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Chirakijja J, Jayachandran S, Ong P. The Mortality Effects of Winter Heating Prices. ECONOMIC JOURNAL (LONDON, ENGLAND) 2024; 134:402-417. [PMID: 38077852 PMCID: PMC10702363 DOI: 10.1093/ej/uead072] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2021] [Accepted: 08/23/2023] [Indexed: 09/07/2024]
Abstract
This paper examines how the price of home heating affects mortality in the United States. Exposure to cold is one reason that mortality peaks in winter, and a higher heating price increases exposure to cold by reducing heating use. Our empirical approach combines spatial variation in the energy source used for home heating and temporal variation in the national prices of natural gas and electricity. We find that a lower heating price reduces winter mortality, driven mostly by cardiovascular and respiratory causes. Our estimates imply that the 42% drop in the natural gas price in the late 2000s, mostly driven by the shale gas boom, averted 12,500 deaths per year in the United States. The effect appears to be especially large in high-poverty communities.
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Social movements and entrepreneurial activity: A study of the U.S. solar energy industry. RESEARCH POLICY 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.respol.2022.104621] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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Wang C, Wang J, Norbäck D. A Systematic Review of Associations between Energy Use, Fuel Poverty, Energy Efficiency Improvements and Health. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:ijerph19127393. [PMID: 35742650 PMCID: PMC9223700 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19127393] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2022] [Revised: 06/13/2022] [Accepted: 06/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Energy use in buildings can influence the indoor environment. Studies on green buildings, energy saving measures, energy use, fuel poverty, and ventilation have been reviewed, following the guidelines of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement. The database PubMed was searched for articles published up to 1 October 2020. In total, 68 relevant peer-reviewed epidemiological or exposure studies on radon, biological agents, and chemicals were included. The main aim was to assess current knowledge on how energy saving measures and energy use can influence health. The included studies concluded that buildings classified as green buildings can improve health. More efficient heating and increased thermal insulation can improve health in homes experiencing fuel poverty. However, energy-saving measures in airtight buildings and thermal insulation without installation of mechanical ventilation can impair health. Energy efficiency retrofits can increase indoor radon which can cause lung cancer. Installation of a mechanical ventilation systems can solve many of the negative effects linked to airtight buildings and energy efficiency retrofits. However, higher ventilation flow can increase the indoor exposure to outdoor air pollutants in areas with high levels of outdoor air pollution. Finally, future research needs concerning energy aspects of buildings and health were identified.
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Antukh T, Lee I, Joo S, Kim H. Hydrogenotrophs-Based Biological Biogas Upgrading Technologies. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2022; 10:833482. [PMID: 35557857 PMCID: PMC9085624 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2022.833482] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2021] [Accepted: 03/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Biogas produced from anaerobic digestion consists of 55–65% methane and 35–45% carbon dioxide, with an additional 1–2% of other impurities. To utilize biogas as renewable energy, a process called biogas upgrading is required. Biogas upgrading is the separation of methane from carbon dioxide and other impurities, and is performed to increase CH4 content to more than 95%, allowing heat to be secured at the natural gas level. The profitability of existing biogas technologies strongly depends on operation and maintenance costs. Conventional biogas upgrading technologies have many issues, such as unstable high-purity methane generation and high energy consumption. However, hydrogenotrophs-based biological biogas upgrading offers an advantage of converting CO2 in biogas directly into CH4 without additional processes. Thus, biological upgrading through applying hydrogenotrophic methanogens for the biological conversion of CO2 and H2 to CH4 receives growing attention due to its simplicity and high technological potential. This review analyzes the recent advance of hydrogenotrophs-based biomethanation processes, addressing their potential impact on public acceptance of biogas plants for the promotion of biogas production.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Sunghee Joo
- *Correspondence: Sunghee Joo, ; Hyunook Kim,
| | - Hyunook Kim
- *Correspondence: Sunghee Joo, ; Hyunook Kim,
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Hill RW, Grezlik M, Muhich TE, Humphries MM. City-scale energetics: window on adaptive thermal insulation in North American cities. J Comp Physiol B 2021; 192:193-206. [PMID: 34677660 PMCID: PMC8816447 DOI: 10.1007/s00360-021-01411-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2021] [Revised: 09/16/2021] [Accepted: 09/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Previous research demonstrated that cities are similar to individual mammals in their relationship between the rate of energy use for heating and outdoor air temperature (Ta). At Tas requiring heating of indoor living spaces, the energy-Ta plot of a city contains information on city-wide thermal insulation (I), making it possible to quantify city-wide I by use of the city as the unit of measure. We develop methods for extracting this insulation information, deriving the methods from prior research on mammals. Using these methods, we address the question: in North America, are cities built in particularly cold locations constructed in ways that provide greater thermal insulation than ones built in thermally more moderate locations? Using data for 42 small and medium-size cities and two information-extraction methods, we find that there is a statistically significant inverse relationship between city-wide I and T10-year, the average city Ta over a recent 10-year period (range of T10-year: − 11 to 26 °C). This relationship represents an energy-conserving trend, indicating that cities in cold climates have greater built-in thermal insulation than cities in warm climates. However, the augmentation of insulation in cold climates is only about half as great as would be required to offset fully the increased energy cost of low Tas in a cold climate, and T10-year explains just 5–11% of the variance in measured insulation, suggesting that cities in North America vary greatly in the extent to which thermal insulation has been a priority in city development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard W Hill
- Department of Integrative Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA.
| | - Maxwell Grezlik
- Department of Integrative Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA.,School for Marine Science and Technology, University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth, New Bedford, MA, 02744, USA
| | - Timothy E Muhich
- Department of Integrative Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA.,Battle Creek Area Mathematics and Science Center, Battle Creek, MI, 49017, USA
| | - Murray M Humphries
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, Quebec, H9X 3V9, Canada
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Abstract
The main purpose of this paper is to present the differences in the volume of energy consumption in transport in the EU (European Union) countries. The specific objectives aim to determine the directions of changes and the degree of concentration in the volume of energy utilized by the transport sector in EU states, showing various models in this area, to establish the association between energy absorption and the parameters of the economy and in the field of transport. All EU countries were selected for research by the use of the purposeful selection method as of 31 December 2018. The analyzed period covered the years 2004–2018. For the examination of data, grading data analysis was used as one of the methods of multivariate data analysis. Descriptive, tabular and graphic methods were used to present the results. Findings reveal that there is a general tendency to reduce total energy consumption in the EU countries. The same is the case of energy in transport. Only in 2016–2018 was there an increase in energy absorption in transport. The reason was the better economic situation in this period. Road conveyance is the most important factor in energy utilization (over 90%). The share of other modes of transport was very small. Economically developing countries were the fastest in increasing energy absorption in transport per capita. In turn, highly developed states recorded slight growth and were stable in this aspect. There was a close relationship between energy utilization in transport per capita and GDP per capita. The reduction of energy consumption in transport depends on changes in road haulage, e.g., the pace of introducing innovative energy-saving technologies in automotive transport.
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Zam K, Gupta MK, Uddin SMN. The residential energy futures of Bhutan. ENERGY EFFICIENCY 2021; 14:38. [PMID: 33841056 PMCID: PMC8023558 DOI: 10.1007/s12053-021-09948-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2020] [Accepted: 03/03/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
It is expected that with the increase in population and modernization of any country, energy consumption would increase. Bhutan is a carbon-negative country and committed to remaining carbon-neutral. Thus, identifying energy-saving potential will increase energy efficiency and contribute to continue fulfilling this pledge for years to come. This study aims to find the energy-saving potential of Bhutan by analyzing future energy demand from the residential building sector using a scenario-based modeling tool called Long-range Energy Alternatives Planning (LEAP). The research was an integration of primary and secondary data calculations. Final energy-savings from Bhutan in 2040 by attaining the efficient scenario is estimated at 830 GWh. Overall, the result suggests that 53% final energy-savings can be achieved in 2040 from all end-uses and energy sources compared to the reference scenario. Cumulatively, 19 TWh final energy-savings can be achieved in the study period (2018-2040) from the efficient scenario while all basic energy needs are fully met in 2040. This result obtained would provide a reference for Bhutan's future energy planning and guidelines for policy-making. It would also provide policy recommendations about the scope of shifting to energy-efficient end-uses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kinley Zam
- Asian University for Women, 20/A M.M. Ali Road, Chittagong, 4000 Bangladesh
| | - Mukesh Kumar Gupta
- Asian University for Women, 20/A M.M. Ali Road, Chittagong, 4000 Bangladesh
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Elser H, Parks RM, Moghavem N, Kiang MV, Bozinov N, Henderson VW, Rehkopf DH, Casey JA. Anomalously warm weather and acute care visits in patients with multiple sclerosis: A retrospective study of privately insured individuals in the US. PLoS Med 2021; 18:e1003580. [PMID: 33901187 PMCID: PMC8109782 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1003580] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2020] [Revised: 05/10/2021] [Accepted: 03/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND As the global climate changes in response to anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions, weather and temperature are expected to become increasingly variable. Although heat sensitivity is a recognized clinical feature of multiple sclerosis (MS), a chronic demyelinating disorder of the central nervous system, few studies have examined the implications of climate change for patients with this disease. METHODS AND FINDINGS We conducted a retrospective cohort study of individuals with MS ages 18-64 years in a nationwide United States patient-level commercial and Medicare Advantage claims database from 2003 to 2017. We defined anomalously warm weather as any month in which local average temperatures exceeded the long-term average by ≥1.5°C. We estimated the association between anomalously warm weather and MS-related inpatient, outpatient, and emergency department visits using generalized log-linear models. From 75,395,334 individuals, we identified 106,225 with MS. The majority were women (76.6%) aged 36-55 years (59.0%). Anomalously warm weather was associated with increased risk for emergency department visits (risk ratio [RR] = 1.043, 95% CI: 1.025-1.063) and inpatient visits (RR = 1.032, 95% CI: 1.010-1.054). There was limited evidence of an association between anomalously warm weather and MS-related outpatient visits (RR = 1.010, 95% CI: 1.005-1.015). Estimates were similar for men and women, strongest among older individuals, and exhibited substantial variation by season, region, and climate zone. Limitations of the present study include the absence of key individual-level measures of socioeconomic position (i.e., race/ethnicity, occupational status, and housing quality) that may determine where individuals live-and therefore the extent of their exposure to anomalously warm weather-as well as their propensity to seek treatment for neurologic symptoms. CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest that as global temperatures rise, individuals with MS may represent a particularly susceptible subpopulation, a finding with implications for both healthcare providers and systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Holly Elser
- Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Robbie M. Parks
- Earth Institute, Columbia University, New York, New York, United States of America
- Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Nuriel Moghavem
- Department of Neurology and Neurological Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, United States of America
| | - Mathew V. Kiang
- Department of Epidemiology and Population Health, Stanford University, Stanford, California, United States of America
| | - Nina Bozinov
- Department of Neurology and Neurological Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, United States of America
| | - Victor W. Henderson
- Department of Neurology and Neurological Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, United States of America
| | - David H. Rehkopf
- Center for Population Health Sciences, Stanford, California, United States of America
| | - Joan A. Casey
- Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, New York, United States of America
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Lamosa JD, Tomás LR, Quiles MG, Londe LR, Santos LBL, Macau EEN. Topological indexes and community structure for urban mobility networks: Variations in a business day. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0248126. [PMID: 33690694 PMCID: PMC7946289 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0248126] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2020] [Accepted: 02/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Topological analysis and community detection in mobility complex networks have an essential role in many contexts, from economics to the environmental agenda. However, in many cases, the dynamic component of mobility data is not considered directly. In this paper, we study how topological indexes and community structure changes in a business day. For the analyzes, we use a mobility database with a high temporal resolution. Our case study is the city of São José dos Campos (Brazil)-the city is divided into 55 traffic zones. More than 20 thousand people were asked about their travels the day before the survey (Origin-Destination Survey). We generated a set of graphs, where each vertex represents a traffic zone, and the edges are weighted by the number of trips between them, restricted to a time window. We calculated topological properties, such as degree, clustering coefficient and diameter, and the network's community structure. The results show spatially concise community structures related to geographical factors such as highways and the persistence of some communities for different timestamps. These analyses may support the definition and adjustment of public policies to improve urban mobility. For instance, the community structure of the network might be useful for defining inter-zone public transportation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jéssica D. Lamosa
- Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais (INPE), São José dos Campos, Brazil
- Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP), São José dos Campos, Brazil
| | - Lívia R. Tomás
- Centro Nacional de Monitoramento e Alertas de Desastres Naturais (Cemaden), São José dos Campos, Brazil
| | - Marcos G. Quiles
- Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP), São José dos Campos, Brazil
| | - Luciana R. Londe
- Centro Nacional de Monitoramento e Alertas de Desastres Naturais (Cemaden), São José dos Campos, Brazil
| | - Leonardo B. L. Santos
- Centro Nacional de Monitoramento e Alertas de Desastres Naturais (Cemaden), São José dos Campos, Brazil
- Humboldt University of Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Elbert E. N. Macau
- Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais (INPE), São José dos Campos, Brazil
- Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP), São José dos Campos, Brazil
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Feng Y, Yu X, Chiu YH, Lin TY. Energy Efficiency and Health Efficiency of Old and New EU Member States. Front Public Health 2020; 8:168. [PMID: 32582601 PMCID: PMC7297082 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2020.00168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2019] [Accepted: 04/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Environmental protection and health issues have always been of great concern. This study employed modified Meta-Frontier Dynamic Network Data Envelopment Analysis to explore the environmental pollution effects from energy consumption on the mortality of children and adults, tuberculosis rate, survival rate, and health expenditure efficiencies in 15 old EU states and 13 new EU states from 2010 to 2014. We calculated the overall efficiency scores and technology gap ratios for each old EU and new EU states as well as the efficiencies of non-renewable energy, renewable energy, PM2.5, CO2, labor, GDP, tuberculosis, child mortality, adult mortality, health expenditure efficiency, and survival efficiency at the health stage. The average annual overall efficiencies of the old EU states are higher than that of the new EU states. Whether in terms of energy efficiencies or health efficiencies, the inputs and outputs of the old EU states are always higher than that of the new EU states. Overall, developing countries in Eastern Europe are lagging behind in terms of energy and health efficiencies. At the same time, the efficiency of child mortality is lower than that of adult mortality, and the efficiency of PM2.5 is higher than that of CO2 in both old and new EU states.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yongqi Feng
- School of Economics, Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Xinye Yu
- School of Economics, Jilin University, Changchun, China
| | - Yung-Ho Chiu
- Department of Economics, Soochow University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Tai-Yu Lin
- Department of Business Administration, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan City, Taiwan
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12
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Jessel S, Sawyer S, Hernández D. Energy, Poverty, and Health in Climate Change: A Comprehensive Review of an Emerging Literature. Front Public Health 2019; 7:357. [PMID: 31921733 PMCID: PMC6920209 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2019.00357] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2019] [Accepted: 11/11/2019] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Household energy is increasingly vital for maintaining good health. Unaffordable and inadequate household energy presents adverse consequences that are amplified by poverty and a changing climate. To date, the connections between energy, socioeconomic disadvantage, and well-being are generally underappreciated, and household energy connection with climate change is under-researched. Building on the energy insecurity framework, this review explores literature related to household energy, poverty, and health in order to highlight the disproportionate burdens borne by vulnerable populations in adequately meeting household energy needs. This paper is based on a comprehensive review of books, peer-reviewed articles, and reports published between 1990 and 2019, identified via databases including JSTOR and PubMed. A total of 406 publications were selected as having potential for full review, 203 received full review, and 162 were included in this paper on the basis of set inclusion criteria. From the literature review, we created an original heuristic model that describes energy insecurity as either acute or chronic, and we further explore the mediators and pathways that link energy insecurity to health. In the discussion, we posit that the extant literature does not sufficiently consider that vulnerable communities often experience energy insecurity bundled with other hardships. We also discuss energy, poverty, and health through the lens of climate change, making the criticism that most research on household energy does not consider climate change. This evidence is important for enhancing research in this field and developing programmatic and policy interventions as they pertain to energy access, affordability, and health, with special emphasis on vulnerable populations, climate change, and social inequality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sonal Jessel
- Helibrunn Department of Population and Family Health, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, NY, United States
| | - Samantha Sawyer
- Department of Sociomedical Sciences, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, NY, United States
| | - Diana Hernández
- Department of Sociomedical Sciences, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, NY, United States
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Abel DW, Holloway T, Martínez-Santos J, Harkey M, Tao M, Kubes C, Hayes S. Air Quality-Related Health Benefits of Energy Efficiency in the United States. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2019; 53:3987-3998. [PMID: 30835995 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.8b06417] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
While it is known that energy efficiency (EE) lowers power sector demand and emissions, study of the air quality and public health impacts of EE has been limited. Here, we quantify the air quality and mortality impacts of a 12% summertime (June, July, and August) reduction in baseload electricity demand. We use the AVoided Emissions and geneRation Tool (AVERT) to simulate plant-level generation and emissions, the Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) model to simulate air quality, and the Environmental Benefits Mapping and Analysis Program (BenMAP) to quantify mortality impacts. We find EE reduces emissions of NO x by 13.2%, SO2 by 12.6%, and CO2 by 11.6%. On a nationwide, summer average basis, ambient PM2.5 is reduced 0.55% and O3 is reduced 0.45%. Reduced exposure to PM2.5 avoids 300 premature deaths annually (95% CI: 60 to 580) valued at $2.8 billion ($0.13 billion to $9.3 billion), and reduced exposure to O3 averts 175 deaths (101 to 244) valued at $1.6 billion ($0.15 billion to $4.5 billion). This translates into a health savings rate of $0.049/kWh ($0.031/kWh for PM2.5 and $0.018/kWh for O3). These results illustrate the importance of capturing the health benefits of EE and its potential as a strategy to achieve air standards.
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Affiliation(s)
- David W Abel
- Nelson Institute Center for Sustainability and the Global Environment , University of Wisconsin - Madison , Madison , Wisconsin 53726 , United States
| | - Tracey Holloway
- Nelson Institute Center for Sustainability and the Global Environment , University of Wisconsin - Madison , Madison , Wisconsin 53726 , United States
- Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences , University of Wisconsin - Madison , Madison , Wisconsin 53706 , United States
| | - Javier Martínez-Santos
- Nelson Institute Center for Sustainability and the Global Environment , University of Wisconsin - Madison , Madison , Wisconsin 53726 , United States
- Department of Mechanical Engineering , University of Wisconsin - Madison , Madison , Wisconsin 53706 , United States
| | - Monica Harkey
- Nelson Institute Center for Sustainability and the Global Environment , University of Wisconsin - Madison , Madison , Wisconsin 53726 , United States
| | - Madankui Tao
- Nelson Institute Center for Sustainability and the Global Environment , University of Wisconsin - Madison , Madison , Wisconsin 53726 , United States
| | - Cassandra Kubes
- American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy , Washington , D.C. 20045 , United States
| | - Sara Hayes
- American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy , Washington , D.C. 20045 , United States
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Associations between Green Building Design Strategies and Community Health Resilience to Extreme Heat Events: A Systematic Review of the Evidence. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2019; 16:ijerph16040663. [PMID: 30813482 PMCID: PMC6406297 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph16040663] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2019] [Revised: 02/18/2019] [Accepted: 02/19/2019] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
This project examined evidence linking green building design strategies with the potential to enhance community resilience to extreme heat events. Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) method for a systematic review, it assessed the strength of the evidence supporting the potential for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) credit requirements to reduce the adverse effects of extreme heat events and/or enhance a building’s passive survivability (i.e., the ability to continue to function during utility outages) during those events. The PRISMA Flow Diagram resulted in the selection of 12 LEED for New Construction (LEED NC) credits for inclusion in the review. Following a preliminary scan of evidence supporting public health co-benefits of the LEED for Neighborhood Development rating system, queries were submitted in PubMed using National Library of Medicine Medical Subject Headings Terms. Queries identified links between LEED credit requirements and risk of exposure to extreme heat, environmental determinants of health, co-benefits to public health outcomes, and co-benefits to built environment outcomes. Public health co-benefits included reducing the risk of vulnerability to heat stress and reducing heat-related morbidity and mortality. The results lay the groundwork for collaboration across the public health, civil society, climate change, and green building sectors.
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Angelini V, Daly M, Moro M, Navarro Paniagua M, Sidman E, Walker I, Weldon M. The effect of the Winter Fuel Payment on household temperature and health: a regression discontinuity design study. PUBLIC HEALTH RESEARCH 2019. [DOI: 10.3310/phr07010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
BackgroundThe Winter Fuel Payment (WFP) is a non-NHS population-level policy intervention that aims to reduce cold exposure and enhance the health and well-being of older adults. Labelling this cash transfer as ‘winter fuel’ has been shown to lead to increased household energy expenditure, but it is not known if this expenditure produces warmer homes or health benefits.ObjectivesFirst, the association between indoor temperature and health was established to identify the outcome measures most likely to be affected by the WFP. Then, whether or not receiving the WFP is associated with raised household temperature levels and/or improved health was assessed.DesignRandom and fixed effects regression models were used to estimate the link between ambient indoor temperature and health. A regression discontinuity (RD) design analysis exploiting the sharp eligibility criteria for the WFP was employed to estimate the potential impact of the payment.SettingThe sample was drawn from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA), an observational study of community-dwelling individuals aged ≥ 50 years in England.ParticipantsAnalyses examining the association between household temperature and health had a maximum sample of 12,210 adults aged 50–90 years. The RD analyses drew on a maximum of 5902 observations.InterventionThe WFP provides households with a member who is aged > 60 years (up to 2010, from which point the minimum age increased) in the qualifying week with a lump sum annual payment, typically in November or December.Main outcome measuresDifferences in indoor temperature were examined, and, following an extensive literature review of relevant participant-reported health indicators and objectively recorded biomarkers likely to be affected by indoor temperature, a series of key measures were selected: blood pressure, inflammation, lung function, the presence of chest infections, subjective health and depressive symptom ratings.Data sourcesThe first six waves of the ELSA were drawn from, accessible through the UK Data Service (SN:5050 English Longitudinal Study of Ageing: Waves 0–7, 1998–2015).ResultsResults from both random and fixed-effects multilevel regression models showed that low levels of indoor temperature were associated with raised systolic and diastolic blood pressure levels and raised fibrinogen levels. However, across the RD models, no evidence was found that the WFP was consistently associated with differences in either household temperature or the health of qualifying (vs. non-qualifying) households.LimitationsThe presence of small effects cannot be ruled out, not detectable because of the sample size in the current study.ConclusionsThis study capitalised on the sharp assignment rules regarding WFP eligibility to estimate the potential effect of the WFP on household temperature and health in a national sample of English adults. The RD design employed did not identify evidence linking the WFP to warmer homes or potential health and well-being effects.Future workFurther research should utilise larger samples of participants close to the WFP eligibility cut-off point examined during particularly cold weather in order to identify whether or not the WFP is linked to health benefits not detected in the current study, which may have implications for population health and the evaluation of the effectiveness of the WFP.FundingThe National Institute for Health Research Public Health Research programme.
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Affiliation(s)
- Viola Angelini
- Faculty of Economics and Business Economics, University of Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Michael Daly
- Management Work and Organisation, Stirling Management School, University of Stirling, Stirling, UK
| | - Mirko Moro
- Economics Division, Stirling Management School, University of Stirling, Stirling, UK
| | - Maria Navarro Paniagua
- Department of Economics, Lancaster University Management School, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK
| | - Elanor Sidman
- Management Work and Organisation, Stirling Management School, University of Stirling, Stirling, UK
| | - Ian Walker
- Department of Economics, Lancaster University Management School, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK
| | - Matthew Weldon
- Department of Economics, Lancaster University Management School, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK
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Williams ML, Beevers S, Kitwiroon N, Dajnak D, Walton H, Lott MC, Pye S, Fecht D, Toledano MB, Holland M. Public health air pollution impacts of pathway options to meet the 2050 UK Climate Change Act target: a modelling study. PUBLIC HEALTH RESEARCH 2018. [DOI: 10.3310/phr06070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
BackgroundThe UK’sClimate Change Act 2008(CCA; Great Britain.Climate Change Act 2008. Chapter 27. London: The Stationery Office; 2008) requires a reduction of 80% in carbon dioxide-equivalent emissions by 2050 on a 1990 base. This project quantified the impact of air pollution on health from four scenarios involving particulate matter of ≤ 2.5 µm (PM2.5), nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and ozone (O3). Two scenarios met the CCA target: one with limited nuclear power build (nuclear replacement option; NRPO) and one with no policy constraint on nuclear (low greenhouse gas). Another scenario envisaged no further climate actions beyond those already agreed (‘baseline’) and the fourth kept 2011 concentrations constant to 2050 (‘2011’).MethodsThe UK Integrated MARKAL–EFOM System (UKTM) energy system model was used to develop the scenarios and produce projections of fuel use; these were used to produce air pollutant emission inventories for Great Britain (GB) for each scenario. The inventories were then used to run the Community Multiscale Air Quality model ‘air pollution model’ to generate air pollutant concentration maps across GB, which then, combined with relationships between concentrations and health outcomes, were used to calculate the impact on health from the air pollution emitted in each scenario. This is a significant improvement on previous health impact studies of climate policies, which have relied on emissions changes. Inequalities in exposure in different socioeconomic groups were also calculated, as was the economic impact of the pollution emissions.ResultsConcentrations of NO2declined significantly because of a high degree of electrification of the GB road transport fleet, although the NRPO scenario shows large increases in oxides of nitrogen emissions from combined heat and power (CHP) sources. Concentrations of PM2.5show a modest decrease by 2050, which would have been larger if it had not been for a significant increase in biomass (wood burning) use in the two CCA scenarios peaking in 2035. The metric quantifying long-term exposure to O3is projected to decrease, while the important short-term O3exposure metric increases. Large projected increases in future GB vehicle kilometres lead to increased non-exhaust PM2.5and particulate matter of ≤ 10 µm emissions. The two scenarios which achieve the CCA target resulted in more life-years lost from long-term exposures to PM2.5than in the baseline scenario. This is an opportunity lost and arises largely from the increase in biomass use, which is projected to peak in 2035. Reduced long-term exposures to NO2lead to many more life-years saved in the ‘CCA-compliant’ scenarios, but the association used may overestimate the effects of NO2itself. The more deprived populations are estimated currently to be exposed to higher concentrations than those less deprived, the contrast being largest for NO2. Despite reductions in concentrations in 2050, the most socioeconomically deprived are still exposed to higher concentrations than the less deprived.LimitationsModelling of the atmosphere is always uncertain; we have shown the model to be acceptable through comparison with observations. The necessary complexity of the modelling system has meant that only a small number of scenarios were run.ConclusionsWe have established a system which can be used to explore a wider range of climate policy scenarios, including more European and global scenarios as well as local measures. Future work could explore wood burning in more detail, in terms of the sectors in which it might be burned and the spatial distribution of this across the UK. Further analyses of options for CHP could also be explored. Non-exhaust emissions from road transport are an important source of particles and emission factors are uncertain. Further research on this area coupled with our modelling would be a valuable area of research.FundingThe National Institute for Health Research Public Health Research programme.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Sean Beevers
- Environmental Research Group, King’s College London, London, UK
| | | | - David Dajnak
- Environmental Research Group, King’s College London, London, UK
| | - Heather Walton
- Environmental Research Group, King’s College London, London, UK
- National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Biomedical Research Centre at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust and King’s College London, NIHR Health Protection Research Unit on Health Effects of Environmental Hazards, London, UK
| | - Melissa C Lott
- Institute for Sustainable Resources, University College London, London, UK
| | - Steve Pye
- Energy Institute, University College London, London, UK
| | - Daniela Fecht
- UK Small Area Health Statistics Unit, Medical Research Council–Public Health England Centre for Environment and Health, School for Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Mireille B Toledano
- UK Small Area Health Statistics Unit, Medical Research Council–Public Health England Centre for Environment and Health, School for Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Mike Holland
- Ecometrics, Research and Consulting, Reading, UK
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Explorative Multidimensional Analysis for Energy Efficiency: DataViz versus Clustering Algorithms. ENERGIES 2018. [DOI: 10.3390/en11051312] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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Landrigan PJ, Fuller R, Acosta NJR, Adeyi O, Arnold R, Basu NN, Baldé AB, Bertollini R, Bose-O'Reilly S, Boufford JI, Breysse PN, Chiles T, Mahidol C, Coll-Seck AM, Cropper ML, Fobil J, Fuster V, Greenstone M, Haines A, Hanrahan D, Hunter D, Khare M, Krupnick A, Lanphear B, Lohani B, Martin K, Mathiasen KV, McTeer MA, Murray CJL, Ndahimananjara JD, Perera F, Potočnik J, Preker AS, Ramesh J, Rockström J, Salinas C, Samson LD, Sandilya K, Sly PD, Smith KR, Steiner A, Stewart RB, Suk WA, van Schayck OCP, Yadama GN, Yumkella K, Zhong M. The Lancet Commission on pollution and health. Lancet 2018; 391:462-512. [PMID: 29056410 DOI: 10.1016/s0140-6736(17)32345-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1731] [Impact Index Per Article: 288.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2016] [Revised: 05/09/2017] [Accepted: 08/02/2017] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Philip J Landrigan
- Arnhold Institute for Global Health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.
| | | | | | - Olusoji Adeyi
- Department of Health, Nutrition, and Population Global Practice, The World Bank, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Robert Arnold
- Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - Niladri Nil Basu
- Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
| | | | - Roberto Bertollini
- Scientific Committee on Health, Environmental and Emerging Risks of the European Commission, Luxembourg City, Luxembourg; Office of the Minister of Health, Ministry of Public Health, Doha, Qatar
| | - Stephan Bose-O'Reilly
- Institute and Outpatient Clinic for Occupational, Social and Environmental Medicine, University Hospital of LMU Munich, Munich, Germany; Department of Public Health, Health Services Research and Health Technology Assessment, University for Health Sciences, Medical Informatics and Technology, Hall in Tirol, Austria
| | | | - Patrick N Breysse
- Department of Environmental Health and Engineering, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Thomas Chiles
- Department of Biology, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA, USA
| | | | | | - Maureen L Cropper
- Department of Economics, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA; Resources for the Future, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Julius Fobil
- Department of Biological, Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana
| | - Valentin Fuster
- Mount Sinai Heart, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA; Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | | | - Andy Haines
- Department of Social and Environmental Health Research and Department of Population Health, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | | | - David Hunter
- Nuffield Department of Population Health, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Mukesh Khare
- Department of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, India
| | | | - Bruce Lanphear
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada
| | - Bindu Lohani
- Centennial Group, Washington, DC, USA; The Resources Center, Lalitpur, Nepal
| | - Keith Martin
- Consortium of Universities for Global Health, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Karen V Mathiasen
- Office of the US Executive Director, The World Bank, Washington, DC, USA
| | | | | | | | - Frederica Perera
- Columbia Center for Children's Environmental Health, Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Janez Potočnik
- UN International Resource Panel, Paris, France; SYSTEMIQ, London, UK
| | - Alexander S Preker
- Department of Environmental Medicine and Global Health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA; Department of Health Policy and Management, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA; Health Investment & Financing Corporation, New York, NY, USA
| | | | - Johan Rockström
- Stockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | | | - Leona D Samson
- Department of Biological Engineering and Department of Biology, Center for Environmental Health Sciences, Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | | | - Peter D Sly
- Children's Health and Environment Program, Child Health Research Centre, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Kirk R Smith
- Environmental Health Sciences Division, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Achim Steiner
- Oxford Martin School, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Richard B Stewart
- Guarini Center on Environmental, Energy, and Land Use Law, New York University, New York, NY, USA
| | - William A Suk
- Division of Extramural Research and Training, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
| | - Onno C P van Schayck
- Care and Public Health Research Institute, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - Gautam N Yadama
- School of Social Work, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA, USA
| | - Kandeh Yumkella
- United Nations Industrial Development Organization, Vienna, Austria
| | - Ma Zhong
- School of Environment and Natural Resources, Renmin University of China, Beijing, China
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Watts N, Adger WN, Ayeb-Karlsson S, Bai Y, Byass P, Campbell-Lendrum D, Colbourn T, Cox P, Davies M, Depledge M, Depoux A, Dominguez-Salas P, Drummond P, Ekins P, Flahault A, Grace D, Graham H, Haines A, Hamilton I, Johnson A, Kelman I, Kovats S, Liang L, Lott M, Lowe R, Luo Y, Mace G, Maslin M, Morrissey K, Murray K, Neville T, Nilsson M, Oreszczyn T, Parthemore C, Pencheon D, Robinson E, Schütte S, Shumake-Guillemot J, Vineis P, Wilkinson P, Wheeler N, Xu B, Yang J, Yin Y, Yu C, Gong P, Montgomery H, Costello A. The Lancet Countdown: tracking progress on health and climate change. Lancet 2017; 389:1151-1164. [PMID: 27856085 DOI: 10.1016/s0140-6736(16)32124-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 184] [Impact Index Per Article: 26.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2016] [Revised: 10/10/2016] [Accepted: 10/19/2016] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
The Lancet Countdown: tracking progress on health and climate change is an international, multidisciplinary research collaboration between academic institutions and practitioners across the world. It follows on from the work of the 2015 Lancet Commission, which concluded that the response to climate change could be "the greatest global health opportunity of the 21st century". The Lancet Countdown aims to track the health impacts of climate hazards; health resilience and adaptation; health co-benefits of climate change mitigation; economics and finance; and political and broader engagement. These focus areas form the five thematic working groups of the Lancet Countdown and represent different aspects of the complex association between health and climate change. These thematic groups will provide indicators for a global overview of health and climate change; national case studies highlighting countries leading the way or going against the trend; and engagement with a range of stakeholders. The Lancet Countdown ultimately aims to report annually on a series of indicators across these five working groups. This paper outlines the potential indicators and indicator domains to be tracked by the collaboration, with suggestions on the methodologies and datasets available to achieve this end. The proposed indicator domains require further refinement, and mark the beginning of an ongoing consultation process-from November, 2016 to early 2017-to develop these domains, identify key areas not currently covered, and change indicators where necessary. This collaboration will actively seek to engage with existing monitoring processes, such as the UN Sustainable Development Goals and WHO's climate and health country profiles. The indicators will also evolve over time through ongoing collaboration with experts and a range of stakeholders, and be dependent on the emergence of new evidence and knowledge. During the course of its work, the Lancet Countdown will adopt a collaborative and iterative process, which aims to complement existing initiatives, welcome engagement with new partners, and be open to developing new research projects on health and climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nick Watts
- Institute for Global Health, University College London, London, UK.
| | - W Neil Adger
- Geography, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
| | | | - Yuqi Bai
- Centre for Earth System Science, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Peter Byass
- Epidemiology & Global Health, Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Diarmid Campbell-Lendrum
- Department of Public Health, Environmental and Social Determinants of Health, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Tim Colbourn
- Institute for Global Health, University College London, London, UK
| | - Peter Cox
- College of Engineering, Mathematics, and Physical Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
| | - Michael Davies
- Institute for Environmental Design and Engineering, University College London, London, UK
| | - Michael Depledge
- University of Exeter Medical School, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
| | - Anneliese Depoux
- Centre Virchow-Villermé for Public Health Paris-Berlin, Université Paris Descartes, Paris, France
| | - Paula Dominguez-Salas
- Department of Production and Population Health, Royal Veterinary College, London, UK
| | - Paul Drummond
- Institute for Sustainable Resources, University College London, London, UK
| | - Paul Ekins
- Institute for Sustainable Resources, University College London, London, UK
| | - Antoine Flahault
- Centre Virchow-Villermé for Public Health Paris-Berlin, Université Paris Descartes, Paris, France
| | - Delia Grace
- Food Safety and Zoonoses Program, International Livestock Research Institute, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Hilary Graham
- Department of Health Sciences, University of York, York, UK
| | - Andy Haines
- NIHR Health Protection Research Unit in Environmental Change and Health and Department of Social and Environmental Health Research, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - Ian Hamilton
- Energy Institute, University College London, London, UK
| | - Anne Johnson
- Institute of Epidemiology and Health Care, University College London, London, UK
| | - Ilan Kelman
- Institute for Global Health and UCL Institute for Risk and Disaster Reduction, University College London, London, UK
| | - Sari Kovats
- NIHR Health Protection Research Unit in Environmental Change and Health and Department of Social and Environmental Health Research, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - Lu Liang
- School of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of Arkansas at Monticello, Monticello, AR, USA
| | - Melissa Lott
- Institute for Sustainable Resources, University College London, London, UK
| | - Robert Lowe
- Energy Institute, University College London, London, UK
| | - Yong Luo
- Centre for Earth System Science, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Georgina Mace
- Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, London, UK
| | - Mark Maslin
- Department of Geography, University College London, London, UK
| | - Karyn Morrissey
- European Centre for Environment & Human Health, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
| | - Kris Murray
- Grantham Institute-Climate Change and the Environment, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Tara Neville
- Department of Public Health, Environmental and Social Determinants of Health, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Maria Nilsson
- Epidemiology & Global Health, Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Tadj Oreszczyn
- Bartlett School of Environment, Energy and Resources, RCUK Centre for Energy Epidemiology, University College London, London, UK
| | | | | | - Elizabeth Robinson
- School of Agriculture, Policy and Development, University of Reading, Reading, UK
| | - Stefanie Schütte
- Centre Virchow-Villermé for Public Health Paris-Berlin, Université Paris Descartes, Paris, France
| | - Joy Shumake-Guillemot
- WHO/WMO Joint Climate and Health Office, World Meteorological Organization, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Paolo Vineis
- MRC/PHE Centre for Environment and Health, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Paul Wilkinson
- NIHR Health Protection Research Unit in Environmental Change and Health and Department of Social and Environmental Health Research, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - Nicola Wheeler
- Institute for Global Health, University College London, London, UK
| | - Bing Xu
- Centre for Earth System Science, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Jun Yang
- Centre for Earth System Science, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Yongyuan Yin
- Centre for Earth System Science, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Chaoqing Yu
- Centre for Earth System Science, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Peng Gong
- Centre for Earth System Science, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Hugh Montgomery
- Institute for Human Health and Performance, Division of Medicine, University College London, London, UK
| | - Anthony Costello
- Department of Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland
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Ferrero A, Esplugues A, Estarlich M, Llop S, Cases A, Mantilla E, Ballester F, Iñiguez C. Infants' indoor and outdoor residential exposure to benzene and respiratory health in a Spanish cohort. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2017; 222:486-494. [PMID: 28063708 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2016.11.065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2016] [Revised: 11/20/2016] [Accepted: 11/21/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Benzene exposure represents a potential risk for children's health. Apart from being a known carcinogen for humans (group 1 according to IARC), there is scientific evidence suggesting a relationship between benzene exposure and respiratory problems in children. But results are still inconclusive and inconsistent. This study aims to assess the determinants of exposure to indoor and outdoor residential benzene levels and its relationship with respiratory health in infants. Participants were 1-year-old infants (N = 352) from the INMA cohort from Valencia (Spain). Residential benzene exposure levels were measured inside and outside dwellings by means of passive samplers in a 15-day campaign. Persistent cough, low respiratory tract infections and wheezing during the first year of life, and covariates (dwelling traits, lifestyle factors and sociodemographic data) were obtained from parental questionnaires. Multiple Tobit regression and logistic regression models were performed to assess factors associated to residential exposure levels and health associations, respectively. Indoor levels were higher than outdoor ones (1.46 and 0.77 μg/m3, respectively; p < 0.01). A considerable percentage of dwellings, 42% and 21% indoors and outdoors respectively, surpassed the WHO guideline of 1.7 μg/m3 derived from a lifetime risk of leukemia above 1/100 000. Monitoring season, maternal country of birth and parental tobacco consumption were associated with residential benzene exposure (indoor and outdoors). Additionally, indoor levels were associated with mother's age and type of heating, and outdoor levels were linked with zone of residence and distance from industrial areas. After adjustment for confounding factors, no significant associations were found between residential benzene exposure levels and respiratory health in infants. Hence, our study did not support the hypothesis for the benzene exposure effect on respiratory health in children. Even so, it highlights a public health concern related to the personal exposure levels, since a considerable number of children surpassed the abovementioned WHO guideline for benzene exposure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amparo Ferrero
- Epidemiology and Environmental Health Joint Research Unit, FISABIO-Universitat Jaume I, Universitat de València, Avenida de Catalunya 21, 46020, Valencia, Spain; Spanish Consortium for Research on Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Melchor Fernández Almagro, 3-5, 28029, Madrid, Spain.
| | - Ana Esplugues
- Faculty of Nursing and Chiropody, Universitat de València, Av. Blasco Ibáñez, 13, 46010 Valencia, Spain; Epidemiology and Environmental Health Joint Research Unit, FISABIO-Universitat Jaume I, Universitat de València, Avenida de Catalunya 21, 46020, Valencia, Spain; Spanish Consortium for Research on Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Melchor Fernández Almagro, 3-5, 28029, Madrid, Spain
| | - Marisa Estarlich
- Spanish Consortium for Research on Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Melchor Fernández Almagro, 3-5, 28029, Madrid, Spain; Epidemiology and Environmental Health Joint Research Unit, FISABIO-Universitat Jaume I, Universitat de València, Avenida de Catalunya 21, 46020, Valencia, Spain
| | - Sabrina Llop
- Epidemiology and Environmental Health Joint Research Unit, FISABIO-Universitat Jaume I, Universitat de València, Avenida de Catalunya 21, 46020, Valencia, Spain; Spanish Consortium for Research on Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Melchor Fernández Almagro, 3-5, 28029, Madrid, Spain
| | - Amparo Cases
- Epidemiology and Environmental Health Joint Research Unit, FISABIO-Universitat Jaume I, Universitat de València, Avenida de Catalunya 21, 46020, Valencia, Spain; Spanish Consortium for Research on Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Melchor Fernández Almagro, 3-5, 28029, Madrid, Spain
| | - Enrique Mantilla
- Center for Mediterranean Environmental Studies, (CEAM), Parque Tecnológico, Charles R. Darwin, 14, 46980 Paterna, Valencia, Spain
| | - Ferran Ballester
- Epidemiology and Environmental Health Joint Research Unit, FISABIO-Universitat Jaume I, Universitat de València, Avenida de Catalunya 21, 46020, Valencia, Spain; Faculty of Nursing and Chiropody, Universitat de València, Av. Blasco Ibáñez, 13, 46010 Valencia, Spain; Spanish Consortium for Research on Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Melchor Fernández Almagro, 3-5, 28029, Madrid, Spain
| | - Carmen Iñiguez
- Epidemiology and Environmental Health Joint Research Unit, FISABIO-Universitat Jaume I, Universitat de València, Avenida de Catalunya 21, 46020, Valencia, Spain; Spanish Consortium for Research on Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Melchor Fernández Almagro, 3-5, 28029, Madrid, Spain
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Abstract
A gathering body of evidence has repeatedly revealed associations between indoor fungi and initiation, promotion, and exacerbation of allergic respiratory disease. The relationship between the exposure and outcome are complicated by the difficulties in measuring both exposure and outcome, the multifactorial nature of the disease, and the wide range of potential confounders. New technologies are becoming available that may enable better measurement of exposure and tighter case definitions so as to build more confidence in the associations discovered. The growing strength of the evidence base will aid the design of future public health interventions and generate new hypotheses on the cause of the rapid increase in allergic respiratory disease prevalence.
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Sutcliffe R, Orban E, McDonald K, Moebus S. The German Energiewende-a matter for health? Eur J Public Health 2016; 26:707-12. [PMID: 26718691 DOI: 10.1093/eurpub/ckv212] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Germany's enormous transformation away from nuclear energy and fossil fuels towards a renewable and energy efficient system-called the Energiewende-is playing an essential role in Germany's economy and policymaking. This article summarises the current knowledge on possible health impacts of the Energiewende and describes the need and opportunities to incorporate health into energy-related policy. METHODS A structural model helped to narrow down specific topics and to conceptualise links between the Energiewende, the environment and health. A comprehensive literature search was conducted within policy documents and scientific databases with English and German language selections. RESULTS Of 7800 publications first identified only 46 explicitly related energy measures to health, of which 40 were grey literature. Notably, only 12% published by health authorities all others were issued by environmental, energy or consumer protection agencies, ministries or institutions. CONCLUSION Our study shows that health impacts of the German Energiewende are rarely explicitly addressed. An integration of a health perspective into energy-related policy is needed including the involvement of public health authorities. A health impact assessment can be a suitable tool to support and evaluate Energiewende-related developments from a health perspective.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robynne Sutcliffe
- Centre for Urban Epidemiology, Institute for Medical Informatics, Biometry and Epidemiology, University Hospital of Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany
| | - Ester Orban
- Centre for Urban Epidemiology, Institute for Medical Informatics, Biometry and Epidemiology, University Hospital of Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany
| | - Kelsey McDonald
- Centre for Urban Epidemiology, Institute for Medical Informatics, Biometry and Epidemiology, University Hospital of Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany
| | - Susanne Moebus
- Centre for Urban Epidemiology, Institute for Medical Informatics, Biometry and Epidemiology, University Hospital of Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany
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Hernández D, Phillips D. Benefit or burden? Perceptions of energy efficiency efforts among low-income housing residents in New York City. ENERGY RESEARCH & SOCIAL SCIENCE 2015; 8:52-59. [PMID: 27054092 PMCID: PMC4819256 DOI: 10.1016/j.erss.2015.04.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
Low-income households contend with high energy costs and poor thermal comfort due to poor structural conditions and energy inefficiencies in their homes. Energy efficiency upgrades can potentially reduce energy expenses and improve thermal comfort, while also addressing problematic issues in the home environment. The present mixed method pilot study explored the impacts of energy efficiency upgrades in 20 households in a low-income community in New York City. Surveys and interviews were administered to the heads of household in a variety of housing types. Interviews were also conducted with landlords of buildings that had recently undergone upgrades. Findings indicate that energy efficiency measures resulted in improved thermal comfort, enhanced health and safety and reduced energy costs. Participants reported largely positive experiences with the upgrades, resulting in direct and indirect benefits. However, results also indicate negative consequences associated with the upgrades and further illustrate that weatherization alone was insufficient to address all of the issues facing low-income households. Moreover, qualitative results revealed differing experiences of low-income renters compared to homeowners. Overall, energy efficiency upgrades are a promising intervention to mitigate the energy and structurally related challenges facing low-income households, but larger scale research is needed to capture the long-term implications of these upgrades.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diana Hernández
- Department of Sociomedical Sciences, Columbia University, Mailman School of Public Health, 722 West 168th Street, Rm. 903, New York, NY 10032, United States
| | - Douglas Phillips
- Department of Sociomedical Sciences, Columbia University, Mailman School of Public Health, 722 West 168th Street, Rm. 903, New York, NY 10032, United States
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Sharpe RA, Thornton CR, Nikolaou V, Osborne NJ. Higher energy efficient homes are associated with increased risk of doctor diagnosed asthma in a UK subpopulation. ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL 2015; 75:234-244. [PMID: 25498485 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2014.11.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2014] [Revised: 11/03/2014] [Accepted: 11/26/2014] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION The United Kingdom (UK) has one of the highest prevalence of asthma in the world, which represents a significant economic and societal burden. Reduced ventilation resulting from increased energy efficiency measures acts as a modifier for mould contamination and risk of allergic diseases. To our knowledge no previous study has combined detailed asset management property and health data together to assess the impact of household energy efficiency (using the UK Government's Standard Assessment Procedure) on asthma outcomes in an adult population residing in social housing. METHODS Postal questionnaires were sent to 3867 social housing properties to collect demographic, health and environmental information on all occupants. Detailed property data, residency periods, indices of multiple deprivation (IMD) and household energy efficiency ratings were also investigated. Logistic regression was used to calculate odds ratios and confidence intervals while allowing for clustering of individuals coming from the same location. RESULTS Eighteen percent of our target social housing population were recruited into our study. Adults had a mean age of 59 (SD±17.3) years and there was a higher percentage of female (59%) and single occupancy (58%) respondents. Housing demographic characteristics were representative of the target homes. A unit increase in household Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP) rating was associated with a 2% increased risk of current asthma, with the greatest risk in homes with SAP >71. We assessed exposure to mould and found that the presence of a mouldy/musty odour was associated with a two-fold increased risk of asthma (OR 2.2 95%; CI 1.3-3.8). A unit increase in SAP led to a 4-5% reduction in the risk of visible mould growth and a mouldy/musty odour. DISCUSSION In contrast to previous research, we report that residing in energy efficient homes may increase the risk of adult asthma. We report that mould contamination increased the risk of asthma, which is in agreement with existing knowledge. Exposure to mould contamination could not fully explain the association between increased energy efficiency and asthma. Our findings may be explained by increased energy efficiency combined with the provision of inadequate heating, ventilation, and increased concentrations of other biological, chemical and physical contaminants. This is likely to be modified by a complex interaction between occupant behaviours and changes to the built environment. Our findings may also be confounded by our response rate, demographic and behavioural differences between those residing in low versus high energy efficient homes, and use of self-reported exposures and outcomes. CONCLUSION Energy efficiency may increase the risk of current adult asthma in a population residing in social housing. This association was not significantly modified by the presence of visible mould growth, although further research is needed to investigate the interaction between other demographic and housing characteristic risk factors, especially the impact of fuel poverty on indoor exposures and health outcomes. STUDY IMPLICATIONS A multidisciplinary approach is required to assess the interaction between energy efficiency measures and fuel poverty behaviours on health outcomes prior to the delivery of physical interventions aimed at improving the built environment. Policy incentives are required to address fuel poverty issues alongside measures to achieve SAP ratings of 71 or greater, which must be delivered with the provision of adequate heating and ventilation strategies to minimise indoor dampness. Changes in the built environment without changes in behaviour of domicile residents may lead to negative health outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard A Sharpe
- European Centre for Environment and Human Health, University of Exeter Medical School, Knowledge Spa, Royal Cornwall Hospital, Truro, Cornwall TR1 3HD United Kingdom
| | - Christopher R Thornton
- College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Stocker Road, Exeter EX4 4QD, United Kingdom
| | - Vasilis Nikolaou
- University of Exeter Medical School, The Veysey Building, Salmon Pool Lane, Exeter EX2 4SG, United Kingdom
| | - Nicholas J Osborne
- European Centre for Environment and Human Health, University of Exeter Medical School, Knowledge Spa, Royal Cornwall Hospital, Truro, Cornwall TR1 3HD United Kingdom; Department of Paediatrics, University of Melbourne, Flemington Road, Parkville, Melbourne, Australia.
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Sharpe R, Thornton CR, Osborne NJ. Modifiable factors governing indoor fungal diversity and risk of asthma. Clin Exp Allergy 2014; 44:631-41. [PMID: 24471926 DOI: 10.1111/cea.12281] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Exposure to dampness and fungi in the home is a known risk factor for individuals with allergic asthma. Inadequate heating and ventilation may lead to dampness and concomitant increased exposure to spores of allergenic fungi such as Aspergillus and Penicillium. These fungi have been cultured from sputum of asthmatic and non-asthmatic individuals, and implicated in the initiation or exacerbation of asthma. Indoor environmental factors influence the presence and concentrations of fungal propagules and, in turn, risk of asthma outcomes. This review aims to identify modifiable risk factors in the built environment that have been shown to influence fungal composition indoors, and to examine this association with the risk of asthma development and/or exacerbation. A complex interaction between residential characteristics, the built environment and the behaviour of people regulate the diversity and concentrations of indoor fungi. Modifiable factors include build age, architectural design, level of maintenance, variations in construction materials, presence of pets, heating and ventilation patterns. Risk of fungal contamination and asthma outcomes are also influenced by low occupant awareness concerning potential health effects and socio-economic factors. Addressing these factors provides an opportunity to improve future housing interventions, though it is not clear how the built environment and occupant behaviours interact to modify the diversity of indoor fungi and resultant risk of asthma. A combination of housing improvements combined with awareness programmes and the alleviation of fuel poverty can be used to lower the allergen burden associated with damp homes. Further research is needed to identify factors that regulate the concentration and diversity of indoor fungi and how this may act as a modifier for asthma outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Sharpe
- European Centre for Environment and Human Health, University of Exeter Medical School, Truro, UK
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Sharpe RA, Bearman N, Thornton CR, Husk K, Osborne NJ. Indoor fungal diversity and asthma: a meta-analysis and systematic review of risk factors. J Allergy Clin Immunol 2014; 135:110-22. [PMID: 25159468 DOI: 10.1016/j.jaci.2014.07.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 177] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2014] [Revised: 06/06/2014] [Accepted: 07/01/2014] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Indoor dampness increases the risk of indoor fungal growth. A complex interaction between occupant behaviors and the built environment are thought to affect indoor fungal concentrations and species diversity, which are believed to increase the risk of having asthma, exacerbation of asthma symptoms, or both. To date, no systematic review has investigated this relationship. OBJECTIVE This review aims to assess the relationship between exposure to indoor fungi identified to the genera or species level on asthma outcomes in children and adults. METHODS Ten databases were systematically searched on April 18, 2013, and limited to articles published since 1990. Reference lists were independently screened by 2 reviewers, and authors were contacted to identify relevant articles. Data were extracted from included studies meeting our eligibility criteria by 2 reviewers and quality assessed by using the Newcastle-Ottawa scale designed for assessment of case-control and cohort studies. RESULTS Cladosporium, Alternaria, Aspergillus, and Penicillium species were found to be present in higher concentrations in homes of asthmatic participants. Exposure to Penicillium, Aspergillus, and Cladosporium species were found to be associated with increased risk of reporting asthma symptoms by a limited number of studies. The presence of Cladosporium, Alternaria, Aspergillus, and Penicillium species increased the exacerbation of current asthma symptoms by 36% to 48% compared with those exposed to lower concentrations of these fungi, as shown by using random-effect estimates. Studies were of medium quality and showed medium-high heterogeneity, but evidence concerning the specific role of fungal species was limited. CONCLUSION Longitudinal studies assessing increased exposure to indoor fungi before the development of asthma symptoms suggests that Penicillium, Aspergillus, and Cladosporium species pose a respiratory health risk in susceptible populations. Increased exacerbation of current asthma symptoms in children and adults were associated with increased levels of Penicillium, Aspergillus, Cladosporium, and Alternaria species, although further work should consider the role of fungal diversity and increased exposure to other fungal species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard A Sharpe
- European Centre for Environment and Human Health, University of Exeter Medical School, Truro, United Kingdom
| | - Nick Bearman
- European Centre for Environment and Human Health, University of Exeter Medical School, Truro, United Kingdom; Department of Geography and Planning, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom
| | - Christopher R Thornton
- Biosciences, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, United Kingdom
| | - Kerryn Husk
- European Centre for Environment and Human Health, University of Exeter Medical School, Truro, United Kingdom
| | - Nicholas J Osborne
- European Centre for Environment and Human Health, University of Exeter Medical School, Truro, United Kingdom; Department of Paediatrics, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.
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Climate change and air pollution: Effects on pollen allergy and other allergic respiratory diseases. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2014; 23:17-23. [PMID: 26120514 PMCID: PMC4479458 DOI: 10.1007/s40629-014-0003-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2012] [Accepted: 11/26/2012] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
The observational evidence indicates that recent regional changes in climate, particularly temperature increases, have already affected a diverse set of physical and biological systems in many parts of the world. Allergens patterns are also changing in response to climate change and air pollution can modify the allergenic potential of pollen grains especially in the presence of specific weather conditions. Although genetic factors are important in the development of asthma and allergic diseases, their rising trend can be explained only by changes occurring in the environment and urban air pollution by motor vehicles has been indicated as one of the major risk factors responsible for this increase. Despite some differences in the air pollution profile and decreasing trends of some key air pollutants, air quality is an important concern for public health in the cities throughout the world. Due to climate change, air pollution patterns are changing in several urbanized areas of the world with a significant effect on respiratory health. The underlying mechanisms of all these interactions are not well known yet. The consequences on health vary from decreases in lung function to allergic diseases, new onset of diseases, and exacerbation of chronic respiratory diseases. In addition, it is important to recall that an individual’s response to pollution exposure depends on the source and components of air pollution, as well as meteorological conditions. Indeed, some air pollution-related incidents with asthma aggravation do not depend only on the increased production of air pollution, but rather on atmospheric factors that favor the accumulation of air pollutants at ground level. Associations between thunderstorms and asthma morbidity of pollinosis-affected people have also been identified in multiple locations around the world (Fig.1). Cite this as D’Amato G, Bergmann KC, Cecchi L, Annesi-Maesano I, Sanduzzi A, Liccardi G, Vitale C, Stanziola A, D’Amato M. Climate change and air pollution — Effects on pollen allergy and other allergic respiratory diseases. Allergo J Int 2014; 23: 17–23 DOI 10.1007/s40629-014-0003-7 A factor clouding the problem is that laboratory evaluations do not reflect what happens during natural exposition. Considering these aspects, governments worldwide, international organizations, and cooperations such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and the European Health Policy of the European Union (EU) are facing a growing problem of the respiratory effects induced by gaseous and particulate pollutants arising from motor vehicle emissions.
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Mesa-Frias M, Chalabi Z, Foss AM. Assessing framing assumptions in quantitative health impact assessments: a housing intervention example. ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL 2013; 59:133-140. [PMID: 23807176 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2013.06.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2013] [Revised: 05/16/2013] [Accepted: 06/02/2013] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Health impact assessment (HIA) is often used to determine ex ante the health impact of an environmental policy or an environmental intervention. Underpinning any HIA is the framing assumption, which defines the causal pathways mapping environmental exposures to health outcomes. The sensitivity of the HIA to the framing assumptions is often ignored. A novel method based on fuzzy cognitive map (FCM) is developed to quantify the framing assumptions in the assessment stage of a HIA, and is then applied to a housing intervention (tightening insulation) as a case-study. Framing assumptions of the case-study were identified through a literature search of Ovid Medline (1948-2011). The FCM approach was used to identify the key variables that have the most influence in a HIA. Changes in air-tightness, ventilation, indoor air quality and mould/humidity have been identified as having the most influence on health. The FCM approach is widely applicable and can be used to inform the formulation of the framing assumptions in any quantitative HIA of environmental interventions. We argue that it is necessary to explore and quantify framing assumptions prior to conducting a detailed quantitative HIA during the assessment stage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marco Mesa-Frias
- Department of Social and Environmental Health Research, Faculty of Public Health and Policy, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, 15-17 Tavistock Place, London WC1H 9SH, UK.
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Fajersztajn L, Veras M, Barrozo LV, Saldiva P. Air pollution: a potentially modifiable risk factor for lung cancer. Nat Rev Cancer 2013; 13:674-8. [PMID: 23924644 DOI: 10.1038/nrc3572] [Citation(s) in RCA: 118] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Economic growth and increased urbanization pose a new risk for cancer development: the exposure of high numbers of people to ambient air pollution. Epidemiological evidence that links air pollution to mortality from lung cancer is robust. An ability to produce high-quality scientific research that addresses these risks and the ability of local health authorities to understand and respond to these risks are basic requirements to solve the conflict between economic development and the preservation of human health. However, this is currently far from being achieved. Thus, this Science and Society article addresses the possibilities of expanding scientific networking to increase awareness of the risk of lung cancer that is promoted by air pollution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laís Fajersztajn
- Laboratory of Experimental Air Pollution (LIM05), Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, University of São Paulo, São Paulo 01246-903, São Paulo State, Brazil
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Hernández D. Energy insecurity: a framework for understanding energy, the built environment, and health among vulnerable populations in the context of climate change. Am J Public Health 2013; 103:e32-4. [PMID: 23409876 DOI: 10.2105/ajph.2012.301179] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
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D'Amato G, Baena-Cagnani CE, Cecchi L, Annesi-Maesano I, Nunes C, Ansotegui I, D'Amato M, Liccardi G, Sofia M, Canonica WG. Climate change, air pollution and extreme events leading to increasing prevalence of allergic respiratory diseases. Multidiscip Respir Med 2013; 8:12. [PMID: 23398734 PMCID: PMC3598823 DOI: 10.1186/2049-6958-8-12] [Citation(s) in RCA: 97] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2013] [Accepted: 01/15/2013] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
The prevalence of asthma and allergic diseases has increased dramatically during the past few decades not only in industrialized countries. Urban air pollution from motor vehicles has been indicated as one of the major risk factors responsible for this increase.Although genetic factors are important in the development of asthma and allergic diseases, the rising trend can be explained only in changes occurred in the environment. Despite some differences in the air pollution profile and decreasing trends of some key air pollutants, air quality is an important concern for public health in the cities throughout the world.Due to climate change, air pollution patterns are changing in several urbanized areas of the world, with a significant effect on respiratory health.The observational evidence indicates that recent regional changes in climate, particularly temperature increases, have already affected a diverse set of physical and biological systems in many parts of the world. Associations between thunderstorms and asthma morbidity in pollinosis subjects have been also identified in multiple locations around the world.Allergens patterns are also changing in response to climate change and air pollution can modify the allergenic potential of pollens especially in presence of specific weather conditions.The underlying mechanisms of all these interactions are not well known yet. The consequences on health vary from decreases in lung function to allergic diseases, new onset of diseases, and exacerbation of chronic respiratory diseases.Factor clouding the issue is that laboratory evaluations do not reflect what happens during natural exposition, when atmospheric pollution mixtures in polluted cities are inhaled. In addition, it is important to recall that an individual's response to pollution exposure depends on the source and components of air pollution, as well as meteorological conditions. Indeed, some air pollution-related incidents with asthma aggravation do not depend only on the increased production of air pollution, but rather on atmospheric factors that favour the accumulation of air pollutants at ground level.Considering these aspects governments worldwide and international organizations such as the World Health Organization and the European Union are facing a growing problem of the respiratory effects induced by gaseous and particulate pollutants arising from motor vehicle emissions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gennaro D'Amato
- Division of Respiratory and Allergic Diseases, HighSpecialityHospital A, Cardarelli, Department of Respiratory Diseases, Napoli, Italy.
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Vicedo-Cabrera AM, García-Marcos L, Llopis-González A, López-Silvarrey-Varela Á, Miner-Canflanca I, Batlles-Garrido J, Blanco-Quiros A, Busquets-Monge RM, Díaz-Vazquez C, González-Díaz C, Martínez-Gimeno A, Guillén-Grima F, Arnedo-Pena A, Morales-Suárez-Varela M. Atopic dermatitis and indoor use of energy sources in cooking and heating appliances. BMC Public Health 2012; 12:890. [PMID: 23088771 PMCID: PMC3575224 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2458-12-890] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/29/2012] [Accepted: 10/12/2012] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Atopic dermatitis (AD) prevalence has considerably increased worldwide in recent years. Studying indoor environments is particularly relevant, especially in industrialised countries where many people spend 80% of their time at home, particularly children. This study is aimed to identify the potential association between AD and the energy source (biomass, gas and electricity) used for cooking and domestic heating in a Spanish schoolchildren population. METHODS As part of the ISAAC (International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood) phase III study, a cross-sectional population-based survey was conducted with 21,355 6-to-7-year-old children from 8 Spanish ISAAC centres. AD prevalence, environmental risk factors and the use of domestic heating/cooking devices were assessed using the validated ISAAC questionnaire. Crude and adjusted odds ratios (cOR, aOR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were obtained. A logistic regression analysis was performed (Chi-square test, p-value < 0.05). RESULTS It was found that the use of biomass systems gave the highest cORs, but only electric cookers showed a significant cOR of 1.14 (95% CI: 1.01-1.27). When the geographical area and the mother's educational level were included in the logistic model, the obtained aOR values differed moderately from the initial cORs. Electric heating was the only type which obtained a significant aOR (1.13; 95% CI: 1.00-1.27). Finally, the model with all selected confounding variables (sex, BMI, number of siblings, mother's educational level, smoking habits of parents, truck traffic and geographical area), showed aOR values which were very similar to those obtained in the previous adjusted logistic analysis. None of the results was statistically significant, but the use of electric heating showed an aOR close to significance (1.14; 95% CI: 0.99-1.31). CONCLUSION In our study population, no statistically significant associations were found between the type of indoor energy sources used and the presence of AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana M Vicedo-Cabrera
- Unit of Public Health, Hygiene and Environmental care, Department of Preventive Medicine, University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain.
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Frumkin H, Fried L, Moody R. Aging, climate change, and legacy thinking. Am J Public Health 2012; 102:1434-8. [PMID: 22698047 PMCID: PMC3464837 DOI: 10.2105/ajph.2012.300663] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/19/2012] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
Climate change is a complex, long-term public health challenge. Older people are especially susceptible to certain climate change impacts, such as heat waves. We suggest that older people may be a resource for addressing climate change because of their concern for legacy--for leaving behind values, attitudes, and an intact world to their children and grandchildren. We review the theoretical basis for "legacy thinking" among older people. We offer suggestions for research on this phenomenon, and for action to strengthen the sense of legacy. At a time when older populations are growing, understanding and promoting legacy thinking may offer an important strategy for addressing climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Howard Frumkin
- University of Washington School of Public Health, Seattle, WA 98195, USA.
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38
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Rydin Y, Bleahu A, Davies M, Dávila JD, Friel S, De Grandis G, Groce N, Hallal PC, Hamilton I, Howden-Chapman P, Lai KM, Lim CJ, Martins J, Osrin D, Ridley I, Scott I, Taylor M, Wilkinson P, Wilson J. Shaping cities for health: complexity and the planning of urban environments in the 21st century. Lancet 2012; 379:2079-108. [PMID: 22651973 PMCID: PMC3428861 DOI: 10.1016/s0140-6736(12)60435-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 294] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
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Improving health and energy efficiency through community-based housing interventions. Int J Public Health 2011; 56:583-8. [PMID: 21858460 DOI: 10.1007/s00038-011-0287-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/25/2010] [Revised: 07/22/2011] [Accepted: 07/29/2011] [Indexed: 10/17/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Houses designed for one climate and cultural group may not be appropriate for other places and people. Our aim is to find cost-effective ways to improve the characteristics of older homes, ill-fitted for New Zealand's climate, in order to improve the occupants' health. METHOD We have carried out two community randomised trials, in partnership with local communities, which have focused on retrofitted insulation and more effective heating and have two other studies under way, one which focuses on electricity vouchers and the other on housing hazard remediation. RESULTS The Housing, Insulation and Health Study showed that insulating 1,350 houses, built before insulation was required, improved the occupants' health and well being as well as household energy efficiency. In the Housing, Heating and Health Study we investigated the impact of installing more effective heating in insulated houses for 409 households, where there was a child with doctor-diagnosed asthma. Again, the study showed significant results in the intervention group; indoor temperatures increased and levels of NO(2) were halved. Children reported less poor health, lower levels of asthma symptoms and sleep disturbances by wheeze and dry cough. Children also had fewer days off school. CONCLUSION Improving the energy efficiency of older housing leads to health improvements and energy efficiency improvements. Multidisciplinary studies of housing interventions can create compelling evidence to support policies for sustainable housing developments which improve health.
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D'Amato G, Rottem M, Dahl R, Blaiss M, Ridolo E, Cecchi L, Rosario N, Motala C, Ansotegui I, Annesi-Maesano I. Climate change, migration, and allergic respiratory diseases: an update for the allergist. World Allergy Organ J 2011; 4:120-5. [PMID: 23268459 PMCID: PMC3488916 DOI: 10.1097/wox.0b013e3182260a57] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Local climate changes can impact on a number of factors, including air pollution, that have been shown to influence both the development and attacks of allergic respiratory diseases, and thus, they represent an important consideration for the allergist. Migration involves exposure to a new set of pollutants and allergens as well as changes in housing conditions, diet, and accessibility to medical services, all of which are likely to affect migrants' health. This review provides an update on climate change, migration, and allergy and discusses factors for consideration when making recommendations for local allergy service provision and for assessing an individual patient's environmental exposures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gennaro D'Amato
- Division of Respiratory and Allergic Diseases, High Speciality Hospital A. Cardarelli, School of Specialization, Department of Respiratory Diseases, University of Napoli, Napoli, Italy
| | - Menachem Rottem
- Head, Allergy Asthma and Immunology, Emek Medical Center, Afula, and Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion, Haifa, Israel
| | - Ronald Dahl
- Department of Respiratory Diseases, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Michael Blaiss
- Clinical Professor of Pediatrics and Medicine University of Tennessee Health Science Center Memphis, Tennessee
| | - Erminia Ridolo
- Department of Clinical Sciences, University of Parma, Italy
| | - Lorenzo Cecchi
- Interdepartmental Centre of Bioclimatology, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Nelson Rosario
- Professor of Pediatrics, Federal University of Parana, Brazil
| | - Cassim Motala
- Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Ignacio Ansotegui
- Department of Allergy and Immunology, Hospital Quiron Bizkaia, Bilbao, Spain; and
| | - Isabella Annesi-Maesano
- INSERM, UMR S 707, EPAR, F-75012, Paris, France; UPMC Univ Paris 06, UMR_S 707, EPAR, F-75012, Paris, France
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Bone A, Murray V, Myers I, Dengel A, Crump D. Will drivers for home energy efficiency harm occupant health? Perspect Public Health 2010; 130:233-8. [PMID: 21086820 DOI: 10.1177/1757913910369092] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The U.K. government has committed to an 80% reduction in carbon emissions by 2050, with housing accounting for 27% of total current emissions. There are several drivers both to reduce emissions from homes and to reduce fuel poverty, promoting a range of building and behavioural measures in homes. The health benefits of warmer homes in winter have been described, but there has been less consideration of the potential negative impacts of some of these measures. We examine the changes in U.K. homes, and the possible consequences for health. The main concerns for health surround the potential for poor indoor air quality if ventilation is insufficient and the possible risks of overheating in heatwave conditions. This paper notes a limited evidence base and the need for further research on the health effects of energy-efficient homes, particularly with regard to ventilation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angie Bone
- Health Protection Agency, 7th Floor, Holborn Gate, 330 High Holborn, London, WC1V 7PR, UK.
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Hanlon P, Carlisle S. Re-orienting public health: rhetoric, challenges and possibilities for sustainability. CRITICAL PUBLIC HEALTH 2010. [DOI: 10.1080/09581596.2010.482581] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Phil Hanlon
- a Section of Public Health and Health Policy, Department of Community-based Sciences , University of Glasgow , 1 Lilybank Gardens, Glasgow G12 8RZ , UK
| | - Sandra Carlisle
- a Section of Public Health and Health Policy, Department of Community-based Sciences , University of Glasgow , 1 Lilybank Gardens, Glasgow G12 8RZ , UK
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Affiliation(s)
- Andy Haines
- Director's Office, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London WCIE 7HT, UK.
| | - Paul Wilkinson
- Department of Public Health and Policy, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London WCIE 7HT, UK
| | - Cathryn Tonne
- Department of Public Health and Policy, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London WCIE 7HT, UK
| | - Ian Roberts
- Department of Epidemiology and Population Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London WCIE 7HT, UK
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Wilkinson P, Smith KR, Davies M, Adair H, Armstrong BG, Barrett M, Bruce N, Haines A, Hamilton I, Oreszczyn T, Ridley I, Tonne C, Chalabi Z. Public health benefits of strategies to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions: household energy. Lancet 2009; 374:1917-29. [PMID: 19942273 DOI: 10.1016/s0140-6736(09)61713-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 271] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Energy used in dwellings is an important target for actions to avert climate change. Properly designed and implemented, such actions could have major co-benefits for public health. To investigate, we examined the effect of hypothetical strategies to improve energy efficiency in UK housing stock and to introduce 150 million low-emission household cookstoves in India. Methods similar to those of WHO's Comparative Risk Assessment exercise were applied to assess the effect on health that changes in the indoor environment could have. For UK housing, the magnitude and even direction of the changes in health depended on details of the intervention, but interventions were generally beneficial for health. For a strategy of combined fabric, ventilation, fuel switching, and behavioural changes, we estimated 850 fewer disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs), and a saving of 0.6 megatonnes of carbon dioxide (CO(2)), per million population in 1 year (on the basis of calculations comparing the health of the 2010 population with and without the specified outcome measures). The cookstove programme in India showed substantial benefits for acute lower respiratory infection in children, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and ischaemic heart disease. Calculated on a similar basis to the UK case study, the avoided burden of these outcomes was estimated to be 12 500 fewer DALYs and a saving of 0.1-0.2 megatonnes CO(2)-equivalent per million population in 1 year, mostly in short-lived greenhouse pollutants. Household energy interventions have potential for important co-benefits in pursuit of health and climate goals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul Wilkinson
- London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK.
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Howden-Chapman P, Pierse N, Nicholls S, Gillespie-Bennett J, Viggers H, Cunningham M, Phipps R, Boulic M, Fjällström P, Free S, Chapman R, Lloyd B, Wickens K, Shields D, Baker M, Cunningham C, Woodward A, Bullen C, Crane J. Effects of improved home heating on asthma in community dwelling children: randomised controlled trial. BMJ 2008; 337:a1411. [PMID: 18812366 PMCID: PMC2658826 DOI: 10.1136/bmj.a1411] [Citation(s) in RCA: 120] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/15/2008] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To assess whether non-polluting, more effective home heating (heat pump, wood pellet burner, flued gas) has a positive effect on the health of children with asthma. DESIGN Randomised controlled trial. SETTING Households in five communities in New Zealand. PARTICIPANTS 409 children aged 6-12 years with doctor diagnosed asthma. INTERVENTIONS Installation of a non-polluting, more effective home heater before winter. The control group received a replacement heater at the end of the trial. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES The primary outcome was change in lung function (peak expiratory flow rate and forced expiratory volume in one second, FEV(1)). Secondary outcomes were child reported respiratory tract symptoms and daily use of preventer and reliever drugs. At the end of winter 2005 (baseline) and winter 2006 (follow-up) parents reported their child's general health, use of health services, overall respiratory health, and housing conditions. Nitrogen dioxide levels were measured monthly for four months and temperatures in the living room and child's bedroom were recorded hourly. RESULTS Improvements in lung function were not significant (difference in mean FEV(1) 130.7 ml, 95% confidence interval -20.3 to 281.7). Compared with children in the control group, however, children in the intervention group had 1.80 fewer days off school (95% confidence interval 0.11 to 3.13), 0.40 fewer visits to a doctor for asthma (0.11 to 0.62), and 0.25 fewer visits to a pharmacist for asthma (0.09 to 0.32). Children in the intervention group also had fewer reports of poor health (adjusted odds ratio 0.48, 95% confidence interval 0.31 to 0.74), less sleep disturbed by wheezing (0.55, 0.35 to 0.85), less dry cough at night (0.52, 0.32 to 0.83), and reduced scores for lower respiratory tract symptoms (0.77, 0.73 to 0.81) than children in the control group. The intervention was associated with a mean temperature rise in the living room of 1.10 degrees C (95% confidence interval 0.54 degrees C to 1.64 degrees C) and in the child's bedroom of 0.57 degrees C (0.05 degrees C to 1.08 degrees C). Lower levels of nitrogen dioxide were measured in the living rooms of the intervention households than in those of the control households (geometric mean 8.5 microg/m(3) v 15.7 microg/m(3), P<0.001). A similar effect was found in the children's bedrooms (7.3 microg/m(3) v 10.9 microg/m(3), P<0.001). CONCLUSION Installing non-polluting, more effective heating in the homes of children with asthma did not significantly improve lung function but did significantly reduce symptoms of asthma, days off school, healthcare utilisation, and visits to a pharmacist. TRIAL REGISTRATION Clinical Trials NCT00489762.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philippa Howden-Chapman
- He Kainga Oranga/Housing and Health Research Programme, University of Otago, Wellington, PO 7343, Wellington South, New Zealand.
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Perera FP. Children are likely to suffer most from our fossil fuel addiction. ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PERSPECTIVES 2008; 116:987-90. [PMID: 18709169 PMCID: PMC2516589 DOI: 10.1289/ehp.11173] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2007] [Accepted: 04/16/2008] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The periods of fetal and child development arguably represent the stages of greatest vulnerability to the dual impacts of fossil fuel combustion: the multiple toxic effects of emitted pollutants (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, particles, sulfur oxides, nitrogen oxides, metals) and the broad health impacts of global climate change attributable in large part to carbon dioxide released by fossil fuel burning. OBJECTIVES In this commentary I highlight current scientific evidence indicating that the fetus and young child are at heightened risk of developmental impairment, asthma, and cancer from fossil fuel pollutants and from the predicted effects of climate disruption such as heat waves, flooding, infectious disease, malnutrition, and trauma. Increased risk during early development derives from the inherently greater biologic vulnerability of the developing fetus and child and from their long future lifetime, during which early insults can potentially manifest as adult as well as childhood disease. I cite recent reports concluding that reducing dependence on fossil fuel and promoting clean and sustainable energy is economically feasible. DISCUSSION Although much has been written separately about the toxicity of fossil fuel burning emissions and the effects of climate change on health, these two faces of the problem have not been viewed together with a focus on the developing fetus and child. Adolescence and old age are also periods of vulnerability, but the potential for both immediate and long-term adverse effects is greatest when exposure occurs prenatally or in the early years. CONCLUSIONS Consideration of the full spectrum of health risks to children from fossil fuel combustion underscores the urgent need for environmental and energy policies to reduce fossil fuel dependence and maximize the health benefits to this susceptible population. We do not have to leave our children a double legacy of ill health and ecologic disaster.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frederica P Perera
- Columbia Center for Children's Environmental Health, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, New York 10032, USA.
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Maibach EW, Chadwick A, McBride D, Chuk M, Ebi KL, Balbus J. Climate change and local public health in the United States: preparedness, programs and perceptions of local public health department directors. PLoS One 2008; 3:e2838. [PMID: 18665266 PMCID: PMC2474970 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0002838] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2008] [Accepted: 06/02/2008] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
While climate change is inherently a global problem, its public health impacts will be experienced most acutely at the local and regional level, with some jurisdictions likely to be more burdened than others. The public health infrastructure in the U.S. is organized largely as an interlocking set of public agencies at the federal, state and local level, with lead responsibility for each city or county often residing at the local level. To understand how directors of local public health departments view and are responding to climate change as a public health issue, we conducted a telephone survey with 133 randomly selected local health department directors, representing a 61% response rate. A majority of respondents perceived climate change to be a problem in their jurisdiction, a problem they viewed as likely to become more common or severe over the next 20 years. Only a small minority of respondents, however, had yet made climate change adaptation or prevention a top priority for their health department. This discrepancy between problem recognition and programmatic responses may be due, in part, to several factors: most respondents felt personnel in their health department--and other key stakeholders in their community--had a lack of knowledge about climate change; relatively few respondents felt their own health department, their state health department, or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had the necessary expertise to help them create an effective mitigation or adaptation plan for their jurisdiction; and most respondents felt that their health department needed additional funding, staff and staff training to respond effectively to climate change. These data make clear that climate change adaptation and prevention are not currently major activities at most health departments, and that most, if not all, local health departments will require assistance in making this transition. We conclude by making the case that, through their words and actions, local health departments and their staff can and should play a role in alerting members of their community about the prospect of public health impacts from climate change in their jurisdiction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edward W Maibach
- Center for Climate Change Communication, George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia, United States of America.
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Abstract
Don’t leave health benefits out of the equation
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Haines A, Smith KR, Anderson D, Epstein PR, McMichael AJ, Roberts I, Wilkinson P, Woodcock J, Woods J. Policies for accelerating access to clean energy, improving health, advancing development, and mitigating climate change. Lancet 2007; 370:1264-81. [PMID: 17868819 DOI: 10.1016/s0140-6736(07)61257-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 74] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
The absence of reliable access to clean energy and the services it provides imposes a large disease burden on low-income populations and impedes prospects for development. Furthermore, current patterns of fossil-fuel use cause substantial ill-health from air pollution and occupational hazards. Impending climate change, mainly driven by energy use, now also threatens health. Policies to promote access to non-polluting and sustainable sources of energy have great potential both to improve public health and to mitigate (prevent) climate disruption. There are several technological options, policy levers, and economic instruments for sectors such as power generation, transport, agriculture, and the built environment. However, barriers to change include vested interests, political inertia, inability to take meaningful action, profound global inequalities, weak technology-transfer mechanisms, and knowledge gaps that must be addressed to transform global markets. The need for policies that prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate while addressing the energy needs of disadvantaged people is a central challenge of the current era. A comprehensive programme for clean energy should optimise mitigation and, simultaneously, adaption to climate change while maximising co-benefits for health--eg, through improved air, water, and food quality. Intersectoral research and concerted action, both nationally and internationally, will be required.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andy Haines
- London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK.
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