) reduction in PM2.5 annual average ambient concentration across the entire Chilean territory. Cooke's Classical Model was used to combine the individual experts' assessments. Experts' mortality estimations varied markedly across groups: while experts in Group 1 delivered higher estimations than those reported in major international cohort studies, estimations from Group 2 were, to varying degrees, anchored to previous studies. Accordingly, combined distributions for each group and all experts were significantly different, due to the high sensitivity of the weighted distribution to experts' performance in calibration variables. Results of this study suggest that, while the use of SEJ has great potential for estimating C-R functions for chronic exposure to PM2.5 and premature mortality and its major sources of uncertainty in countries where no studies are available, its successful implementation is conditioned by a number of factors, which are analyzed and discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pamela C Cisternas
- Engineering Sciences Department, Universidad Andres Bello , Santiago 8370146, Chile
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50
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Perrakis K, Gryparis A, Schwartz J, Tertre AL, Katsouyanni K, Forastiere F, Stafoggia M, Samoli E. Controlling for seasonal patterns and time varying confounders in time-series epidemiological models: a simulation study. Stat Med 2014; 33:4904-18. [DOI: 10.1002/sim.6271] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2013] [Revised: 06/30/2014] [Accepted: 07/01/2014] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Konstantinos Perrakis
- Department of Hygiene, Epidemiology and Medical Statistics, Medical School; University of Athens; Athens Greece
| | - Alexandros Gryparis
- Department of Hygiene, Epidemiology and Medical Statistics, Medical School; University of Athens; Athens Greece
| | - Joel Schwartz
- Department of Environmental Health; Harvard School of Public Health; Boston MA U.S.A
| | - Alain Le Tertre
- Environmental Health Department; French Institute for Public Health Surveillance (InVS); Saint-Maurice France
| | - Klea Katsouyanni
- Department of Hygiene, Epidemiology and Medical Statistics, Medical School; University of Athens; Athens Greece
| | | | | | - Evangelia Samoli
- Department of Hygiene, Epidemiology and Medical Statistics, Medical School; University of Athens; Athens Greece
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