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Zhao X, Yumei Cao, Cheng Z. Perception matters: How air pollution influences life satisfaction in China. Heliyon 2024; 10:e31927. [PMID: 38845965 PMCID: PMC11154605 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e31927] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2023] [Revised: 05/21/2024] [Accepted: 05/24/2024] [Indexed: 06/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Academic studies on environmental pollution have convincingly acknowledged the salient relevance of ambient pollutant emissions on individual life satisfaction. However, an understanding of how the different dimensions of air pollution influence public self-assessment of their living condition is required. This research investigates whether objective pollutant emissions and subjective evaluation influence individual life satisfaction. The findings were based on data from the China Environment Yearbook and China Social Survey in 2019. The multi-level linear regression model found that air pollutants emissions, including particulate matter (PM) and sulfur dioxide (SO2), failed to explain the variations in public life satisfaction because of the lag effect of public perception. A significant nexus between perceived air pollution and public life satisfaction was observed at a significance level of 0.01. Specially, as the perceived air pollution by the public increased by one-point, life satisfaction decreased by 0.22 on a scale of 1-10, on average. Heterogeneous analysis based on income further suggested the salient negative effect of PM emissions on life satisfaction only occurred in the high-income group. The findings were robust after various methodological analyses. This study has theoretical implications for understanding the effects of air pollution on public subjective perception and provides guidance for how the government can manage the relationship between environmental governance and life satisfaction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinghua Zhao
- Research Center for Government Governance and Public Policy, Business School, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China, NO.88, Daxuenan Road, Hanjiang District, Yangzhou City, Jiangsu Province, 225127, China
| | - Yumei Cao
- School of Political Science and Law, University of Jinan, No.336 Nanxinzhuangxi Road, Jinan City, Shandong Province, 250022, China
| | - Zheng Cheng
- Research Center for Government Governance and Public Policy, Business School, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China, NO.88, Daxuenan Road, Hanjiang District, Yangzhou City, Jiangsu Province, 225127, China
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Mendoza Y, González RE. Objective and subjective measures of air pollution and self-rated health: the evidence from Chile. Int Arch Occup Environ Health 2024; 97:413-433. [PMID: 38493267 DOI: 10.1007/s00420-024-02056-0] [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: 08/03/2023] [Accepted: 02/06/2024] [Indexed: 03/18/2024]
Abstract
PURPOSE The literature exploring individual differences in self-rated health has grown fast in recent years. Self-rated health (SRH) is a good indicator of general health status. This empirical study explores the association between outdoor air pollution and SRH in Chile. This type of analysis is infrequent in Latin America. METHODS We used objective and subjective air pollution measures. The first corresponds to PM2.5, and the latter to the perception of a high level of air pollution. Drawing on data from two independent and repeated nationwide surveys over the period 2006-2017 at the individual level in Chile, we performed repeated cross-sectional analyses for each year of survey application. Ordered Logit (OL) and Logit (L) multivariate models were used to investigate the association between SRH and air pollution measures, considering other socioeconomic and demographic covariates. RESULTS We found that the higher is the level of air pollution, the lower the SRH in Chile, regardless of whether air pollution is physically measured or perceived by respondents. The results were consistent over the years in the sign and significance of regression coefficients using two surveys and two forms of the outcome variable. CONCLUSIONS Our findings add evidence that air pollution is a relevant determinant of SRH. In addition, they show that subjective measures of air pollution can be as reliable as physical measures in the analysis of the association between air pollution and human health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yenniel Mendoza
- Department of Administration and Economics, Faculty of Law and Business, Universidad de la Frontera, Temuco, Chile.
| | - Ricardo E González
- Department of Forest Sciences and Environment, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences and Environment, Universidad de la Frontera, Temuco, Chile
- Centro Nacional de Excelencia para la Industria de la Madera (CENAMAD), Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago de Chile, Chile
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Zhang C, Yan M, Du H, Ban J, Chen C, Liu Y, Li T. Mortality risks from a spectrum of causes associated with sand and dust storms in China. Nat Commun 2023; 14:6867. [PMID: 37891159 PMCID: PMC10611721 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-42530-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2022] [Accepted: 10/13/2023] [Indexed: 10/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Sand and Dust Storms (SDS) pose considerable health risks worldwide. Previous studies only indicated risk of SDS on overall mortality. This nationwide multicenter time-series study aimed to examine SDS-associated mortality risks extensively. We analyzed 1,495,724 deaths and 2024 SDS events from 1 February to 31 May (2013-2018) in 214 Chinese counties. The excess mortality risks associated with SDS were 7.49% (95% CI: 3.12-12.05%), 5.40% (1.25-9.73%), 4.05% (0.41-7.83%), 3.45% (0.34-6.66%), 3.37% (0.28-6.55%), 3.33% (0.07-6.70%), 8.90% (4.96-12.98%), 12.51% (6.31-19.08%), and 11.55% (5.55-17.89%) for ischemic stroke, intracerebral hemorrhagic stroke, hypertensive heart disease, myocardial infarction, acute myocardial infarction, acute ischemic heart disease, respiratory disease, chronic lower respiratory disease, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), respectively. SDS had significantly added effects on ischemic stroke, chronic lower respiratory disease, and COPD mortality. Our results suggest the need to implement public health policy against SDS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Can Zhang
- China CDC Key Laboratory of Environment and Population Health, National Institute of Environmental Health, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China
| | - Meilin Yan
- School of Ecology and Environment, Beijing Technology and Business University, Beijing, China
| | - Hang Du
- China CDC Key Laboratory of Environment and Population Health, National Institute of Environmental Health, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China
| | - Jie Ban
- China CDC Key Laboratory of Environment and Population Health, National Institute of Environmental Health, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China
| | - Chen Chen
- China CDC Key Laboratory of Environment and Population Health, National Institute of Environmental Health, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China
| | - Yuanyuan Liu
- China CDC Key Laboratory of Environment and Population Health, National Institute of Environmental Health, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China
| | - Tiantian Li
- China CDC Key Laboratory of Environment and Population Health, National Institute of Environmental Health, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China.
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Mananga ES, Lopez E, Diop A, Dongomale PJT, Diane F. The impact of the air pollution on health in New York City. J Public Health Res 2023; 12:22799036231205870. [PMID: 38034845 PMCID: PMC10687960 DOI: 10.1177/22799036231205870] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2022] [Accepted: 09/07/2023] [Indexed: 12/02/2023] Open
Abstract
New York City is attempting to find a solution to an issue that many states and cities face: how to minimize air pollution so that it has fewer negative impacts on human health. Despite having the highest population in the United States (US), New York City typically has reasonably clean air. As the City and State of New York have worked to reduce emissions from local and regional sources, the air quality in New York City has improved during the past few decades. Despite these advancements, air pollution still poses a severe hazard to the health of everyone living in New York's environment. Various diseases including respiratory, circulatory, neurological, gastrointestinal, and urinary illnesses, which can be fatal, are intimately associated with air pollution. This review article will concentrate on how air pollution affects respiratory diseases such as asthma in children. In addition to analyzing the severe effects of air pollution on the vulnerable population, this review article will highlight the health repercussions of air pollution on New York City and its residents. furthermore, we argue for potential ideas and discoveries while also putting up a policy option to lower air pollution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eugene S Mananga
- The Graduate Center, The City University of New York, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Engineering, Physics, and Technology, Bronx Community College, The City University of New York, Bronx, NY, USA
- Extension School, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Erika Lopez
- Department of Engineering, Physics, and Technology, Bronx Community College, The City University of New York, Bronx, NY, USA
| | - Aissata Diop
- Department of Engineering, Physics, and Technology, Bronx Community College, The City University of New York, Bronx, NY, USA
| | - Paulin JT Dongomale
- Department of Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering, Missouri University of Science and Technology, Rolla, MO, USA
| | - Fambougouri Diane
- Department of Engineering, Physics, and Technology, Bronx Community College, The City University of New York, Bronx, NY, USA
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Le HHTC, Vien NT, Dang TN, Ware RS, Phung D, Thai PK, Ranganathan S, Vinh NN, Dung PHT, Thanh HN, Dung TTT, Hien TT, Sly PD, Le An P. Wearing masks as a protective measure for children against traffic-related air pollution: A comparison of perceptions between school children and their caregivers in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Trop Med Int Health 2023; 28:753-762. [PMID: 37615211 PMCID: PMC10946546 DOI: 10.1111/tmi.13923] [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] [Indexed: 08/25/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Traffic-related air pollution (TRAP) problems are unlikely to be solved in the short term, making it imperative to educate children on protective measures to mitigate the negative impact on their health. Children and their caregivers may hold differing views on wearing a face mask as a safeguard against air pollution. While many studies have focused on predicting children's health-protective behaviours against air pollution, few have explored the differences in perceptions between children and their caregivers. OBJECTIVES To examine this, we conducted a study that compared the health beliefs of two generations and evaluated the factors that influence the use of masks by children to reduce air pollution exposure. METHODS The study was conducted in 24 secondary schools and involved 8420 children aged 13-14 and their caregivers. We used a Health Belief Model (HBM)-based instrument containing 17-item self-administered health beliefs questionnaires to gather data. The results were analysed using hierarchical logistic regression to determine the probability of children frequently wearing masks to protect against TRAP. RESULTS Our study showed both children and caregivers recognised that several factors could influence mask-wearing among children: discomfort or difficulty breathing while wearing a mask and forgetting to bring a mask when going outside; perceived threats of the poor quality of air and children's respiratory health problems; and cues to mask use (i.e., seeing most of their friends wearing facemasks and ease of finding masks in local stores). However, only children were significantly concerned with public perception of their appearance while wearing a mask. Females were more likely to wear masks, and caregivers with higher levels of education were more likely to encourage their children to wear masks. Children who commuted to schools by walking, biking, or motorbiking were also more accepting of mask-wearing than those who travelled by car or bus. CONCLUSIONS Children and their caregivers hold different perceptions of wearing masks to protect against air pollution. Children are more susceptible to social judgements regarding their appearance when wearing a mask.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hong H. T. C. Le
- Faculty of MedicineThe University of QueenslandBrisbane CityQueenslandAustralia
- Children's Health and Environment ProgramCentre for Children's Health ResearchBrisbane CityQueenslandAustralia
| | - Nguyen Truong Vien
- Department of Environmental and Occupational HealthPham Ngoc Thach University of MedicineHo Chi Minh CityVietnam
| | - Tran Ngoc Dang
- Faculty of Public HealthUniversity of Medicine and Pharmacy at Ho Chi Minh CityHo Chi Minh CityVietnam
| | - Robert S. Ware
- Menzies Health Institute QueenslandGriffith UniversityBrisbane CityQueenslandAustralia
| | - Dung Phung
- School of Public HealthThe University of QueenslandBrisbane CityQueenslandAustralia
| | - Phong K. Thai
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS)The University of QueenslandBrisbane CityQueenslandAustralia
| | | | - Nguyen Nhu Vinh
- Centre for the Training of Family Medicine, Faculty of MedicineUniversity of Medicine and Pharmacy at Ho Chi Minh CityHo Chi Minh CityVietnam
| | - Phan Hoang Thuy Dung
- Grant and Innovation CenterUniversity of Medicine and Pharmacy at Ho Chi Minh CityHo Chi Minh CityVietnam
| | - Huynh Ngoc Thanh
- Faculty of Public HealthUniversity of Medicine and Pharmacy at Ho Chi Minh CityHo Chi Minh CityVietnam
| | - Truong Thi Thuy Dung
- Faculty of Public HealthUniversity of Medicine and Pharmacy at Ho Chi Minh CityHo Chi Minh CityVietnam
| | - To Thi Hien
- University of Science, Vietnam National UniversityHo Chi Minh CityVietnam
| | - Peter D. Sly
- Children's Health and Environment ProgramCentre for Children's Health ResearchBrisbane CityQueenslandAustralia
| | - Pham Le An
- Centre for the Training of Family Medicine, Faculty of MedicineUniversity of Medicine and Pharmacy at Ho Chi Minh CityHo Chi Minh CityVietnam
- Grant and Innovation CenterUniversity of Medicine and Pharmacy at Ho Chi Minh CityHo Chi Minh CityVietnam
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Clougherty JE, Ocampo P. Perception Matters: Perceived vs. Objective Air Quality Measures and Asthma Diagnosis among Urban Adults. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2023; 20:6648. [PMID: 37681788 PMCID: PMC10487870 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph20176648] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2023] [Revised: 08/09/2023] [Accepted: 08/23/2023] [Indexed: 09/09/2023]
Abstract
Urban air pollution is consistently linked to poorer respiratory health, particularly in communities of lower socioeconomic position (SEP), disproportionately located near highways and industrial areas and often with elevated exposures to chronic psychosocial stressors. Fewer studies, however, have considered air pollution itself as a psychosocial stressor and whether pollution may be impacting health through both direct physiologic and psychosocial pathways. We examined data on perceived air pollution exposures from a spatially representative survey of New York City adults through summer and winter 2012 (n = 1183) using residence-specific ambient nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and fine particulate matter (PM2.5) exposure estimates. We used logistic regression to compare associations for perceived and objective air quality on self-reported asthma and general health, adjusting for sociodemographics and mental health. In models including all exposure metrics, we found small but significant associations for perceived air quality (OR = 1.12, 95% CI: 1.04-1.22) but not for NO2 or PM2.5. Neither perceived nor objective pollution was significantly associated with self-reported general health. Results suggest that perceived air quality may be significantly associated with adult asthma, more so than objective air pollution and after adjusting for mental health-associations not observed for self-reported general health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jane E. Clougherty
- Department of Environmental & Occupational Health, Drexel University Dornsife School of Public Health, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Pilar Ocampo
- Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA;
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Kangas T, Gadeyne S, Lefebvre W, Vanpoucke C, Rodriguez-Loureiro L. Are air quality perception and PM 2.5 exposure differently associated with cardiovascular and respiratory disease mortality in Brussels? Findings from a census-based study. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2023; 219:115180. [PMID: 36584842 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2022.115180] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2022] [Revised: 12/19/2022] [Accepted: 12/27/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND There is ample evidence that air pollution increases mortality risk, but most studies are based on modelled estimates of air pollution, while the subjective perception of air quality is scarcely assessed. We aimed to compare the effects of objective and subjective exposure to air pollution on cardiorespiratory mortality in Brussels, Belgium. METHODS Data consisted of the 2001 Belgian census linked to registry-based mortality data for the follow-up period 2001-2014. We included individuals aged >30 years of age residing in Brussels at baseline (2001). Air pollution exposure was assessed with objective (modelled annual mean concentrations of PM2.5 in micrograms per cubic metre, μg/m3) and subjective indicators (poor self-reported air quality perception in the census). We used Cox Proportional Hazard models with age as the underlying time scale to evaluate associations with cardiovascular disease (CVD) and respiratory disease mortality, and separately, ischaemic heart disease (IHD), cerebrovascular disease, and COPD excluding asthma mortality. We specified single- and two-exposure models and evaluated effect modification by neighbourhood unemployment rate. RESULTS 437,340 individuals were included at baseline. During follow-up (2001-2014), 22,821 (5%) individuals had died from CVDs and 8572 (2%) from respiratory diseases. In single-exposure models, PM2.5 was significantly associated with an increased risk in CVD and IHD mortality (e.g. for IHD, per 5 μg/m3 increase: Hazard Ratio, HR:1.22, 95%CI:1.08-1.37), and poor air quality perception with COPD excluding asthma mortality (HR:1.23, 95%CI:1.15-1.33). Associations remained significant in the two-exposure models, and additionally, perception was associated with respiratory disease mortality. Associations became gradually stronger with increasing neighbourhood unemployment rate [e.g. in the highest, Q3: PM2.5 and cerebrovascular disease mortality (HR:1.53, 95%CI:1.04-2.24)]. CONCLUSION Our findings suggest that objective and subjective exposure to air pollution increased the risk of dying from cardiovascular and respiratory diseases respectively in Brussels. These results encourage policies reducing pollution load in Brussels whilst considering socio-economic inequalities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Terhi Kangas
- Interface Demography, Department of Sociology, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, 1050, Brussel, Belgium.
| | - Sylvie Gadeyne
- Interface Demography, Department of Sociology, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, 1050, Brussel, Belgium
| | - Wouter Lefebvre
- Flemish Institute for Technological Research (VITO), Boeretang 200, BE-2400, Mol, Belgium
| | - Charlotte Vanpoucke
- Belgian Interregional Environment Agency (IRCELINE), Rue Gaucheret 92/94, 1030, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Lucía Rodriguez-Loureiro
- Interface Demography, Department of Sociology, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, 1050, Brussel, Belgium
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Yu H, Hu X, Gao J. Can haze warning policy reduce traffic accidents: evidence from China. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2023; 30:2703-2720. [PMID: 35932344 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-022-22322-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2022] [Accepted: 07/27/2022] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
Haze pollution may decrease drivers' driving performance by worsening their physical and psychological states. This paper explores the effects of haze warning policy on traffic accidents for the first time. We use the daily-city traffic accident data from 2016 to 2019 in China and construct Regression Discontinuity (RD) strategies based on the warning signal thresholds of PM2.5 concentration for estimations. The results show that one yellow warning and one orange warning can reduce traffic accidents by 8.8% and 13.1% on that day respectively, while the red warning does not work significantly possibly due to the self-perceived channel rather than the warning-signal channel. We also find that the effects may vary among different groups of drivers, vehicles, and roads. Our results prove that the haze warning policy is a non-negligible tool to reduce traffic accidents, which is useful to policy-making both related to haze pollution regulation and transportation safety.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongwei Yu
- Institute of Quality Development Strategy, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430072, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiaoyue Hu
- Institute of Quality Development Strategy, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430072, People's Republic of China
| | - Juan Gao
- School of Political Science and Public Administration, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430072, People's Republic of China.
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Marquart H. Informing about the invisible: communicating en route air pollution and noise exposure to cyclists and pedestrians using focus groups. EUROPEAN TRANSPORT RESEARCH REVIEW 2022; 14:49. [PMID: 38625277 PMCID: PMC9643997 DOI: 10.1186/s12544-022-00571-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2022] [Accepted: 10/06/2022] [Indexed: 04/17/2024]
Abstract
Active mobility and public transport are considered beneficial for health and wellbeing and valuable for climate change mitigation. However, cyclists and pedestrians have high air pollution and noise exposure alongside traffic, which adversely impact health and wellbeing. The measured exposure can differ from the perceived exposure, hence, communicating en route exposure is crucial. Therefore, this study investigates how to communicate route-based exposure to cyclists and pedestrians and explores if exposure communication, e.g. via smartphones, is worthwhile for healthy and pleasant commute. It is investigated how exposure feedback influences the motivation to protect oneself and how exposure information should be designed. Three focus groups with 20 cyclists/pedestrians living in Berlin, Germany, were conducted. Based on Protection Motivation Theory and Environmental Health Literacy concept, (1) experiences and practices after recognizing exposure were discussed and (2) information needs and communication strategies were developed. The results reveal a feeling of helplessness regarding the ubiquity and uncertainty of pollution and a heightened threat appraisal. Anger, anxiety and rejection were stated. Making sense of pollution levels and protective alternatives were central. A healthy routing app, including also pleasant route factors, was desired. However, information provision was also denied. Participants argued the responsibility should not be left to the commuters and planning for exposed road users would be crucial. Information provision may not be worthwhile if planning authorities do not provide healthy alternatives. People-centered approaches for tackling air pollution and noise exposure en route should be investigated further.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heike Marquart
- Institute of Transport Research, German Aerospace Center (DLR) Berlin, Rudower Chaussee 7, 12489 Berlin, Germany
- Geography Department, Humboldt University Berlin, Unter den Linden 6, 10099 Berlin, Germany
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Wang T, Wang Y, Cui N. Traffic costs of air pollution: the effect of PM 2.5 on traffic violation. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2022; 29:72699-72717. [PMID: 35614355 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-022-20790-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2021] [Accepted: 05/09/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Although emerging studies have investigated the effect of air pollution on traffic crashes, it is unclear to scholars whether air pollution affects another road safety problem-traffic violations. To address this gap, the current paper constructs a data set from 1,390,221 traffic violation records of 640,971 drivers from the Wuhan Traffic Management Bureau between January 2018 and December 2018. An ordered logistic regression was conducted to verify our hypotheses. The result shows that PM2.5 has no overall impact on the severity of traffic violations, but each 1% increase in the daily concentration of PM2.5 leads to a 1.02-fold increase in the odds of serious inexperience-related violations and a 0.99-fold decrease in the odds of serious overconfidence-related violations. This effect is the strongest in PM2.5, followed by NO2, and has not been observed in CO and O3. In addition, robustness tests indicate that the relationship between air pollution and traffic violations is consistent among the different subsets (e.g., clear weather, no rain and snow, and good visibility). We also provide valuable practical advice for drivers and traffic authorities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tao Wang
- School of Economics and Management, Wuhan University, Wuhan, People's Republic of China
- Research Center For Organizational Marketing of Wuhan University, Wuhan University, Wuhan, People's Republic of China
| | - Yu Wang
- School of Economics and Management, Wuhan University, Wuhan, People's Republic of China.
| | - Nan Cui
- School of Economics and Management, Wuhan University, Wuhan, People's Republic of China
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Vuong QH, Le TT, Khuc QV, Nguyen QL, Nguyen MH. Escaping from Air Pollution: Exploring the Psychological Mechanism behind the Emergence of Internal Migration Intention among Urban Residents. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:ijerph191912233. [PMID: 36231534 PMCID: PMC9566140 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph191912233] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2022] [Revised: 09/22/2022] [Accepted: 09/24/2022] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
Rapid urbanization with poor city planning has resulted in severe air pollution in urban areas of low- and middle-income countries. Given the adverse impacts of air pollution, citizens may develop ideation of averting behaviors, including migration to another region. The current study explores the psychological mechanism and demographic predictors of internal migration intention among urban people in Hanoi, Vietnam-one of the most polluted capital cities in the world. The Bayesian Mindsponge Framework (BMF) analytics was used to construct a model and perform Bayesian analysis on a stratified random sampling dataset of 475 urban people. We found that migration intention was negatively associated with an individual's satisfaction with air quality. The association was moderated by the perceived availability of a nearby alternative (i.e., a nearby province/city with better air quality). The high migration cost due to geographical distance made the moderation effect of the perceived availability of a faraway alternative negligible. These results validate the proposed psychological mechanism behind the emergence of migration intention. Moreover, it was found that male and young people were more likely to migrate. While the brain drain effect did not clearly show, it is likely due to complex underlying interactions of various related factors (e.g., age and gender). The results hint that without air pollution mitigation measures, the dislocation of economic forces might occur and hinder sustainable urban development. Therefore, collaborative actions among levels of government, with the environmental semi-conducting principle at heart, are recommended to reduce air pollution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Quan-Hoang Vuong
- Centre for Interdisciplinary Social Research, Phenikaa University, Yen Nghia Ward, Ha Dong District, Hanoi 100803, Vietnam
| | - Tam-Tri Le
- Centre for Interdisciplinary Social Research, Phenikaa University, Yen Nghia Ward, Ha Dong District, Hanoi 100803, Vietnam
| | - Quy Van Khuc
- Faculty of Development Economics, VNU University of Economics and Business, Vietnam National University, Hanoi 100000, Vietnam
| | - Quang-Loc Nguyen
- SP Jain School of Global Management, Lidcombe, NSW 2141, Australia
| | - Minh-Hoang Nguyen
- Centre for Interdisciplinary Social Research, Phenikaa University, Yen Nghia Ward, Ha Dong District, Hanoi 100803, Vietnam
- Correspondence:
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Shi D, Liu Z, Fu J, Yu H. The impact of drivers' short-term exposure to air pollution on traffic deaths. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2022; 29:61323-61333. [PMID: 35442000 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-022-20230-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2021] [Accepted: 04/09/2022] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
Air pollution may decrease drivers' driving performance thus leading to traffic accidents, but this impact is almost ignored in existing literature. We investigate the short-term effect of air pollution on traffic deaths using the high-dimensional fixed effect model and instrument variable method based on the daily-city panel data in China from 2013 to 2018. The results show that drivers' short-term exposure to air pollution significantly increases the number of traffic deaths. For every 1 ug/m3 increase of PM2.5 concentration each day, the daily number of traffic deaths will increase by 0.64%. The impacts of air pollution on traffic deaths can last for 2 days. We also find that impact varies from different driver groups.The male, the young (age under 22), the elderly (age over 60), and the two-wheeler drivers are more vulnerable. Worse air pollution may associate with more bad driving behaviors and less good manners. In this article, we reveal a new factor that leads to traffic deaths, i.e., air pollution, and we also put forward some prevention strategies which may provide policy references for traffic safety.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daqian Shi
- School of Economics, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan, 430070, People's Republic of China
| | - Ziwei Liu
- Institute of Quality Development Strategy, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430072, People's Republic of China
| | - Jie Fu
- Institute of Quality Development Strategy, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430072, People's Republic of China
| | - Hongwei Yu
- Institute of Quality Development Strategy, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430072, People's Republic of China.
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Xiang P, Wang C, Geng L. Polluted belief: the potential effect of air pollution on materialism. CURRENT PSYCHOLOGY 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s12144-022-03440-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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14
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Pelgrims I, Devleesschauwer B, Keune H, Nawrot TS, Remmen R, Saenen ND, Thomas I, Gorasso V, Van der Heyden J, De Smedt D, De Clercq E. Validity of self-reported air pollution annoyance to assess long-term exposure to air pollutants in Belgium. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2022; 210:113014. [PMID: 35218716 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2022.113014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2021] [Revised: 02/08/2022] [Accepted: 02/21/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
In epidemiological studies, assessment of long term exposure to air pollution is often estimated using air pollution measurements at fixed monitoring stations, and interpolated to the residence of survey participants through Geographical Information Systems (GIS). However, obtaining georeferenced address data from national registries requires a long and cumbersome administrative procedure, since this kind of personal data is protected by privacy regulations. This paper aims to assess whether information collected in health interview surveys, including air pollution annoyance, could be used to build prediction models for assessing individual long term exposure to air pollution, removing the need for data on personal residence address. Analyses were carried out based on data from the Belgian Health Interview Survey (BHIS) 2013 linked to GIS-modelled air pollution exposure at the residence place of participants older than 15 years (n = 9347). First, univariate linear regressions were performed to assess the relationship between air pollution annoyance and modelled exposure to each air pollutant. Secondly, a multivariable linear regression was performed for each air pollutant based on a set of variables selected with elastic net cross-validation, including variables related to environmental annoyance, socio-economic and health status of participants. Finally, the performance of the models to classify individuals in three levels of exposure was assessed by means of a confusion matrix. Our results suggest a limited validity of self-reported air pollution annoyance as a direct proxy for air pollution exposure and a weak contribution of environmental annoyance variables in prediction models. Models using variables related to the socio-economic status, region, urban level and environmental annoyance allow to predict individual air pollution exposure with a percentage of error ranging from 8% to 18%. Although these models do not provide very accurate predictions in terms of absolute exposure to air pollution, they do allow to classify individuals in groups of relative exposure levels, ranking participants from low over medium to high air pollution exposure. This model represents a rapid assessment tool to identify groups within the BHIS participants undergoing the highest levels of environmental stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ingrid Pelgrims
- Department of Chemical and Physical Health Risks, Risk and Health Impact Assessment, Sciensano, Rue Juliette Wytsman 14, BE-1050, Brussels, Belgium; Department of Applied Mathematics, Computer Science and Statistics, Ghent University, Krijgslaan 281, S9, BE-9000, Ghent, Belgium; Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Sciensano, Rue Juliette Wytsman 14, BE-1050, Brussels, Belgium.
| | - Brecht Devleesschauwer
- Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Sciensano, Rue Juliette Wytsman 14, BE-1050, Brussels, Belgium; Department of Translational Physiology, Infectiology and Public Health, Ghent University, Salisburylaan 133, BE-9820, Merelbeke, Belgium
| | - Hans Keune
- Centre of General Practice, Department Family and Population Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Antwerp, Doornstraat 331, BE-2610, Antwerp, Belgium; Nature and Society, Own-Capital Research Institute for Nature and Forest (EV-INBO), Vlaams Administratief Centrum Herman, Teirlinckgebouw, Havenlaan 88 Bus 73, BE-1000, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Tim S Nawrot
- Center for Environmental Sciences, University of Hasselt, Agoralaan D, BE-3590, Diepenbeek, Hasselt, Belgium; Center for Environment and Sciences, Department of Public Health and Primary Care, University of Leuven, Herestraat 49-706, BE-3000, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Roy Remmen
- Centre of General Practice, Department Family and Population Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Antwerp, Doornstraat 331, BE-2610, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Nelly D Saenen
- Center for Environmental Sciences, University of Hasselt, Agoralaan D, BE-3590, Diepenbeek, Hasselt, Belgium
| | - Isabelle Thomas
- Louvain Institute of Data Analysis and Modelling in Economics and Statistics, UCLouvain, Voie Du Roman Pays, 34 Bte L1.03.01, BE-1348, Louvain-La-Neuve, Belgium
| | - Vanessa Gorasso
- Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Sciensano, Rue Juliette Wytsman 14, BE-1050, Brussels, Belgium; Department of Public Health and Primary Care, Ghent University, Corneel Heymanslaan 10, BE-9000, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Johan Van der Heyden
- Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Sciensano, Rue Juliette Wytsman 14, BE-1050, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Delphine De Smedt
- Department of Public Health and Primary Care, Ghent University, Corneel Heymanslaan 10, BE-9000, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Eva De Clercq
- Department of Chemical and Physical Health Risks, Risk and Health Impact Assessment, Sciensano, Rue Juliette Wytsman 14, BE-1050, Brussels, Belgium
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15
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Orru H, Olstrup H, Hagenbjörk A, Nordin S, Orru K. Exposures, Symptoms and Risk Perception among Office Workers in Relation to Nanoparticles in the Work Environment. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:ijerph19105789. [PMID: 35627326 PMCID: PMC9141247 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19105789] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2022] [Revised: 04/30/2022] [Accepted: 05/04/2022] [Indexed: 12/10/2022]
Abstract
Submicroscopic nanoparticles (NPs) in air have received much attention due to their possible effects on health and wellbeing. Adverse health impacts of air pollution may not only be associated with level of exposure, but also mediated by the perception of the pollution and by beliefs of the exposure being hazardous. The aim of this study was to test a model that describes interrelations between NP pollution, perceived air quality, health risk perception, stress, and sick building syndrome. In the NanoOffice study, the level of NPs was measured and a survey on health risk perception was conducted among 260 employees in twelve office buildings in northern Sweden. Path analyses were performed to test the validity of the model. The data refute the model proposing that the NP exposure level significantly influences stress, chronic diseases, or SBS symptoms. Instead, the perceived exposure influences the perceived risk of NP, and the effect of perceived exposure on SBS and chronic disease is mediated by stress. There was little concern about nanoparticles, despite relatively high levels in some facilities. Perceived pollution and health risk perception may explain a large part of the environmentally induced symptoms and diseases, particularly in relatively low levels of pollution. The research results raise important questions on the physiologically or psychologically mediated health effects of air pollution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hans Orru
- Section of Sustainable Health, Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Umeå University, 901 87 Umeå, Sweden;
- Institute of Family Medicine and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tartu, Ravila 19, 50411 Tartu, Estonia
- Correspondence: (H.O.); (H.O.); Tel.: +372-737-4203 (H.O.); +46-70-614-33-66 (H.O.)
| | - Henrik Olstrup
- Section of Sustainable Health, Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Umeå University, 901 87 Umeå, Sweden;
- Institute of Family Medicine and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tartu, Ravila 19, 50411 Tartu, Estonia
- Correspondence: (H.O.); (H.O.); Tel.: +372-737-4203 (H.O.); +46-70-614-33-66 (H.O.)
| | - Annika Hagenbjörk
- Section of Sustainable Health, Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Umeå University, 901 87 Umeå, Sweden;
| | - Steven Nordin
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences, Umeå University, 901 87 Umeå, Sweden;
| | - Kati Orru
- Institute of Social Studies, University of Tartu, Lossi 36, 51003 Tartu, Estonia;
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16
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Abed Al Ahad M, Demšar U, Sullivan F, Kulu H. Air pollution and individuals' mental well-being in the adult population in United Kingdom: A spatial-temporal longitudinal study and the moderating effect of ethnicity. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0264394. [PMID: 35263348 PMCID: PMC8906596 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0264394] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2021] [Accepted: 02/09/2022] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Recent studies suggest an association between ambient air pollution and mental well-being, though evidence is mostly fragmented and inconclusive. Research also suffers from methodological limitations related to study design and moderating effect of key demographics (e.g., ethnicity). This study examines the effect of air pollution on reported mental well-being in United Kingdom (UK) using spatial-temporal (between-within) longitudinal design and assesses the moderating effect of ethnicity. METHODS Data for 60,146 adult individuals (age:16+) with 349,748 repeated responses across 10-data collection waves (2009-2019) from "Understanding-Society: The-UK-Household-Longitudinal-Study" were linked to annual concentrations of NO2, SO2, PM10, and PM2.5 pollutants using the individuals' place of residence, given at the local-authority and at the finer Lower-Super-Output-Areas (LSOAs) levels; allowing for analysis at two geographical scales across time. The association between air pollution and mental well-being (assessed through general-health-questionnaire-GHQ12) and its modification by ethnicity and being non-UK born was assessed using multilevel mixed-effect logit models. RESULTS Higher odds of poor mental well-being was observed with every 10μg/m3 increase in NO2, SO2, PM10 and PM2.5 pollutants at both LSOAs and local-authority levels. Decomposing air pollution into spatial-temporal (between-within) effects showed significant between, but not within effects; thus, residing in more polluted local-authorities/LSOAs have higher impact on poor mental well-being than the air pollution variation across time within each geographical area. Analysis by ethnicity revealed higher odds of poor mental well-being with increasing concentrations of SO2, PM10, and PM2.5 only for Pakistani/Bangladeshi, other-ethnicities and non-UK born individuals compared to British-white and natives, but not for other ethnic groups. CONCLUSION Using longitudinal individual-level and contextual-linked data, this study highlights the negative effect of air pollution on individuals' mental well-being. Environmental policies to reduce air pollution emissions can eventually improve the mental well-being of people in UK. However, there is inconclusive evidence on the moderating effect of ethnicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mary Abed Al Ahad
- School of Geography and Sustainable Development, University of St. Andrews, Scotland, United Kingdom
| | - Urška Demšar
- School of Geography and Sustainable Development, University of St. Andrews, Scotland, United Kingdom
| | - Frank Sullivan
- School of Medicine, University of St. Andrews, Scotland, United Kingdom
| | - Hill Kulu
- School of Geography and Sustainable Development, University of St. Andrews, Scotland, United Kingdom
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17
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Okrasa M, Szulc J, Brochocka A, Gutarowska B. Application of Olfactometry to Assess the Anti-Odor Properties of Filtering Facepiece Respirators Containing Activated Carbon Nonwovens. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2021; 18:ijerph18158157. [PMID: 34360450 PMCID: PMC8346067 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18158157] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2021] [Revised: 07/22/2021] [Accepted: 07/30/2021] [Indexed: 12/04/2022]
Abstract
Filtering facepiece respirators (FFR) with anti-odor properties are used to reduce odor nuisance occurring both in everyday life and at workplaces. Unfortunately, there are no standardized methods to measure the efficiency of odor reduction of such personal protective devices. This paper aims to determine whether olfactometric-based methods, commonly used in environmental studies, can be employed for this purpose. The proposed procedure is based on the detection of n-butanol by study participants, and it consists of three subsequent stages: (i) defining the individual levels of odor sensitivity of each study participant; (ii) determining THE odor detection level while using FFRs with varying anti-odor properties; and (iii) completing a questionnaire concerning the subjective perceptions of study participants. As a measure of odor reduction efficiency, a coefficient W, defined as a quotient of the degree of odor reduction by the FFR, and the individual odor sensitivity of the subject, was proposed. The experimental results showed the ability of our measure to differentiate the effectiveness of odor reduction of tested FFRs. This indicates that it can be potentially employed as the assessment tool to confirm the effectiveness of such respiratory protective devices as a control measure mitigating the adverse effects of malodors on workers’ health, cognition, and behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Małgorzata Okrasa
- Department of Personal Protective Equipment, Central Institute for Labor Protection—National Research Institute, Wierzbowa 48, 90-133 Łódź, Poland;
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +48-426480223
| | - Justyna Szulc
- Department of Environmental Biotechnology, Lodz University of Technology, 90-924 Łódź, Poland; (J.S.); (B.G.)
| | - Agnieszka Brochocka
- Department of Personal Protective Equipment, Central Institute for Labor Protection—National Research Institute, Wierzbowa 48, 90-133 Łódź, Poland;
| | - Beata Gutarowska
- Department of Environmental Biotechnology, Lodz University of Technology, 90-924 Łódź, Poland; (J.S.); (B.G.)
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18
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Si R, Yao Y, Zhang X, Lu Q, Aziz N. Investigating the Links Between Vaccination Against COVID-19 and Public Attitudes Toward Protective Countermeasures: Implications for Public Health. Front Public Health 2021; 9:702699. [PMID: 34368065 PMCID: PMC8333618 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2021.702699] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2021] [Accepted: 06/28/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic caused by the novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, is spreading globally at an unprecedented rate. To protect the world against this devastating catastrophe, vaccines for SARS-CoV-2 have been produced following consistent clinical trials. However, the durability of a protective immune response due to vaccination has not been confirmed. Moreover, COVID-19 vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 is not 100% guaranteed, as new variants arise due to mutations. Consequently, health officials are pleading with the public to take extra precautions against the virus and continue wearing masks, wash hands, and observe physical distancing even after vaccination. The current research collected data from 4,540 participants (1,825 vaccinated and 2,715 not vaccinated) in China to analyze this phenomenon empirically. The propensity score matching (PSM) model is employed to analyze the impact of vaccination against COVID-19 on participants' attitudes toward protective countermeasures. The findings showed that gender, age, education level, occupation risk, individual health risk perception, public health risk perception, social responsibility, peer effect, and government supervision are the main drivers for participants to be vaccinated with COVID-19's vaccines. The results further show that vaccination lessened participants' frequency of hand washing by 1.75 times and their compliance frequency intensity of observing physical distancing by 1.24 times. However, the rate of mask-wearing did not reduce significantly, implying that China's main countermeasure of effective mask-wearing effectively controls COVID-19. Moreover, the findings indicate that a reduction in the frequency of hand washing and observing physical distance could cause a resurgence of COVID-19. In conclusion, factors leading to the eradication of SARS-CoV-2 from the world are complex to be achieved, so the exploration of COVID-19 vaccination and people's attitude toward protective countermeasures may provide insights for policymakers to encourage vaccinated people to follow protective health measures and help in completely defeating the COVID-19 from the globe.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruishi Si
- School of Public Administration, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, Xi'an, China
| | - Yumeng Yao
- School of Public Administration, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, Xi'an, China
| | - Xueqian Zhang
- School of Public Administration, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, Xi'an, China
| | - Qian Lu
- College of Economics and Management, Northwest A & F University, Yangling, China
| | - Noshaba Aziz
- College of Economics and Management, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
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19
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Froeling F, Gignac F, Hoek G, Vermeulen R, Nieuwenhuijsen M, Ficorilli A, De Marchi B, Biggeri A, Kocman D, Robinson JA, Grazuleviciene R, Andrusaityte S, Righi V, Basagaña X. Narrative review of citizen science in environmental epidemiology: Setting the stage for co-created research projects in environmental epidemiology. ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL 2021; 152:106470. [PMID: 33677244 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2021.106470] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2020] [Accepted: 02/16/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Several citizen science (CS) initiatives have been adopted in environmental science to monitor air and noise pollution, and water quality related to civic concerns. Nevertheless, CS projects in environmental epidemiology remain scarce. This is because little attention has been paid to evaluate associations of environmental exposures with health effects directly. This narrative review aims to promote the understanding and application of CS in environmental epidemiology. There are many commonalities between CS and other participatory approaches in environmental epidemiology. Yet, CS can foster the democratization of scientific governance and enhance the sustainability of research projects more effectively than other existing participatory approaches. This is especially the case in projects where citizens are invited to participate, engage and become involved throughout all the phases of a research project (co-created projects). This paper identifies various challenges and opportunities specific to the implementation of co-created CS projects in environmental epidemiology. The development of more locally relevant research designs, using local knowledge, obtaining medical ethical clearance, and co-analysing the association between exposure and health, are examples of opportunities and challenges that require epidemiologists to go beyond the traditional research framework and include more outreach activities. Continued efforts, particularly the sharing of information about projects' collaborative processes, are needed to make CS a more concrete and cohesive approach in environmental epidemiology.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Florence Gignac
- Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), Barcelona, Spain; Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain; CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Spain.
| | - Gerard Hoek
- Universiteit Utrecht (UU), Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Roel Vermeulen
- Universiteit Utrecht (UU), Utrecht, the Netherlands; Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care, University Medical Center Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Mark Nieuwenhuijsen
- Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), Barcelona, Spain; Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain; CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Spain
| | - Antonella Ficorilli
- Epidemiologia e Prevenzione "Giulio A. Maccacaro" Social Enterprise, Milan, Italy
| | - Bruna De Marchi
- Epidemiologia e Prevenzione "Giulio A. Maccacaro" Social Enterprise, Milan, Italy; SVT, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Annibale Biggeri
- Epidemiologia e Prevenzione "Giulio A. Maccacaro" Social Enterprise, Milan, Italy; Department of Statistics, Computer Science, Applications "G. Parenti" University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - David Kocman
- Jožef Stefan Institute, Department of Environmental Sciences, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Johanna Amalia Robinson
- Jožef Stefan Institute, Department of Environmental Sciences, Ljubljana, Slovenia; Jožef Stefan International Postgraduate School, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | | | - Sandra Andrusaityte
- Department of Environmental Science, Vytautas Magnus University, Kaunas, Lithuania
| | | | - Xavier Basagaña
- Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), Barcelona, Spain; Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain; CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Spain
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20
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Zhu Z, Zhao Y. Severe Air Pollution and Psychological Distress in China: The Interactive Effects of Coping and Perceived Controllability. Front Psychol 2021; 12:601964. [PMID: 34149499 PMCID: PMC8206483 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.601964] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2021] [Accepted: 04/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The coping styles of focusing on a stressor (i.e., trauma focus), and moving beyond the emotional impact of a stressor (i.e., forward focus), have both been found beneficial to psychological adjustment. This study investigated whether these two coping styles are similarly associated with adjustment across levels of perceived controllability and beyond European-American contexts. During China’s peak of air pollution in 2014, we surveyed 250 young- to middle- aged adults online to measure their coping behaviors, smog perceptions, and psychological distress, and collected objective data of pollution severity in the respondents’ cities. Results showed that forward-focus coping was generally associated with lower distress and trauma-focus coping was associated with greater distress. Perceived controllability significantly moderated the associations between trauma focus (but not forward focus) and distress. These findings suggest that while forward focus correlated with beneficial adjustment outcomes in coping with air pollution, the extensive processing of event-related cognitions and emotions in trauma focus may be detrimental, especially for events perceived to be less controllable. We discussed the implications of our findings within an interdependent cultural context.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhuoying Zhu
- Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yitong Zhao
- Department of Psychology, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC, United States
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21
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Ju YJ, Lee JE, Lee SY. Perceived environmental pollution and subjective cognitive decline (SCD) or SCD-related functional difficulties among the general population. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2021; 28:31289-31300. [PMID: 33599928 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-021-12831-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2020] [Accepted: 02/02/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
This study aimed to determine whether perceived environmental pollution is associated with subjective cognitive decline (SCD) or SCD-related functional difficulties. We conducted a cross-sectional study using data from a nationwide sample of 191,054 individuals aged ≥19 years from the 2018 Korea Community Health Survey. Perceived air, water, soil, noise, and green space pollution was assessed. To investigate the dose-response effect of the amount of perceived environmental pollution, we determined whether an increasing number of types of perceived environmental pollution also increased the odds of having SCD or SCD-related functional difficulties. Among the 191,054 individuals, the prevalence of SCD and SCD-related functional difficulties was 17.7% (N = 33,853) and 2.2% (N = 4139), respectively. Perception of air, soil, or noise pollution was significantly associated with SCD. However, the perception of any type of environmental pollution was not significantly associated with SCD-related functional difficulties. With regard to a dose-response effect, individuals perceiving a greater number of types of environmental pollution had significantly higher odds of SCD or SCD-related functional difficulties. This association was notably more evident in the younger age group.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yeong Jun Ju
- Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Ajou University School of Medicine, 206 World Cup-ro, Yeongtong-gu, Suwon-si, Gyeonggi-do, 16499, South Korea
- Institute of Health Services Research, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Joo Eun Lee
- Institute of Health Services Research, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
- Cosmo Internal Medicine, Daejeon, South Korea
| | - Soon Young Lee
- Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Ajou University School of Medicine, 206 World Cup-ro, Yeongtong-gu, Suwon-si, Gyeonggi-do, 16499, South Korea.
- Institute of Health Services Research, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea.
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22
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Environmental Odour Nuisance Assessment in Urbanized Area: Analysis and Comparison of Different and Integrated Approaches. ATMOSPHERE 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/atmos12060690] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Prolonged exposure to odour emissions causes annoyance which leads to nuisance and consequently to complaints. Different methodologies exist in the literature to evaluate odour impacts, but not all are suitable to assess environmental odour nuisance. Information about their applicability criteria and comparison, is scarce and referred to short time analysis. The research presents and discusses the application of different methods to characterize and assess odour nuisance around an industrial plant localized in a sensitive area. Experimental activities are carried out through a long-time analysis programme. Field inspections and predictive methods are investigated and compared. A modification of the traditional dispersion modelling approach is proposed in order to adapt its application for the prediction of the odour nuisance. The offensiveness and location factors are identified as key parameters in the quantification of the perceived nuisance. The integrated dispersion modelling multi-level approach is highlighted as the most suitable for defining the plant strategies. The paper provides useful information to characterize environmental odour problems and identify appropriate solutions for an effective management of odorous sources, with the aim of reducing complaints, restoring the proper relationship between odorous plants and the surrounding communities and increasing the overall quality of the environment.
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23
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Moriarity RJ, Zuk AM, Liberda EN, Tsuji LJS. The self-reported behaviour of Iiyiyiu Aschii Cree and the worry about pollution from industrial and hydroelectric development in northern Quebec, Canada. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2021; 195:110788. [PMID: 33508258 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2021.110788] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2020] [Revised: 12/11/2020] [Accepted: 01/19/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Worry is influenced by environmental pollution and affects individual health and well-being; however, little is known about this association in Indigenous communities. Using logistic regression models, we examined self-reported responses among Cree adults to the question "Are you worried about the pollution of the environment (land, water or air) in Iiyiyiu Aschii?" to assess if increased worry was associated with proximity to industrial and hydroelectric development, whether increased worry was associated with self-reported behavioural changes of water consumption type in the community or bush, and days spent on-the-land. Proximity to multiple industrial and hydroelectric development sites was associated with increased worry about pollution. Notably, the decreased consumption of tap water in the community was significantly associated with increased worry, but time-on-the land was not. Overall, our study provides new findings concerning development in a Cree territory in northern Quebec, Canada, and the worry about pollution's association with self-reported behavioural changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert J Moriarity
- Department of Physical and Environmental Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
| | - Aleksandra M Zuk
- Department of Physical and Environmental Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada; School of Nursing, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, Canada
| | - Eric N Liberda
- School of Occupational and Public Health, Ryerson University, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Leonard J S Tsuji
- Department of Physical and Environmental Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
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24
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Ju YJ, Lee JE, Choi DW, Han KT, Lee SY. Association between perceived environmental pollution and poor sleep quality: results from nationwide general population sample of 162,797 people. Sleep Med 2021; 80:236-243. [PMID: 33610070 DOI: 10.1016/j.sleep.2021.01.043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2020] [Revised: 11/16/2020] [Accepted: 01/26/2021] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE/BACKGROUND Perceived environmental pollution may play a significant role in understanding environmentally induced health-related symptoms. This study aimed to determine whether perceived environmental pollution is associated with poor sleep quality. METHODS We conducted a cross-sectional study using data from a nationwide sample of 162,797 individuals aged ≥19 years from the 2018 Korea Community Health Survey. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index was used for assessing sleep quality. Five types of perceived environmental pollutants involving air, water, soil, noise, and green space were assessed. We investigate the association between perceived environmental pollution and poor sleep quality. We also investigated whether an increasing number of perceived environmental pollutants magnified the odds of poor sleep quality. RESULTS The prevalence of poor sleep quality was 42.7% (n = 69,554), and 15.6%, 10.1%, 11.9%, 23.0%, and 11.5% reported perceived environmental pollution concerning air, water, soil, noise, and green space, respectively. A perception of air, soil, or noise pollution was significantly associated with poor sleep quality. In addition, those perceiving a greater number of environmental pollutants had significantly higher odds of poor sleep quality. Notably, this association was magnified in individuals living in rural areas. CONCLUSIONS Perceived environmental pollution was significantly associated with poor sleep quality. Our results suggest that a more comprehensive exposure to environmental pollution may not only have a worse effect on health outcomes including sleep quality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yeong Jun Ju
- Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Ajou University School of Medicine, Suwon, Republic of Korea; Institute of Health Services Research, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Joo Eun Lee
- Institute of Health Services Research, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea; Cosmo Internal Medicine, Daejeon, Republic of Korea
| | - Dong-Woo Choi
- Institute of Health Services Research, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Kyu-Tae Han
- Institute of Health Services Research, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea; Division of Cancer Management Policy, National Cancer Center, Goyang, Republic of Korea
| | - Soon Young Lee
- Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Ajou University School of Medicine, Suwon, Republic of Korea; Institute of Health Services Research, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
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Noroozi F, Eisapareh K, Bahadori A, Ghahremani L, Cousins R, Mokarami H. Development and validation of dust exposure prevention questionnaire for cardiovascular patients based on the health belief model. BMC Public Health 2020; 20:1779. [PMID: 33238926 PMCID: PMC7687849 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-020-09871-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2020] [Accepted: 11/10/2020] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Many cardiovascular patients suffer from respiratory failure. Environmental conditions can exacerbate symptomatology. It is necessary to prevent exposure to dust by taking educational steps to identify and modify patient behavior. This study aimed to develop and validate a dust exposure behavior questionnaire based on the Health Belief Model. METHODS A mixture of qualitative and quantitative methods was employed to design and develop the desired tool. Qualitative methods were used to identify the preventive behaviors needed by cardiovascular patients at risk of dust exposure using the opinions of two expert panels and a literature review. The quantitative phase of the research was performed to evaluate the psychometric properties of the research tool. The research population comprised 417 people with cardiovascular disease referred to a heart hospital in Bushehr, Iran in 2018. Consenting participants entered the study through consecutive sampling. RESULTS The final version of the questionnaire included 27 items across six domains, namely perceived susceptibility, perceived barriers, perceived severity, perceived benefits, cues to action, and self-efficacy. The mean values of the content validity ratio and content validity index were 0.93 and 0.9, respectively. In addition, all items had a good correlation with the total score of their parent domain (P < 0.01). The model fit was initially unsuitable, according to the related indices. Hence, to achieve a better model fit, the model was improved by releasing some parameters based on the modifications suggested by the AMOS software. The modified model featured an acceptable fit (χ2/df = 2.2, P < 0.001). Cronbach's alpha coefficients also confirmed appropriate reliability for all six domains. CONCLUSION The Dust Exposure Prevention questionnaire has desirable psychometric properties and appropriate validity to determine the behavioral factors involved in harm from dust exposure among cardiovascular disease patients. This marks an effective step toward evaluating the factors effective in preventing complications related to dust exposure among such patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Farzaneh Noroozi
- Department of Health Education and Promotion, School of Health, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
| | - Kumars Eisapareh
- Department of Health Education and Promotion, School of Health, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
| | | | - Leila Ghahremani
- Department of Health Education and Promotion, School of Health, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
| | - Rosanna Cousins
- Department of Psychology, Liverpool Hope University, Liverpool, UK
| | - Hamidreza Mokarami
- Department of Ergonomics, School of Health, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, PO Box 71645-111, Shiraz, Iran.
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Liu L, Yan Y, Nazhalati N, Kuerban A, Li J, Huang L. The effect of PM 2.5 exposure and risk perception on the mental stress of Nanjing citizens in China. CHEMOSPHERE 2020; 254:126797. [PMID: 32334252 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2020.126797] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2020] [Revised: 04/10/2020] [Accepted: 04/12/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
The multidimensional characteristics and temporal dynamics of environmental risks have stimulated a social-scientific approach towards air pollution issues in recent decades. It's now widely acknowledged that air pollution has an ineligible influence on the psychological wellbeing of citizens beyond its well-established physical impact. We explored how fine particulate matter (PM2.5), an essential air pollutant associated with morbidity and mortality, interacted with aspects of risk perception to influence citizen's mental stress level. Questionnaire data from 508 Nanjing citizens in China were collected across four seasons within an 18-month period. We found no evidence that mental stress was directly influenced by real-time PM2.5 exposure. However, path analysis revealed that mental stress was subjected to the indirect influence of physical symptoms (β = 0.076, p = 0.11), by increasing perceived effect on health and increasing attribution to indoor pollution sources (β = 0.038, p = 0.005). Indoor attribution of PM2.5 pollution was associated with perceived familiarity with risk (β = -0.095, p = 0.033), whereas outdoor attribution was associated with perceived control of risk (β = 0.091, p = 0.041). Public risk acceptable rate (PRAR) decreased as PM2.5 concentration increased. In females, but not males, greater trust for government was associated with the increased acceptance of PM2.5 (Year2017: β = -0.19, p = 0.003; Year2022: β = -0.21, p < 0.001). Using psychological statistical methods, our study implied that air pollution has a substantial association with psychological wellbeing in various ways, which might provide some references for public healthcare and risk communication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lina Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, School of the Environment, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, PR China
| | - Yan Yan
- Department of Psychology, School of Social and Behavioural Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, PR China
| | - Naerkezi Nazhalati
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, School of the Environment, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, PR China
| | - Alimila Kuerban
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, School of the Environment, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, PR China
| | - Jie Li
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, School of the Environment, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, PR China
| | - Lei Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, School of the Environment, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, PR China.
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The Grass Is Always Greener on My Side: A Field Experiment Examining the Home Halo Effect. SUSTAINABILITY 2020. [DOI: 10.3390/su12166335] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Wood-burning pollution is a severe problem in southern Chile, where every winter, people are exposed to unhealthy ambient fine particulate matter (PM2.5) concentrations. Urban air quality is a major concern for health officials, but public awareness campaigns tend to focus on outdoor hazards. Our understanding of how residents are exposed and perceive air pollution risks in their homes remains incomplete. This study explores the ability of participants to perceive indoor air quality. We collected data on 81 households, combining perceptions of air quality with objective measurements of PM2.5. Residents’ evaluations of air quality were systematically compared to inspectors’ evaluations in order to examine the home halo effect. We found that residents tended to overestimate air quality in their homes. We discuss how our data supported the existence of a home halo effect, but also point out the possibility that individuals’ ability to perceive air quality in indoor spaces is limited by other factors.
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Han B. Associations between perceived environmental pollution and health-related quality of life in a Chinese adult population. Health Qual Life Outcomes 2020; 18:198. [PMID: 32576182 PMCID: PMC7310336 DOI: 10.1186/s12955-020-01442-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2020] [Accepted: 06/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) measures are being used in increasingly diverse populations. However, there have no known studies to date to examine the associations between perceived environmental pollution and HRQoL in a Chinese population. This study aimed to report the associations between air, water, noise pollution and HRQoL among Chinese adult population. METHODS A cross-sectional survey data was used from East Asian Social Survey 2010 with a sample of 3866 Chinese populations regarding environmental pollution. HRQoL was computed by SF-12 and reflected by physical and mental component summary score (PCS & MCS). Ordinary least regression analyses were used to examine associations between perceived environmental pollution and PCS and MCS scores. Models in SPSS PROCESS were selected to demonstrate the moderating and mediating effects. RESULTS Only considering one pollutant, perceived air pollution and perceived water pollution had significant associations with PCS and MCS scores. Perceived noise pollution had significant associations with PCS scores. Perceived air×noise, air×water, noise×water, and air×noise×water pollution had significant associations with PCS and MCS scores. Conditional (moderated) mediation showed that there were no moderating effects and mediating effects of perceived one pollutant on another pollutant. CONCLUSIONS Co-occurring perceived environmental pollution were mainly associated with progressive increase in PCS and MCS scores among the Chinese adult population. These results suggested that some effective policies should be carried out to improve environmental quality in Chinese adult population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bingxue Han
- International Issues Center, Xuchang University, Xuchang, Henan, China. .,Family Issues Center, Xuchang University, Xuchang, Henan, China. .,Xuchang Urban Water Pollution Control and Ecological Restoration Engineering Technology Research Center, Xuchang University, Xuchang, China. .,College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Xuchang University, Xuchang, China.
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Merico E, Grasso FM, Cesari D, Decesari S, Belosi F, Manarini F, De Nuntiis P, Rinaldi M, Gambaro A, Morabito E, Contini D. Characterisation of atmospheric pollution near an industrial site with a biogas production and combustion plant in southern Italy. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2020; 717:137220. [PMID: 32092819 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.137220] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2019] [Revised: 01/31/2020] [Accepted: 02/07/2020] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Although biogas production can have some benefits, there is a research gap on potential influence of biogas plant emissions on local air quality, thus an accurate and comprehensive evaluation of impacts of this technology is needed. This study deals with this issue by means of a characterisation of air pollution near an industrial area including a biogas production (from biomass) and combustion plant located in South Italy. The methodology consists in advanced statistical analysis on concentration of gaseous pollutants, particles concentration and size distribution in number and mass, and PM2.5 chemical composition. High-temporal resolution measurements, supported by ancillary meteorological parameters, and source apportionment of PM2.5 using Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF) receptor model, are performed. The integrated approach provides the emissive picture consisting in different anthropogenic sources (i.e. traffic, biomass burning, and industrial facilities) with particular focus on biogas plant emissions. Results showed that CO and nitrogen oxides were influenced by vehicular traffic and biomass combustion, however, a contribution of the plant to NO was observed. SO2 was influenced mainly by transport from the industrial zone, but a second local contribution compatible with the emissions of the biogas plant was detected. Number particle concentrations were analysed in four size ranges: nanoparticles (D < 0.05 μm), ultrafine particles (D < 0.3 μm), accumulation (0.3 < D < 1 μm) and coarse particles (D > 1 μm). Nanoparticles and ultrafine particles were mainly influenced by vehicular traffic and biomass burning, instead, a contribution of the plant was individuated in the accumulation mode. PMF5 identified the contribution of six sources: crustal (14.7% ± 2.1% of measured PM2.5); marine aerosol (aged) (12.9% ± 2.3%); biomass burning (32.8% ± 1.4%); secondary sulphate (19.7% ± 2.4%); primary industrial emissions (5.4% ± 2.3%); traffic and secondary nitrate (17.0% ± 3.9%). The plant is likely to contribute to both sources, the industrial and the traffic plus secondary nitrate.
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Affiliation(s)
- E Merico
- Institute of Atmospheric Sciences and Climate, ISAC-CNR, Str. Prv. Lecce-Monteroni km 1.2, 73100 Lecce, Italy.
| | - F M Grasso
- Institute of Atmospheric Sciences and Climate, ISAC-CNR, Str. Prv. Lecce-Monteroni km 1.2, 73100 Lecce, Italy
| | - D Cesari
- Institute of Atmospheric Sciences and Climate, ISAC-CNR, Str. Prv. Lecce-Monteroni km 1.2, 73100 Lecce, Italy
| | - S Decesari
- Institute of Atmospheric Sciences and Climate, ISAC-CNR, Via Piero Gobetti, 101, 40129 Bologna, Italy
| | - F Belosi
- Institute of Atmospheric Sciences and Climate, ISAC-CNR, Via Piero Gobetti, 101, 40129 Bologna, Italy
| | - F Manarini
- Institute of Atmospheric Sciences and Climate, ISAC-CNR, Via Piero Gobetti, 101, 40129 Bologna, Italy
| | - P De Nuntiis
- Institute of Atmospheric Sciences and Climate, ISAC-CNR, Via Piero Gobetti, 101, 40129 Bologna, Italy
| | - M Rinaldi
- Institute of Atmospheric Sciences and Climate, ISAC-CNR, Via Piero Gobetti, 101, 40129 Bologna, Italy
| | - A Gambaro
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Informatics and Statistics, (DAIS), Ca' Foscari University of Venice, Via Torino, 155, 30172 Venice, Mestre, Italy
| | - E Morabito
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Informatics and Statistics, (DAIS), Ca' Foscari University of Venice, Via Torino, 155, 30172 Venice, Mestre, Italy
| | - D Contini
- Institute of Atmospheric Sciences and Climate, ISAC-CNR, Str. Prv. Lecce-Monteroni km 1.2, 73100 Lecce, Italy
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Nordin S. Mechanisms underlying nontoxic indoor air health problems: A review. Int J Hyg Environ Health 2020; 226:113489. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ijheh.2020.113489] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2019] [Revised: 01/29/2020] [Accepted: 02/10/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
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Oncioiu I, Dănescu T, Popa MA. Air-Pollution Control in an Emergent Market: Does It Work? Evidence from Romania. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2020; 17:ijerph17082656. [PMID: 32294934 PMCID: PMC7215349 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph17082656] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2020] [Revised: 04/10/2020] [Accepted: 04/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Economic development in a national and international context must be based on a sustainability strategy established on the systemic interaction between the economic, sociocultural, and ecological environments. Today, the world is confronted by many challenges related to climate change and natural-resource flows, including waste streams resulting from economic activity. The need for national and European environmental standards and the work of an environment monitoring authority to reduce air pollution are highlighted by economic and industrial activities. Thus, our research focused on determining if emissions of sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen (NO2), and particulate matter 10 (PM10) are influenced by planned and unplanned inspections made by competent authorities from Romania. We built a regression model that estimates the influence of economic measures imposed by the authorities on reducing industrial air pollution. Preliminary results showed that the number of inspections negatively influences air pollution, indicating that national and local authorities in Romania are striving to maintain air quality and are conducting more inspections when air pollution is high.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ionica Oncioiu
- Faculty of Finance–Banking, Accountancy and Business Administration, Titu Maiorescu University, 040051 Bucharest, Romania
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +04-0241-6822-238
| | - Tatiana Dănescu
- Faculty of Economics and Law, George Emil Palade University of Medicine, Pharmacy, Science and Technology of Targu-Mures, 540139 Targu Mures, Romania; (T.D.); (M.-A.P.)
| | - Maria-Alexandra Popa
- Faculty of Economics and Law, George Emil Palade University of Medicine, Pharmacy, Science and Technology of Targu-Mures, 540139 Targu Mures, Romania; (T.D.); (M.-A.P.)
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Mirzaei-Alavijeh M, Jalilian F, Dragoi EN, Pirouzeh R, Solaimanizadeh L, Khashij S. Self-care behaviors related to air pollution protection questionnaire: a psychometric analysis. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2020; 78:19. [PMID: 32308980 PMCID: PMC7146995 DOI: 10.1186/s13690-020-00400-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2019] [Accepted: 02/10/2020] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Background Air pollution is an environmental health issue that has received much attention due to its harmful effects on public health. The aim of this study was to determine the psychometric properties of the self-care behaviors related to air pollution protection. To this mean, questionnaire responses provided by Iranian college students were analyzed and a Health Belief Model (HBM) determined. Methods The self-care behavior related to air pollution protection was determined from responses from 301 university students using test item characteristics, face validity, reliability (internal consistency) and construct validity. Moreover, we carried out an exploratory factor analysis (EFA) to determine the factorial structure and explained variance. Results Based on Eigenvalues of ≥1.00 and factor loadings of ≥0.40, seven factors were extracted. The calculated Kaiser–Meyer–Olkin value was 0.804. Overall, the seven factors explain 66.39% of the variance in the hypothesized model. Cronbach’s alpha for the measured factors: the perceived susceptibility, severity, barriers, benefits, self-efficacy, cues to action and behavior were 0.85, 0.79, 0.86, 0.66, 0.74, 0.83, and 0.75, respectively. Conclusion The analysis of the questionnaire’s reliability and validity properties resulted in good values. The questionnaire is a promising instrument to assess self-care behavior related to air pollution protection from the perspective of college students.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mehdi Mirzaei-Alavijeh
- 1Social Development & Health Promotion Research Center, Health Institute, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran
| | - Farzad Jalilian
- 1Social Development & Health Promotion Research Center, Health Institute, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran
| | - Elena-Niculina Dragoi
- 2Faculty of Chemical Engineering and Environmental Protection "Cristo for Simionescu", "Gheorghe Asachi" Technical University, BldMangeron no 73, 700050 Iasi, Romania
| | - Razieh Pirouzeh
- 1Social Development & Health Promotion Research Center, Health Institute, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran
| | - Laleh Solaimanizadeh
- Department of Nursing, Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, Bam University of Medical Sciences, Bam, Iran
| | - Shima Khashij
- 1Social Development & Health Promotion Research Center, Health Institute, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran
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Wang R, Yang B, Yao Y, Bloom MS, Feng Z, Yuan Y, Zhang J, Liu P, Wu W, Lu Y, Baranyi G, Wu R, Liu Y, Dong G. Residential greenness, air pollution and psychological well-being among urban residents in Guangzhou, China. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2020; 711:134843. [PMID: 32000326 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.134843] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2019] [Revised: 10/02/2019] [Accepted: 10/04/2019] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
China's rapid urbanization has led to an increasing level of exposure to air pollution and a decreasing level of exposure to vegetation among urban populations. Both trends may pose threats to psychological well-being. Previous studies on the interrelationships among greenness, air pollution and psychological well-being rely on exposure measures from remote sensing data, which may fail to accurately capture how people perceive vegetation on the ground. To address this research gap, this study aimed to explore relationships among neighbourhood greenness, air pollution exposure and psychological well-being, using survey data on 1029 adults residing in 35 neighbourhoods in Guangzhou, China. We used the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and streetscape greenery (SVG) to assess greenery exposure at the neighbourhood level, and we distinguished between trees (SVG-tree) and grasses (SVG-grass) when generating streetscape greenery exposure metrics. We used two objective (PM2.5 and NO2 concentrations) measures and one subjective (perceived air pollution) measure to quantify air pollution exposure. We quantified psychological well-being using the World Health Organization Well-Being Index (WHO-5). Results from multilevel structural equation models (SEM) showed that, for parallel mediation models, while the association between SVG-grass and psychological well-being was completely mediated by perceived air pollution and NO2, the relationship between SVG-tree and psychological well-being was completely mediated by ambient PM2.5, NO2 and perceived air pollution. None of three air pollution indicators mediated the association between psychological well-being and NDVI. For serial mediation models, measures of air pollution did not mediate the relationship between NDVI and psychological well-being. While the linkage between SVG-grass and psychological well-being scores was partially mediated by NO2-perceived air pollution, SVG-tree was partially mediated by both ambient PM2.5-perceived air pollution and NO2-perceived air pollution. Our results suggest that street trees may be more related to lower air pollution levels and better mental health than grasses are.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruoyu Wang
- School of Geography and Planning, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China; Guangdong Key Laboratory for Urbanization and Geo-Simulation, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China; Institute of Geography, School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.
| | - Boyi Yang
- Guangdong Provincial Engineering Technology Research Center of Environmental Pollution and Health Risk Assessment, Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China.
| | - Yao Yao
- School of Geography and Information Engineering, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, China.
| | - Michael S Bloom
- Departments of Environmental Health Sciences and Epidemiology and Biostatics, University at Albany, State University of New York, Rensselaer, NY 12144, USA.
| | - Zhiqiang Feng
- Institute of Geography, School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.
| | - Yuan Yuan
- School of Geography and Planning, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China; Guangdong Key Laboratory for Urbanization and Geo-Simulation, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China.
| | - Jinbao Zhang
- School of Geography and Planning, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China; Guangdong Key Laboratory for Urbanization and Geo-Simulation, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China.
| | - Penghua Liu
- School of Geography and Planning, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China; Guangdong Key Laboratory for Urbanization and Geo-Simulation, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China.
| | - Wenjie Wu
- College of Economics, Ji Nan University, Guangzhou, China.
| | - Yi Lu
- Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China; City University of Hong Kong Shenzhen Research Institute, Shenzhen, China.
| | - Gergő Baranyi
- Institute of Geography, School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.
| | - Rong Wu
- School of Geography and Planning, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China; Guangdong Key Laboratory for Urbanization and Geo-Simulation, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China.
| | - Ye Liu
- School of Geography and Planning, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China; Guangdong Key Laboratory for Urbanization and Geo-Simulation, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China.
| | - Guanghui Dong
- Guangdong Provincial Engineering Technology Research Center of Environmental Pollution and Health Risk Assessment, Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China.
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Air pollution: A systematic review of its psychological, economic, and social effects. Curr Opin Psychol 2020; 32:52-65. [DOI: 10.1016/j.copsyc.2019.06.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 79] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2019] [Revised: 06/20/2019] [Accepted: 06/21/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
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The Impact of Indoor Malodor: Historical Perspective, Modern Challenges, Negative Effects, and Approaches for Mitigation. ATMOSPHERE 2020. [DOI: 10.3390/atmos11020126] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Malodors, odors perceived to be unpleasant or offensive, may elicit negative symptoms via the olfactory system’s connections to cognitive and behavioral systems at levels below the known thresholds for direct adverse events. Publications on harm caused by indoor malodor are fragmented across disciplines and have not been comprehensively summarized to date. This review examines the potential negative effects of indoor malodor on human behavior, performance and health, including individual factors that may govern such responses and identifies gaps in existing research. Reported findings show that indoor malodor may have negative psychological, physical, social, and economic effects. However, further research is needed to understand whether the adverse effects are elicited via an individual’s experience or expectations or through a direct effect on human physiology and well-being. Conversely, mitigating indoor malodor has been reported to have benefits on performance and subjective responses in workers. Eliminating the source of malodor is often not achievable, particularly in low-income communities. Therefore, affordable approaches to mitigate indoor malodor such as air fresheners may hold promise. However, further investigations are needed into the effectiveness of such measures on improving health outcomes such as cognition, mood, and stress levels and their overall impact on indoor air quality.
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Dong D, Xu X, Xu W, Xie J. The Relationship Between the Actual Level of Air Pollution and Residents' Concern about Air Pollution: Evidence from Shanghai, China. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2019; 16:ijerph16234784. [PMID: 31795301 PMCID: PMC6927008 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph16234784] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2019] [Revised: 11/22/2019] [Accepted: 11/26/2019] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
This study explored the relationship between the actual level of air pollution and residents’ concern about air pollution. The actual air pollution level was measured by the air quality index (AQI) reported by environmental monitoring stations, while residents’ concern about air pollution was reflected by the Baidu index using the Internet search engine keywords “Shanghai air quality”. On the basis of the daily data of 2068 days for the city of Shanghai in China over the period between 2 December 2013 and 31 July 2019, a vector autoregression (VAR) model was built for empirical analysis. Estimation results provided three interesting findings. (1) Local residents perceived the deprivation of air quality and expressed their concern on air pollution quickly, within the day on which the air quality index rose. (2) A decline in air quality in another major city, such as Beijing, also raised the concern of Shanghai residents about local air quality. (3) A rise in Shanghai residents’ concern had a beneficial impact on air quality improvement. This study implied that people really cared much about local air quality, and it was beneficial to inform more residents about the situation of local air quality and the risks associated with air pollution.
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Nissilä JJ, Savelieva K, Lampi J, Ung-Lanki S, Elovainio M, Pekkanen J. Parental worry about indoor air quality and student symptom reporting in primary schools with or without indoor air quality problems. INDOOR AIR 2019; 29:865-873. [PMID: 31132176 DOI: 10.1111/ina.12574] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2018] [Revised: 05/13/2019] [Accepted: 05/21/2019] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
Poor indoor air quality (IAQ) in schools is related to increased symptom reporting in students. We investigated whether parental worry about school IAQ influences this association. Data came from survey collected from five Finnish primary schools with observed IAQ problems and five control schools. Parents (n = 1868) of primary school students reported worry about IAQ in schools and symptoms of their children. Associations between observed IAQ problems, worry, and five symptom scores (ie, respiratory, lower respiratory, eye, skin, and general symptoms) were analyzed using multivariate logistic regression and mediation analysis. Parents were on average more worried in schools with observed IAQ problems. Observed IAQ problems were strongly associated with increased worry and all symptoms under study (unadjusted ORs ranged between 1.48 [95% CI 1.48-2.16] and 2.70 [95% CI 1.52-5.17]). Parental worry was associated with all symptoms (unadjusted ORs ranged between 2.49 [95% CI 1.75-3.60] and 4.92 [95% CI 2.77-9.40]). Mediation analyses suggested that parental worry might partially explain the association between observed IAQ problems and symptom reporting (proportion mediated ranged between 67% and 84% for the different symptoms). However, prospective studies are needed to assess causal relationships between observed IAQ problems, worry, and symptom reporting in schools.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Jussi Lampi
- Department of Health Security, Environmental Health, National Institute for Health and Welfare, Kuopio, Finland
| | - Sari Ung-Lanki
- Department of Health Security, Environmental Health, National Institute for Health and Welfare, Kuopio, Finland
| | - Marko Elovainio
- Department of Psychology and Logopedics, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Juha Pekkanen
- Department of Public Health, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Department of Health Security, Environmental Health, National Institute for Health and Welfare, Kuopio, Finland
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Abstract
Odor annoyance negatively impacts residents of communities adjacent to persistent nuisance industries. These residents, often with a high percentage of minority or otherwise marginalized residents, experience subjective and objective impacts on health and well-being; yet, reliable methods for quantifying and categorizing odors have been elusive. Field olfactometry is integral to the study of odor annoyance experienced by communities as it includes both qualitative (human perception) and quantitative (intensity measurement) dimensions of human odor experience and has been employed by municipalities in the U.S. to evaluate odor pollution levels. Cartographic visualization of odor data recorded using a field olfactometer offers further opportunity to evaluate potential patterns of odor annoyance, yet the use of field olfactometry and geographic information systems have not been frequently employed by geographers. By employing a mixed-methods approach to evaluate odor pollution, this study addresses the environmental justice context by quantifying and categorizing the presence of odor pollution in Waterfront South, a neighborhood in Camden, NJ previously identified for its disproportionate malodor burden. This study offers support to mixed methods research and the need for monitoring subjective and objective impacts in communities with compounding odor nuisance industries.
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Weitensfelder L, Moshammer H, Öttl D, Payer I. Exposure-complaint relationships of various environmental odor sources in Styria, Austria. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2019; 26:9806-9815. [PMID: 30734914 PMCID: PMC6469823 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-019-04410-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2018] [Accepted: 01/28/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
In the planning and authorization process of industrial plants or agricultural buildings, it needs to be ensured that odor emissions do not annoy nearby residents in an unacceptable way. Previous studies have shown that odor-hour frequency is an important predictor for odor annoyance. However, odor-hour frequencies can be assessed for day and night separately. The present study relates complaint rates with different odor types and different metrics of frequency calculated via a dispersion model. Binary logistic regression analyses show that odor type and frequency of odor-hours are important predictors for complaints, while type of residential area does not increase the predictive value of the model. The combination of calculated frequency of day time odor-hours and type of odor explains complaint rates best. It is recommended to keep odor emissions as low as possible, especially for highly annoying odor types.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisbeth Weitensfelder
- Department of Environmental Health, Center for Public Health, Medical University of Vienna, Kinderspitalgasse 15, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Hanns Moshammer
- Department of Environmental Health, Center for Public Health, Medical University of Vienna, Kinderspitalgasse 15, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Dietmar Öttl
- Air Quality Control, Government of Styria, Landhausgasse 7, 8010 Graz, Austria
| | - Ingrid Payer
- Air Quality Control, Government of Styria, Landhausgasse 7, 8010 Graz, Austria
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Oyarzun P, Alarcón L, Calabriano G, Bejarano J, Nuñez D, Ruiz-Tagle N, Urrutia H. Trickling filter technology for biotreatment of nitrogenous compounds emitted in exhaust gases from fishmeal plants. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2019; 232:165-170. [PMID: 30472559 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2018.11.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2017] [Revised: 06/10/2018] [Accepted: 11/01/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Odour emissions are a major environmental issue associated with fishmeal production. Laboratory-scale biotrickling filters (BTFs) were inoculated with microbial consortia derived from sewage sludge, with the goal to study the biotreatment of low-loads of methylamines and ammonia that are main components of odorous exhaust gases produced by fishmeal processing plants. A BTF packed with ceramic rings was subjected to a real fishmeal plant emission containing trimethylamine (TMA), dimethylamine (DMA) and monomethylamine (MMA). The highest elimination capacities (ECs) obtained were 372 mg TMA m-3 h-1, 5.518 mg DMA m-3 h-1 and 1.038 mg MMA m-3 h-1, with maximal removal efficiencies of 92% (TMA), 83% (DMA) and 95% (MMA) after 30 days operation. In a different experiment, a polyurethane foam packing was employed to treat ammonia (NH3) at low inlet loads, reaching an EC of 47.19 mg N m-3 h-1 with 99.8% efficiency (inlet load of 47.27 mg N m-3 h-1). Likewise, the microbial community of the polyurethane-associated biofilm was diverse and stable during operation. These results suggested that elimination of volatile amino-compounds using BTFs inoculated with a methylotrophic microbial consortium holds potential for odour removal. In addition, sequencing analysis of 16S rDNA gene fragments allowed the identification of heterotrophic ammonia-oxidizing bacteria that are promising candidates to effectively maintain ammonia elimination in a biotreatment operation of nitrogenous compounds present in exhaust gases from fishmeal facilities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patricio Oyarzun
- Facultad de Ingeniería y Tecnología, Universidad San Sebastián, Lientur 1457, Concepción 4080871, Chile.
| | - Lissete Alarcón
- Facultad de Ingeniería y Tecnología, Universidad San Sebastián, Lientur 1457, Concepción 4080871, Chile
| | - Guillermo Calabriano
- Facultad de Ingeniería y Tecnología, Universidad San Sebastián, Lientur 1457, Concepción 4080871, Chile
| | - Jorge Bejarano
- Facultad de Ingeniería y Tecnología, Universidad San Sebastián, Lientur 1457, Concepción 4080871, Chile
| | - Dariela Nuñez
- Centro de Investigación de Polímeros Avanzados, CIPA, Avenida Collao 1202, Edificio de Laboratorios, Concepción, Chile
| | - Nathaly Ruiz-Tagle
- Centro de Biotecnología, Universidad de Concepción, Víctor Lamas 1290, Casilla 160-C, Concepción, Chile
| | - Homero Urrutia
- Centro de Biotecnología, Universidad de Concepción, Víctor Lamas 1290, Casilla 160-C, Concepción, Chile
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Reames TG, Bravo MA. People, place and pollution: Investigating relationships between air quality perceptions, health concerns, exposure, and individual- and area-level characteristics. ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL 2019; 122:244-255. [PMID: 30449629 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2018.11.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2018] [Revised: 11/04/2018] [Accepted: 11/06/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
An extensive body of research has demonstrated that air pollution exposure is associated with adverse health outcomes. Urban air quality remains a major concern for both public health officials and the general public. In the United States, air quality public awareness campaigns are major efforts of governments at every level. Yet, our understanding of relationships between ambient air pollution exposure, public perceptions of air quality, and concerns about associated health risks is incomplete. We examined 2869 individual responses to annual air quality public awareness surveys administered between 2009 and 2012 in the Kansas City metropolitan area. Our study had three objectives: 1) examine the spatial distribution of PM2.5 and O3 exposures, pollution perceptions, and pollution health concerns; 2) explore relationships between individual- and area-level characteristics and PM2.5 and O3 exposure; 3) and examine cross-sectional associations between individual- and area-level characteristics, as well as PM2.5 and O3 exposures, and pollution perception and pollution health concerns. We found inverse spatial patterns between the distribution of O3 and PM2.5 exposure levels as well as between areas where respondents perceived air pollution as worsening and areas where residents had higher concern about the health effects of pollution exposure. We also found inverse relationships between individual- and area-level demographic and socioeconomic characteristics and O3 and PM2.5 exposure. Individual-level characteristics were significantly related to pollution perceptions, while both individual- and area-level characteristics were significantly related to pollution health concerns. Public awareness campaigns should be combined with education on ways the public can protect themselves and tailored explicitly for targeting vulnerable populations (e.g., elderly, and persons with respiratory problems) and areas both socioeconomically vulnerable (e.g., higher racial segregation and poverty) and experiencing higher pollution exposure (e.g., O3 and PM2.5).
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Affiliation(s)
- Tony G Reames
- University of Michigan, School for Environment and Sustainability, 440 Church St, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA.
| | - Mercedes A Bravo
- Rice University, Children's Environmental Health Initiative, 6100 Main St, Houston, TX 77005, USA.
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Pantavou K, Psiloglou B, Lykoudis S, Mavrakis A, Nikolopoulos GK. Perceived air quality and particulate matter pollution based on field survey data during a winter period. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BIOMETEOROLOGY 2018; 62:2139-2150. [PMID: 30361891 DOI: 10.1007/s00484-018-1614-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2018] [Revised: 09/04/2018] [Accepted: 09/10/2018] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
Outdoor air pollution and especially particulate matter pollution is a major environmental health issue that raises concerns of scientists and policy makers. This study focuses on air quality perception in relation to particulate matter in order to find potential patterns. Field questionnaire-based surveys were conducted among pedestrians on two central sites in the city of Athens, Greece, during the winter period while particulate matter of 10 μm or less in diameter (PM10) were concurrently measured on-site at 1-min resolution. The participants were asked to evaluate the dust and the overall pollution-related air quality based on 5-point bipolar scales. Air quality perception patterns were explored considering PM10 concentration, meteorological and thermal conditions, and subjective variables including gender, age, smoking status, and health status. An effect of PM10 on dust perception was identified, suggesting that dusty air quality conditions are reported more frequently when particulate concentration increases. Health status, exposure time, smoking status, and gender were found to affect air quality perception. Participants experiencing health symptoms, exposed to outdoor conditions for more than 30 min, smokers, and females were more likely to report unfavorable air quality conditions. The comparison with the results of a previous study obtained using air pollution station data confirmed the dependence of air quality perception on participants' characteristics and particularly on their health status. Ordinal logistic regression models showed that for pedestrians who were neither smokers nor experiencing health symptoms and were exposed to outdoor conditions for more than 30 min, a PM10 concentration around 64 μg·m-3 could be a threshold, to perceive dusty air quality conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katerina Pantavou
- Department of Environmental Physics and Meteorology, Faculty of Physics, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, University Campus, Zografou, Building Physics 5, 15784, Athens, Greece.
- Medical School, University of Cyprus, P.O. Box: 20537, 2029, Strovolos, Nicosia, Cyprus.
| | - Basil Psiloglou
- National Observatory of Athens, Institute for Environmental Research and Sustainable Development, I. Metaxa and V. Pavlou, P. Penteli, 15236, Athens, Greece
| | | | - Anastasios Mavrakis
- Environmental Education Coordinator, Secondary Education Directorate of West Attica, Greek Ministry of Education, I. Dragoumi 24 str., 19200, Eleusis-Attica, Greece
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Martens AL, Reedijk M, Smid T, Huss A, Timmermans D, Strak M, Swart W, Lenters V, Kromhout H, Verheij R, Slottje P, Vermeulen RCH. Modeled and perceived RF-EMF, noise and air pollution and symptoms in a population cohort. Is perception key in predicting symptoms? THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2018; 639:75-83. [PMID: 29778684 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.05.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2017] [Revised: 04/23/2018] [Accepted: 05/01/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Psychosocial research has shown that perceived exposure can influence symptom reporting, regardless of actual exposure. The impact of this phenomenon on the interpretation of results from epidemiological research on environmental determinants of symptoms is unclear. OBJECTIVE Our aim was to compare associations between modeled exposures, the perceived level of these exposures and reported symptoms (non-specific symptoms, sleep disturbances, and respiratory symptoms) for three different environmental exposures (radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF), noise, and air pollution). These environmental exposures vary in the degree to which they can be sensorially observed. METHODS Participant characteristics, perceived exposures, and self-reported health were assessed with a baseline (n = 14,829, 2011/2012) and follow-up (n = 7905, 2015) questionnaire in the Dutch population-based Occupational and Environmental Health Cohort (AMIGO). Environmental exposures were estimated at the home address using spatial models. Cross-sectional and longitudinal regression models were used to examine the associations between modeled and perceived exposures, and reported symptoms. RESULTS The extent to which exposure sources could be observed by participants likely influenced correlations between modeled and perceived exposure as correlations were moderate for air pollution (rSp = 0.34) and noise (rSp = 0.40), but less so for RF-EMF (rSp = 0.11). Perceived exposures were consistently associated with increased symptom scores (respiratory, sleep, non-specific). Modeled exposures, except RF-EMF, were associated with increased symptom scores, but these associations disappeared or strongly diminished when accounted for perceived exposure in the analyses. DISCUSSION Perceived exposure has an important role in symptom reporting. When environmental determinants of symptoms are studied without acknowledging the potential role of both modeled and perceived exposures, there is a risk of bias in health risk assessment. However, the etiological role of exposure perceptions in relation to symptom reporting requires further research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Astrid L Martens
- Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences (IRAS), Division of Environmental Epidemiology, Utrecht University, Yalelaan 2, 3508TD Utrecht, The Netherlands; Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, VU University Medical Center, Van der Boechorstraat 7, 1081BT Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
| | - Marije Reedijk
- Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences (IRAS), Division of Environmental Epidemiology, Utrecht University, Yalelaan 2, 3508TD Utrecht, The Netherlands; Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care, University Medical Center Utrecht (UMCU), Universiteitsweg 100, 3584CG Utrecht, The Netherlands.
| | - Tjabe Smid
- Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, VU University Medical Center, Van der Boechorstraat 7, 1081BT Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
| | - Anke Huss
- Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences (IRAS), Division of Environmental Epidemiology, Utrecht University, Yalelaan 2, 3508TD Utrecht, The Netherlands.
| | - Danielle Timmermans
- Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, VU University Medical Center, Van der Boechorstraat 7, 1081BT Amsterdam, The Netherlands; National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Antonie van Leeuwenhoeklaan 9, 3721MA Bilthoven, The Netherlands.
| | - Maciej Strak
- Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences (IRAS), Division of Environmental Epidemiology, Utrecht University, Yalelaan 2, 3508TD Utrecht, The Netherlands.
| | - Wim Swart
- National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Antonie van Leeuwenhoeklaan 9, 3721MA Bilthoven, The Netherlands.
| | - Virissa Lenters
- Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences (IRAS), Division of Environmental Epidemiology, Utrecht University, Yalelaan 2, 3508TD Utrecht, The Netherlands.
| | - Hans Kromhout
- Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences (IRAS), Division of Environmental Epidemiology, Utrecht University, Yalelaan 2, 3508TD Utrecht, The Netherlands.
| | - Robert Verheij
- NIVEL, Netherlands Institute for Health Services Research, Otterstraat 118-124, 3513CR Utrecht, The Netherlands.
| | - Pauline Slottje
- Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, VU University Medical Center, Van der Boechorstraat 7, 1081BT Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
| | - Roel C H Vermeulen
- Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences (IRAS), Division of Environmental Epidemiology, Utrecht University, Yalelaan 2, 3508TD Utrecht, The Netherlands; Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care, University Medical Center Utrecht (UMCU), Universiteitsweg 100, 3584CG Utrecht, The Netherlands; Imperial College, Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, South Kensington Campus, SW7 2AZ London, United Kingdom.
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Dzhambov AM, Markevych I, Tilov B, Arabadzhiev Z, Stoyanov D, Gatseva P, Dimitrova DD. Pathways linking residential noise and air pollution to mental ill-health in young adults. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2018; 166:458-465. [PMID: 29940479 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2018.06.031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2018] [Revised: 06/04/2018] [Accepted: 06/13/2018] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Recent years have seen growing, but still tentative, evidence of the potential associations of environmental noise and air pollution with mental disorders. In the present study, we aimed to examine the associations between residential noise and air pollution exposures and general mental health in young adults with a focus on underlying processes METHODS: We sampled 720 students (18-35 years) from one university in the city of Plovdiv, Bulgaria. Residential noise (LAeq; day equivalent noise level) and air pollution (NO2) were assessed at participant's residential address by land use regression models. General mental health was measured with a short form of the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ). The following putative mediators were considered: annoyance from environmental pollution, sleep disturbance, restorative quality of the neighborhood, neighborhood social cohesion, and commuting/leisure time physical activity. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze the theoretically-indicated interplay between exposures, mediators, and GHQ. RESULTS We observed an association between higher LAeq and GHQ, in which environmental annoyance and neighborhood restorative quality emerged as key mediators. First, LAeq was associated with higher annoyance, and through it with lower restorative quality, and then in turn with lower physical activity, and thus with higher GHQ. Simultaneously, higher annoyance was associated with higher sleep disturbance, and thereby with higher GHQ. NO2 had no overall association with GHQ, but it was indirectly associated with it through higher annoyance, lower restorative quality, and lower physical activity working in serial. CONCLUSION We found evidence that increased residential noise was related to mental ill-health through several indirect pathways. Air pollution was associated with mental health only indirectly.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angel M Dzhambov
- Department of Hygiene and Ecomedicine, Faculty of Public Health, Medical University of Plovdiv, 15A Vassil Aprilov Blvd., 4002 Plovdiv, Bulgaria.
| | - Iana Markevych
- Institute and Clinic for Occupational, Social and Environmental Medicine, University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany; Institute of Epidemiology, Helmholtz Zentrum München - German Research Center for Environmental Health, Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Boris Tilov
- Medical College, Medical University of Plovdiv, Plovdiv, Bulgaria; Department of Management, Faculty of Economics and Management, University of Agribusiness and Rural Development, Plovdiv, Bulgaria
| | - Zlatoslav Arabadzhiev
- Department of Psychiatry and Medical Psychology, Faculty of Medicine, Medical University of Plovdiv, Plovdiv, Bulgaria
| | - Drozdstoj Stoyanov
- Department of Psychiatry and Medical Psychology, Faculty of Medicine, Medical University of Plovdiv, Plovdiv, Bulgaria
| | - Penka Gatseva
- Department of Hygiene and Ecomedicine, Faculty of Public Health, Medical University of Plovdiv, 15A Vassil Aprilov Blvd., 4002 Plovdiv, Bulgaria
| | - Donka D Dimitrova
- Department of Health Management and Healthcare Economics, Faculty of Public Health, Medical University of Plovdiv, Plovdiv, Bulgaria
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Kamimura A, Armenta B, Nourian M, Assasnik N, Nourian K, Chernenko A. Perceived Environmental Pollution and Its Impact on Health in China, Japan, and South Korea. J Prev Med Public Health 2018; 50:188-194. [PMID: 28605887 PMCID: PMC5495686 DOI: 10.3961/jpmph.17.044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2017] [Accepted: 04/17/2017] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Objectives Environmental pollution is a significant global issue. Both objective (scientifically measured) environmental pollution and perceived levels of pollution are important predictors of self-reported health. The purpose of this study was to compare the associations between perceived environmental pollution and health in China, Japan, and South Korea. Methods Data were obtained from the East Asian Social Survey and the Cross-National Survey Data Sets: Health and Society in East Asia, 2010 (n=7938; China, n=3866; Japan, n=2496; South Korea, n=1576). Results South Koreans perceived environmental pollution to be the most severe, while Japanese participants perceived environmental pollution to be the least severe. Although the Japanese did not perceive environmental pollution to be very severe, their self-rated physical health was significantly related to perceived environmental pollution, while the analogous relationships were not significant for the Chinese or Korean participants. Better mental health was related to lower levels of perceived air pollution in China, as well as lower levels of perceived all types of pollution in Japan and lower levels of perceived noise pollution in South Korea. Conclusions Physical and mental health and individual socio-demographic characteristics were associated with levels of perceived environmental pollution, but with different patterns among these three countries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Akiko Kamimura
- Department of Sociology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Bianca Armenta
- Department of Sociology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Maziar Nourian
- Department of Sociology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Nushean Assasnik
- Department of Sociology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Kimiya Nourian
- Department of Sociology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Alla Chernenko
- Department of Sociology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
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Orru K, Nordin S, Harzia H, Orru H. The role of perceived air pollution and health risk perception in health symptoms and disease: a population-based study combined with modelled levels of PM 10. Int Arch Occup Environ Health 2018; 91:581-589. [PMID: 29602966 PMCID: PMC6002462 DOI: 10.1007/s00420-018-1303-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2017] [Accepted: 03/25/2018] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Abstract
Purpose Adverse health impact of air pollution on health may not only be associated with the level of exposure, but rather mediated by perception of the pollution and by top-down processing (e.g. beliefs of the exposure being hazardous), especially in areas with relatively low levels of pollutants. The aim of this study was to test a model that describes interrelations between air pollution (particles < 10 \documentclass[12pt]{minimal}
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\begin{document}$${\upmu }$$\end{document}μm, PM10), perceived pollution, health risk perception, health symptoms and diseases. Methods A population-based questionnaire study was conducted among 1000 Estonian residents (sample was stratified by age, sex, and geographical location) about health risk perception and coping. The PM10 levels were modelled in 1 × 1 km grids using a Eulerian air quality dispersion model. Respondents were ascribed their annual mean PM10 exposure according to their home address. Path analysis was performed to test the validity of the model. Results The data refute the model proposing that exposure level significantly influences symptoms and disease. Instead, the perceived exposure influences symptoms and the effect of perceived exposure on disease is mediated by health risk perception. This relationship is more pronounced in large cities compared to smaller towns or rural areas. Conclusions Perceived pollution and health risk perception, in particular in large cities, play important roles in understanding and predicting environmentally induced symptoms and diseases at relatively low levels of air pollution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kati Orru
- Department of Psychology, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden.
- Institute of Social Studies, Tartu University, Tartu, Estonia.
| | - Steven Nordin
- Department of Psychology, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
| | | | - Hans Orru
- Institute of Family Medicine and Public Health, Tartu University, Tartu, Estonia
- Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
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Freiberg A, Scharfe J, Murta VC, Seidler A. The Use of Biomass for Electricity Generation: A Scoping Review of Health Effects on Humans in Residential and Occupational Settings. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2018; 15:ijerph15020354. [PMID: 29462949 PMCID: PMC5858423 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph15020354] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2017] [Revised: 02/02/2018] [Accepted: 02/14/2018] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
The utilization of biomass for power generation has become more prevalent globally. To survey the status of evidence concerning resulting health impacts and to depict potential research needs, a scoping-review was conducted. Biomass life cycle phases of interest were the conversion and combustion phases. Studies from occupational and residential settings were considered. The scoping review was conducted systematically, comprising an extensive literature search, a guided screening process, in-duplicate data extraction, and critical appraisal. Two reviewers executed most review steps. Nine articles of relevance were identified. In occupational settings of biomass plants, exposure to endotoxins and fungi might be associated with respiratory disorders. An accidental leakage of hydrogen sulfide in biogas plants may lead to fatalities or severe health impacts. Living near biomass power plants (and the accompanied odorous air pollution) may result in an increased risk for several symptoms and odor annoyance, mediated by perception about air pollution or an evaluation of a resulting health risk. The methodological quality of included studies varied a lot. Overall, the body of evidence on the topic is sparse and future high-quality research is strongly recommended.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alice Freiberg
- Boysen TU Dresden Graduate School, Technische Universität Dresden, 01062 Dresden, Germany.
- Institute and Policlinic of Occupational and Social Medicine, Medical Faculty Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität Dresden, 01307 Dresden, Germany.
| | - Julia Scharfe
- Institute and Policlinic of Occupational and Social Medicine, Medical Faculty Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität Dresden, 01307 Dresden, Germany.
| | - Vanise C Murta
- Institute and Policlinic of Occupational and Social Medicine, Medical Faculty Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität Dresden, 01307 Dresden, Germany.
| | - Andreas Seidler
- Institute and Policlinic of Occupational and Social Medicine, Medical Faculty Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität Dresden, 01307 Dresden, Germany.
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Jiao K, Xu M, Liu M. Health status and air pollution related socioeconomic concerns in urban China. Int J Equity Health 2018; 17:18. [PMID: 29402280 PMCID: PMC5800084 DOI: 10.1186/s12939-018-0719-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2017] [Accepted: 01/04/2018] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Background China is experiencing environmental issues and related health effects due to its industrialization and urbanization. The health effects associated with air pollution are not just a matter of epidemiology and environmental science research, but also an important social science issue. Literature about the relationship of socioeconomic factors with the environment and health factors is inadequate. The relationship between air pollution exposure and health effects in China was investigated with consideration of the socioeconomic factors. Methods Based on nationwide survey data of China in 2014, we applied the multilevel mixed-effects model to evaluate how socioeconomic status (represented by education and income) contributed to the relationship between self-rated air pollution and self-rated health status at community level and individual level. Results The findings indicated that there was a non-linear relationship between the community socioeconomic status and community air pollution in urban China, with the highest level of air pollution presented in the communities with moderate socioeconomic status. In addition, health effects associated air pollution in different socioeconomic status groups were not equal. Self-rated air pollution had the greatest impact on self-rated health of the lower socioeconomic groups. With the increase of socioeconomic status, the effect of self-rated air pollution on self-rated health decreased. Conclusions This study verified the different levels of exposure to air pollution and inequality in health effects among different socioeconomic groups in China. It is imperative for the government to urgently formulate public policies to enhance the ability of the lower socioeconomic groups to circumvent air pollution and reduce the health damage caused by air pollution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaishan Jiao
- Department of Sociology, Minzu University of China, 27 Zhongguancun South Avenue, Beijing, 100081, China
| | - Mengjia Xu
- Department of Economics, Claremont Graduate University, 170 E. 10th Street, Claremont, CA, 91711, USA.
| | - Meng Liu
- Department of Social Work, China Women's University, 1 Yuhui Dong Lu, Chaoyang District, Beijing, 100101, China
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Orru H, Idavain J, Pindus M, Orru K, Kesanurm K, Lang A, Tomasova J. Residents' Self-Reported Health Effects and Annoyance in Relation to Air Pollution Exposure in an Industrial Area in Eastern-Estonia. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2018; 15:E252. [PMID: 29393920 PMCID: PMC5858321 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph15020252] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2017] [Revised: 01/22/2018] [Accepted: 01/31/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Eastern Estonia has large oil shale mines and industrial facilities mainly focused on electricity generation from oil shale and shale oil extraction, which produce high air pollution emissions. The "Study of the health impact of the oil shale sector-SOHOS" was aimed at identifying the impacts on residents' health and annoyance due to the industrial processing. First, a population-wide survey about health effects and annoyance was carried out. Second, the total and oil shale sectors' emitted concentrations of benzene, phenol, and PM2.5 were modelled. Third, the differences between groups were tested and relationships between health effects and environmental pollution studied using multiple regression analysis. Compared to the control groups from non-industrial areas in Tartu or Lääne-Viru, residents of Ida-Viru more frequently (p < 0.05) reported wheezing, chest tightness, shortness of breath, asthma attacks, a long-term cough, hypertension, heart diseases, myocardial infarction, stroke, and diabetes. All health effects except asthma were reported more frequently among non-Estonians. People living in regions with higher levels of PM2.5, had significantly higher odds (p < 0.05) of experiencing chest tightness (OR = 1.13, 95% CI 1.02-1.26), shortness of breath (1.16, 1.03-1.31) or an asthma attack (1.22, 1.04-1.42) during the previous year. People living in regions with higher levels of benzene had higher odds of experiencing myocardial infarction (1.98, 1.11-3.53) and with higher levels of phenol chest tightness (1.44, 1.03-2.00), long-term cough (1.48, 1.06-2.07) and myocardial infarction (2.17, 1.23-3.83). The prevalence of adverse health effects was also higher among those who had been working in the oil shale sector. Next to direct health effects, up to a quarter of the residents of Ida-Viru County were highly annoyed about air pollution. Perceived health risk from air pollution increased the odds of being annoyed. Annoyed people in Ida-Viru had significantly higher odds of experiencing respiratory symptoms during the last 12 months, e.g., wheezing (2.30, 1.31-4.04), chest tightness (2.88, 1.91-4.33 or attack of coughing (1.99, 1.34-2.95).
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Affiliation(s)
- Hans Orru
- Institute of Family Medicine and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tartu, Ravila 19, 50411 Tartu, Estonia.
- Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine, Umea University, SE-901 87 Umea, Sweden.
| | - Jane Idavain
- Institute of Family Medicine and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tartu, Ravila 19, 50411 Tartu, Estonia.
- National Institute for Health Development, Hiiu 14, 11619 Tallinn, Estonia.
| | - Mihkel Pindus
- Institute of Family Medicine and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tartu, Ravila 19, 50411 Tartu, Estonia.
| | - Kati Orru
- Institute of Social Sciences, University of Tartu, Lossi 36, 51003 Tartu, Estonia.
| | - Kaisa Kesanurm
- Estonian Environmental Research Centre, Marja 4d, 10614 Tallinn, Estonia.
| | - Aavo Lang
- Institute of Biomedicine and Translational Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tartu, Ravila 19, 50411 Tartu, Estonia.
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Dzhambov AM. Ambient air pollution and diabetes in China. Lancet Planet Health 2018; 2:e52-e53. [PMID: 29615232 DOI: 10.1016/s2542-5196(18)30002-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2018] [Accepted: 01/17/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Angel M Dzhambov
- Department of Hygiene and Ecomedicine, Faculty of Public Health, Medical University of Plovdiv, 4002 Plovdiv, Bulgaria.
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