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Boogaard H, Crouse DL, Tanner E, Mantus E, van Erp AM, Vedal S, Samet J. Assessing Adverse Health Effects of Long-Term Exposure to Low Levels of Ambient Air Pollution: The HEI Experience and What's Next? ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2024; 58:12767-12783. [PMID: 38991107 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.3c09745] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/13/2024]
Abstract
Although concentrations of ambient air pollution continue to decline in high-income regions, epidemiological studies document adverse health effects at levels below current standards in many countries. The Health Effects Institute (HEI) recently completed a comprehensive research initiative to investigate the health effects of long-term exposure to low levels of air pollution in the United States (U.S.), Canada, and Europe. We provide an overview and synthesis of the results of this initiative along with other key research, the strengths and limitations of the research, and remaining research needs. The three studies funded through the HEI initiative estimated the effects of long-term ambient exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5), nitrogen dioxide, ozone, and other pollutants on a broad range of health outcomes, including cause-specific mortality and cardiovascular and respiratory morbidity. To ensure high quality research and comparability across studies, HEI worked actively with the study teams and engaged independent expert panels for project oversight and review. All three studies documented positive associations between mortality and exposure to PM2.5 below the U.S. National Ambient Air Quality Standards and current and proposed European Union limit values. Furthermore, the studies observed nonthreshold linear (U.S.), or supra-linear (Canada and Europe) exposure-response functions for PM2.5 and mortality. Heterogeneity was found in both the magnitude and shape of this association within and across studies. Strengths of the studies included the large populations (7-69 million), state-of-the-art exposure assessment methods, and thorough statistical analyses that applied novel methods. Future work is needed to better understand potential sources of heterogeneity in the findings across studies and regions. Other areas of future work include the changing and evolving nature of PM components and sources, including wildfires, and the role of indoor environments. This research initiative provided important new evidence of the adverse effects of long-term exposures to low levels of air pollution at and below current standards, suggesting that further reductions could yield larger benefits than previously anticipated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hanna Boogaard
- Health Effects Institute, 75 Federal Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02110-1940, United States
| | - Dan L Crouse
- Health Effects Institute, 75 Federal Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02110-1940, United States
| | - Eva Tanner
- Health Effects Institute, 75 Federal Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02110-1940, United States
| | - Ellen Mantus
- Health Effects Institute, 75 Federal Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02110-1940, United States
| | - Annemoon M van Erp
- Health Effects Institute, 75 Federal Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02110-1940, United States
| | - Sverre Vedal
- Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences, University of Washington, 4225 Roosevelt Way N.E., Seattle, Washington 98105, United States
| | - Jonathan Samet
- Department of Environmental & Occupational Health, Department of Epidemiology, Colorado School of Public Health, 13001 East 17th Place, Aurora, Colorado 80045, United States
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Kim NR, Lee HJ. Ambient PM 2.5 exposure and rapid population aging: A double threat to public health in the Republic of Korea. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2024; 252:119032. [PMID: 38685298 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2024.119032] [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: 02/22/2024] [Revised: 04/09/2024] [Accepted: 04/25/2024] [Indexed: 05/02/2024]
Abstract
Particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter of ≤2.5 μm (PM2.5) can infiltrate deep into the respiratory system, posing significant health risks. Notably, the health burden of PM2.5 is more pronounced among the older adult population. With an aging population, the public health burden attributable to PM2.5 could escalate even if the current PM2.5 level remains stable. This study evaluated the number of deaths attributable to long-term PM2.5 exposure in the Republic of Korea between 2020 and 2050 and identified the PM2.5 concentration required at least to maintain the current PM2.5 health burden. To calculate mortality for 2020-2050, we performed a health impact assessment using 3-year (2019-2021) average population-weighted PM2.5 concentrations, age-specific population and mortality rates. In 2020, 33,578 [95% confidence interval (CI) = 31,708-35,448] deaths were attributable to PM2.5 exposure. Projecting forward, if the 2019-2021 average PM2.5 level remains constant, mortality is projected to be 112,953 (95% CI = 109,963-115,943) in 2050, more than three times higher than in 2020. To maintain the same level of health burden in 2050 as in 2020, the PM2.5 concentration needs to be immediately reduced to 5.8 μg/m3. In an age-specific analysis, the proportion of older adults (ages 65+) to total mortality would increase from 83% (2020) to 96% (2050), indicating that the rising mortality is predominantly driven by the aging population. By region, the reduction of PM2.5 concentrations, which is required immediately in 2020 to have the health burden in 2050 equal to that in 2020, varied from 3.6 μg/m3 in Goheung-gun (25% reduction) to 20.8 μg/m3 in Heungdeok-gu (82% reduction). Our study emphasizes the critical need for air quality management to consider aging populations when establishing PM2.5 air quality standards, as well as their associated policies and regulations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Na Rae Kim
- Division of Environmental Science and Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), Pohang, Gyeongbuk, 37673, Republic of Korea; Research and Management Center for Health Risk of Particulate Matter, Seoul, 02481, Republic of Korea
| | - Hyung Joo Lee
- Division of Environmental Science and Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), Pohang, Gyeongbuk, 37673, Republic of Korea; Research and Management Center for Health Risk of Particulate Matter, Seoul, 02481, Republic of Korea; Institute for Convergence Research and Education in Advanced Technology, Yonsei University, Incheon, 21983, Republic of Korea.
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Cowan K, Semmens EO, Lee JY, Walker ES, Smith PG, Fu L, Singleton R, Cox SM, Faiella J, Chassereau L, Lawrence L, Ying J, Baldner J, Garza M, Annett R, Chervinskiy SK, Snowden J. Bronchiolitis recovery and the use of High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) Filters (The BREATHE Study): study protocol for a multi-center, parallel, double-blind, randomized controlled clinical trial. Trials 2024; 25:197. [PMID: 38504367 PMCID: PMC10953277 DOI: 10.1186/s13063-024-08012-0] [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: 12/04/2023] [Accepted: 02/23/2024] [Indexed: 03/21/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Acute viral bronchiolitis is the most common reason for hospitalization of infants in the USA. Infants hospitalized for bronchiolitis are at high risk for recurrent respiratory symptoms and wheeze in the subsequent year, and longer-term adverse respiratory outcomes such as persistent childhood asthma. There are no effective secondary prevention strategies. Multiple factors, including air pollutant exposure, contribute to risk of adverse respiratory outcomes in these infants. Improvement in indoor air quality following hospitalization for bronchiolitis may be a prevention opportunity to reduce symptom burden. Use of stand-alone high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filtration units is a simple method to reduce particulate matter ≤ 2.5 µm in diameter (PM2.5), a common component of household air pollution that is strongly linked to health effects. METHODS BREATHE is a multi-center, parallel, double-blind, randomized controlled clinical trial. Two hundred twenty-eight children < 12 months of age hospitalized for the first time with bronchiolitis will participate. Children will be randomized 1:1 to receive a 24-week home intervention with filtration units containing HEPA and carbon filters (in the child's sleep space and a common room) or to a control group with units that do not contain HEPA and carbon filters. The primary objective is to determine if use of HEPA filtration units reduces respiratory symptom burden for 24 weeks compared to use of control units. Secondary objectives are to assess the efficacy of the HEPA intervention relative to control on (1) number of unscheduled healthcare visits for respiratory complaints, (2) child quality of life, and (3) average PM2.5 levels in the home. DISCUSSION We propose to test the use of HEPA filtration to improve indoor air quality as a strategy to reduce post-bronchiolitis respiratory symptom burden in at-risk infants with severe bronchiolitis. If the intervention proves successful, this trial will support use of HEPA filtration for children with bronchiolitis to reduce respiratory symptom burden following hospitalization. TRIAL REGISTRATION NCT05615870. Registered on November 14, 2022.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelly Cowan
- Department of Pediatrics, Larner College of Medicine at the University of Vermont, 111 Colchester Ave, Smith 5, Burlington, VT, 05403, USA.
| | - Erin O Semmens
- School of Public and Community Health Sciences, University of Montana, 177 Skaggs, Missoula, MT, 59812-2016, USA
| | - Jeannette Y Lee
- University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, 4301 West Markham, #781, Little Rock, AR, 72205, USA
| | - Ethan S Walker
- School of Public and Community Health Sciences, University of Montana, 177 Skaggs, Missoula, MT, 59812-2016, USA
| | - Paul G Smith
- School of Public and Community Health Sciences, University of Montana, 177 Skaggs, Missoula, MT, 59812-2016, USA
| | - Linda Fu
- National Institutes of Health Environmental Influences On Child, Health Outcomes (ECHO) Program, 11601, Landsdown Street, Rockville, MD, 20852, USA
| | - Rosalyn Singleton
- Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, AIP-CDC, 4055 Tudor Centre Drive, Anchorage, AK, 99508, USA
| | - Sara McClure Cox
- School of Public and Community Health Sciences, University of Montana, 177 Skaggs, Missoula, MT, 59812-2016, USA
| | - Jennifer Faiella
- School of Public and Community Health Sciences, University of Montana, 177 Skaggs, Missoula, MT, 59812-2016, USA
| | - Laurie Chassereau
- University of Vermont, Given C421, 89 Beaumont Ave, Burlington, VT, 05405, USA
| | - Lora Lawrence
- IDeA States Pediatric Network Data Coordination and Operations Center, 13 Children's Way, Slot 512-35, Little Rock, AR, 72202, USA
| | - Jun Ying
- Department of Family Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Mail Stop F496, Academic Office One L15-3407, 12631 E 17th Avenue, Aurora, CO, 80045, USA
| | - Jaime Baldner
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, 4301 W Markham Street, Little Rock, AR, 72205, USA
| | - Maryam Garza
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, 4301 W Markham Street, Little Rock, AR, 72205, USA
| | - Robert Annett
- University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, NM, 87106, USA
| | - Sheva K Chervinskiy
- Cook Children's Department of Immunology, 1500 Cooper St, Fort Worth, TX, 76104, USA
| | - Jessica Snowden
- IDeA States Pediatric Network Data Coordination and Operations Center, 13 Children's Way, Slot 512-35, Little Rock, AR, 72202, USA
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Kerr GH, van Donkelaar A, Martin RV, Brauer M, Bukart K, Wozniak S, Goldberg DL, Anenberg SC. Increasing Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Ambient Air Pollution-Attributable Morbidity and Mortality in the United States. ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PERSPECTIVES 2024; 132:37002. [PMID: 38445892 PMCID: PMC10916678 DOI: 10.1289/ehp11900] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2022] [Revised: 12/01/2023] [Accepted: 01/16/2024] [Indexed: 03/07/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Ambient nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 ) and fine particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter ≤ 2.5 μ m (PM 2.5 ) threaten public health in the US, and systemic racism has led to modern-day disparities in the distribution and associated health impacts of these pollutants. OBJECTIVES Many studies on environmental injustices related to ambient air pollution focus only on disparities in pollutant concentrations or provide only an assessment of pollution or health disparities at a snapshot in time. In this study, we compare injustices in NO 2 - and PM 2.5 -attributable health burdens, considering NO 2 -attributable health impacts across the entire US; document changing disparities in these health burdens over time (2010-2019); and evaluate how more stringent air quality standards would reduce disparities in health impacts associated with these pollutants. METHODS Through a health impact assessment, we quantified census tract-level variations in health outcomes attributable to NO 2 and PM 2.5 using health impact functions that combine demographic data from the US Census Bureau; two spatially resolved pollutant datasets, which fuse satellite data with physical and statistical models; and epidemiologically derived relative risk estimates and incidence rates from the Global Burden of Disease study. RESULTS Despite overall decreases in the public health damages associated with NO 2 and PM 2.5 , racial and ethnic relative disparities in NO 2 -attributable pediatric asthma and PM 2.5 -attributable premature mortality have widened in the US during the last decade. Racial relative disparities in PM 2.5 -attributable premature mortality and NO 2 -attributable pediatric asthma have increased by 16% and 19%, respectively, between 2010 and 2019. Similarly, ethnic relative disparities in PM 2.5 -attributable premature mortality have increased by 40% and NO 2 -attributable pediatric asthma by 10%. DISCUSSION Enacting and attaining more stringent air quality standards for both pollutants could preferentially benefit the most marginalized and minoritized communities by greatly reducing racial and ethnic relative disparities in pollution-attributable health burdens in the US. Our methods provide a semi-observational approach to track changes in disparities in air pollution and associated health burdens across the US. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP11900.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gaige Hunter Kerr
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, The George Washington University, Washington, District of Columbia, USA
| | - Aaron van Donkelaar
- Department of Energy, Environmental & Chemical Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Randall V. Martin
- Department of Energy, Environmental & Chemical Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Michael Brauer
- Department of Health Metrics Sciences, Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
- School of Population and Public Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Katrin Bukart
- Department of Health Metrics Sciences, Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Sarah Wozniak
- Department of Health Metrics Sciences, Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Daniel L. Goldberg
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, The George Washington University, Washington, District of Columbia, USA
| | - Susan C. Anenberg
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, The George Washington University, Washington, District of Columbia, USA
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Campbell CE, Cotter DL, Bottenhorn KL, Burnor E, Ahmadi H, Gauderman WJ, Cardenas-Iniguez C, Hackman D, McConnell R, Berhane K, Schwartz J, Chen JC, Herting MM. Air pollution and age-dependent changes in emotional behavior across early adolescence in the U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2024; 240:117390. [PMID: 37866541 PMCID: PMC10842841 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2023.117390] [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: 04/04/2023] [Revised: 08/24/2023] [Accepted: 10/11/2023] [Indexed: 10/24/2023]
Abstract
Recent studies have linked air pollution to increased risk for behavioral problems during development, albeit with inconsistent findings. Additional longitudinal studies are needed that consider how emotional behaviors may be affected when exposure coincides with the transition to adolescence - a vulnerable time for developing mental health difficulties. This study investigates if annual average PM2.5 and NO2 exposure at ages 9-10 years moderates age-related changes in internalizing and externalizing behaviors over a 2-year follow-up period in a large, nationwide U.S. sample of participants from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study®. Air pollution exposure was estimated based on the residential address of each participant using an ensemble-based modeling approach. Caregivers answered questions from the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) at the baseline, 1-year follow-up, and 2-year follow-up visits, for a total of 3 waves of data; from the CBCL we obtained scores on internalizing and externalizing problems plus 5 syndrome scales (anxious/depressed, withdrawn/depressed, rule-breaking behavior, aggressive behavior, and attention problems). Zero-inflated negative binomial models were used to examine both the main effect of age as well as the interaction of age with each pollutant on behavior while adjusting for various socioeconomic and demographic characteristics. Against our hypothesis, there was no evidence that greater air pollution exposure was related to more behavioral problems with age over time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claire E Campbell
- Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, 90089-2520, USA
| | - Devyn L Cotter
- Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, 90089-2520, USA
| | - Katherine L Bottenhorn
- Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Department of Psychology, Florida International University, Miami, FL, USA
| | - Elisabeth Burnor
- Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Hedyeh Ahmadi
- Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - W James Gauderman
- Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Carlos Cardenas-Iniguez
- Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Daniel Hackman
- Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, 90089, USA
| | - Rob McConnell
- Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Kiros Berhane
- Department of Biostatistics, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10032, USA
| | - Joel Schwartz
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Jiu-Chiuan Chen
- Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Department of Neurology, Keck School of Medicine of University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, 90063, USA
| | - Megan M Herting
- Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, 90027, USA.
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Wang T, Han Y, Chen X, Chen W, Li H, Wang Y, Qiu X, Gong J, Li W, Zhu T. Particulate Air Pollution and Blood Pressure: Signaling by the Arachidonate Metabolism. Hypertension 2023; 80:2687-2696. [PMID: 37869894 DOI: 10.1161/hypertensionaha.123.21410] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2023] [Accepted: 09/25/2023] [Indexed: 10/24/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Short-term exposure to ambient particulate matter (PM) can raise blood pressure, but the underlying mechanisms are unclear. We explored whether arachidonate metabolites serve as biological intermediates in PM-associated prohypertensive changes. METHODS This panel study recruited 110 adults aged 50 to 65 years living in Beijing, China. The participants' blood pressure, arterial stiffness, and cardiac and endothelial function were measured up to 7 times. The serum concentrations of arachidonate metabolites were quantified by targeted lipidomics. Ambient concentrations of fine PM (PM2.5), black carbon, and accumulation mode particles were continuously monitored at a station and their associations with the health indicators were evaluated. RESULTS Interquartile range increases in 25 to 96-hour-lag exposure to PM2.5, black carbon, and accumulation mode particles were associated with significant increases in systolic blood pressure (brachial: 0.8-3.2 mm Hg; central: 0.7-2.8 mm Hg) and diastolic blood pressure (brachial, 0.5-1.5 mm Hg; central, 0.5-1.6 mm Hg). At least 1 pollutant was associated with increases in augmentation pressure and heart rate and decreases in reactive hyperemia index and ejection time. The serum concentrations of arachidonate were significantly increased by 3.3% to 14.6% in association with PM exposure, which mediated 9% of the PM-associated increases in blood pressure. The levels of eicosanoids from the cytochrome P450, cyclooxygenase, and lipoxygenase pathways changed with PM exposure, and those from the cytochrome pathway significantly mediated the association between PM exposure and blood pressure. CONCLUSIONS Short-term exposure to particulate air pollution was associated with a prohypertensive change in adults, which was in part mediated by alteration of arachidonate metabolism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Teng Wang
- BIC-ESAT and SKL-ESPC, College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering (T.W., Y.H., X.C., W.C., H.L., Y.W., X.Q., J.G., T.Z.), Peking University, Beijing, China
- School of Health Policy and Management, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing (T.W.)
| | - Yiqun Han
- BIC-ESAT and SKL-ESPC, College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering (T.W., Y.H., X.C., W.C., H.L., Y.W., X.Q., J.G., T.Z.), Peking University, Beijing, China
- Environmental Research Group, MRC Centre for Environment and Health, Imperial College London, United Kingdom (Y.H.)
| | - Xi Chen
- BIC-ESAT and SKL-ESPC, College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering (T.W., Y.H., X.C., W.C., H.L., Y.W., X.Q., J.G., T.Z.), Peking University, Beijing, China
- GRiC, Shenzhen Institute of Building Research Co., Ltd., China (X.C.)
| | - Wu Chen
- BIC-ESAT and SKL-ESPC, College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering (T.W., Y.H., X.C., W.C., H.L., Y.W., X.Q., J.G., T.Z.), Peking University, Beijing, China
- Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles (W.C.)
| | - Haonan Li
- BIC-ESAT and SKL-ESPC, College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering (T.W., Y.H., X.C., W.C., H.L., Y.W., X.Q., J.G., T.Z.), Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Yanwen Wang
- BIC-ESAT and SKL-ESPC, College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering (T.W., Y.H., X.C., W.C., H.L., Y.W., X.Q., J.G., T.Z.), Peking University, Beijing, China
- National Institute of Environmental Health, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China (Y.W.)
| | - Xinghua Qiu
- BIC-ESAT and SKL-ESPC, College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering (T.W., Y.H., X.C., W.C., H.L., Y.W., X.Q., J.G., T.Z.), Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Jicheng Gong
- BIC-ESAT and SKL-ESPC, College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering (T.W., Y.H., X.C., W.C., H.L., Y.W., X.Q., J.G., T.Z.), Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Weiju Li
- Peking University Hospital (W.L.), Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Tong Zhu
- BIC-ESAT and SKL-ESPC, College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering (T.W., Y.H., X.C., W.C., H.L., Y.W., X.Q., J.G., T.Z.), Peking University, Beijing, China
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7
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Jiang Z, Gao Y, Cao H, Diao W, Yao X, Yuan C, Fan Y, Chen Y. Characteristics of ambient air quality and its air quality index (AQI) model in Shanghai, China. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 896:165284. [PMID: 37406688 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.165284] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2023] [Revised: 06/25/2023] [Accepted: 07/01/2023] [Indexed: 07/07/2023]
Abstract
Long-term observations indicate that, the ambient air quality in Shanghai continues to improve, however the synergistic effects between the air pollutants PM2.5, O3 and NO2 are also increasing. The concentration of chemical components included in PM2.5 is higher in moderately polluted air containing multiple pollutants. This suggests that air pollution metrics based on multi-pollutant synergy are more descriptive of ambient air quality than single-pollutant air quality index (AQI) models that may ignore the effect of synergy between pollutants on ambient air quality forecasts. Therefore, this study proposes a new multi-pollutant air quality index model (NMAQI) based on four air pollutants (PM2.5, SO2, NO2 and O3) that emphasizes the relationship between PM2.5, NO2 and O3 in ambient air. The model successfully categorized observational data into classes of good, moderate, and polluted air quality ratings. Verification of the NMAQI model using the PM2.5 chemical composition spectrum shows that the NMAQI model can more accurately classify samples with high concentrations of chemical components (often misclassified by AQI) into high pollution levels. The model has an improved capacity to assess the degree of pollution in urban ambient air and to reduce the risk of public exposure to highly polluted atmospheric environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zexi Jiang
- School of Environmental and Geographical Sciences, Shanghai Normal University, 100 Guilin Road, Xuhui District, Shanghai, China.
| | - Yunchuan Gao
- School of Environmental and Geographical Sciences, Shanghai Normal University, 100 Guilin Road, Xuhui District, Shanghai, China.
| | - Huaxing Cao
- School of Environmental and Geographical Sciences, Shanghai Normal University, 100 Guilin Road, Xuhui District, Shanghai, China
| | - Weixia Diao
- School of Environmental and Geographical Sciences, Shanghai Normal University, 100 Guilin Road, Xuhui District, Shanghai, China
| | - Xu Yao
- School of Environmental and Geographical Sciences, Shanghai Normal University, 100 Guilin Road, Xuhui District, Shanghai, China
| | - Cancan Yuan
- School of Environmental and Geographical Sciences, Shanghai Normal University, 100 Guilin Road, Xuhui District, Shanghai, China
| | - Yueying Fan
- School of Environmental and Geographical Sciences, Shanghai Normal University, 100 Guilin Road, Xuhui District, Shanghai, China.
| | - Ya Chen
- School of Environmental and Geographical Sciences, Shanghai Normal University, 100 Guilin Road, Xuhui District, Shanghai, China
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8
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Tao J, Yan J, Su H, Huang C, Tong S, Ho HC, Xia Q, Zhu C, Zheng H, Hossain MZ, Cheng J. Impacts of PM 2.5 before and after COVID-19 outbreak on emergency mental disorders: A population-based quasi-experimental and case-crossover study. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2023; 334:122175. [PMID: 37437758 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2023.122175] [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: 12/29/2022] [Revised: 06/04/2023] [Accepted: 07/09/2023] [Indexed: 07/14/2023]
Abstract
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is a great challenge to mental health, but fine particulate matter (PM2.5), an increasingly reported risk factor for mental disorders, has been greatly alleviated during the pandemic in many countries. It remains unknown whether COVID-19 outbreak can affect the association between PM2.5 exposure and the risk of mental disorders. This study aimed to investigate the associations of total and cause-specific mental disorders with PM2.5 exposure before and after the COVID-19 outbreak in China. Data on daily emergency department visits (EDVs) and hospitalizations of mental disorders from 2016 to 2021 were obtained from Anhui Mental Health Center for Hefei city. An interrupted time series analysis was used to quantify the impact of COVID-19 outbreak on EDVs and hospitalizations of mental disorders. A time-stratified case-crossover analysis was employed to evaluate the association of mental disorders with PM2.5 exposure before and after the COVID-19 outbreak, especially in the three months following the COVID-19 outbreak. After COVID-19 outbreak, there was an immediate and significant decrease in total mental disorders, including a reduction of 15% (95% CI: 3%-26%) in EDVs and 44% (95% CI: 36%-51%) in hospitalizations. PM2.5 exposure was associated with increased risk of EDVs and hospitalizations for total and cause-specific mental disorders (schizophrenia, schizotypal and delusional disorders; neurotic, stress-related, and somatoform disorders) before COVID-19 outbreak, but this PM2.5-related risk elevation significantly decreased after COVID-19 outbreak, with greater risk reduction at the first month after the outbreak. However, young people (0-45 years) were still vulnerable to PM2.5 exposure after the COVID-19 outbreak. This study first reveals that the risk of PM2.5-related emergency mental disorders decreased after the COVID-19 outbreak in China. The low concentration of PM2.5 might benefit mental health and greater efforts are required to mitigate air pollution in the post-COVID-19 era.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junwen Tao
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China; Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Major Autoimmune Disease, Hefei, China
| | - Junwei Yan
- Affiliated Psychological Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China; Anhui Mental Health Center, Hefei, China; Hefei Fourth People's Hospital, Hefei, China; Anhui Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders, Hefei, China
| | - Hong Su
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China; Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Major Autoimmune Disease, Hefei, China
| | - Cunrui Huang
- Vanke School of Public Health, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Shilu Tong
- National Institute of Environmental Health, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China; School of Public Health, Institute of Environment and Population Health, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China; Centre of Global Health, School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China; School of Public Health and Social Work, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Hung Chak Ho
- Department of Public and International Affairs, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Qingrong Xia
- Affiliated Psychological Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China; Anhui Mental Health Center, Hefei, China; Hefei Fourth People's Hospital, Hefei, China; Anhui Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders, Hefei, China
| | - Cuizhen Zhu
- Affiliated Psychological Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China; Anhui Mental Health Center, Hefei, China; Hefei Fourth People's Hospital, Hefei, China; Anhui Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders, Hefei, China
| | - Hao Zheng
- Department of Environmental Health, Jiangsu Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Nanjing, China
| | - Mohammad Zahid Hossain
- International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | - Jian Cheng
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China; Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Major Autoimmune Disease, Hefei, China.
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9
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Li D, Ma Y, Cui F, Yang Y, Liu R, Tang L, Wang J, Tian Y. Long-term exposure to ambient air pollution, genetic susceptibility, and the incidence of bipolar disorder: A prospective cohort study. Psychiatry Res 2023; 327:115396. [PMID: 37549511 DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2023.115396] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2023] [Revised: 07/27/2023] [Accepted: 07/29/2023] [Indexed: 08/09/2023]
Abstract
There is mounting recent evidence showing that air pollution exposure may be related to the risk of mental health, yet the association between long-term exposure to air pollution and the risk of incident bipolar disorder (BD) remains unclear. Thus we aim to identify associations between air pollution and the incidence of BD in a prospective population-based cohort. In total, 482,726 participants who were free of BD from the UK Biobank were included in this prospective study. We applied time-varying Cox proportional hazards models, accounting for relevant confounders, and used annual-year moving averages of air pollution as time-varying exposures. The genetic risk for BD was categorized into three categories (low, intermediate, and high) according to the tertiles of polygenic risk score. During a median of 10.79-year follow-up, 923 incident BD events were recorded. Long-term exposures to PM2.5, PM10, NO2, and NOx were associated with increased BD risk. Estimated HRs (95% CIs) for each interquartile range increase in PM2.5, PM10, NO2, and NOx concentrations were 1.31 (1.18-1.45), 1.19 (1.09-1.31), 1.19 (1.08-1.30), and 1.16 (1.07-1.26), respectively. Associations were still observed and even stronger at pollutant concentrations lower than WHO air quality guideline. In subgroup analysis stratified by genetic risk, we observed consistent associations between all pollutants and BD risk in intermediate and high genetic risk groups, but not in low genetic risk group. For example, the HRs (95% CIs) for PM2.5 were 1.00 (0.94-1.53), 1.30 (1.06-1.59), and 1.34 (1.16-1.54) in low, intermediate, and high genetic groups, respectively. In conclusion, long-term exposure to air pollution was significantly associated with an elevated risk of BD. Associations of air pollution with BD occurred only within intermediate and high genetic risk categories and were even stronger at the pollutants levels below WHO air quality guidelines. These findings could help inform policy makers regarding ambient air quality standards and BD management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dankang Li
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Environment and Health, and State Key Laboratory of Environmental Health (Incubating), School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, No.13 Hangkong Road, Wuhan, 430030, China; Department of Maternal and Child Health, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, No.13 Hangkong Road, Wuhan, 430030, China
| | - Yudiyang Ma
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Environment and Health, and State Key Laboratory of Environmental Health (Incubating), School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, No.13 Hangkong Road, Wuhan, 430030, China; Department of Maternal and Child Health, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, No.13 Hangkong Road, Wuhan, 430030, China
| | - Feipeng Cui
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Environment and Health, and State Key Laboratory of Environmental Health (Incubating), School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, No.13 Hangkong Road, Wuhan, 430030, China; Department of Maternal and Child Health, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, No.13 Hangkong Road, Wuhan, 430030, China
| | - Yingping Yang
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Environment and Health, and State Key Laboratory of Environmental Health (Incubating), School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, No.13 Hangkong Road, Wuhan, 430030, China; Department of Maternal and Child Health, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, No.13 Hangkong Road, Wuhan, 430030, China
| | - Run Liu
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Environment and Health, and State Key Laboratory of Environmental Health (Incubating), School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, No.13 Hangkong Road, Wuhan, 430030, China; Department of Maternal and Child Health, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, No.13 Hangkong Road, Wuhan, 430030, China
| | - Linxi Tang
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Environment and Health, and State Key Laboratory of Environmental Health (Incubating), School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, No.13 Hangkong Road, Wuhan, 430030, China; Department of Maternal and Child Health, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, No.13 Hangkong Road, Wuhan, 430030, China
| | - Jianing Wang
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Environment and Health, and State Key Laboratory of Environmental Health (Incubating), School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, No.13 Hangkong Road, Wuhan, 430030, China; Department of Maternal and Child Health, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, No.13 Hangkong Road, Wuhan, 430030, China
| | - Yaohua Tian
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Environment and Health, and State Key Laboratory of Environmental Health (Incubating), School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, No.13 Hangkong Road, Wuhan, 430030, China; Department of Maternal and Child Health, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, No.13 Hangkong Road, Wuhan, 430030, China.
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10
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Ghassabian A, Afanasyeva Y, Yu K, Gordon T, Liu M, Trasande L. Characterisation of personalised air pollution exposure in pregnant women participating in a birth cohort study. Paediatr Perinat Epidemiol 2023; 37:436-444. [PMID: 36782386 PMCID: PMC11062457 DOI: 10.1111/ppe.12960] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2022] [Revised: 01/15/2023] [Accepted: 01/22/2023] [Indexed: 02/15/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Air pollution is a health risk in pregnant women and children. Despite the importance of refined exposure assessment, the characterisation of personalised air pollution exposure remains a challenge in paediatric and perinatal epidemiology. OBJECTIVE We used portable personal air monitors to characterise personalised exposure to air pollutants in pregnant women. METHODS Between November 2019 and May 2022, we offered personal air monitors to pregnant women participating in a birth cohort in New York City. During pregnancy, women used air monitors, which measured particulate matter (PM), nitrogen dioxide (NO2 ), and volatile organic compounds (average use = 14 days). Data were stored in real-time on a secure database via synchronisation with a smartphone application. Of 497 women who agreed to use air monitors, 273 women (55%) were successful in using air monitors for longer than a day. For these participants, we identified daily patterns of exposure to air pollutants using functional principal component analysis (3827 days of air monitoring). RESULTS Compared to women with no pollution data (n = 224), women who successfully used monitors were more likely to be non-Hispanic White and Asian (vs. Hispanic), nulliparous, unemployed, married/partnered, and received the device in-person (vs. mailed). We identified different daily patterns of exposure to air pollutants. The most dominant pattern for all pollutants was low exposure levels with little variations within 24 h, followed by a pattern that showed differences between day and night levels. NO2 had higher daily variations compared to PM. CONCLUSIONS Small wearables are useful for the measurement of personalised air pollution exposure in birth cohorts and identify daily patterns that cannot be captured otherwise. Successful participation, however, depends on certain individual characteristics. Future studies should consider strategies in design and analysis to account for selective participation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Akhgar Ghassabian
- Department of Pediatrics, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA
- Department of Population Health, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA
| | - Yelena Afanasyeva
- Department of Population Health, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA
| | - Keunhyung Yu
- Department of Pediatrics, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA
| | - Terry Gordon
- Department of Medicine, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA
| | - Mengling Liu
- Department of Population Health, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA
- Department of Medicine, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA
| | - Leonardo Trasande
- Department of Pediatrics, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA
- Department of Population Health, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA
- NYU Wagner School of Public Service, New York, New York, USA
- NYU College of Global Public Health, New York, New York, USA
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11
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Sin DD, Doiron D, Agusti A, Anzueto A, Barnes PJ, Celli BR, Criner GJ, Halpin D, Han MK, Martinez FJ, Montes de Oca M, Papi A, Pavord I, Roche N, Singh D, Stockley R, Lopez Varlera MV, Wedzicha J, Vogelmeier C, Bourbeau J. Air pollution and COPD: GOLD 2023 committee report. Eur Respir J 2023; 61:2202469. [PMID: 36958741 DOI: 10.1183/13993003.02469-2022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2023] [Accepted: 03/04/2023] [Indexed: 03/25/2023]
Abstract
Exposure to air pollution is a major contributor to the pathogenesis of COPD worldwide. Indeed, most recent estimates suggest that 50% of the total attributable risk of COPD may be related to air pollution. In response, the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) Scientific Committee performed a comprehensive review on this topic, qualitatively synthesised the evidence to date and proffered recommendations to mitigate the risk. The review found that both gaseous and particulate components of air pollution are likely contributors to COPD. There are no absolutely safe levels of ambient air pollution and the relationship between air pollution levels and respiratory events is supra-linear. Wildfires and extreme weather events such as heat waves, which are becoming more common owing to climate change, are major threats to COPD patients and acutely increase their risk of morbidity and mortality. Exposure to air pollution also impairs lung growth in children and as such may lead to developmental COPD. GOLD recommends strong public health policies around the world to reduce ambient air pollution and for implementation of public warning systems and advisories, including where possible the use of personalised apps, to alert patients when ambient air pollution levels exceed acceptable minimal thresholds. When household particulate content exceeds acceptable thresholds, patients should consider using air cleaners and filters where feasible. Air pollution is a major health threat to patients living with COPD and actions are urgently required to reduce the morbidity and mortality related to poor air quality around the world.
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Affiliation(s)
- Don D Sin
- Centre for Heart Lung Innovation, St Paul's Hospital and University of British Columbia Division of Respiratory Medicine, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Dany Doiron
- McGill University Health Centre, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Alvar Agusti
- Respiratory Institute, Hospital Clinic, IDIBAPS, University of Barcelona and CIBERES, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Antonio Anzueto
- South Texas Veterans Health Care System, University of Texas, San Antonio, TX, USA
| | - Peter J Barnes
- National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | | | | | - David Halpin
- University of Exeter Medical School, College of Medicine and Health, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
| | | | - Fernando J Martinez
- Weill Cornell Medical Center/New York-Presbyterian Hospital, New York, NY, USA
| | - Maria Montes de Oca
- Hospital Universitario de Caracas, Universidad Central de Venezuela, Centro Médico de Caracas, Caracas, Venezuela
| | - Alberto Papi
- Respiratory Medicine, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy
| | - Ian Pavord
- Respiratory Medicine Unit and Oxford Respiratory NIHR Biomedical Research Centre, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Nicolas Roche
- Service de Pneumologie, Hôpital Cochin, AP-HP, Université Paris Cité, UMR 1016, Institut Cochin, Paris, France
| | - Dave Singh
- University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | | | | | - Jadwiga Wedzicha
- National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Claus Vogelmeier
- Department of Medicine, Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, University Hospital Giessen and Marburg, German Center for Lung Research (DZL), University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Jean Bourbeau
- McGill University Health Centre, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
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12
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Hasegawa K, Tsukahara T, Nomiyama T. Short-term associations of low-level fine particulate matter (PM 2.5) with cardiorespiratory hospitalizations in 139 Japanese cities. ECOTOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY 2023; 258:114961. [PMID: 37137261 DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2023.114961] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2023] [Revised: 04/09/2023] [Accepted: 04/24/2023] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
There have been few studies in non-western countries on the relationship between low levels of daily fine particulate matter (PM2.5) exposure and morbidity or mortality, and the impact of PM2.5 concentrations below 15 μg/m3, which is the latest World Health Organization Air Quality Guideline (WHO AQG) value for the 24-h mean, is not yet clear. We assessed the associations between low-level PM2.5 exposure and cardiorespiratory admissions in Japan. We collected the daily hospital admission count data, air pollutant data, and meteorological condition data recorded from April 2016 to March 2019 in 139 Japanese cities. City-specific estimates were obtained from conditional logistic regression models in a time-stratified case-crossover design and pooled by random-effect models. We estimated that every 10-μg/m3 increase in the concurrent-day PM2.5 concentration was related to a 0.52% increase in cardiovascular admissions (95% CI: 0.13-0.92%) and a 1.74% increase in respiratory admissions (95% CI: 1.41-2.07%). These values were nearly the same when the datasets were filtered to contain only daily PM2.5 concentrations <15 μg/m3. The exposure-response curves showed approximately sublinear-to-linear curves with no indication of thresholds. These associations with cardiovascular diseases weakened after adjusting for nitrogen dioxide or sulfur dioxide, but associations with respiratory diseases were almost unchanged when additionally adjusted for other pollutants. This study demonstrated that associations between daily PM2.5 and daily cardiorespiratory hospitalizations might persist at low concentrations, including those below the latest WHO AQG value. Our findings suggest that the updated guideline value may still be insufficient from the perspective of public health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kohei Hasegawa
- Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, School of Medicine, Shinshu University, 3-1-1 Asahi, Matsumoto, Nagano 390-8621, Japan.
| | - Teruomi Tsukahara
- Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, School of Medicine, Shinshu University, 3-1-1 Asahi, Matsumoto, Nagano 390-8621, Japan; Department of Occupational Medicine, School of Medicine, Shinshu University, 3-1-1 Asahi, Matsumoto, Nagano 390-8621, Japan
| | - Tetsuo Nomiyama
- Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, School of Medicine, Shinshu University, 3-1-1 Asahi, Matsumoto, Nagano 390-8621, Japan; Department of Occupational Medicine, School of Medicine, Shinshu University, 3-1-1 Asahi, Matsumoto, Nagano 390-8621, Japan
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13
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Campbell CE, Cotter DL, Bottenhorn KL, Burnor E, Ahmadi H, Gauderman WJ, Cardenas-Iniguez C, Hackman D, McConnell R, Berhane K, Schwartz J, Chen JC, Herting MM. Air pollution and emotional behavior in adolescents across the U.S. MEDRXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR HEALTH SCIENCES 2023:2023.04.19.23288834. [PMID: 37162908 PMCID: PMC10168412 DOI: 10.1101/2023.04.19.23288834] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
Recent studies have linked air pollution to increased risk for behavioral problems during development, albeit with inconsistent findings. Additional longitudinal studies are needed that consider how emotional behaviors may be affected when exposure coincides with the transition to adolescence - a vulnerable time for developing mental health difficulties. This study examines how annual average PM2.5 and NO2 exposure at ages 9-10 years relates to internalizing and externalizing behaviors over a 2-year follow-up period in a large, nationwide U.S. sample of participants from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study®. Air pollution exposure was estimated based on the residential address of each participant using an ensemble-based modeling approach. Caregivers answered questions from the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) at baseline and annually for two follow-up sessions for a total of 3 waves of data; from the CBCL we obtained scores on internalizing and externalizing problems plus 5 syndrome scales (anxious/depressed, withdrawn/depressed, rule-breaking behavior, aggressive behavior, and attention problems). Zero-inflated negative binomial models were used to examine both the main effect of age as well as the interaction of age with each pollutant on behavior while adjusting for various socioeconomic and demographic characteristics. Overall, the pollution effects moderated the main effects of age with higher levels of PM2.5 and NO2 leading to an even greater likelihood of having no behavioral problems (i.e., score of zero) with age over time, as well as fewer problems when problems are present as the child ages. Albeit this was on the order equal to or less than a 1-point change. Thus, one year of annual exposure at 9-10 years is linked with very small change in emotional behaviors in early adolescence, which may be of little clinical relevance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claire E Campbell
- Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA 90089-2520
| | - Devyn L Cotter
- Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA 90089-2520
| | - Katherine L Bottenhorn
- Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Department of Psychology, Florida International University, Miami, FL, USA
| | - Elisabeth Burnor
- Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Hedyeh Ahmadi
- Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - W James Gauderman
- Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Carlos Cardenas-Iniguez
- Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Daniel Hackman
- Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089
| | - Rob McConnell
- Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Kiros Berhane
- Department of Biostatistics, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Joel Schwartz
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Jiu-Chiuan Chen
- Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Department of Neurology, Keck School of Medicine of University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90063, USA
| | - Megan M Herting
- Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90027, USA
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14
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Liu Y, Li Y, Xu H, Zhao X, Zhu Y, Zhao B, Yao Q, Duan H, Guo C, Li Y. Pre- and postnatal particulate matter exposure and blood pressure in children and adolescents: A systematic review and meta-analysis. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2023; 223:115373. [PMID: 36731599 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2023.115373] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2022] [Revised: 01/10/2023] [Accepted: 01/25/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Early life is a susceptible period of air pollution-related adverse health effects. Hypertension in children might be life-threatening without prevention or treatment. Nevertheless, the causative association between environmental factors and childhood hypertension was limited. In the light of particulate matter (PM) as an environmental risk factor for cardiovascular diseases, this study investigated the association of pre- and postnatal PM exposure with blood pressure (BP) and hypertension among children and adolescents. METHOD Four electronic databases were searched for related epidemiological studies published up to September 13, 2022. Stata 14.0 was applied to examine the heterogeneity among the studies and evaluate the combined effect sizes per 10 μg/m3 increase of PM by selecting the corresponding models. Besides, subgroup analysis, sensitivity analysis, and publication bias test were also conducted. RESULTS Prenatal PM2.5 exposure was correlated with increased diastolic blood pressure (DBP) in offspring [1.14 mmHg (95% CI: 0.12, 2.17)]. For short-term postnatal exposure effects, PM2.5 (7-day average) was significantly associated with systolic blood pressure (SBP) [0.20 mmHg (95% CI: 0.16, 0.23)] and DBP [0.49 mmHg (95% CI: 0.45, 0.53)]; and also, PM10 (7-day average) was significantly associated with SBP [0.14 mmHg (95% CI: 0.12, 0.16)]. For long-term postnatal exposure effects, positive associations were manifested in SBP with PM2.5 [β = 0.44, 95% CI: 0.40, 0.48] and PM10 [β = 0.35, 95% CI: 0.19, 0.51]; DBP with PM1 [β = 0.45, 95% CI: 0.42, 0.49], PM2.5 [β = 0.31, 95% CI: 0.27, 0.35] and PM10 [β = 0.32, 95% CI: 0.19, 0.45]; and hypertension with PM1 [OR = 1.43, 95% CI: 1.40, 1.46], PM2.5 [OR = 1.65, 95% CI: 1.29, 2.11] and PM10 [OR = 1.26, 95% CI: 1.09, 1.45]. CONCLUSION Both prenatal and postnatal exposure to PM can increase BP, contributing to a higher prevalence of hypertension in children and adolescents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yufan Liu
- Department of Toxicology and Sanitary Chemistry, School of Public Health, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100069, China; Beijing Key Laboratory of Environmental Toxicology, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100069, China
| | - Yan Li
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Environmental Toxicology, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100069, China; Department of Occupational Health and Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100069, China
| | - Hailin Xu
- Department of Toxicology and Sanitary Chemistry, School of Public Health, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100069, China; Beijing Key Laboratory of Environmental Toxicology, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100069, China
| | - Xinying Zhao
- Department of Toxicology and Sanitary Chemistry, School of Public Health, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100069, China; Beijing Key Laboratory of Environmental Toxicology, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100069, China
| | - Yawen Zhu
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Environmental Toxicology, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100069, China; Department of Occupational Health and Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100069, China
| | - Bosen Zhao
- Department of Toxicology and Sanitary Chemistry, School of Public Health, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100069, China; Beijing Key Laboratory of Environmental Toxicology, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100069, China
| | - Qing Yao
- Department of Toxicology and Sanitary Chemistry, School of Public Health, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100069, China; Beijing Key Laboratory of Environmental Toxicology, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100069, China
| | - Huawei Duan
- Key Laboratory of Chemical Safety and Health, National Institute for Occupational Health and Poison Control, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing 100050, China
| | - Caixia Guo
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Environmental Toxicology, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100069, China; Department of Occupational Health and Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100069, China.
| | - Yanbo Li
- Department of Toxicology and Sanitary Chemistry, School of Public Health, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100069, China; Beijing Key Laboratory of Environmental Toxicology, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100069, China.
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15
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Sukumaran K, Cardenas-Iniguez C, Burnor E, Bottenhorn KL, Hackman DA, McConnell R, Berhane K, Schwartz J, Chen JC, Herting MM. Ambient fine particulate exposure and subcortical gray matter microarchitecture in 9- and 10-year-old children across the United States. iScience 2023; 26:106087. [PMID: 36915692 PMCID: PMC10006642 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.106087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2022] [Revised: 12/16/2022] [Accepted: 01/25/2023] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Neuroimaging studies showing the adverse effects of air pollution on neurodevelopment have largely focused on smaller samples from limited geographical locations and have implemented univariant approaches to assess exposure and brain macrostructure. Herein, we implement restriction spectrum imaging and a multivariate approach to examine how one year of annual exposure to daily fine particulate matter (PM2.5), daily nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and 8-h maximum ozone (O3) at ages 9-10 years relates to subcortical gray matter microarchitecture in a geographically diverse subsample of children from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study℠. Adjusting for confounders, we identified a latent variable representing 66% of the variance between one year of air pollution and subcortical gray matter microarchitecture. PM2.5 was related to greater isotropic intracellular diffusion in the thalamus, brainstem, and accumbens, which related to cognition and internalizing symptoms. These findings may be indicative of previously identified air pollution-related risk for neuroinflammation and early neurodegenerative pathologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kirthana Sukumaran
- Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, Keck School of Medicine of University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90063, USA
| | - Carlos Cardenas-Iniguez
- Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, Keck School of Medicine of University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90063, USA
| | - Elisabeth Burnor
- Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, Keck School of Medicine of University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90063, USA
| | - Katherine L. Bottenhorn
- Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, Keck School of Medicine of University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90063, USA
- Department of Psychology, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33199, USA
| | - Daniel A. Hackman
- Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
| | - Rob McConnell
- Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, Keck School of Medicine of University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90063, USA
| | - Kiros Berhane
- Department of Biostatistics, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Joel Schwartz
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Jiu-Chiuan Chen
- Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, Keck School of Medicine of University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90063, USA
- Department of Neurology, Keck School of Medicine of University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90063, USA
| | - Megan M. Herting
- Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, Keck School of Medicine of University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90063, USA
- Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90027, USA
- Corresponding author
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16
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Wang Q, Chen Z, Huang W, Kou B, Li J. Short-Term Effect of Moderate Level Air Pollution on Outpatient Visits for Multiple Clinic Departments: A Time-Series Analysis in Xi'an China. TOXICS 2023; 11:166. [PMID: 36851041 PMCID: PMC9967132 DOI: 10.3390/toxics11020166] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2022] [Revised: 01/25/2023] [Accepted: 02/06/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
There is limited evidence concerning the association between air pollution and different outpatient visits in moderately polluted areas. This paper investigates the effects of moderate-level air pollution on outpatient visits associated with six categories of clinic department. We analyzed a total of 1,340,791 outpatient visits for the pediatric, respiratory, ear-nose-throat (ENT), cardiovascular, ophthalmology, and orthopedics departments from January 2016 to December 2018. A distributed lag nonlinear model was used to analyze the associations and was fitted and stratified by age and season (central heating season and nonheating season). We found SO2 had the largest effect on pediatrics visits (RR = 1.105 (95%CI: 1.090, 1.121)). Meanwhile, PM2.5 and SO2 had greater effects on ENT visits for people under 50 years old. The results showed a strong association between O3 and cardiovascular outpatient visits in the nonheating season (RR = 1.273, 95% CI: 1.189,1.358). The results showed every 10 μg/m3 increase in SO2 was associated with a lower number of respiratory outpatient visits. Significant different associations were observed in PM2.5, NO2, CO, and O3 on ophthalmology visits between the heating and nonheating seasons. Although no significant association has been found in existing studies, our findings showed PM2.5 and NO2 were significantly related to orthopedic outpatient visits for people under 60 (RR = 1.063 (95%CI: 1.032, 1.095), RR = 1.055 (95%CI: 1.011, 1.101)). This study also found that the effect-level concentrations of air pollutants for some clinic departments were lower than the national standards, which means that people should also pay more attention when the air quality is normal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qingnan Wang
- Department of Information Management, School of Management, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049, China
| | - Zhuo Chen
- College of Public Health, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
- School of Economics, University of Nottingham Ningbo China, Ningbo 315000, China
| | - Wei Huang
- Department of Information Management, School of Management, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049, China
- College of Business, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Bo Kou
- Department of Otolaryngology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710016, China
| | - Jingwei Li
- Department of Information Management, School of Management, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049, China
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17
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Krenz K, Dhanani A, McEachan RRC, Sohal K, Wright J, Vaughan L. Linking the Urban Environment and Health: An Innovative Methodology for Measuring Individual-Level Environmental Exposures. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2023; 20:1953. [PMID: 36767317 PMCID: PMC9915172 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph20031953] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2022] [Revised: 01/16/2023] [Accepted: 01/17/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Environmental exposures (EE) are increasingly recognised as important determinants of health and well-being. Understanding the influences of EE on health is critical for effective policymaking, but better-quality spatial data is needed. This article outlines the theoretical and technical foundations used for the construction of individual-level environmental exposure measurements for the population of a northern English city, Bradford. The work supports 'Connected Bradford', an entire population database linking health, education, social care, environmental and other local government data over a period of forty years. We argue that our current understanding of environmental effects on health outcomes is limited both by methodological shortcomings in the quantification of the environment and by a lack of consistency in the measurement of built environment features. To address these shortcomings, we measure the environmental exposure for a series of different domains including air quality, greenspace and greenness, public transport, walkability, traffic, buildings and the built form, street centrality, land-use intensity, and food environments as well as indoor dwelling qualities. We utilise general practitioners' historical patient information to identify the precise geolocation and duration of a person's residence. We model a person's local neighbourhood, and the probable routes to key urban functions aggregated across the city. We outline the specific geospatial procedure used to quantify the environmental exposure for each domain and use the example of exposure to fast-food outlets to illustrate the methodological challenges in the creation of city and nationwide environmental exposure databases. The proposed EE measures will enable critical research into the relationship and causal links between the built environment and health, informing planning and policy-making.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kimon Krenz
- The Bartlett School of Architecture, Faculty of the Built Environment, University College London, London WC1H 0QB, UK
| | - Ashley Dhanani
- The Bartlett School of Architecture, Faculty of the Built Environment, University College London, London WC1H 0QB, UK
| | - Rosemary R. C. McEachan
- Bradford Institute for Health Research, Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Bradford BD9 6RJ, UK
| | - Kuldeep Sohal
- Bradford Institute for Health Research, Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Bradford BD9 6RJ, UK
| | - John Wright
- Bradford Institute for Health Research, Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Bradford BD9 6RJ, UK
| | - Laura Vaughan
- The Bartlett School of Architecture, Faculty of the Built Environment, University College London, London WC1H 0QB, UK
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18
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On the supra-linearity of the relationship between air pollution, mortality and hospital admission in 18 French cities. Int Arch Occup Environ Health 2023; 96:551-563. [PMID: 36602605 DOI: 10.1007/s00420-022-01948-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2022] [Accepted: 12/15/2022] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE Understanding the relationship between an environmental determinant and a given health outcome is key to inform public health policies. The short-term mortality and morbidity responses to outdoor air pollutants are traditionally assessed as a log-linear relationship, but few studies suggest a possible deviation from linearity. This paper investigates the shape of the relationship between ozone, NO2 and fine particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5), mortality and hospital admissions in 18 French cities between 2000 and 2017. METHOD A multi-centric time series design, using quasi-Poisson generalized additive models, was used. Four approaches were compared to model concentration-response curves (log-linear, piecewise-linear with a priori defined breakpoints, piecewise-linear with no a priori breakpoint and cubic spline). RESULTS All the models indicated evidence of supra-linearity between PM10, PM2.5, NO2, mortality and hospital admissions. For instance, with a log-linear model, a 10 µg/m3 increase in PM2.5 was associated with a 0.4% [95% CI 0.2; 0.7] increase in non-accidental mortality. When using a piecewise model with a priori set breakpoint at 10 µg/m3, the mortality increase was 3.8% [4.4; 6.3] below 10 µg/m3, and 0.3% [0; 0.6] above. Non-significant impacts of ozone were found for concentrations below 90 µg/m3 to 120 µg/m3, with some variability in the identified threshold across the heath indicator studied. CONCLUSION The supra-linearity of the relationship between PM10, PM2.5, NO2, mortality and hospital admissions supports the need to further reduce air pollution concentrations well below regulatory values.
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19
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Accorinti J, Allende D, Puliafito SE. The impact on air quality of PM10 emissions from the bus fleet of Buenos Aires City. SN APPLIED SCIENCES 2023. [DOI: 10.1007/s42452-022-05231-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Automobile transport in megacities poses serious problems in the area of sustainability and environmental security. In the City of Buenos Aires (CABA) it represents 37% of GHG emissions and is an important source of pollutants dangerous to human health. As such, it is an energy consumption sector targeted for the implementation of methods that allow for sustainable urban transport. At the same time, very few previous studies about transport vehicle emissions have utilized the PM10 as an indicator of environmental contamination, considering that the negative impact of this environmental contaminant on human health is widely studied. An emission model linked to an atmospheric dispersion model, statistically validated, were used to study different scenarios of emissions generated by diesel buses. It was observed that in a scenario of zero bus emissions (E0), PM10 immission (air concentrations) concentration in CABA is reduced by half. When studying the energy transition from diesel buses to electric energy, while the rest of the vehicle fleet was maintained at the expense of fossil fuels, the local immission concentration of PM10 in CABA was of the same magnitude of that which was obtained when simulating the (E0) scenario of only private vehicle fleet. This study is relevant in the evaluation of public policy on vehicle emission mitigation that seeks to reduce health risks from poor air quality and to develop a more progressively sustainable city.
Article Highlights
Transition energy exclusively for buses could reduce PM10 immission values of CABA by 50%.
Thermal energy needed to the energy transition does not significant impact the PM10 immission values on the local air quality.
Electric buses could reduce the maximum PM10 immission value by half.
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20
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Pozzer A, Anenberg SC, Dey S, Haines A, Lelieveld J, Chowdhury S. Mortality Attributable to Ambient Air Pollution: A Review of Global Estimates. GEOHEALTH 2023; 7:e2022GH000711. [PMID: 36636746 PMCID: PMC9828848 DOI: 10.1029/2022gh000711] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2022] [Revised: 11/16/2022] [Accepted: 12/14/2022] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Since the publication of the first epidemiological study to establish the connection between long-term exposure to atmospheric pollution and effects on human health, major efforts have been dedicated to estimate the attributable mortality burden, especially in the context of the Global Burden of Disease (GBD). In this work, we review the estimates of excess mortality attributable to outdoor air pollution at the global scale, by comparing studies available in the literature. We find large differences between the estimates, which are related to the exposure response functions as well as the number of health outcomes included in the calculations, aspects where further improvements are necessary. Furthermore, we show that despite the considerable advancements in our understanding of health impacts of air pollution and the consequent improvement in the accuracy of the global estimates, their precision has not increased in the last decades. We offer recommendations for future measurements and research directions, which will help to improve our understanding and quantification of air pollution-health relationships.
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Affiliation(s)
- A. Pozzer
- Max Planck Institute for ChemistryMainzGermany
- The Cyprus InstituteNicosiaCyprus
| | - S. C. Anenberg
- Milken Institute School of Public HealthWashington UniversityWashingtonDCUSA
| | - S. Dey
- Indian Institute of Technology DelhiDelhiIndia
| | - A. Haines
- London School of Hygiene and Tropical MedicineLondonUK
| | - J. Lelieveld
- Max Planck Institute for ChemistryMainzGermany
- The Cyprus InstituteNicosiaCyprus
| | - S. Chowdhury
- Max Planck Institute for ChemistryMainzGermany
- CICERO Center for International Climate ResearchOsloNorway
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21
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Dai Y, Hitchcock P, Mahowald NM, Domeisen DIV, Hamilton DS, Li L, Marticorena B, Kanakidou M, Mihalopoulos N, Aboagye-Okyere A. Stratospheric impacts on dust transport and air pollution in West Africa and the Eastern Mediterranean. Nat Commun 2022; 13:7744. [PMID: 36517478 PMCID: PMC9750965 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-35403-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2022] [Accepted: 11/25/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Saharan dust intrusions strongly impact Atlantic and Mediterranean coastal regions. Today, most operational dust forecasts extend only 2-5 days. Here we show that on timescales of weeks to months, North African dust emission and transport are impacted by sudden stratospheric warmings (SSWs), which establish a negative North Atlantic Oscillation-like surface signal. Chemical transport models show a large-scale dipolar dust response to SSWs, with the burden in the Eastern Mediterranean enhanced up to 30% and a corresponding reduction in West Africa. Observations of inhalable particulate (PM10) concentrations and aerosol optical depth confirm this dipole. On average, a single SSW causes 680-2460 additional premature deaths in the Eastern Mediterranean and prevents 1180-2040 premature deaths in West Africa from exposure to dust-source fine particulate (PM2.5). Currently, SSWs are predictable 1-2 weeks in advance. Altogether, the stratosphere represents an important source of subseasonal predictability for air quality over West Africa and the Eastern Mediterranean.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying Dai
- grid.5386.8000000041936877XDepartment of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853 USA
| | - Peter Hitchcock
- grid.5386.8000000041936877XDepartment of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853 USA
| | - Natalie M. Mahowald
- grid.5386.8000000041936877XDepartment of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853 USA
| | - Daniela I. V. Domeisen
- grid.9851.50000 0001 2165 4204University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland ,grid.5801.c0000 0001 2156 2780ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Douglas S. Hamilton
- grid.5386.8000000041936877XDepartment of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853 USA ,grid.40803.3f0000 0001 2173 6074Present Address: Department of Marine, Earth, and Atmospheric Science, NC State University, Raleigh, NC USA
| | - Longlei Li
- grid.5386.8000000041936877XDepartment of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853 USA
| | - Beatrice Marticorena
- grid.466400.0Laboratoire Interuniversitaire des Systèmes Atmosphériques, Universités Paris Est-Paris Diderot-Paris 7, UMR CNRS 7583, Créteil, France
| | - Maria Kanakidou
- grid.8127.c0000 0004 0576 3437Environmental Chemical Processes Laboratory (ECPL), Department of Chemistry, University of Crete, Heraklion, Greece ,grid.511963.9Center of Studies of Air quality and Climate Change, Institute for Chemical Engineering Sciences, Foundation for Research and Technology Hellas, Patras, Greece ,grid.7704.40000 0001 2297 4381Excellence Chair, Institute of Environmental Physics, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany
| | - Nikolaos Mihalopoulos
- grid.8127.c0000 0004 0576 3437Environmental Chemical Processes Laboratory (ECPL), Department of Chemistry, University of Crete, Heraklion, Greece ,grid.8663.b0000 0004 0635 693XInstitute for Environmental Research and Sustainable Development, National Observatory of Athens, Pendeli, Greece
| | - Adwoa Aboagye-Okyere
- grid.5386.8000000041936877XDepartment of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853 USA
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22
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Tong M, Li P, Wang M, Sun Y, Han Y, Liu H, Li J, Li J, Wu F, Guan T, Xue T. Time-varying association between fetal death and gestational exposure to ambient fine particles: a nationwide epidemiological study of 49 million fetuses in the contiguous US from 1989 to 2004. Int J Epidemiol 2022; 51:1984-1999. [PMID: 35586940 DOI: 10.1093/ije/dyac103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2021] [Accepted: 04/27/2022] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Gestational exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) has been reported to be associated with an increased risk of fetal death in recent studies, but earlier studies in the past century have usually reported a non-significant association. As such, it remains unknown whether this adverse effect of PM2.5 exposure varies with time. METHODS Nearly 49.2 million eligible birth and fetal death records from 1989 to 2004 were selected from the United States (US) birth and fetal death certificate datasets. For each record, the level of prenatal exposure to PM2.5 was taken as the average concentration in the mother's residential county during the entire gestational period, according to well-established estimates of monthly levels across the contiguous US. We first stratified the dataset by the month of the last menstrual period (LMP) and then independently evaluated the nationwide association between PM2.5 exposure and fetal death within each stratum using five typical logit models: unadjusted, covariate-adjusted, propensity-score, double robust, and diagnostic-score models. Finally, we conducted a meta-analysis to pool estimated LMP-specific associations and explored how the overall association varied by LMP month. RESULTS Different models showed temporal heterogeneity in the estimated association between PM2.5 exposure and fetal death. According to the meta-analysis, double robust model estimates were more homogeneous than the rest, and thus the model outcome was recognized as the main result. For each 1-µg/m3 increase in prenatal exposure to PM2.5, the pooled odds ratio (OR) of fetal death was estimated to be 1.08 [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.05, 1.10]. The LMP-specific ORs exhibited a slightly increasing trend and a significant seasonal pattern. Compared with the pooled OR among samples with the LMP in spring, the estimates for summer, fall and winter were higher by 11.1% (95% CI: 6.2%, 16.3%), 27.8% (95% CI: 22.1%, 33.8%) and 28.8% (95% CI: 23.7%, 34.1%), respectively. We also found that temporal patterns in the association between PM2.5 exposure and fetal death could be explained by several population-level indicators or modifiers (i.e. ethnicity, maternal age, gestational weight gain, previous pregnancy of abnormal termination and diabetes). CONCLUSIONS Prenatal exposure to PM2.5 can increase the risk of fetal death. The effects of PM2.5 exposure may be modified by complex factors, which leads to a time-varying association.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mingkun Tong
- Institute of Reproductive and Child Health/Ministry of Health Key Laboratory of Reproductive Health and Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, China
| | - Pengfei Li
- Institute of Reproductive and Child Health/Ministry of Health Key Laboratory of Reproductive Health and Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, China.,Advanced Institute of Information Technology, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Meng Wang
- Department of Epidemiology and Environmental Health, School of Public Health and Health Professions, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA
| | - Yilun Sun
- Department of Population and Quantitative Health Sciences, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - Yiqun Han
- Environmental Research Group, MRC Centre for Environment and Health, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Hengyi Liu
- Institute of Reproductive and Child Health/Ministry of Health Key Laboratory of Reproductive Health and Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, China
| | - Jiajianghui Li
- Institute of Reproductive and Child Health/Ministry of Health Key Laboratory of Reproductive Health and Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, China
| | - Jiwei Li
- Department of Computer Science and Technology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Fei Wu
- Department of Computer Science and Technology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Tianjia Guan
- Department of Health Policy, School of Health Policy and Management, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Tao Xue
- Institute of Reproductive and Child Health/Ministry of Health Key Laboratory of Reproductive Health and Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, China
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23
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Mendell AY, Olson AW, Siegel JA. Evaluation of fixed and adaptive concentration thresholds for particle filter systems. INDOOR AIR 2022; 32:e13134. [PMID: 36305063 DOI: 10.1111/ina.13134] [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: 07/12/2022] [Revised: 09/14/2022] [Accepted: 10/02/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Particle filtration can effectively reduce indoor concentrations of particulate matter (PM) but may incur high energy use. This study evaluates fixed and adaptive concentration thresholds to automate the operation of filtration systems. Simulated environments were derived from week-long continuous PM measurements from Dylos DC1700 (N = 104) and Alphasense OPC-N2 (N = 100) particle counters deployed in apartments in Toronto. A fixed threshold of 4.0 μg·m-3 resulted in a mean air cleaner runtime of 6.9%-21.0% depending on clean air delivery rate (CADR) and particle sensor, while providing mean concentration reductions of 67%-71% compared to operating the air cleaner constantly (runtime = 100%). In most environments, runtime could be further reduced by raising the fixed threshold while resulting in only a modest decrease in absolute and normalized mean exposure reduction. Using an adaptive threshold derived from a k-means clustering approach generally provided substantial exposure reduction while preventing high runtimes. These results were generally insensitive to cleaning power and the monitor used to measure particle concentrations. Reducing the energy usage of particle filter systems will make them a more viable and sustainable means of improving occupant health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Y Mendell
- Department of Civil and Mineral Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Alexander W Olson
- Centre for Analytics and Artificial Intelligence Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Jeffrey A Siegel
- Department of Civil and Mineral Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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24
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Brown PE, Izawa Y, Balakrishnan K, Fu SH, Chakma J, Menon G, Dikshit R, Dhaliwal RS, Rodriguez PS, Huang G, Begum R, Hu H, D'Souza G, Guleria R, Jha P. Mortality Associated with Ambient PM2.5 Exposure in India: Results from the Million Death Study. ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PERSPECTIVES 2022; 130:97004. [PMID: 36102642 PMCID: PMC9472672 DOI: 10.1289/ehp9538] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Studies on the extent to which long-term exposure to ambient particulate matter (PM) with aerodynamic diameter ≤2.5μm (PM2.5) contributes to adult mortality in India are few, despite over 99% of Indians being exposed to levels that the World Health Organization (WHO) considers unsafe. OBJECTIVE We conducted a retrospective cohort study within the Million Death Study (MDS) to provide the first-ever quantification of national mortality from exposure to PM2.5 in India from 1999 to 2014. METHODS We calculated relative risks (RRs) by linking a total of ten 3-y intervals of satellite-based estimated PM2.5 exposure to deaths 3 to 5 y later in over 7,400 small villages or urban blocks covering a total population of 6.8 million. We applied using a model-based geostatistical model, adjusted for individual age, sex, and year of death; smoking prevalence, rural/urban residency, area-level female illiteracy, languages, and spatial clustering and unit-level variation. RESULTS PM2.5 exposure levels increased from 1999 to 2014, particularly in central and eastern India. Among 212,573 deaths at ages 15-69 y, after spatial adjustment, we found a significant RR of 1.09 [95% credible interval (CI): 1.04, 1.14] for stroke deaths per 10-μg/m3 increase in PM2.5 exposure, but no significant excess for deaths from chronic respiratory disease and ischemic heart disease (IHD), all nonaccidental causes, and total mortality (after excluding stroke). Spatial adjustment attenuated the RRs for chronic respiratory disease and IHD but raised those for stroke. The RRs were consistent in various sensitivity analyses with spatial adjustment, including stratifying by levels of solid fuel exposure, by sex, and by age group, addition of climatic variables, and in supplementary case-control analyses using injury deaths as controls. DISCUSSION Direct epidemiological measurements, despite inherent limitations, yielded associations between mortality and long-term PM2.5 inconsistent with those reported in earlier models used by the WHO to derive estimates of PM2.5 mortality in India. The modest RRs in our study are consistent with near or null mortality effects. They suggest suitable caution in estimating deaths from PM2.5 exposure based on MDS results and even more caution in extrapolating model-based associations of risk derived mostly from high-income countries to India. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP9538.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick E Brown
- Centre for Global Health Research (CGHR), St Michael's Hospital and Dalla Lana School of Public Health, The University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Yurie Izawa
- Centre for Global Health Research (CGHR), St Michael's Hospital and Dalla Lana School of Public Health, The University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Kalpana Balakrishnan
- Department of Environmental Health Engineering, Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education and Research, Chennai, India
| | - Sze Hang Fu
- Centre for Global Health Research (CGHR), St Michael's Hospital and Dalla Lana School of Public Health, The University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Joy Chakma
- The Indian Council of Medical Research, New Delhi, India
| | - Geetha Menon
- The Indian Council of Medical Research, New Delhi, India
| | - Rajesh Dikshit
- Centre for Cancer Epidemiology, Tata Memorial Centre, Mumbai, India
| | - R S Dhaliwal
- The Indian Council of Medical Research, New Delhi, India
| | - Peter S Rodriguez
- Centre for Global Health Research (CGHR), St Michael's Hospital and Dalla Lana School of Public Health, The University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Guowen Huang
- Centre for Global Health Research (CGHR), St Michael's Hospital and Dalla Lana School of Public Health, The University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Rehana Begum
- Centre for Global Health Research (CGHR), St Michael's Hospital and Dalla Lana School of Public Health, The University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Howard Hu
- Department of Preventive Medicine, Keck School of Medicine of University of Southern California, Los Angeles, USA
| | - George D'Souza
- St. John's Medical College, St. John's Research Institute, Bangalore, India
| | | | - Prabhat Jha
- Centre for Global Health Research (CGHR), St Michael's Hospital and Dalla Lana School of Public Health, The University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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25
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Dąbrowiecki P, Badyda A, Chciałowski A, Czechowski PO, Wrotek A. Influence of Selected Air Pollutants on Mortality and Pneumonia Burden in Three Polish Cities over the Years 2011-2018. J Clin Med 2022; 11:jcm11113084. [PMID: 35683472 PMCID: PMC9181391 DOI: 10.3390/jcm11113084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2022] [Revised: 05/16/2022] [Accepted: 05/17/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Poland has one of the worst air qualities in the European Union, particularly regarding concentrations of particulate matter (PM). This study aimed to evaluate the short-term effects of air pollution and weather conditions on all-cause mortality and pneumonia-related hospitalizations in three Polish agglomerations. We investigated data from 2011 to 2018 on a number of health outcomes, concentrations of PM2.5, PM10, nitrogen dioxide (NO2), ozone (O3), and selected meteorological parameters. To examine the impact of air pollutants and weather conditions on mortality and pneumonia burden, we identified optimal general regression models for each agglomeration. The final models explained <24% of the variability in all-cause mortality. In the models with interactions, O3 concentration in Warsaw, NO2, O3, and PM2.5 concentrations in Cracow and PM10 and O3 concentrations in the Tricity explained >10% of the variability in the number of deaths. Up to 46% of daily variability in the number of pneumonia-related hospitalizations was explained by the combination of both factors, i.e., air quality and meteorological parameters. The impact of NO2 levels on pneumonia burden was pronounced in all agglomerations. We showed that the air pollution profile and its interactions with weather conditions exert a short-term effect on all-cause mortality and pneumonia-related hospitalizations. Our findings may be relevant for prioritizing strategies to improve air quality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Piotr Dąbrowiecki
- Department of Allergology and Infectious Diseases, Military Institute of Medicine, 04-141 Warsaw, Poland;
- Polish Federation of Asthma, Allergy and COPD Patients Associations, 01-604 Warsaw, Poland
- Correspondence: (P.D.); (A.B.)
| | - Artur Badyda
- Polish Federation of Asthma, Allergy and COPD Patients Associations, 01-604 Warsaw, Poland
- Faculty of Building Services, Hydro- and Environmental Engineering, Warsaw University of Technology, 00-653 Warsaw, Poland
- Correspondence: (P.D.); (A.B.)
| | - Andrzej Chciałowski
- Department of Allergology and Infectious Diseases, Military Institute of Medicine, 04-141 Warsaw, Poland;
| | - Piotr Oskar Czechowski
- Department of Quantitative Methods and Environmental Management, Faculty of Management and Quality Science, Gdynia Maritime University, 81-225 Gdynia, Poland;
| | - August Wrotek
- Department of Pediatrics, The Centre of Postgraduate Medical Education, 01-813 Warsaw, Poland;
- Department of Pediatrics, Bielanski Hospital, 01-809 Warsaw, Poland
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Plass D, Hilderink H, Lehtomäki H, Øverland S, Eikemo TA, Lai T, Gorasso V, Devleesschauwer B. Estimating risk factor attributable burden - challenges and potential solutions when using the comparative risk assessment methodology. Arch Public Health 2022; 80:148. [PMID: 35624479 PMCID: PMC9137119 DOI: 10.1186/s13690-022-00900-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2021] [Accepted: 05/12/2022] [Indexed: 03/21/2024] Open
Abstract
Background Burden of disease analyses quantify population health and provide comprehensive overviews of the health status of countries or specific population groups. The comparative risk assessment (CRA) methodology is commonly used to estimate the share of the burden attributable to risk factors. The aim of this paper is to identify and address some selected important challenges associated with CRA, illustrated by examples, and to discuss ways to handle them. Further, the main challenges are addressed and finally, similarities and differences between CRA and health impact assessments (HIA) are discussed, as these concepts are sometimes referred to synonymously but have distinctly different applications. Results CRAs are very data demanding. One key element is the exposure-response relationship described e.g. by a mathematical function. Combining estimates to arrive at coherent functions is challenging due to the large variability in risk exposure definitions and data quality. Also, the uncertainty attached to this data is difficult to account for. Another key issue along the CRA-steps is to define a theoretical minimal risk exposure level for each risk factor. In some cases, this level is evident and self-explanatory (e.g., zero smoking), but often more difficult to define and justify (e.g., ideal consumption of whole grains). CRA combine all relevant information and allow to estimate population attributable fractions (PAFs) quantifying the proportion of disease burden attributable to exposure. Among many available formulae for PAFs, it is important to use the one that allows consistency between definitions, units of the exposure data, and the exposure response functions. When combined effects of different risk factors are of interest, the non-additive nature of PAFs and possible mediation effects need to be reflected. Further, as attributable burden is typically calculated based on current exposure and current health outcomes, the time dimensions of risk and outcomes may become inconsistent. Finally, the evidence of the association between exposure and outcome can be heterogeneous which needs to be considered when interpreting CRA results. Conclusions The methodological challenges make transparent reporting of input and process data in CRA a necessary prerequisite. The evidence for causality between included risk-outcome pairs has to be well established to inform public health practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dietrich Plass
- German Environment Agency, Section Exposure Assessment and Environmental Health Indicators, Berlin, Germany.
| | - Henk Hilderink
- National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, The Netherlands
| | - Heli Lehtomäki
- Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), Health Security, Environmental Health, Helsinki, Finland.,University of Eastern Finland (UEF), Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Pharmacy, Kuopio, Finland
| | - Simon Øverland
- Section for Health Care Collaboration, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway
| | - Terje A Eikemo
- Centre for Global Health Inequalities Research (CHAIN), Department of Sociology and Political Science, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Trondheim, Norway
| | - Taavi Lai
- Fourth View Consulting, Tallinn, Estonia
| | - Vanessa Gorasso
- Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Sciensano, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Brecht Devleesschauwer
- Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Sciensano, Brussels, Belgium.,Department of Translational Physiology, Infectiology and Public Health, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium
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Li N, Friedrich R, Schieberle C. Exposure of Individuals in Europe to Air Pollution and Related Health Effects. Front Public Health 2022; 10:871144. [PMID: 35692351 PMCID: PMC9174982 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2022.871144] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2022] [Accepted: 04/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Air pollutants, especially PM2.5 and NO2, are associated with adverse health impacts, as shown by numerous epidemiological studies. In these studies, the observed health impacts have been correlated with ambient concentrations, mainly taken from air pollution monitoring stations. However, individuals are harmed by the pollutants in the inhaled air at the places where they stay, and thus, the concentration of pollutants in the inhaled air is obviously a better indicator for health impacts than the ambient concentration at a monitoring station. Furthermore, the current method for estimating the occurrence of chronic diseases uses annual average concentrations as indicator. However, according to current hypotheses, chronic diseases, especially chronic mortality, develop through the exposure to pollutants over many years, maybe up to a full lifetime. Thus in this study, a methodology and a computer-aided probabilistic model system are described for calculating the exposure of a person to PM2.5 and NO2 over the whole lifetime where the person is characterized by attributes such as age, gender, place of residence and work as well as socioeconomic status. The model system contains a “life course trajectory model”, which estimates the course of the education and professional development for the past lifetime of a person, whose present socioeconomic status is known. Furthermore, a “time-activity model” estimates at which places (so-called micro-environments) a person with a certain socioeconomic status stayed and how long he stayed there within a certain year. The concentrations of air pollutants in indoor environments are calculated with a “mass-balance model”, the outdoor concentrations with “atmospheric models”. Finally, the results of these models are combined to estimate the annual average exposure for the life years of individuals and population subgroups. The exposure is then used to estimate and monetize health impacts. The exposures and health impacts for a number of population subgroups in Europe are presented. For instance, a European citizen, who was 70 years old in 2015, has been exposed to around 25 μg/m3 of PM2.5 during his lifetime above the age of 30, which is associated with a reduction of life expectancy of 13.4 days per year of exposure above 30.
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Mapping Mobility: Utilizing Local-Knowledge-Derived Activity Space to Estimate Exposure to Ambient Air Pollution among Individuals Experiencing Unsheltered Homelessness. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:ijerph19105842. [PMID: 35627378 PMCID: PMC9141510 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19105842] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2022] [Revised: 05/06/2022] [Accepted: 05/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Individuals experiencing homelessness represent a growing population in the United States. Air pollution exposure among individuals experiencing homelessness has not been quantified. Utilizing local knowledge mapping, we generated activity spaces for 62 individuals experiencing homelessness residing in a semi-rural county within the United States. Satellite derived measurements of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) were utilized to estimate annual exposure to air pollution experienced by our participants, as well as differences in the variation in estimated PM2.5 at the local scale compared with stationary monitor data and point location estimates for the same period. Spatial variation in exposure to PM2.5 was detected between participants at both the point and activity space level. Among all participants, annual median PM2.5 exposure was 16.22 μg/m3, exceeding the National Air Quality Standard. Local knowledge mapping represents a novel mechanism to capture mobility patterns and investigate exposure to air pollution within vulnerable populations. Reliance on stationary monitor data to estimate air pollution exposure may lead to exposure misclassification, particularly in rural and semirural regions where monitoring is limited.
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29
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Li M, Hilpert M, Goldsmith J, Brooks JL, Shearston JA, Chillrud SN, Ali T, Umans JG, Best LG, Yracheta J, van Donkelaar A, Martin RV, Navas-Acien A, Kioumourtzoglou MA. Air Pollution in American Indian Versus Non-American Indian Communities, 2000-2018. Am J Public Health 2022; 112:615-623. [PMID: 35319962 PMCID: PMC8961849 DOI: 10.2105/ajph.2021.306650] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
Objectives. To compare fine particulate matter (PM2.5) concentrations in American Indian (AI)-populated with those in non-AI-populated counties over time (2000-2018) in the contiguous United States. Methods. We used a multicriteria approach to classify counties as AI- or non--AI-populated. We ran linear mixed effects models to estimate the difference in countywide annual PM2.5 concentrations from well-validated prediction models and monitoring sites (modeled and measured PM2.5, respectively) in AI- versus non-AI-populated counties. Results. On average, adjusted modeled PM2.5 concentrations in AI-populated counties were 0.38 micrograms per cubic meter (95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.23, 0.54) lower than in non-AI-populated counties. However, this difference was not constant over time: in 2000, modeled concentrations in AI-populated counties were 1.46 micrograms per cubic meter (95% CI = 1.25, 1.68) lower, and by 2018, they were 0.66 micrograms per cubic meter (95% CI = 0.45, 0.87) higher. Over the study period, adjusted modeled PM2.5 mean concentrations decreased by 2.13 micrograms per cubic meter in AI-populated counties versus 4.26 micrograms per cubic meter in non-AI-populated counties. Results were similar for measured PM2.5. Conclusions. This study highlights disparities in PM2.5 trends between AI- and non-AI-populated counties over time, underscoring the need to strengthen air pollution regulations and prevention implementation in tribal territories and areas where AI populations live. (Am J Public Health. 2022;112(4): 615-623. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2021.306650).
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Affiliation(s)
- Maggie Li
- Maggie Li, Markus Hilpert, Jenni A. Shearston, Ana Navas-Acien, and Marianthi-Anna Kioumourtzoglou are with the Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, NY. Jeff Goldsmith is with the Department of Biostatistics, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. Jada L. Brooks is with the University of North Carolina School of Nursing, Chapel Hill. Steven N. Chillrud is with the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University. Tauqeer Ali is with the Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Hudson College of Public Health, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City. Jason G. Umans is with the Georgetown-Howard Universities Center for Clinical and Translational Sciences, Washington, DC. Lyle G. Best and Joseph Yracheta are with Missouri Breaks Industries Research, Inc., Eagle Butte, SD. Aaron van Donkelaar and Randall V. Martin are with the Department of Energy, Environmental & Chemical Engineering, Washington University, St. Louis, MO
| | - Markus Hilpert
- Maggie Li, Markus Hilpert, Jenni A. Shearston, Ana Navas-Acien, and Marianthi-Anna Kioumourtzoglou are with the Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, NY. Jeff Goldsmith is with the Department of Biostatistics, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. Jada L. Brooks is with the University of North Carolina School of Nursing, Chapel Hill. Steven N. Chillrud is with the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University. Tauqeer Ali is with the Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Hudson College of Public Health, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City. Jason G. Umans is with the Georgetown-Howard Universities Center for Clinical and Translational Sciences, Washington, DC. Lyle G. Best and Joseph Yracheta are with Missouri Breaks Industries Research, Inc., Eagle Butte, SD. Aaron van Donkelaar and Randall V. Martin are with the Department of Energy, Environmental & Chemical Engineering, Washington University, St. Louis, MO
| | - Jeff Goldsmith
- Maggie Li, Markus Hilpert, Jenni A. Shearston, Ana Navas-Acien, and Marianthi-Anna Kioumourtzoglou are with the Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, NY. Jeff Goldsmith is with the Department of Biostatistics, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. Jada L. Brooks is with the University of North Carolina School of Nursing, Chapel Hill. Steven N. Chillrud is with the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University. Tauqeer Ali is with the Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Hudson College of Public Health, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City. Jason G. Umans is with the Georgetown-Howard Universities Center for Clinical and Translational Sciences, Washington, DC. Lyle G. Best and Joseph Yracheta are with Missouri Breaks Industries Research, Inc., Eagle Butte, SD. Aaron van Donkelaar and Randall V. Martin are with the Department of Energy, Environmental & Chemical Engineering, Washington University, St. Louis, MO
| | - Jada L Brooks
- Maggie Li, Markus Hilpert, Jenni A. Shearston, Ana Navas-Acien, and Marianthi-Anna Kioumourtzoglou are with the Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, NY. Jeff Goldsmith is with the Department of Biostatistics, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. Jada L. Brooks is with the University of North Carolina School of Nursing, Chapel Hill. Steven N. Chillrud is with the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University. Tauqeer Ali is with the Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Hudson College of Public Health, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City. Jason G. Umans is with the Georgetown-Howard Universities Center for Clinical and Translational Sciences, Washington, DC. Lyle G. Best and Joseph Yracheta are with Missouri Breaks Industries Research, Inc., Eagle Butte, SD. Aaron van Donkelaar and Randall V. Martin are with the Department of Energy, Environmental & Chemical Engineering, Washington University, St. Louis, MO
| | - Jenni A Shearston
- Maggie Li, Markus Hilpert, Jenni A. Shearston, Ana Navas-Acien, and Marianthi-Anna Kioumourtzoglou are with the Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, NY. Jeff Goldsmith is with the Department of Biostatistics, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. Jada L. Brooks is with the University of North Carolina School of Nursing, Chapel Hill. Steven N. Chillrud is with the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University. Tauqeer Ali is with the Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Hudson College of Public Health, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City. Jason G. Umans is with the Georgetown-Howard Universities Center for Clinical and Translational Sciences, Washington, DC. Lyle G. Best and Joseph Yracheta are with Missouri Breaks Industries Research, Inc., Eagle Butte, SD. Aaron van Donkelaar and Randall V. Martin are with the Department of Energy, Environmental & Chemical Engineering, Washington University, St. Louis, MO
| | - Steven N Chillrud
- Maggie Li, Markus Hilpert, Jenni A. Shearston, Ana Navas-Acien, and Marianthi-Anna Kioumourtzoglou are with the Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, NY. Jeff Goldsmith is with the Department of Biostatistics, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. Jada L. Brooks is with the University of North Carolina School of Nursing, Chapel Hill. Steven N. Chillrud is with the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University. Tauqeer Ali is with the Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Hudson College of Public Health, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City. Jason G. Umans is with the Georgetown-Howard Universities Center for Clinical and Translational Sciences, Washington, DC. Lyle G. Best and Joseph Yracheta are with Missouri Breaks Industries Research, Inc., Eagle Butte, SD. Aaron van Donkelaar and Randall V. Martin are with the Department of Energy, Environmental & Chemical Engineering, Washington University, St. Louis, MO
| | - Tauqeer Ali
- Maggie Li, Markus Hilpert, Jenni A. Shearston, Ana Navas-Acien, and Marianthi-Anna Kioumourtzoglou are with the Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, NY. Jeff Goldsmith is with the Department of Biostatistics, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. Jada L. Brooks is with the University of North Carolina School of Nursing, Chapel Hill. Steven N. Chillrud is with the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University. Tauqeer Ali is with the Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Hudson College of Public Health, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City. Jason G. Umans is with the Georgetown-Howard Universities Center for Clinical and Translational Sciences, Washington, DC. Lyle G. Best and Joseph Yracheta are with Missouri Breaks Industries Research, Inc., Eagle Butte, SD. Aaron van Donkelaar and Randall V. Martin are with the Department of Energy, Environmental & Chemical Engineering, Washington University, St. Louis, MO
| | - Jason G Umans
- Maggie Li, Markus Hilpert, Jenni A. Shearston, Ana Navas-Acien, and Marianthi-Anna Kioumourtzoglou are with the Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, NY. Jeff Goldsmith is with the Department of Biostatistics, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. Jada L. Brooks is with the University of North Carolina School of Nursing, Chapel Hill. Steven N. Chillrud is with the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University. Tauqeer Ali is with the Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Hudson College of Public Health, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City. Jason G. Umans is with the Georgetown-Howard Universities Center for Clinical and Translational Sciences, Washington, DC. Lyle G. Best and Joseph Yracheta are with Missouri Breaks Industries Research, Inc., Eagle Butte, SD. Aaron van Donkelaar and Randall V. Martin are with the Department of Energy, Environmental & Chemical Engineering, Washington University, St. Louis, MO
| | - Lyle G Best
- Maggie Li, Markus Hilpert, Jenni A. Shearston, Ana Navas-Acien, and Marianthi-Anna Kioumourtzoglou are with the Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, NY. Jeff Goldsmith is with the Department of Biostatistics, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. Jada L. Brooks is with the University of North Carolina School of Nursing, Chapel Hill. Steven N. Chillrud is with the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University. Tauqeer Ali is with the Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Hudson College of Public Health, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City. Jason G. Umans is with the Georgetown-Howard Universities Center for Clinical and Translational Sciences, Washington, DC. Lyle G. Best and Joseph Yracheta are with Missouri Breaks Industries Research, Inc., Eagle Butte, SD. Aaron van Donkelaar and Randall V. Martin are with the Department of Energy, Environmental & Chemical Engineering, Washington University, St. Louis, MO
| | - Joseph Yracheta
- Maggie Li, Markus Hilpert, Jenni A. Shearston, Ana Navas-Acien, and Marianthi-Anna Kioumourtzoglou are with the Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, NY. Jeff Goldsmith is with the Department of Biostatistics, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. Jada L. Brooks is with the University of North Carolina School of Nursing, Chapel Hill. Steven N. Chillrud is with the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University. Tauqeer Ali is with the Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Hudson College of Public Health, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City. Jason G. Umans is with the Georgetown-Howard Universities Center for Clinical and Translational Sciences, Washington, DC. Lyle G. Best and Joseph Yracheta are with Missouri Breaks Industries Research, Inc., Eagle Butte, SD. Aaron van Donkelaar and Randall V. Martin are with the Department of Energy, Environmental & Chemical Engineering, Washington University, St. Louis, MO
| | - Aaron van Donkelaar
- Maggie Li, Markus Hilpert, Jenni A. Shearston, Ana Navas-Acien, and Marianthi-Anna Kioumourtzoglou are with the Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, NY. Jeff Goldsmith is with the Department of Biostatistics, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. Jada L. Brooks is with the University of North Carolina School of Nursing, Chapel Hill. Steven N. Chillrud is with the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University. Tauqeer Ali is with the Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Hudson College of Public Health, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City. Jason G. Umans is with the Georgetown-Howard Universities Center for Clinical and Translational Sciences, Washington, DC. Lyle G. Best and Joseph Yracheta are with Missouri Breaks Industries Research, Inc., Eagle Butte, SD. Aaron van Donkelaar and Randall V. Martin are with the Department of Energy, Environmental & Chemical Engineering, Washington University, St. Louis, MO
| | - Randall V Martin
- Maggie Li, Markus Hilpert, Jenni A. Shearston, Ana Navas-Acien, and Marianthi-Anna Kioumourtzoglou are with the Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, NY. Jeff Goldsmith is with the Department of Biostatistics, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. Jada L. Brooks is with the University of North Carolina School of Nursing, Chapel Hill. Steven N. Chillrud is with the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University. Tauqeer Ali is with the Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Hudson College of Public Health, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City. Jason G. Umans is with the Georgetown-Howard Universities Center for Clinical and Translational Sciences, Washington, DC. Lyle G. Best and Joseph Yracheta are with Missouri Breaks Industries Research, Inc., Eagle Butte, SD. Aaron van Donkelaar and Randall V. Martin are with the Department of Energy, Environmental & Chemical Engineering, Washington University, St. Louis, MO
| | - Ana Navas-Acien
- Maggie Li, Markus Hilpert, Jenni A. Shearston, Ana Navas-Acien, and Marianthi-Anna Kioumourtzoglou are with the Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, NY. Jeff Goldsmith is with the Department of Biostatistics, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. Jada L. Brooks is with the University of North Carolina School of Nursing, Chapel Hill. Steven N. Chillrud is with the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University. Tauqeer Ali is with the Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Hudson College of Public Health, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City. Jason G. Umans is with the Georgetown-Howard Universities Center for Clinical and Translational Sciences, Washington, DC. Lyle G. Best and Joseph Yracheta are with Missouri Breaks Industries Research, Inc., Eagle Butte, SD. Aaron van Donkelaar and Randall V. Martin are with the Department of Energy, Environmental & Chemical Engineering, Washington University, St. Louis, MO
| | - Marianthi-Anna Kioumourtzoglou
- Maggie Li, Markus Hilpert, Jenni A. Shearston, Ana Navas-Acien, and Marianthi-Anna Kioumourtzoglou are with the Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, NY. Jeff Goldsmith is with the Department of Biostatistics, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. Jada L. Brooks is with the University of North Carolina School of Nursing, Chapel Hill. Steven N. Chillrud is with the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University. Tauqeer Ali is with the Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Hudson College of Public Health, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City. Jason G. Umans is with the Georgetown-Howard Universities Center for Clinical and Translational Sciences, Washington, DC. Lyle G. Best and Joseph Yracheta are with Missouri Breaks Industries Research, Inc., Eagle Butte, SD. Aaron van Donkelaar and Randall V. Martin are with the Department of Energy, Environmental & Chemical Engineering, Washington University, St. Louis, MO
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Lothrop N, Lopez-Galvez N, Canales RA, O’Rourke MK, Guerra S, Beamer P. Sampling Low Air Pollution Concentrations at a Neighborhood Scale in a Desert U.S. Metropolis with Volatile Weather Patterns. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:ijerph19063173. [PMID: 35328861 PMCID: PMC8949442 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19063173] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2022] [Revised: 03/03/2022] [Accepted: 03/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Background: Neighborhood-scale air pollution sampling methods have been used in a range of settings but not in low air pollution airsheds with extreme weather events such as volatile precipitation patterns and extreme summer heat and aridity—all of which will become increasingly common with climate change. The desert U.S. metropolis of Tucson, AZ, has historically low air pollution and a climate marked by volatile weather, presenting a unique opportunity. Methods: We adapted neighborhood-scale air pollution sampling methods to measure ambient NO2, NOx, and PM2.5 and PM10 in Tucson, AZ. Results: The air pollution concentrations in this location were well below regulatory guidelines and those of other locations using the same methods. While NO2 and NOx were reliably measured, PM2.5 measurements were moderately correlated with those from a collocated reference monitor (r = 0.41, p = 0.13), potentially because of a combination of differences in inlet heights, oversampling of acutely high PM2.5 events, and/or pump operation beyond temperature specifications. Conclusion: As the climate changes, sampling methods should be reevaluated for accuracy and precision, especially those that do not operate continuously. This is even more critical for low-pollution airsheds, as studies on low air pollution concentrations will help determine how such ambient exposures relate to health outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathan Lothrop
- Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA; (N.L.-G.); (M.K.O.); (S.G.)
- Correspondence:
| | - Nicolas Lopez-Galvez
- Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA; (N.L.-G.); (M.K.O.); (S.G.)
- School of Public Health, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA 92182, USA;
| | - Robert A. Canales
- Program in Applied Mathematics, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA;
| | - Mary Kay O’Rourke
- Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA; (N.L.-G.); (M.K.O.); (S.G.)
| | - Stefano Guerra
- Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA; (N.L.-G.); (M.K.O.); (S.G.)
- Asthma and Airway Disease Research Center, College of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
| | - Paloma Beamer
- School of Public Health, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA 92182, USA;
- Asthma and Airway Disease Research Center, College of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
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Thomas EG, Braun D, Kioumourtzoglou MA, Trippa L, Wasfy JH, Dominici F. A Bayesian Multi-Outcome Analysis of Fine Particulate Matter and Cardiorespiratory Hospitalizations. Epidemiology 2022; 33:176-184. [PMID: 35104259 PMCID: PMC8852365 DOI: 10.1097/ede.0000000000001456] [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: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Short-term fine particulate matter (PM2.5) exposure is positively associated with acute cardiovascular and respiratory events. Understanding whether this association varies across specific cardiovascular and respiratory conditions has important biologic, clinical, and public health implications. METHODS We conducted a time-stratified case-crossover study of hospitalizations from 2000 through 2014 among United States Medicare beneficiaries aged 65+. The outcomes were hospitalizations with any of 57 cardiovascular and 32 respiratory discharge diagnoses. We estimated associations with two-day moving average PM2.5 as a piecewise linear term with a knot at PM2.5 = 25 g/m3. We used Multi-Outcome Regression with Tree-structured Shrinkage (MOReTreeS) to identify de novo groups of related diseases such that PM2.5 associations are: (1) similar within outcome groups; but (2) different between outcome groups. We adjusted for temperature, humidity, and individual-level characteristics. We introduce an R package, moretrees. RESULTS Our dataset included 16,007,293 cardiovascular and 8,690,837 respiratory hospitalizations. Of 57 cardiovascular diseases, 51 were grouped and positively associated with PM2.5. We observed a stronger positive association for heart failure, which formed a separate group. We observed negative associations for groups containing the outcomes other aneurysm and intracranial hemorrhage. Of 32 respiratory outcomes, 31 were grouped and were positively associated with PM2.5. Influenza formed a separate group with a negative association. CONCLUSIONS We used a new statistical approach, MOReTreeS, to uncover variation in the association between short-term PM2.5 exposure and hospitalizations for cardiovascular and respiratory causes controlling for patient characteristics, time trends, and environmental confounders.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Danielle Braun
- Department of Biostatistics, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Data Sciences, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | - Lorenzo Trippa
- Department of Biostatistics, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Data Sciences, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Jason H Wasfy
- Cardiology Division, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Francesca Dominici
- Department of Biostatistics, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
- Harvard Data Science Initiative, Cambridge, MA, USA
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Gardner-Frolick R, Boyd D, Giang A. Selecting Data Analytic and Modeling Methods to Support Air Pollution and Environmental Justice Investigations: A Critical Review and Guidance Framework. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2022; 56:2843-2860. [PMID: 35133145 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.1c01739] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Given the serious adverse health effects associated with many pollutants, and the inequitable distribution of these effects between socioeconomic groups, air pollution is often a focus of environmental justice (EJ) research. However, EJ analyses that aim to illuminate whether and how air pollution hazards are inequitably distributed may present a unique set of requirements for estimating pollutant concentrations compared to other air quality applications. Here, we perform a scoping review of the range of data analytic and modeling methods applied in past studies of air pollution and environmental injustice and develop a guidance framework for selecting between them given the purpose of analysis, users, and resources available. We include proxy, monitor-based, statistical, and process-based methods. Upon critically synthesizing the literature, we identify four main dimensions to inform method selection: accuracy, interpretability, spatiotemporal features of the method, and usability of the method. We illustrate the guidance framework with case studies from the literature. Future research in this area includes an exploration of increasing data availability, advanced statistical methods, and the importance of science-based policy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rivkah Gardner-Frolick
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of British Columbia, Vancouver V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - David Boyd
- Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability, University of British Columbia, Vancouver V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Amanda Giang
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of British Columbia, Vancouver V6T 1Z4, Canada
- Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability, University of British Columbia, Vancouver V6T 1Z4, Canada
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Wesselink AK, Wang TR, Ketzel M, Mikkelsen EM, Brandt J, Khan J, Hertel O, Laursen ASD, Johannesen BR, Willis MD, Levy JI, Rothman KJ, Sørensen HT, Wise LA, Hatch EE. Air pollution and fecundability: Results from a Danish preconception cohort study. Paediatr Perinat Epidemiol 2022; 36:57-67. [PMID: 34890081 PMCID: PMC8712376 DOI: 10.1111/ppe.12832] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2021] [Revised: 09/24/2021] [Accepted: 10/08/2021] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Animal and epidemiologic studies indicate that air pollution may adversely affect fertility. Epidemiologic studies have been restricted largely to couples undergoing fertility treatment or have retrospectively ascertained time-to-pregnancy among pregnant women. OBJECTIVES We examined the association between residential ambient air pollution and fecundability, the per-cycle probability of conception, in a large preconception cohort of Danish pregnancy planners. METHODS During 2007-2018, we used the Internet to recruit and follow women who were trying to conceive without the use of fertility treatment. Participants completed an online baseline questionnaire eliciting socio-demographic characteristics, lifestyle factors, and medical and reproductive histories and follow-up questionnaires every 8 weeks to ascertain pregnancy status. We determined concentrations of ambient nitrogen oxides (NOx ), nitrogen dioxide (NO2 ), carbon monoxide (CO), ozone (O3 ), particulate matter <2.5 µm (PM2.5 ) and <10 µm (PM10 ), and sulphur dioxide (SO2 ) at each participant's residential address. We calculated average exposure during the year before baseline, during each menstrual cycle over follow-up and during the entire pregnancy attempt time. We used proportional probabilities regression models to estimate fecundability ratios (FRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs), adjusting for potential confounders and co-pollutants. The analysis was restricted to the 10,183 participants who were trying to conceive for <12 cycles at study entry whose addresses could be geocoded. RESULTS During 12 months of follow-up, 73% of participants conceived. Higher concentrations of PM2.5 and PM10 were associated with small reductions in fecundability. For example, the FRs for a one interquartile range (IQR) increase in PM2.5 (IQR = 3.2 µg/m3 ) and PM10 (IQR = 5.3 µg/m3 ) during each menstrual cycle were 0.93 (95% CI: 0.87, 0.99) and 0.91 (95% CI: 0.84, 0.99), respectively. Other air pollutants were not appreciably associated with fecundability. CONCLUSIONS In this preconception cohort study of Danish women, residential exposures to PM2.5 and PM10 were associated with reduced fecundability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amelia K. Wesselink
- Department of Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Tanran R. Wang
- Department of Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Matthias Ketzel
- Department of Environmental Science, Aarhus University, Roskilde, Denmark
- Global Centre for Clean Air Research (GCARE), University of Surrey, Guildford, United Kingdom
| | - Ellen M. Mikkelsen
- Department of Clinical Epidemiology, Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University and Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Jørgen Brandt
- Department of Environmental Science, Aarhus University, Roskilde, Denmark
- iClimate, interdisciplinary Centre for Climate Change, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Jibran Khan
- Department of Environmental Science, Aarhus University, Roskilde, Denmark
- Danish Big Data Centre for Environment and Health (BERTHA), Aarhus University, Roskilde, Denmark
| | - Ole Hertel
- Department of Ecoscience, Aarhus University, Denmark
| | - Anne Sofie D. Laursen
- Department of Clinical Epidemiology, Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University and Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Benjamin R. Johannesen
- Department of Clinical Epidemiology, Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University and Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Mary D. Willis
- Department of Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
- School of Biological and Population Health Sciences, College of Public Health and Human Sciences, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, USA
| | - Jonathan I. Levy
- Department of Environmental Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Kenneth J. Rothman
- Department of Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
- Research Triangle Institute, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Henrik T. Sørensen
- Department of Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Clinical Epidemiology, Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University and Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Lauren A. Wise
- Department of Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Elizabeth E. Hatch
- Department of Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
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Ogino N, Miyagawa K, Nagaoka K, Sumida K, Kusanaga M, Oe S, Honma Y, Shibata M, Harada M, Suganuma N, Ogino K. Airborne fine particulate matter in Japan induces lipid synthesis and inhibits autophagy in HepG2 cells. Int J Biochem Cell Biol 2021; 141:106099. [PMID: 34673217 DOI: 10.1016/j.biocel.2021.106099] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2021] [Revised: 10/06/2021] [Accepted: 10/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Inhalation of particulate matter with a diameter less than 2.5 µm has been reported to exacerbates fatty liver disease. However, the components and mechanisms of particulate matter involved in hepatic lipid metabolism and autophagy have not been fully elucidated. We found that atmospheric particulate matter in Japan stimulated lipogenesis in hepatocytes even when its lipid component was removed. Furthermore, we demonstrated that particulate matter did not promote autophagosome formation but inhibited autophagic degradation in hepatocytes. In previous toxicity experiments, particulate matter collected from atmosphere often contained contaminants originating from filters. In this study, we exposed the powdery particulate matter with less contaminants collected using a cyclone and impactor system to HepG2 cells, human hepatocyte. This particulate matter induced lipogenesis and endoplasmic reticulum stress in HepG2 cells as well as previous reports of particulate matter in the USA and China. On the other hand, when autophagic flux were examined in detail, the particulate matter did not promote autophagosome formation, but inhibited autophagic degradation. Since these effects were similar to those of palmitate, a fatty acid, we prepared particulate matter in which lipid component was removed by acetone and compared the effects on HepG2 cells with those of untreated one. The particulate matter without lipid component induced lipid droplets as well as did the untreated one although it induced less endoplasmic reticulum stress. These results suggest that hepatic lipid synthesis is stimulated not only by the uptake of lipid but also by other components in the particulate matter.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noriyoshi Ogino
- Department of Environmental Medicine, Kochi Medical School, Kohasu, Oko-cho, Nankoku City, Kochi 783-8505, Japan; Third Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Iseigaoka 1-1, Yahatanishi-ku, Kitakyushu 807-8555, Japan.
| | - Koichiro Miyagawa
- Third Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Iseigaoka 1-1, Yahatanishi-ku, Kitakyushu 807-8555, Japan
| | - Kenjiro Nagaoka
- Laboratory of Hygienic Chemistry, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Matsuyama University, Matsuyama, Ehime 790-8578, Japan.
| | - Kazuhiro Sumida
- Third Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Iseigaoka 1-1, Yahatanishi-ku, Kitakyushu 807-8555, Japan
| | - Masashi Kusanaga
- Third Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Iseigaoka 1-1, Yahatanishi-ku, Kitakyushu 807-8555, Japan
| | - Shinji Oe
- Third Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Iseigaoka 1-1, Yahatanishi-ku, Kitakyushu 807-8555, Japan
| | - Yuichi Honma
- Third Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Iseigaoka 1-1, Yahatanishi-ku, Kitakyushu 807-8555, Japan
| | - Michihiko Shibata
- Third Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Iseigaoka 1-1, Yahatanishi-ku, Kitakyushu 807-8555, Japan
| | - Masaru Harada
- Third Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Iseigaoka 1-1, Yahatanishi-ku, Kitakyushu 807-8555, Japan
| | - Narufumi Suganuma
- Department of Environmental Medicine, Kochi Medical School, Kohasu, Oko-cho, Nankoku City, Kochi 783-8505, Japan
| | - Keiki Ogino
- Department of Environmental Medicine, Kochi Medical School, Kohasu, Oko-cho, Nankoku City, Kochi 783-8505, Japan.
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Excess Morbidity and Mortality Associated with Air Pollution above American Thoracic Society Recommended Standards, 2017-2019. Ann Am Thorac Soc 2021; 19:603-613. [PMID: 34847333 DOI: 10.1513/annalsats.202107-860oc] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Rationale: Over the past year, the American Thoracic Society (ATS), led by its Environmental Health Policy Committee, has reviewed the most current air quality scientific evidence and has revised their recommendations to 8 µg/m3 and 25 µg/m3 for long- and short-term fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and reaffirmed the recommendation of 60 ppb for ozone to protect the American public from the known adverse health effects of air pollution. The current EPA standards, in contrast, expose the American public to pollution levels that are known to result in significant morbidity and mortality. Objectives: To provide county-level estimates of annual air pollution-related health outcomes across the United States using the most recent federal air quality data, and to support the ATS's recent update to the long-term PM2.5 recommended standard. This study is presented as part of the annual ATS/Marron Institute "Health of the Air" report. Methods: Daily air pollution values were obtained from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Air Quality System for monitored counties in the United States from 2017-2019. Concentration-response functions used in the EPA's regulatory review process were applied to pollution increments corresponding to differences between the rolling 3-year design values and ATS-recommended levels for long-term PM2.5 (8 µg/m3), short-term PM2.5 (25 µg/m3), and ground-level ozone (O3; 60 ppb). Health impacts were estimated at the county level in locations with valid monitoring data. Results: Meeting ATS recommendations throughout the country prevents an estimated 14,650 (95% CI: 8,660 - 22,610) deaths; 2,950 (95% CI: 1,530 - 4,330) lung cancer incidence events; 33,100 (95% CI: 7,300 - 71,000) morbidities, and 39.8 million (95% CI: 14.6 - 63.3 million) impacted days annually (see Table 1). This prevents 11,850 more deaths; 2,580 more lung cancer incidence events; 25,400 more morbidities; and 27.2 million more impacted days than meeting EPA standards alone. Conclusions: Significant health benefits to be gained by U.S. communities that work to meet ATS-recommended air quality standards have now been identified under scenarios meeting the new ATS recommendation for long-term PM2.5 (8 µg/m3). The "Health of the Air" report presents an opportunity for air quality managers to quantify local health burdens and EPA officials to update their standards to reflect the latest science.
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Alari A, Schwarz L, Zabrocki L, Le Nir G, Chaix B, Benmarhnia T. The effects of an air quality alert program on premature mortality: A difference-in-differences evaluation in the region of Paris. ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL 2021; 156:106583. [PMID: 34020299 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2021.106583] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2020] [Revised: 04/12/2021] [Accepted: 04/13/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Daily exposure to air pollution has been shown to increase cardiovascular and respiratory mortality. While increases in short-term exposure to air pollutants at any daily concentrations has been shown to be associated to adverse health outcomes, days with extreme levels, also known as air pollution peaks based on specific thresholds, have been used to implement air quality alerts in various cities across the globe. OBJECTIVES We aimed at evaluating the potential effects of the Air Quality Alerts (AQA) system on different causes of premature mortality in Paris, France. METHODS Air quality alerts (AQA) based on particulate matter (PM10) levels and related interventions were implemented in the region of Paris in 2008 and were revised to be more stringent in 2011. In this study, we applied a difference-in-differences (DID) approach coupled with propensity-score matching (PSM) to daily mortality data for the period 2000 to 2015 to evaluate the effects of the Paris AQA program on different causes of premature mortality for the entire population and for adults > 75 years old. RESULTS Overall, results did not show evidence of a reduction in mortality of the PM10 AQA program when first implemented in 2008 with initial thresholds (80 µg/m3); DID estimates were slightly above 1 for cardiovascular and respiratory mortality. However, when evaluating the drastic reduction in revised thresholds in 2011 (50 µg/m3) to trigger interventions, we identified a reduction in cardiovascular (DID = 0.84, 95% CI: 0.755 to 0.930) mortality, but no change in respiratory mortality was detected (DID = 0.97, 95% CI: 0.796, 1.191). DISCUSSION Our study suggests that AQA may not have health benefits for the population when thresholds are set at high daily PM10 levels. Given that such policies are implemented in many other metropolitan areas across the globe, evaluating the effectiveness of AQA is important to provide public authorities and researchers a rationale for defining specific thresholds and extending the scope of these policies to lower air pollution levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Alari
- Sorbonne Université, INSERM, Institut Pierre Louis d'Epidémiologie et de Santé Publique IPLESP, Nemesis Team, Faculté de Médecine Saint-Antoine, 27 rue Chaligny, 75012 Paris, France.
| | - Lara Schwarz
- Department of Family Medicine and Public Health & Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, 8622 Kennel Way, La Jolla, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Léo Zabrocki
- Paris School of Economics, 48 Boulevard Jourdan, 75014 Paris, France
| | - Géraldine Le Nir
- Air Quality Monitoring Associations, Airparif, 7 Rue Crillon, Paris 75004, France
| | - Basile Chaix
- Sorbonne Université, INSERM, Institut Pierre Louis d'Epidémiologie et de Santé Publique IPLESP, Nemesis Team, Faculté de Médecine Saint-Antoine, 27 rue Chaligny, 75012 Paris, France
| | - Tarik Benmarhnia
- Department of Family Medicine and Public Health & Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, 8622 Kennel Way, La Jolla, San Diego, CA, USA
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Malig BJ, Fairley D, Pearson D, Wu X, Ebisu K, Basu R. Examining fine particulate matter and cause-specific morbidity during the 2017 North San Francisco Bay wildfires. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 787:147507. [PMID: 35142610 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.147507] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2020] [Revised: 02/18/2021] [Accepted: 04/29/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Recent increases in wildfire frequency and severity necessitate better understanding of health effects of wildfire smoke to protect affected populations. OBJECTIVES We examined relationships between fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and morbidity during wildfires in California, and whether those relationships differed during the fire compared to a similar non-fire period. METHODS For nine San Francisco Bay Area counties, daily county-level diagnosis-specific counts of emergency department visits (EDVs) and hospitalizations were linked with county-level estimates of daily mean PM2.5 during the October 2017 Northern California wildfires and similar October days in 2015, 2016, and 2017. Associations were estimated using Poisson regression. RESULTS The median difference between county PM2.5 during the fire versus the non-fire period was 23.4 μg/m3, with days exceeding 80 μg/m3 in some counties. Over the entire study period, PM2.5 was most consistently linked to EDVs for respiratory disease (RREDV(lag0) per 23.4 μg/m3 increase: 1.25, 95% CI: 1.21, 1.30), asthma, chronic lower respiratory disease (CLRD; RREDV(lag0): 1.18, 95% CI: 1.10, 1.27), and acute myocardial infarction (RREDV(lag0): 1.14, 95% CI: 1.03, 1.25). Increases in acute upper respiratory infections and decreases in mental/behavioral EDVs were observed but were sensitive to model specification, specifically the inclusion of time-related covariates. Comparing fire and non-fire period EDV associations, we observed indications that PM2.5 during the fire was more strongly associated with asthma (RRlag0: 1.46, 95% CI: 1.38, 1.55) compared to non-fire period PM2.5 (RRlag0: 0.77, 95% CI: 0.55, 1.08), and the opposite observed for dysrhythmia, with the asthma difference being particularly robust to model choice. For hospitalizations, the most robust PM2.5 relationships were positive associations with respiratory, CLRD, and diabetes, and inverse associations with pneumonia. Respiratory and CLRD effect estimates were generally similar or smaller than for EDVs. CONCLUSIONS Elevated short-term PM2.5 levels from wildfire smoke appears to impact respiratory and other health domains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian J Malig
- Air and Climate Epidemiology Section, Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, California Environmental Protection Agency, Oakland, CA, USA.
| | - David Fairley
- Bay Area Air Quality Management District, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Dharshani Pearson
- Air and Climate Epidemiology Section, Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, California Environmental Protection Agency, Oakland, CA, USA
| | - Xiangmei Wu
- Air and Climate Epidemiology Section, Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, California Environmental Protection Agency, Oakland, CA, USA
| | - Keita Ebisu
- Air and Climate Epidemiology Section, Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, California Environmental Protection Agency, Oakland, CA, USA
| | - Rupa Basu
- Air and Climate Epidemiology Section, Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, California Environmental Protection Agency, Oakland, CA, USA
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Wolf K, Hoffmann B, Andersen ZJ, Atkinson RW, Bauwelinck M, Bellander T, Brandt J, Brunekreef B, Cesaroni G, Chen J, de Faire U, de Hoogh K, Fecht D, Forastiere F, Gulliver J, Hertel O, Hvidtfeldt UA, Janssen NAH, Jørgensen JT, Katsouyanni K, Ketzel M, Klompmaker JO, Lager A, Liu S, MacDonald CJ, Magnusson PKE, Mehta AJ, Nagel G, Oftedal B, Pedersen NL, Pershagen G, Raaschou-Nielsen O, Renzi M, Rizzuto D, Rodopoulou S, Samoli E, van der Schouw YT, Schramm S, Schwarze P, Sigsgaard T, Sørensen M, Stafoggia M, Strak M, Tjønneland A, Verschuren WMM, Vienneau D, Weinmayr G, Hoek G, Peters A, Ljungman PLS. Long-term exposure to low-level ambient air pollution and incidence of stroke and coronary heart disease: a pooled analysis of six European cohorts within the ELAPSE project. Lancet Planet Health 2021; 5:e620-e632. [PMID: 34508683 DOI: 10.1016/s2542-5196(21)00195-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 112] [Impact Index Per Article: 37.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2020] [Revised: 06/23/2021] [Accepted: 07/02/2021] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Long-term exposure to outdoor air pollution increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, but evidence is unclear on the health effects of exposure to pollutant concentrations lower than current EU and US standards and WHO guideline limits. Within the multicentre study Effects of Low-Level Air Pollution: A Study in Europe (ELAPSE), we investigated the associations of long-term exposures to fine particulate matter (PM2·5), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), black carbon, and warm-season ozone (O3) with the incidence of stroke and acute coronary heart disease. METHODS We did a pooled analysis of individual data from six population-based cohort studies within ELAPSE, from Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Germany (recruited 1992-2004), and harmonised individual and area-level variables between cohorts. Participants (all adults) were followed up until migration from the study area, death, or incident stroke or coronary heart disease, or end of follow-up (2011-15). Mean 2010 air pollution concentrations from centrally developed European-wide land use regression models were assigned to participants' baseline residential addresses. We used Cox proportional hazards models with increasing levels of covariate adjustment to investigate the association of air pollution exposure with incidence of stroke and coronary heart disease. We assessed the shape of the concentration-response function and did subset analyses of participants living at pollutant concentrations lower than predefined values. FINDINGS From the pooled ELAPSE cohorts, data on 137 148 participants were analysed in our fully adjusted model. During a median follow-up of 17·2 years (IQR 13·8-19·5), we observed 6950 incident events of stroke and 10 071 incident events of coronary heart disease. Incidence of stroke was associated with PM2·5 (hazard ratio 1·10 [95% CI 1·01-1·21] per 5 μg/m3 increase), NO2 (1·08 [1·04-1·12] per 10 μg/m3 increase), and black carbon (1·06 [1·02-1·10] per 0·5 10-5/m increase), whereas coronary heart disease incidence was only associated with NO2 (1·04 [1·01-1·07]). Warm-season O3 was not associated with an increase in either outcome. Concentration-response curves indicated no evidence of a threshold below which air pollutant concentrations are not harmful for cardiovascular health. Effect estimates for PM2·5 and NO2 remained elevated even when restricting analyses to participants exposed to pollutant concentrations lower than the EU limit values of 25 μg/m3 for PM2·5 and 40 μg/m3 for NO2. INTERPRETATION Long-term air pollution exposure was associated with incidence of stroke and coronary heart disease, even at pollutant concentrations lower than current limit values. FUNDING Health Effects Institute.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathrin Wolf
- Institute of Epidemiology, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Neuherberg, Germany.
| | - Barbara Hoffmann
- Institute for Occupational, Social and Environmental Medicine, Centre for Health and Society, Medical Faculty, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Zorana J Andersen
- Section of Environmental Health, Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Richard W Atkinson
- Population Health Research Institute, St George's, University of London, London, UK
| | - Mariska Bauwelinck
- Interface Demography, Department of Sociology, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Tom Bellander
- Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden; Centre for Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Region Stockholm, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Jørgen Brandt
- Department of Environmental Science, Aarhus University, Roskilde, Denmark; iClimate, Interdisciplinary Centre for Climate Change, Aarhus University, Denmark
| | - Bert Brunekreef
- Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - Giulia Cesaroni
- Department of Epidemiology-Lazio Regional Health Service, ASL Roma 1, Rome, Italy
| | - Jie Chen
- Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - Ulf de Faire
- Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Kees de Hoogh
- Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland; University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Daniela Fecht
- School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Francesco Forastiere
- Department of Epidemiology-Lazio Regional Health Service, ASL Roma 1, Rome, Italy; School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - John Gulliver
- School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK; Centre for Environmental Health and Sustainability, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK; School of Geography, Geology and the Environment, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK
| | - Ole Hertel
- Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Roskilde, Denmark
| | | | - Nicole A H Janssen
- National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, Bilthoven, Netherlands
| | - Jeanette T Jørgensen
- Section of Environmental Health, Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Klea Katsouyanni
- School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK; Department of Hygiene, Epidemiology and Medical Statistics, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Matthias Ketzel
- Department of Environmental Science, Aarhus University, Roskilde, Denmark; Global Centre for Clean Air Research, University of Surrey, Surrey, UK
| | - Jochem O Klompmaker
- National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, Bilthoven, Netherlands; Harvard T H Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Anton Lager
- Department of Global Public Health, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Shuo Liu
- Section of Environmental Health, Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Conor J MacDonald
- INSERM U1018, CESP, Institut Gustave Roussy, Université Paris-Saclay, Université Paris-Sud, Villejuif, France
| | - Patrik K E Magnusson
- Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Amar J Mehta
- Section of Epidemiology, Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Gabriele Nagel
- Institute of Epidemiology and Medical Biometry, Ulm University, Ulm, Germany
| | - Bente Oftedal
- Department of Environmental Health, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway
| | - Nancy L Pedersen
- Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Göran Pershagen
- Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden; Centre for Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Region Stockholm, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Ole Raaschou-Nielsen
- Department of Environmental Science, Aarhus University, Roskilde, Denmark; Danish Cancer Society Research Center, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Matteo Renzi
- Department of Epidemiology-Lazio Regional Health Service, ASL Roma 1, Rome, Italy
| | - Debora Rizzuto
- Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences, and Society, Karolinska Institutet and Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden; Stockholm Gerontology Research Center, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Sophia Rodopoulou
- Department of Hygiene, Epidemiology and Medical Statistics, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Evangelia Samoli
- Department of Hygiene, Epidemiology and Medical Statistics, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Yvonne T van der Schouw
- Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - Sara Schramm
- Institute for Medical Informatics, Biometry and Epidemiology, University of Duisburg-Essen, University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Per Schwarze
- Global Health Cluster, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway
| | - Torben Sigsgaard
- Department of Public Health, Environment Occupation and Health, Danish Ramazzini Centre, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Mette Sørensen
- Danish Cancer Society Research Center, Copenhagen, Denmark; Department of Natural Science and Environment, Roskilde University, Roskilde, Denmark
| | - Massimo Stafoggia
- Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden; Department of Epidemiology-Lazio Regional Health Service, ASL Roma 1, Rome, Italy
| | - Maciek Strak
- Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands; National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, Bilthoven, Netherlands
| | | | - W M Monique Verschuren
- National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, Bilthoven, Netherlands; Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - Danielle Vienneau
- Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland; University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Gudrun Weinmayr
- Institute of Epidemiology and Medical Biometry, Ulm University, Ulm, Germany
| | - Gerard Hoek
- Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - Annette Peters
- Institute of Epidemiology, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Neuherberg, Germany; Ludwig Maximilians Universität München, Munich, Germany
| | - Petter L S Ljungman
- Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden; Department of Cardiology, Danderyd University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
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Daouda M, Henneman L, Kioumourtzoglou MA, Gemmill A, Zigler C, Casey J. Association between county-level coal-fired power plant pollution and racial disparities in preterm births from 2000 to 2018. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH LETTERS : ERL [WEB SITE] 2021; 16:034055. [PMID: 34531925 PMCID: PMC8443161 DOI: 10.1088/1748-9326/abe4f7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
Coal has historically been a primary energy source in the United States. The byproducts of coal combustion, such as fine particulate matter (PM2.5), have increasingly been associated with adverse birth outcomes. The goal of this study was to leverage the current progressive transition away from coal in the United States (U.S.) to assess whether coal PM2.5 is associated with preterm birth rates and whether this association differs by maternal Black/White race/ethnicity. Using a novel dispersion modeling approach, we estimated PM2.5 pollution from coal-fired power plants nationwide at the county-level during the study period (2000-2018). We also obtained county-level preterm birth rates for non-Hispanic White and non-Hispanic Black mothers. We used a generalized additive mixed model to estimate the relationship between coal PM2.5 and preterm birth rates, overall and stratified by maternal race. We included a natural spline to allow for non-linearity in the concentration-response curve. We observed a positive non-linear relationship between coal PM2.5 and preterm birth rate, which plateaued at higher levels of pollution. We also observed differential associations by maternal race; the association was stronger for White women, especially at higher levels of coal PM2.5 (> 2.0 μg/m3). Our findings suggest that the transition away from coal may reduce preterm birth rates in the U.S.
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Affiliation(s)
- Misbath Daouda
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Columbia Mailman School of Public Health, New York, NY, USA
| | - Lucas Henneman
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | - Alison Gemmill
- Department of Population, Family and Reproductive Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Corwin Zigler
- Department of Statistics and Data Sciences, University of Texas, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Joan Casey
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Columbia Mailman School of Public Health, New York, NY, USA
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deSouza P, Braun D, Parks RM, Schwartz J, Dominici F, Kioumourtzoglou MA. Nationwide Study of Short-term Exposure to Fine Particulate Matter and Cardiovascular Hospitalizations Among Medicaid Enrollees. Epidemiology 2021; 32:6-13. [PMID: 33009251 PMCID: PMC7896354 DOI: 10.1097/ede.0000000000001265] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) has been consistently linked to cardiovascular disease (CVD). Although studies have reported modification by income, to our knowledge, no study to date has examined this relationship among adults in Medicaid, which provides health coverage to low-income and/or disabled Americans. METHODS We estimated the association between short-term PM2.5 exposure (average of PM2.5 on the day of hospitalization and the preceding day) and CVD admissions rates among adult Medicaid enrollees in the continental United States (2000-2012) using a time-stratified case-crossover design. We repeated this analysis at PM2.5 concentrations below the World Health Organization daily guideline of 25 μg/m. We compared the PM2.5-CVD association in the Medicaid ≥65 years old versus non-Medicaid-eligible Medicare enrollees (≥65 years old). RESULTS Using information on 3,666,657 CVD hospitalizations among Medicaid adults, we observed a 0.9% (95% CI = 0.6%, 1.1%) increase in CVD admission rates per 10 μg/m PM2.5 increase. The association was stronger at low PM2.5 levels (1.3%; 95% CI = 0.9%, 1.6%). Among Medicaid enrollees ≥65 years old, the association was 0.9% (95% CI = 0.6%, 1.3%) vs. 0.8% (95% CI = 0.6%, 0.9%) among non-Medicaid-eligible Medicare enrollees ≥65 years old. CONCLUSION We found robust evidence of an association between short-term PM2.5 and CVD hospitalizations among the vulnerable subpopulation of adult Medicaid enrollees. Importantly, this association persisted even at PM2.5 levels below the current national standards.
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Affiliation(s)
- Priyanka deSouza
- Department of Urban Studies and Planning, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA
| | - Danielle Braun
- Department of Biostatistics, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA
- Department of Data Sciences, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA
| | - Robbie M Parks
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, NY
- The Earth Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY
| | - Joel Schwartz
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Francesca Dominici
- Department of Biostatistics, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA
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Affiliation(s)
- Pier Mannuccio Mannucci
- Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Angelo Bianchi Bonomi Hemophilia and Thrombosis Center, Milan, Italy
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Hoffmann B, Roebbel N, Gumy S, Forastiere F, Brunekreef B, Jarosinska D, Walker KD, van Erp AM, O'Keefe R, Greenbaum D, Williams M, Krzyzanowski M, Kelly FJ, Brauer M, Bruyninckx H, Boogaard H. Air pollution and health: recent advances in air pollution epidemiology to inform the European Green Deal: a joint workshop report of ERS, WHO, ISEE and HEI. Eur Respir J 2020; 56:56/5/2002575. [PMID: 33154078 DOI: 10.1183/13993003.02575-2020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2020] [Accepted: 09/16/2020] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Barbara Hoffmann
- Environmental Epidemiology, Institute for Occupational, Social and Environmental Medicine, Medical Faculty, University of Düsseldorf, Dusseldorf, Germany
| | - Nathalie Roebbel
- Air Quality and Health, Department for Environment, Climate Change and Health, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Sophie Gumy
- Air Quality and Health, Department for Environment, Climate Change and Health, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Francesco Forastiere
- Environmental Research Group, School of Public Health, Imperial College, London, UK
| | - Bert Brunekreef
- Environmental Epidemiology IRAS, University of Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Dorota Jarosinska
- WHO European Centre for Environment and Health, WHO Regional Office for Europe, Bonn, Germany
| | | | | | | | | | - Martin Williams
- MRC-PHE Centre for Environment and Health, Environmental Research Group, School of Public Health, Imperial College, London, UK
| | - Michal Krzyzanowski
- Environmental Research Group, School of Public Health, Imperial College, London, UK
| | - Frank J Kelly
- Environmental Research Group, School of Public Health, Imperial College, London, UK
| | - Michael Brauer
- Faculty of Medicine, School of Population and Public Health, University of British Columbia, Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, University of Washington, Vancouver, BC, Canada
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Amann M, Kiesewetter G, Schöpp W, Klimont Z, Winiwarter W, Cofala J, Rafaj P, Höglund-Isaksson L, Gomez-Sabriana A, Heyes C, Purohit P, Borken-Kleefeld J, Wagner F, Sander R, Fagerli H, Nyiri A, Cozzi L, Pavarini C. Reducing global air pollution: the scope for further policy interventions. PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. SERIES A, MATHEMATICAL, PHYSICAL, AND ENGINEERING SCIENCES 2020; 378:20190331. [PMID: 32981437 PMCID: PMC7536039 DOI: 10.1098/rsta.2019.0331] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
Over the last decades, energy and pollution control policies combined with structural changes in the economy decoupled emission trends from economic growth, increasingly also in the developing world. It is found that effective implementation of the presently decided national pollution control regulations should allow further economic growth without major deterioration of ambient air quality, but will not be enough to reduce pollution levels in many world regions. A combination of ambitious policies focusing on pollution controls, energy and climate, agricultural production systems and addressing human consumption habits could drastically improve air quality throughout the world. By 2040, mean population exposure to PM2.5 from anthropogenic sources could be reduced by about 75% relative to 2015 and brought well below the WHO guideline in large areas of the world. While the implementation of the proposed technical measures is likely to be technically feasible in the future, the transformative changes of current practices will require strong political will, supported by a full appreciation of the multiple benefits. Improved air quality would avoid a large share of the current 3-9 million cases of premature deaths annually. At the same time, the measures that deliver clean air would also significantly reduce emissions of greenhouse gases and contribute to multiple UN sustainable development goals. This article is part of a discussion meeting issue 'Air quality, past present and future'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Markus Amann
- International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, IIASA, A-2361 Laxenburg, Austria
- e-mail:
| | - Gregor Kiesewetter
- International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, IIASA, A-2361 Laxenburg, Austria
| | - Wolfgang Schöpp
- International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, IIASA, A-2361 Laxenburg, Austria
| | - Zbigniew Klimont
- International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, IIASA, A-2361 Laxenburg, Austria
| | - Wilfried Winiwarter
- International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, IIASA, A-2361 Laxenburg, Austria
- Institute of Environmental Engineering, University of Zielona Góra, Zielona Góra, Poland
| | - Janusz Cofala
- International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, IIASA, A-2361 Laxenburg, Austria
| | - Peter Rafaj
- International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, IIASA, A-2361 Laxenburg, Austria
| | - Lena Höglund-Isaksson
- International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, IIASA, A-2361 Laxenburg, Austria
| | | | - Chris Heyes
- International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, IIASA, A-2361 Laxenburg, Austria
| | - Pallav Purohit
- International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, IIASA, A-2361 Laxenburg, Austria
| | - Jens Borken-Kleefeld
- International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, IIASA, A-2361 Laxenburg, Austria
| | - Fabian Wagner
- International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, IIASA, A-2361 Laxenburg, Austria
| | - Robert Sander
- International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, IIASA, A-2361 Laxenburg, Austria
| | - Hilde Fagerli
- Norwegian Meteorological Institute (met.no), Oslo, Norway
| | - Agnes Nyiri
- Norwegian Meteorological Institute (met.no), Oslo, Norway
| | - Laura Cozzi
- International Energy Agency (IEA), Paris, France
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Premature Adult Mortality and Years of Life Lost Attributed to Long-Term Exposure to Ambient Particulate Matter Pollution and Potential for Mitigating Adverse Health Effects in Tuzla and Lukavac, Bosnia and Herzegovina. ATMOSPHERE 2020. [DOI: 10.3390/atmos11101107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Ambient air pollution is one of eight global risk factors for deaths and accounts for 38.44 all causes death rates attributable to ambient PM pollution, while in Bosnia and Herzegovina, it is 58.37. We have estimated health endpoints and possible gains if two policy scenarios were implemented and air pollution reduction achieved. Real-world health and recorded PM pollution data for 2018 were used for assessing the health impacts and possible gains. Calculations were performed with WHO AirQ+ software against two scenarios with cut-off levels at country-legal values and WHO air quality recommendations. Ambient PM2.5 pollution is responsible for 16.20% and 22.77% of all-cause mortality among adults in Tuzla and Lukavac, respectively. Our data show that life expectancy could increase by 2.1 and 2.4 years for those cities. In the pollution hotspots, in reality, there is a wide gap in what is observed and the implementation of the legally binding air quality limit values and, thus, adverse health effects. Considerable health gains and life expectancy are possible if legal or health scenarios in polluted cities were achieved. This estimate might be useful in providing additional health burden evidence as a key component for a clean air policy and action plans.
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So R, Jørgensen JT, Lim YH, Mehta AJ, Amini H, Mortensen LH, Westendorp R, Ketzel M, Hertel O, Brandt J, Christensen JH, Geels C, Frohn LM, Sisgaard T, Bräuner EV, Jensen SS, Backalarz C, Simonsen MK, Loft S, Cole-Hunter T, Andersen ZJ. Long-term exposure to low levels of air pollution and mortality adjusting for road traffic noise: A Danish Nurse Cohort study. ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL 2020; 143:105983. [PMID: 32736159 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2020.105983] [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: 05/15/2020] [Revised: 07/09/2020] [Accepted: 07/12/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The association between air pollution and mortality is well established, yet some uncertainties remain: there are few studies that account for road traffic noise exposure or that consider in detail the shape of the exposure-response function for cause-specific mortality outcomes, especially at low-levels of exposure. OBJECTIVES We examined the association between long-term exposure to particulate matter [(PM) with a diameter of <2.5 µm (PM2.5), <10 µm (PM10)], and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and total and cause-specific mortality, accounting for road traffic noise. METHODS We used data on 24,541 females (age > 44 years) from the Danish Nurse Cohort, who were recruited in 1993 or 1999, and linked to the Danish Causes of Death Register for follow-up on date of death and its cause, until the end of 2013. Annual mean concentrations of PM2.5, PM10, and NO2 at the participants' residences since 1990 were estimated using the Danish DEHM/UBM/AirGIS dispersion model, and annual mean road traffic noise levels (Lden) were estimated using the Nord2000 model. We examined associations between the three-year running mean of PM2.5, PM10, and NO2 with total and cause-specific mortality by using time-varying Cox Regression models, adjusting for individual characteristics and residential road traffic noise. RESULTS During the study period, 3,708 nurses died: 843 from cardiovascular disease (CVD), 310 from respiratory disease (RD), and 64 from diabetes. In the fully adjusted models, including road traffic noise, we detected associations of three-year running mean of PM2.5 with total (hazard ratio; 95% confidence interval: 1.06; 1.01-1.11), CVD (1.14; 1.03-1.26), and diabetes mortality (1.41; 1.05-1.90), per interquartile range of 4.39 μg/m3. In a subset of the cohort exposed to PM2.5 < 20 µg/m3, we found even stronger association with total (1.19; 1.11-1.27), CVD (1.27; 1.01-1.46), RD (1.27; 1.00-1.60), and diabetes mortality (1.44; 0.83-2.48). We found similar associations with PM10 and none with NO2. All associations were robust to adjustment for road traffic noise. DISCUSSION Long-term exposure to low-levels of PM2.5 and PM10 is associated with total mortality, and mortality from CVD, RD, and diabetes. Associations were even stronger at the PM2.5 levels below EU limit values and were independent of road traffic noise.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rina So
- Section of Environmental Health, Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark; Centre for Epidemiological Research, Nykøbing F Hospital, Nykøbing F, Denmark
| | | | - Youn-Hee Lim
- Section of Environmental Health, Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Amar J Mehta
- Denmark Statistics, Copenhagen, Denmark; Section of Epidemiology, Department of Public Health, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Heresh Amini
- Section of Environmental Health, Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark; Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Laust H Mortensen
- Denmark Statistics, Copenhagen, Denmark; Section of Epidemiology, Department of Public Health, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Rudi Westendorp
- Section of Epidemiology, Department of Public Health, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark; Center for Healthy Aging, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Matthias Ketzel
- Department of Environmental Science, Aarhus University, Roskilde, Denmark; Global Centre for Clean Air Research (GCARE), University of Surrey, United Kingdom
| | - Ole Hertel
- Department of Environmental Science, Aarhus University, Roskilde, Denmark
| | - Jørgen Brandt
- Department of Environmental Science, Aarhus University, Roskilde, Denmark
| | | | - Camilla Geels
- Department of Environmental Science, Aarhus University, Roskilde, Denmark
| | - Lise M Frohn
- Department of Environmental Science, Aarhus University, Roskilde, Denmark
| | - Torben Sisgaard
- Institute of Environmental and Occupational Medicine, Department of Public Health, Aarhus University, Denmark
| | | | | | | | - Mette Kildevæld Simonsen
- Diakonissestiftelsen, Frederiksberg, Denmark; Research Unit for Dietary Studies, The Parker Institute Bispebjerg and Frederiksberg Hospital, Copenhagen University Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Steffen Loft
- Section of Environmental Health, Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Tom Cole-Hunter
- Section of Environmental Health, Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark; Centre for Air Pollution, Energy and Health Research (CAR), University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | - Zorana Jovanovic Andersen
- Section of Environmental Health, Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark; Centre for Epidemiological Research, Nykøbing F Hospital, Nykøbing F, Denmark.
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Cellular and Molecular Mechanisms of Environmental Pollutants on Hematopoiesis. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:ijms21196996. [PMID: 32977499 PMCID: PMC7583016 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21196996] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2020] [Revised: 09/20/2020] [Accepted: 09/21/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Hematopoiesis is a complex and intricate process that aims to replenish blood components in a constant fashion. It is orchestrated mostly by hematopoietic progenitor cells (hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs)) that are capable of self-renewal and differentiation. These cells can originate other cell subtypes that are responsible for maintaining vital functions, mediate innate and adaptive immune responses, provide tissues with oxygen, and control coagulation. Hematopoiesis in adults takes place in the bone marrow, which is endowed with an extensive vasculature conferring an intense flow of cells. A myriad of cell subtypes can be found in the bone marrow at different levels of activation, being also under constant action of an extensive amount of diverse chemical mediators and enzymatic systems. Bone marrow platelets, mature erythrocytes and leukocytes are delivered into the bloodstream readily available to meet body demands. Leukocytes circulate and reach different tissues, returning or not returning to the bloodstream. Senescent leukocytes, specially granulocytes, return to the bone marrow to be phagocytized by macrophages, restarting granulopoiesis. The constant high production and delivery of cells into the bloodstream, alongside the fact that blood cells can also circulate between tissues, makes the hematopoietic system a prime target for toxic agents to act upon, making the understanding of the bone marrow microenvironment vital for both toxicological sciences and risk assessment. Environmental and occupational pollutants, therapeutic molecules, drugs of abuse, and even nutritional status can directly affect progenitor cells at their differentiation and maturation stages, altering behavior and function of blood compounds and resulting in impaired immune responses, anemias, leukemias, and blood coagulation disturbances. This review aims to describe the most recently investigated molecular and cellular toxicity mechanisms of current major environmental pollutants on hematopoiesis in the bone marrow.
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Bjørklund G, Dadar M, Chirumbolo S, Aaseth J, Peana M. Metals, autoimmunity, and neuroendocrinology: Is there a connection? ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2020; 187:109541. [PMID: 32445945 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2020.109541] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2019] [Revised: 04/04/2020] [Accepted: 04/14/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
It has been demonstrated that metals can induce autoimmunity. However, few studies have attempted to assess and elucidate the underlying mechanisms of action. Recent research has tried to evaluate the possible interactions of the immune system with metal ions, particularly with heavy metals. Research indicates that metals have the potential to induce or promote the development of autoimmunity in humans. Metal-induced inflammation may dysregulate the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and thus contribute to fatigue and other non-specific symptoms characterizing disorders related to autoimmune diseases. The toxic effects of several metals are also mediated through free radical formation, cell membrane disturbance, or enzyme inhibition. There are worldwide increases in environmental metal pollution. It is therefore critical that studies on the role of metals in autoimmunity, and neuroendocrine disorders, including effects on the developing immune system and brain and the genetic susceptibility are performed. These studies can lead to efficient preventive strategies and improved therapeutic approaches. In this review, we have retrieved and commented on studies that evaluated the effects of metal toxicity on immune and endocrine-related pathways. This review aims to increase awareness of metals as factors in the onset and progression of autoimmune and neuroendocrine disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Geir Bjørklund
- Council for Nutritional and Environmental Medicine, Mo i Rana, Norway.
| | - Maryam Dadar
- Razi Vaccine and Serum Research Institute, Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), Karaj, Iran
| | - Salvatore Chirumbolo
- Department of Neurosciences, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences, University of Verona, Verona, Italy; CONEM Scientific Secretary, Verona, Italy
| | - Jan Aaseth
- Research Department, Innlandet Hospital Trust, Brumunddal, Norway; IM Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University (Sechenov University), Moscow, Russia
| | - Massimiliano Peana
- Department of Chemistry and Pharmacy, University of Sassari, Sassari, Italy
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Deaths Attributable to Air Pollution in Nordic Countries: Disparities in the Estimates. ATMOSPHERE 2020. [DOI: 10.3390/atmos11050467] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Particulate matter air pollution is widely considered as the leading environmental cause of premature mortality. However, there are substantial differences in the estimated health burden between the assessments. The aim of this work is to quantify the deaths attributable to ambient air pollution in Nordic countries applying selected assessment tools and approaches, and to identify the main disparities. We quantified and compared the estimated deaths from three health risk assessment tools and from a set of different concentration-response functions. A separate analysis was conducted for the impacts of spatial resolution of the exposure model on the estimated deaths. We found that the death rate (deaths per million) attributable to PM2.5 and O3 were the highest in Denmark and the lowest in Iceland. In the five Nordic countries, the results between the three tools ranged from 8500 to 11,400 for PM2.5 related deaths, and for ozone from 230 to 260 deaths in 2015. Substantially larger differences were found between five concentration-response functions. The shape of concentration-response functions, and applied theoretical thresholds led to substantial differences in the estimated deaths. Nordic countries are especially sensitive to theoretical thresholds due to low exposures. Sensitivity analysis demonstrated that when using spatial exposure assessment methods, high spatial resolution is necessary to avoid underestimation of exposures and health effects.
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Miller MR. Oxidative stress and the cardiovascular effects of air pollution. Free Radic Biol Med 2020; 151:69-87. [PMID: 31923583 PMCID: PMC7322534 DOI: 10.1016/j.freeradbiomed.2020.01.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 99] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2019] [Revised: 12/31/2019] [Accepted: 01/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Cardiovascular causes have been estimated to be responsible for more than two thirds of the considerable mortality attributed to air pollution. There is now a substantial body of research demonstrating that exposure to air pollution has many detrimental effects throughout the cardiovascular system. Multiple biological mechanisms are responsible, however, oxidative stress is a prominent observation at many levels of the cardiovascular impairment induced by pollutant exposure. This review provides an overview of the evidence that oxidative stress is a key pathway for the different cardiovascular actions of air pollution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark R Miller
- University/BHF Centre for Cardiovascular Science, University of Edinburgh, 47 Little France Crescent, Edinburgh, EH4 3RL, United Kingdom.
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Ultrafine Particle Features Associated with Pro-Inflammatory and Oxidative Responses: Implications for Health Studies. ATMOSPHERE 2020. [DOI: 10.3390/atmos11040414] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Suspected detrimental health effects associated with ultrafine particles (UFPs) are impressive. However, epidemiological evidence is still limited. This is potentially due to challenges related to UFP exposure assessment and the lack of consensus on a standard methodology for UFPs. It is imperative to focus future health studies on those UFP metrics more likely to represent health effects. This is the purpose of this paper, where we extend the results obtained during the CARE (“Carbonaceous Aerosol in Rome and Environs”) experiment started in 2017 in Rome. The major purpose is to investigate features of airborne UFPs associated with pro-inflammatory and oxidative responses. Aerosol chemical, microphysical, and optical properties were measured, together with the oxidative potential, at temporal scales relevant for UFPs (minutes to hours). The biological responses were obtained using both in-vivo and in-vitro tests carried out directly under environmental conditions. Findings indicate that caution should be taken when assessing health-relevant exposure to UFPs through the conventional metrics like total particle number concentration and PM2.5 and Black Carbon (BC) mass concentration. Conversely, we recommend adding to these, a UFP source apportionment analysis and indicators for both ultrafine black carbon and the size of particles providing most of the total surface area to available toxic molecules.
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