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Dales R, Lukina AO, Romero-Meza R, Blanco-Vidal C, Cakmak S. Ambient air pollution exposure and COVID-19 related hospitalizations in Santiago, Chile. Sci Rep 2024; 14:14186. [PMID: 38902344 PMCID: PMC11190141 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-64668-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2024] [Accepted: 06/11/2024] [Indexed: 06/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Morbidity and mortality from several diseases are increased on days of higher ambient air pollution. We carried out a daily time-series analysis with distributive lags to study the influence of short-term air pollution exposure on COVID-19 related hospitalization in Santiago, Chile between March 16 and August 31, 2020. Analyses were adjusted for temporal trends, ambient temperature, and relative humidity, and stratified by age and sex. 26,579 COVID-19 hospitalizations were recorded of which 24,501 were laboratory confirmed. The cumulative percent change in hospitalizations (95% confidence intervals) for an interquartile range increase in air pollutants were: 1.1 (0.2, 2.0) for carbon monoxide (CO), 0.30 (0.0, 0.50) for nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and 2.7 (1.9, 3.0) for particulate matter of diameter ≤ 2.5 microns (PM2.5). Associations with ozone (O3), particulate matter of diameter ≤ 10 microns (PM10) and sulfur dioxide (SO2) were not significant. The observed effect of PM2.5 was significantly greater for females and for those individuals ≥ 65 years old. This study provides evidence that daily increases in air pollution, especially PM2.5, result in a higher observed risk of hospitalization from COVID-19. Females and the elderly may be disproportionately affected.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert Dales
- Environmental Health Science and Research Bureau, Health Canada, 251 Sir Frederic Banting Driveway, Ottawa, ON, K1A 0K9, Canada
- University of Ottawa and Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, Canada
| | - Anna O Lukina
- Environmental Health Science and Research Bureau, Health Canada, 251 Sir Frederic Banting Driveway, Ottawa, ON, K1A 0K9, Canada
| | - Rafael Romero-Meza
- School of Economics and Business, Universidad Alberto Hurtado, Santiago, Chile
| | | | - Sabit Cakmak
- Environmental Health Science and Research Bureau, Health Canada, 251 Sir Frederic Banting Driveway, Ottawa, ON, K1A 0K9, Canada.
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2
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Wei L, Donaire-Gonzalez D, Helbich M, van Nunen E, Hoek G, Vermeulen RCH. Validity of Mobility-Based Exposure Assessment of Air Pollution: A Comparative Analysis with Home-Based Exposure Assessment. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2024; 58:10685-10695. [PMID: 38839422 PMCID: PMC11191597 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.3c10867] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2023] [Revised: 05/08/2024] [Accepted: 05/28/2024] [Indexed: 06/07/2024]
Abstract
Air pollution exposure is typically assessed at the front door where people live in large-scale epidemiological studies, overlooking individuals' daily mobility out-of-home. However, there is limited evidence that incorporating mobility data into personal air pollution assessment improves exposure assessment compared to home-based assessments. This study aimed to compare the agreement between mobility-based and home-based assessments with personal exposure measurements. We measured repeatedly particulate matter (PM2.5) and black carbon (BC) using a sample of 41 older adults in the Netherlands. In total, 104 valid 24 h average personal measurements were collected. Home-based exposures were estimated by combining participants' home locations and temporal-adjusted air pollution maps. Mobility-based estimates of air pollution were computed based on smartphone-based tracking data, temporal-adjusted air pollution maps, indoor-outdoor penetration, and travel mode adjustment. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) revealed that mobility-based estimates significantly improved agreement with personal measurements compared to home-based assessments. For PM2.5, agreement increased by 64% (ICC: 0.39-0.64), and for BC, it increased by 21% (ICC: 0.43-0.52). Our findings suggest that adjusting for indoor-outdoor pollutant ratios in mobility-based assessments can provide more valid estimates of air pollution than the commonly used home-based assessments, with no added value observed from travel mode adjustments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lai Wei
- Department
of Human Geography and Spatial Planning, Utrecht University, 3584 CB Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - David Donaire-Gonzalez
- Institute
for Risk Assessment Sciences, Utrecht University, 3584 CK Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Marco Helbich
- Department
of Human Geography and Spatial Planning, Utrecht University, 3584 CB Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Erik van Nunen
- Institute
for Risk Assessment Sciences, Utrecht University, 3584 CK Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Gerard Hoek
- Institute
for Risk Assessment Sciences, Utrecht University, 3584 CK Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Roel C. H. Vermeulen
- Institute
for Risk Assessment Sciences, Utrecht University, 3584 CK Utrecht, The Netherlands
- Julius
Centre for Health Sciences and Primary Care, University Medical Centre, Utrecht University, 3584 CK Utrecht, The Netherlands
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Bayram H, Konyalilar N, Elci MA, Rajabi H, Aksoy GT, Mortazavi D, Kayalar Ö, Dikensoy Ö, Taborda-Barata L, Viegi G. Issue 4 - Impact of air pollution on COVID-19 mortality and morbidity: An epidemiological and mechanistic review. Pulmonology 2024:S2531-0437(24)00051-5. [PMID: 38755091 DOI: 10.1016/j.pulmoe.2024.04.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2024] [Revised: 04/10/2024] [Accepted: 04/11/2024] [Indexed: 05/18/2024] Open
Abstract
Air pollution is a major global environment and health concern. Recent studies have suggested an association between air pollution and COVID-19 mortality and morbidity. In this context, a close association between increased levels of air pollutants such as particulate matter ≤2.5 to 10 µM, ozone and nitrogen dioxide and SARS-CoV-2 infection, hospital admissions and mortality due to COVID 19 has been reported. Air pollutants can make individuals more susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection by inducing the expression of proteins such as angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE)2 and transmembrane protease, serine 2 (TMPRSS2) that are required for viral entry into the host cell, while causing impairment in the host defence system by damaging the epithelial barrier, muco-ciliary clearance, inhibiting the antiviral response and causing immune dysregulation. The aim of this review is to report the epidemiological evidence on impact of air pollutants on COVID 19 in an up-to-date manner, as well as to provide insights on in vivo and in vitro mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hasan Bayram
- Koç University Research Centre for Translational Medicine (KUTTAM), Zeytinburnu, Istanbul, Turkey; Department of Pulmonary Medicine, School of Medicine, Koç University, Zeytinburnu, Istanbul, Turkey.
| | - Nur Konyalilar
- Koç University Research Centre for Translational Medicine (KUTTAM), Zeytinburnu, Istanbul, Turkey
| | | | - Hadi Rajabi
- Koç University Research Centre for Translational Medicine (KUTTAM), Zeytinburnu, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - G Tuşe Aksoy
- Koç University Research Centre for Translational Medicine (KUTTAM), Zeytinburnu, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Deniz Mortazavi
- Koç University Research Centre for Translational Medicine (KUTTAM), Zeytinburnu, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Özgecan Kayalar
- Koç University Research Centre for Translational Medicine (KUTTAM), Zeytinburnu, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Öner Dikensoy
- Department of Pulmonary Medicine, School of Medicine, Koç University, Zeytinburnu, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Luis Taborda-Barata
- UBIAir - Clinical and Experimental Lung Centre UBIMedical, University of Beira Interior, Covilhã, Portugal; CICS-UBI - Health Sciences Research Centre, University of Beira Interior, Covilhã, Portugal
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4
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Singer M. Is Pollution the Primary Driver of Infectious Syndemics? Pathogens 2024; 13:370. [PMID: 38787222 PMCID: PMC11124193 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens13050370] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2024] [Revised: 04/13/2024] [Accepted: 04/29/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Syndemics, the adverse interaction of two or more coterminous diseases or other negative health conditions, have probably existed since human settlement, plant and animal domestication, urbanization, and the growth of social inequality beginning about 10-12,000 years ago. These dramatic changes in human social evolution significantly increased opportunities for the spread of zoonotic infectious diseases in denser human communities with increased sanitation challenges. In light of a growing body of research that indicates that anthropogenic air pollution causes numerous threats to health and is taking a far greater toll on human life and wellbeing than had been reported, this paper proposes the possibility that air pollution is now the primary driver of infectious disease syndemics. In support of this assertion, this paper reviews the growth and health impacts of air pollution, the relationship of air pollution to the development and spread of infectious diseases, and reported cases of air pollution-driven infectious disease syndemics, and presents public health recommendations for leveraging the biosocial insight of syndemic theory in responding to infectious disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Merrill Singer
- Anthropology, Storrs Campus, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269, USA
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Hsiao CC, Cheng CG, Hong ZT, Chen YH, Cheng CA. The Influence of Fine Particulate Matter and Cold Weather on Emergency Room Interventions for Childhood Asthma. Life (Basel) 2024; 14:570. [PMID: 38792592 PMCID: PMC11122191 DOI: 10.3390/life14050570] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2024] [Revised: 04/25/2024] [Accepted: 04/27/2024] [Indexed: 05/26/2024] Open
Abstract
(1) Background: Children are the most vulnerable to pollution due to their decreased stature, heightened respiratory rate, and frequent outdoor engagement. PM2.5, nitrogen dioxide (NO2), ozone, and cold weather are associated with pediatric asthma. In this study, we investigated the nexus between air pollution, climate factors, and pediatric asthma emergency room visits (ERVs). (2) Method: Pediatric asthma ERV data for healthcare quality from the Taiwanese National Insurance in the Taipei area were obtained from 2015 to 2019. Air pollution and climate factor data were also collected. Poisson regression was employed to determine the relationships with relative risks (RRs). (3) Results: The incidence of pediatric asthma ERVs decreased, with a crude RR of 0.983 (95% CI: 0.98-0.986, p < 0.001). Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) had an adjusted RR of 1.102 (95% CI: 1.037-1.172, p = 0.002) and a 7.7 µg/m3 increase, and air temperature had an adjusted RR of 0.813 (95% CI: 0.745-0.887, p < 0.001) comparing between the highest and lowest quarter air temperature associated with pediatric asthma ERVs. (4) Conclusions: This inquiry underscores the positive associations of PM2.5 and cold weather with pediatric asthma ERVs. The findings could guide the government to establish policies to reduce air pollution and promote children's health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chih-Chun Hsiao
- Department of Nursing, Taoyuan Armed Forces General Hospital, Taoyuan 32549, Taiwan
| | - Chun-Gu Cheng
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Taoyuan Armed Forces General Hospital, Taoyuan 32549, Taiwan
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Tri-Service General Hospital, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei 11490, Taiwan
| | - Zih-Tai Hong
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Taoyuan Armed Forces General Hospital, Taoyuan 32549, Taiwan
| | - Yu-Hsuan Chen
- Division of Chest Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Cheng Hsin General Hospital, Taipei 11220, Taiwan
| | - Chun-An Cheng
- Department of Neurology, Tri-Service General Hospital, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei 11490, Taiwan
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Zhang C, Wang Y, Xie W, Zhang J, Tian T, Zhu Q, Fang X, Sui J, Pan D, Xia H, Wang S, Sun G, Dai Y. Sex differences and dietary patterns in the association of air pollutants and hypertension. BMC Public Health 2024; 24:1134. [PMID: 38654317 PMCID: PMC11040935 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-024-18620-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2024] [Accepted: 04/16/2024] [Indexed: 04/25/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Hypertension is one of the major public health problems in China. Limited evidence exists regarding sex differences in the association between hypertension and air pollutants, as well as the impact of dietary factors on the relationship between air pollutants and hypertension. The aim of this study was to investigate the sex-specific effects of dietary patterns on the association between fine particulate matter (PM2.5), ozone(O3) and hypertension in adults residing in Jiangsu Province of China. METHODS A total of 3189 adults from the 2015 China Adult Chronic Disease and Nutrition Surveillance in Jiangsu Province were included in this study. PM2.5 and O3 concentrations were estimated using satellite space-time models and assigned to each participant. Dietary patterns were determined by reduced rank regression (RRR), and multivariate logistic regression was used to assess the associations of the obtained dietary patterns with air pollutants and hypertension risk. RESULTS After adjusting for confounding variables, we found that males were more sensitive to long-term exposure to PM2.5 (Odds ratio (OR) = 1.42 95%CI:1.08,1.87), and females were more sensitive to long-term exposure to O3 (OR = 1.61 95%CI:1.15,2.23). Traditional southern pattern identified through RRR exhibited a protective effect against hypertension in males (OR = 0.73 95%CI: 0.56,1.00). The results of the interaction between dietary pattern score and PM2.5 revealed that adherence to traditional southern pattern was significantly associated with a decreased risk of hypertension in males (P < 0.05), while no significant association was observed among females. CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggested that sex differences existed in the association between dietary patterns, air pollutants and hypertension. Furthermore, we found that adherence to traditional southern pattern may mitigate the risk of long-term PM2.5 exposure-induced hypertension in males.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chen Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Environmental Medicine and Engineering of Ministry of Education, Department of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, School of Public Health, Southeast University, 210009, Nanjing, China
| | - Yuanyuan Wang
- Key Laboratory of Environmental Medicine and Engineering of Ministry of Education, Department of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, School of Public Health, Southeast University, 210009, Nanjing, China
| | - Wei Xie
- Institute of Food Safety and Assessment, Jiangsu Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 210009, Nanjing, China
| | - Jingxian Zhang
- Institute of Food Safety and Assessment, Jiangsu Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 210009, Nanjing, China
| | - Ting Tian
- Institute of Food Safety and Assessment, Jiangsu Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 210009, Nanjing, China
| | - Qianrang Zhu
- Institute of Food Safety and Assessment, Jiangsu Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 210009, Nanjing, China
| | - Xinyu Fang
- Institute of Food Safety and Assessment, Jiangsu Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 210009, Nanjing, China
| | - Jing Sui
- Key Laboratory of Environmental Medicine and Engineering of Ministry of Education, Department of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, School of Public Health, Southeast University, 210009, Nanjing, China
- Research Institute for Environment and Health, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, 211544, Nanjing, China
| | - Da Pan
- Key Laboratory of Environmental Medicine and Engineering of Ministry of Education, Department of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, School of Public Health, Southeast University, 210009, Nanjing, China
| | - Hui Xia
- Key Laboratory of Environmental Medicine and Engineering of Ministry of Education, Department of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, School of Public Health, Southeast University, 210009, Nanjing, China
| | - Shaokang Wang
- Key Laboratory of Environmental Medicine and Engineering of Ministry of Education, Department of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, School of Public Health, Southeast University, 210009, Nanjing, China
| | - Guiju Sun
- Key Laboratory of Environmental Medicine and Engineering of Ministry of Education, Department of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, School of Public Health, Southeast University, 210009, Nanjing, China.
| | - Yue Dai
- Key Laboratory of Environmental Medicine and Engineering of Ministry of Education, Department of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, School of Public Health, Southeast University, 210009, Nanjing, China.
- Institute of Food Safety and Assessment, Jiangsu Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 210009, Nanjing, China.
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7
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da Costa G, Pauliquevis T, Heise EFJ, Potgieter-Vermaak S, Godoi AFL, Yamamoto CI, Dos Santos-Silva JC, Godoi RHM. Spatialized PM 2.5 during COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil's most populous southern city: implications for post-pandemic era. ENVIRONMENTAL GEOCHEMISTRY AND HEALTH 2024; 46:29. [PMID: 38225482 DOI: 10.1007/s10653-023-01809-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2023] [Accepted: 11/22/2023] [Indexed: 01/17/2024]
Abstract
Brazil has experienced one of the highest COVID-19 fatality rates globally. While numerous studies have explored the potential connection between air pollution, specifically fine particulate matter (PM2.5), and the exacerbation of SARS-CoV-2 infection, the majority of this research has been conducted in foreign regions-Europe, the United States, and China-correlating generalized pollution levels with health-related scopes. In this study, our objective is to investigate the localized connection between exposure to air pollution exposure and its health implications within a specific Brazilian municipality, focusing on COVID-19 susceptibility. Our investigation involves assessing pollution levels through spatial interpolation of in situ PM2.5 measurements. A network of affordable sensors collected data across 9 regions in Curitiba, as well as its metropolitan counterpart, Araucaria. Our findings distinctly reveal a significant positive correlation (with r-values reaching up to 0.36, p-value < 0.01) between regions characterized by higher levels of pollution, particularly during the winter months (with r-values peaking at 0.40, p-value < 0.05), with both COVID-19 mortality and incidence rates. This correlation gains added significance due to the intricate interplay between urban atmospheric pollution and regional human development indices. Notably, heightened pollution aligns with industrial hubs and intensified vehicular activity. The spatial analysis performed in this study assumes a pivotal role by identifying priority regions that require targeted action post-COVID. By comprehending the localized dynamics between air pollution and its health repercussions, tailored strategies can be implemented to alleviate these effects and ensure the well-being of the public.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriela da Costa
- Department of Environmental Engineering, Federal University of Paraná, Curitiba, Brazil
| | - Theotonio Pauliquevis
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Federal University of São Paulo, Diadema, São Paulo, Brazil
| | | | - Sanja Potgieter-Vermaak
- Ecology & Environment Research Centre, Department of Natural Science, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | | | - Carlos Itsuo Yamamoto
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Federal University of Paraná, Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil
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Yu K, Zhang Q, Wei Y, Chen R, Kan H. Global association between air pollution and COVID-19 mortality: A systematic review and meta-analysis. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 906:167542. [PMID: 37797765 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.167542] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2023] [Revised: 09/13/2023] [Accepted: 09/30/2023] [Indexed: 10/07/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The COVID-19 pandemic presents unprecedented challenge for global public health systems and exacerbates existing health disparities. Epidemiological evidence suggested a potential linkage between particulate and gaseous pollutants and COVID-19 mortality. We aimed to summarize the overall risk of COVID-19 mortality associated with ambient air pollutants over the short- and long-term. METHODS For the systematic review and meta-analysis, we searched five databases for studies evaluating the risk of COVID-19 mortality from exposure to air pollution. Inclusion of articles was assessed independently on the basis of research topic and availability of effect estimates. The risk estimates (relative risk) for each pollutant were pooled with a random-effect model. Potential heterogeneity was explored by subgroup analysis. Funnel plots and trim-and-fill methods were employed to assess and adjust for publication bias. FINDINGS The systematic review retrieved 2059 records, and finally included 43 original studies. PM2.5 (RR: 1.71, 95 % CI: 1.40-2.08, per 10 μg/m3 increase), NO2 (RR: 1.33, 1.07-1.65, per 10 ppb increase) and O3 (RR: 1.61, 1.00-2.57, per 10 ppb increase) were positively associated with COVID-19 mortality for long-term exposures. Accordingly, a higher risk of COVID-19 mortality was associated with PM2.5 (1.05, 1.02-1.08), PM10 (1.05, 1.01-1.08), and NO2 (1.40, 1.04-1.90) for short-term exposures. There was some heterogeneity across subgroups of income level and geographical areas. CONCLUSION Both long-term and short-term exposures to ambient air pollution may increase the risk of COVID-19 mortality. Future studies utilizing individual-level information on demographics, exposures, outcome ascertainment and confounders are warranted to improve the accuracy of estimates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kexin Yu
- School of Public Health, Key Lab of Public Health Safety of the Ministry of Education and NHC Key Lab of Health Technology Assessment, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Qingli Zhang
- School of Public Health, Key Lab of Public Health Safety of the Ministry of Education and NHC Key Lab of Health Technology Assessment, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yuhao Wei
- School of Public Health, Key Lab of Public Health Safety of the Ministry of Education and NHC Key Lab of Health Technology Assessment, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Renjie Chen
- School of Public Health, Key Lab of Public Health Safety of the Ministry of Education and NHC Key Lab of Health Technology Assessment, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
| | - Haidong Kan
- School of Public Health, Key Lab of Public Health Safety of the Ministry of Education and NHC Key Lab of Health Technology Assessment, Fudan University, Shanghai, China; Children's Hospital of Fudan University, National Center for Children's Health, Shanghai, China.
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9
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Kaspersen KA, Antonsen S, Horsdal HT, Kjerulff B, Brandt J, Geels C, Christensen JH, Frohn LM, Sabel CE, Dinh KM, Hertel O, Sigsgaard T, Pedersen CB, Erikstrup C. Exposure to air pollution and risk of respiratory tract infections in the adult Danish population-a nationwide study. Clin Microbiol Infect 2024; 30:122-129. [PMID: 37858866 DOI: 10.1016/j.cmi.2023.10.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2023] [Revised: 09/22/2023] [Accepted: 10/12/2023] [Indexed: 10/21/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES The association between air pollution and risk of respiratory tract infection (RTI) in adults needs to be clarified in settings with low to moderate levels of air pollution. We investigated this in the Danish population between 2004 and 2016. METHODS We included 3 653 490 persons aged 18-64 years in a nested case-control study. Exposure was defined as the average daily concentration at the individual's residential address of CO, NOX, NO2, O3, SO2, NH3, PPM2.5, black carbon, organic carbon, mineral dust, sea salt, secondary inorganic aerosols, SO42-, NO3-, NH4+, secondary organic aerosols, PM2.5, and PM10 during a 3-month exposure window. RTIs were defined by hospitalization for RTIs. Incidence rate ratios (IRRs) and 95% CIs were estimated comparing highest with lowest decile of exposure using conditional logistic regression models. RESULTS In total, 188 439 incident cases of RTI were identified. Exposure to most air pollutants was positively associated with risk of RTI. For example, NO2 showed an IRR of 1.52 (CI: 1.48-1.55), and PM2.5 showed an IRR of 1.45 (CI: 1.40-1.50). In contrast, exposure to sea salt, PM10, NH3, and O3 was negatively associated with a risk of RTIs. DISCUSSION In this nationwide study comprising adults, exposure to air pollution was associated with risk of RTIs and subgroups hereof. Sea salt, PM10, NH3, and O3 may be proxies for rural areas, as the levels of these species in Denmark are higher near the western coastlines and/or in rural areas with fewer combustion sources.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathrine A Kaspersen
- Department of Clinical Immunology, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus N, Denmark; Danish Big Data Centre for Environment and Health (BERTHA), Aarhus University, Aarhus C, Denmark.
| | - Sussie Antonsen
- Danish Big Data Centre for Environment and Health (BERTHA), Aarhus University, Aarhus C, Denmark; National Centre for Register-based Research, Aarhus BSS, Aarhus University, Aarhus V, Denmark; Centre for Integrated Register-based Research, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Henriette T Horsdal
- Danish Big Data Centre for Environment and Health (BERTHA), Aarhus University, Aarhus C, Denmark; National Centre for Register-based Research, Aarhus BSS, Aarhus University, Aarhus V, Denmark
| | - Bertram Kjerulff
- Department of Clinical Immunology, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus N, Denmark; Danish Big Data Centre for Environment and Health (BERTHA), Aarhus University, Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Jørgen Brandt
- Department of Environmental Science, Aarhus University, Roskilde, Denmark; iClimate - Interdisciplinary Centre for Climate Change, Aarhus University, Roskilde, Denmark
| | - Camilla Geels
- Department of Environmental Science, Aarhus University, Roskilde, Denmark; iClimate - Interdisciplinary Centre for Climate Change, Aarhus University, Roskilde, Denmark
| | | | - Lise M Frohn
- Department of Environmental Science, Aarhus University, Roskilde, Denmark
| | - Clive E Sabel
- Danish Big Data Centre for Environment and Health (BERTHA), Aarhus University, Aarhus C, Denmark; Centre for Integrated Register-based Research, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark; Department of Public Health, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark; Health Research Institute, University of Canberra, Canberra, ACT, Australia
| | - Khoa M Dinh
- Department of Clinical Immunology, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus N, Denmark
| | - Ole Hertel
- Danish Big Data Centre for Environment and Health (BERTHA), Aarhus University, Aarhus C, Denmark; Department of Ecoscience, Aarhus University, Roskilde, Denmark
| | - Torben Sigsgaard
- Danish Big Data Centre for Environment and Health (BERTHA), Aarhus University, Aarhus C, Denmark; Centre for Integrated Register-based Research, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark; Department of Public Health, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Carsten B Pedersen
- Danish Big Data Centre for Environment and Health (BERTHA), Aarhus University, Aarhus C, Denmark; National Centre for Register-based Research, Aarhus BSS, Aarhus University, Aarhus V, Denmark; Centre for Integrated Register-based Research, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Christian Erikstrup
- Department of Clinical Immunology, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus N, Denmark; Danish Big Data Centre for Environment and Health (BERTHA), Aarhus University, Aarhus C, Denmark; Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus C, Denmark
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10
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Yu LJ, Li XL, Wang YH, Zhang HY, Ruan SM, Jiang BG, Xu Q, Sun YS, Wang LP, Liu W, Yang Y, Fang LQ. Short-Term Exposure to Ambient Air Pollution and Influenza: A Multicity Study in China. ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PERSPECTIVES 2023; 131:127010. [PMID: 38078423 PMCID: PMC10711743 DOI: 10.1289/ehp12146] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2022] [Revised: 10/02/2023] [Accepted: 10/27/2023] [Indexed: 12/18/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Air pollution is a major risk factor for planetary health and has long been suspected of predisposing humans to respiratory diseases induced by pathogens like influenza viruses. However, epidemiological evidence remains elusive due to lack of longitudinal data from large cohorts. OBJECTIVE Our aim is to quantify the short-term association of influenza incidence with exposure to ambient air pollutants in Chinese cities. METHODS Based on air pollutant data and influenza surveillance data from 82 cities in China over a period of 5 years, we applied a two-stage time series analysis to assess the association of daily incidence of reported influenza cases with six common air pollutants [particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter ≤ 2.5 μ m (PM 2.5 ), particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter ≤ 10 μ m (PM 10 ), NO 2 , SO 2 , CO, and O 3 ], while adjusting for potential confounders including temperature, relative humidity, seasonality, and holiday effects. We built a distributed lag Poisson model for one or multiple pollutants in each individual city in the first stage and conducted a meta-analysis to pool city-specific estimates in the second stage. RESULTS A total of 3,735,934 influenza cases were reported in 82 cities from 2015 to 2019, accounting for 72.71% of the overall case number reported in the mainland of China. The time series models for each pollutant alone showed that the daily incidence of reported influenza cases was positively associated with almost all air pollutants except for ozone. The most prominent short-term associations were found for SO 2 and NO 2 with cumulative risk ratios of 1.094 [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.054, 1.136] and 1.093 (95% CI: 1.067, 1.119), respectively, for each 10 μ g / m 3 increase in the concentration at each of the lags of 1-7 d. Only NO 2 showed a significant association with the daily incidence of influenza cases in the multipollutant model that adjusts all six air pollutants together. The impact of air pollutants on influenza was generally found to be greater in children, in subtropical cities, and during cold months. DISCUSSION Increased exposure to ambient air pollutants, particularly NO 2 , is associated with a higher risk of influenza-associated illness. Policies on reducing air pollution levels may help alleviate the disease burden due to influenza infection. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP12146.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lin-Jie Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing, P. R. China
| | - Xin-Lou Li
- Department of Medical Research, Key Laboratory of Environmental Sense Organ Stress and Health of the Ministry of Environmental Protection, PLA Strategic Support Force Medical Center, Beijing, P. R. China
| | - Yan-He Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing, P. R. China
| | - Hai-Yang Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing, P. R. China
| | - Shi-Man Ruan
- Jinan Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Jinan, P. R. China
| | - Bao-Gui Jiang
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing, P. R. China
| | - Qiang Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing, P. R. China
| | - Yan-Song Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing, P. R. China
| | - Li-Ping Wang
- Division of Infectious Disease, Key Laboratory of Surveillance and Early-Warning on Infectious Disease, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, P. R. China
| | - Wei Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing, P. R. China
| | - Yang Yang
- Department of Statistics, Franklin College of Arts and Science, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA
| | - Li-Qun Fang
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing, P. R. China
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Jaakkola JJ. Invited Perspective: On Air Pollution, Epidemics, Pandemics, and Planetary Health. ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PERSPECTIVES 2023; 131:121306. [PMID: 38078425 PMCID: PMC10711741 DOI: 10.1289/ehp13800] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2023] [Revised: 10/11/2023] [Accepted: 10/27/2023] [Indexed: 12/18/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Jouni J.K. Jaakkola
- Center for Environmental and Respiratory Health Research, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
- Atmospheric Composition Research, Finnish Meteorological Institute, Helsinki, Finland
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12
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Zhang R, Lai KY, Liu W, Liu Y, Ma X, Webster C, Luo L, Sarkar C. Associations between Short-Term Exposure to Ambient Air Pollution and Influenza: An Individual-Level Case-Crossover Study in Guangzhou, China. ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PERSPECTIVES 2023; 131:127009. [PMID: 38078424 PMCID: PMC10711742 DOI: 10.1289/ehp12145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2022] [Revised: 10/12/2023] [Accepted: 10/27/2023] [Indexed: 12/18/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Influenza imposes a heavy burden on public health. Little is known, however, of the associations between detailed measures of exposure to ambient air pollution and influenza at an individual level. OBJECTIVE We examined individual-level associations between six criteria air pollutants and influenza using case-crossover design. METHODS In this individual-level time-stratified case-crossover study, we linked influenza cases collected by the Guangzhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention from 1 January 2013 to 31 December 2019 with individual residence-level exposure to particulate matter (PM 2.5 and PM 10 ), sulfur dioxide (SO 2 ), nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 ), ozone (O 3 ) and carbon monoxide (CO). The exposures were estimated for the day of onset of influenza symptoms (lag 0), 1-7 d before the onset (lags 1-7), as well as an 8-d moving average (lag07), using a random forest model and linked to study participants' home addresses. Conditional logistic regression was developed to investigate the associations between short-term exposure to air pollution and influenza, adjusting for mean temperature, relative humidity, public holidays, population mobility, and community influenza susceptibility. RESULTS N = 108,479 eligible cases were identified in our study. Every 10 - μ g / m 3 increase in exposure to PM 2.5 , PM 10 , NO 2 , and CO and every 5 - μ g / m 3 increase in SO 2 over 8-d moving average (lag07) was associated with higher risk of influenza with a relative risk (RR) of 1.028 (95% CI: 1.018, 1.038), 1.041 (95% CI: 1.032, 1.049), 1.169 (95% CI: 1.151, 1.188), 1.004 (95% CI: 1.003, 1.006), and 1.134 (95% CI: 1.107, 1.163), respectively. There was a negative association between O 3 and influenza with a RR of 0.878 (95% CI: 0.866, 0.890). CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest that short-term exposure to air pollution, except for O 3 , is associated with greater risk for influenza. Further studies are necessary to decipher underlying mechanisms and design preventive interventions and policies. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP12145.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rong Zhang
- Healthy High Density Cities Lab, HKUrbanLab, University of Hong Kong (HKU), Hong Kong, China
- Department of Urban Planning and Design, HKU, Hong Kong, China
| | - Ka Yan Lai
- Healthy High Density Cities Lab, HKUrbanLab, University of Hong Kong (HKU), Hong Kong, China
- Department of Urban Planning and Design, HKU, Hong Kong, China
| | - Wenhui Liu
- Guangzhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Yanhui Liu
- Guangzhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Xiaowei Ma
- Guangzhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Chris Webster
- Healthy High Density Cities Lab, HKUrbanLab, University of Hong Kong (HKU), Hong Kong, China
- Department of Urban Planning and Design, HKU, Hong Kong, China
| | - Lei Luo
- Guangzhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Chinmoy Sarkar
- Healthy High Density Cities Lab, HKUrbanLab, University of Hong Kong (HKU), Hong Kong, China
- Department of Urban Planning and Design, HKU, Hong Kong, China
- Department of Psychiatry, Warneford Hospital, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
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13
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Chawla H, Anand P, Garg K, Bhagat N, Varmani SG, Bansal T, McBain AJ, Marwah RG. A comprehensive review of microbial contamination in the indoor environment: sources, sampling, health risks, and mitigation strategies. Front Public Health 2023; 11:1285393. [PMID: 38074709 PMCID: PMC10701447 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1285393] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2023] [Accepted: 10/25/2023] [Indexed: 12/18/2023] Open
Abstract
The quality of the indoor environment significantly impacts human health and productivity, especially given the amount of time individuals spend indoors globally. While chemical pollutants have been a focus of indoor air quality research, microbial contaminants also have a significant bearing on indoor air quality. This review provides a comprehensive overview of microbial contamination in built environments, covering sources, sampling strategies, and analysis methods. Microbial contamination has various origins, including human occupants, pets, and the outdoor environment. Sampling strategies for indoor microbial contamination include air, surface, and dust sampling, and various analysis methods are used to assess microbial diversity and complexity in indoor environments. The review also discusses the health risks associated with microbial contaminants, including bacteria, fungi, and viruses, and their products in indoor air, highlighting the need for evidence-based studies that can relate to specific health conditions. The importance of indoor air quality is emphasized from the perspective of the COVID-19 pandemic. A section of the review highlights the knowledge gap related to microbiological burden in indoor environments in developing countries, using India as a representative example. Finally, potential mitigation strategies to improve microbiological indoor air quality are briefly reviewed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hitikk Chawla
- Institute for Cell Biology and Neuroscience, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Purnima Anand
- Department of Microbiology, Bhaskaracharya College of Applied Sciences, University of Delhi, New Delhi, India
| | - Kritika Garg
- Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, Roorkee, India
| | - Neeru Bhagat
- Department of Microbiology, Bhaskaracharya College of Applied Sciences, University of Delhi, New Delhi, India
| | - Shivani G. Varmani
- Department of Biomedical Science, Bhaskaracharya College of Applied Sciences, University of Delhi, New Delhi, India
| | - Tanu Bansal
- Department of Biochemistry, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India
| | - Andrew J. McBain
- School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, The University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Ruchi Gulati Marwah
- Department of Microbiology, Bhaskaracharya College of Applied Sciences, University of Delhi, New Delhi, India
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da Silveira LHM, Cataldi M, de Farias WCM. Development of multi-scale indices of human mobility restriction during the COVID-19 based on air quality from local and global NO 2 concentration. iScience 2023; 26:107599. [PMID: 37664602 PMCID: PMC10470316 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.107599] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2022] [Revised: 02/22/2023] [Accepted: 08/08/2023] [Indexed: 09/05/2023] Open
Abstract
This study investigated whether variability in air quality, especially related to vehicular emissions, during the COVID-19 pandemic could indicate social distancing. Data from in situ measurements and satellite estimates were used. The study areas were São Paulo, Brazil, and Bologna, Italy. We focused our analysis on NO2, a combustion-derived pollutant, because of its availability in surface stations and satellite tracking, and because it has a short atmospheric lifetime. The analyses included graphical, statistical, and wavelet transform-based approaches to understand NO2 concentrations before and during the pandemic. After confirming the reduction in vehicular emissions during the pandemic, we created normalized indices to assess the social remoteness in 2020 in different locations, with a focus on São Paulo and Bologna. These indices were compared to existing indices based on cell phone mobility. The indices proposed in this study suffered high sensitivity to social distance compared to existing ones and helped to understand the actual application of social distance and contamination rates, considering the various dimensions of the problem.
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Affiliation(s)
- Larissa Haringer Martins da Silveira
- LAMMOC Group, Department of Agricultural and Environmental Engineering, Biosystems Engineering Graduate Program, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Niterói 24210-240, Brazil
| | - Marcio Cataldi
- LAMMOC Group, Department of Agricultural and Environmental Engineering, Biosystems Engineering Graduate Program, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Niterói 24210-240, Brazil
- MAR Group, Department of Physics. School of Chemistry. University of Murcia, 30100 Murcia, Spain
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15
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Liang Y, Sun Z, Hua W, Li D, Han L, Liu J, Huo L, Zhang H, Zhang S, Zhao Y, He X. Spatiotemporal effects of meteorological conditions on global influenza peaks. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2023; 231:116171. [PMID: 37230217 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2023.116171] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2023] [Revised: 05/01/2023] [Accepted: 05/15/2023] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Numerous studies have suggested that meteorological conditions such as temperature and absolute humidity are highly indicative of influenza outbreaks. However, the explanatory power of meteorological factors on the seasonal influenza peaks varied widely between countries at different latitudes. OBJECTIVES We aimed to explore the modification effects of meteorological factors on the seasonal influenza peaks in multi-countries. METHODS Data on influenza positive rate (IPR) were collected across 57 countries and data on meteorological factors were collected from ECMWF Reanalysis v5 (ERA5). We used linear regression and generalized additive models to investigate the spatiotemporal associations between meteorological conditions and influenza peaks in cold and warm seasons. RESULTS Influenza peaks were significantly correlated with months with both lower and higher temperatures. In temperate countries, the average intensity of cold season peaks was stronger than that of warm season peaks. However, the average intensity of warm season peaks was stronfger than of cold season peaks in tropical countries. Temperature and specific humidity had synergistic effects on influenza peaks at different latitudes, stronger in temperate countries (cold season: R2=0.90; warm season: R2=0.84) and weaker in tropical countries (cold season: R2=0.64; warm season: R2=0.03). Furthermore, the effects could be divided into cold-dry and warm-humid modes. The temperature transition threshold between the two modes was 16.5-19.5 °C. During the transition from cold-dry mode to warm-humid mode, the average 2 m specific humidity increased by 2.15 times, illustrating that transporting a large amount of water vapor may compensate for the negative effect of rising temperatures on the spread of the influenza virus. CONCLUSION Differences in the global influenza peaks were related to the synergistic influence of temperature and specific humidity. The global influenza peaks could be divided into cold-dry and warm-humid modes, and specific thresholds of meteorological conditions were needed for the transition of the two modes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yinglin Liang
- School of Atmospheric Sciences, Chengdu University of Information Technology, Chengdu, 610225, China; State Key Laboratory of Severe Weather (LASW), Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences (CAMS), CMA, Beijing, 100081, China; Key Laboratory of Urban Meteorology, China Meteorological Administration, Beijing, 100089, China
| | - Zhaobin Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Severe Weather (LASW), Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences (CAMS), CMA, Beijing, 100081, China; Key Laboratory of Urban Meteorology, China Meteorological Administration, Beijing, 100089, China.
| | - Wei Hua
- School of Atmospheric Sciences, Chengdu University of Information Technology, Chengdu, 610225, China.
| | - Demin Li
- National Clinical Research Center for Respiratory Diseases, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, 100192, China
| | - Ling Han
- National Key Laboratory of Intelligent Tracking and Forecasting for Infectious Diseases, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, 102206, China
| | - Jian Liu
- Cardiology Department, Peking University People's Hospital, Beijing, 100044, China
| | - Liming Huo
- Cardiology Department, Peking University People's Hospital, Beijing, 100044, China
| | - Hongchun Zhang
- National Clinical Research Center for Respiratory Diseases, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, 100192, China
| | - Shuwen Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Severe Weather (LASW), Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences (CAMS), CMA, Beijing, 100081, China
| | - Yuxin Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Severe Weather (LASW), Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences (CAMS), CMA, Beijing, 100081, China
| | - Xiaonan He
- Emergency Critical Care Center, Beijing AnZhen Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100029, China
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16
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Woodward SM, Mork D, Wu X, Hou Z, Braun D, Dominici F. Combining aggregate and individual-level data to estimate individual-level associations between air pollution and COVID-19 mortality in the United States. PLOS GLOBAL PUBLIC HEALTH 2023; 3:e0002178. [PMID: 37531330 PMCID: PMC10395946 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgph.0002178] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2023] [Accepted: 06/21/2023] [Indexed: 08/04/2023]
Abstract
Imposing stricter regulations for PM2.5 has the potential to mitigate damaging health and climate change effects. Recent evidence establishing a link between exposure to air pollution and COVID-19 outcomes is one of many arguments for the need to reduce the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for PM2.5. However, many studies reporting a relationship between COVID-19 outcomes and PM2.5 have been criticized because they are based on ecological regression analyses, where area-level counts of COVID-19 outcomes are regressed on area-level exposure to air pollution and other covariates. It is well known that regression models solely based on area-level data are subject to ecological bias, i.e., they may provide a biased estimate of the association at the individual-level, due to within-area variability of the data. In this paper, we augment county-level COVID-19 mortality data with a nationally representative sample of individual-level covariate information from the American Community Survey along with high-resolution estimates of PM2.5 concentrations obtained from a validated model and aggregated to the census tract for the contiguous United States. We apply a Bayesian hierarchical modeling approach to combine county-, census tract-, and individual-level data to ultimately draw inference about individual-level associations between long-term exposure to PM2.5 and mortality for COVID-19. By analyzing data prior to the Emergency Use Authorization for the COVID-19 vaccines we found that an increase of 1 μg/m3 in long-term PM2.5 exposure, averaged over the 17-year period 2000-2016, is associated with a 3.3% (95% credible interval, 2.8 to 3.8%) increase in an individual's odds of COVID-19 mortality. Code to reproduce our study is publicly available at https://github.com/NSAPH/PM_COVID_ecoinference. The results confirm previous evidence of an association between long-term exposure to PM2.5 and COVID-19 mortality and strengthen the case for tighter regulations on harmful air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sophie M. Woodward
- Department of Biostatistics, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Daniel Mork
- Department of Biostatistics, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Xiao Wu
- Department of Biostatistics, Columbia University, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Zhewen Hou
- Department of Statistics, Columbia University, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Danielle Braun
- Department of Biostatistics, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Department of Data Science, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Francesca Dominici
- Department of Biostatistics, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
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17
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Yang J, Xu X, Ma X, Wang Z, You Q, Shan W, Yang Y, Bo X, Yin C. Application of machine learning to predict hospital visits for respiratory diseases using meteorological and air pollution factors in Linyi, China. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2023; 30:88431-88443. [PMID: 37438508 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-023-28682-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2023] [Accepted: 07/04/2023] [Indexed: 07/14/2023]
Abstract
Urbanization and industrial development have resulted in increased air pollution, which is concerning for public health. This study evaluates the effect of meteorological factors and air pollution on hospital visits for respiratory diseases (pneumonia, acute upper respiratory infections, and chronic lower respiratory diseases). The test dataset comprises meteorological parameters, air pollutant concentrations, and outpatient hospital visits for respiratory diseases in Linyi, China, from January 1, 2016 to August 20, 2022. We use support vector regression (SVR) to build models that enable analysis of the effect of meteorological factors and air pollutants on the number of outpatient visits for respiratory diseases. Spearman correlation analysis and SVR model results indicate that NO2, PM2.5, and PM10 are correlated with the occurrence of respiratory diseases, with the strongest correlation relating to pneumonia. An increase in the daily average temperature and daily relative humidity decreases the number of patients with pneumonia and chronic lower respiratory diseases but increases the number of patients with acute upper respiratory infections. The SVR modeling has the potential to predict the number of respiratory-related hospital visits. This work demonstrates that machine learning can be combined with meteorological and air pollution data for disease prediction, providing a useful tool whereby policymakers can take preventive measures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Yang
- Intersection of Wohushan Road and Wuhan Road in Beicheng New Area, Linyi People's Hospital, Linyi, 276000, Shandong, People's Republic of China
| | - Xin Xu
- Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, 100029, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiaotian Ma
- School of Information and Control Engineering, Jilin Institute of Chemical Technology, Jilin City, 132022, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhaotong Wang
- Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, 100029, People's Republic of China
| | - Qian You
- School of Management and Engineering, Capital University of Economics and Business, Beijing, 100070, People's Republic of China
| | - Wanyue Shan
- Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, 100029, People's Republic of China
| | - Ying Yang
- Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, 100029, People's Republic of China
| | - Xin Bo
- Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, 100029, People's Republic of China
- BUCT Institute for Carbon-Neutrality of Chinese Industries, Beijing, 100029, People's Republic of China
| | - Chuansheng Yin
- Intersection of Wohushan Road and Wuhan Road in Beicheng New Area, Linyi People's Hospital, Linyi, 276000, Shandong, People's Republic of China.
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18
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Chen Y, Hou W, Dong J. Time series analyses based on the joint lagged effect analysis of pollution and meteorological factors of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome and the construction of prediction model. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2023; 17:e0010806. [PMID: 37486953 PMCID: PMC10399869 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0010806] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2022] [Accepted: 06/26/2023] [Indexed: 07/26/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) is a rodent-related zoonotic disease induced by hantavirus. Previous studies have identified the influence of meteorological factors on the onset of HFRS, but few studies have focused on the stratified analysis of the lagged effects and interactions of pollution and meteorological factors on HFRS. METHODS We collected meteorological, contaminant and epidemiological data on cases of HFRS in Shenyang from 2005-2019. A seasonal autoregressive integrated moving average (SARIMA) model was used to predict the incidence of HFRS and compared with Holt-Winters three-parameter exponential smoothing model. A distributed lag nonlinear model (DLNM) with a maximum lag period of 16 weeks was applied to assess the lag, stratification and extreme effects of pollution and meteorological factors on HFRS cases, followed by a generalized additive model (GAM) to explore the interaction of SO2 and two other meteorological factors on HFRS cases. RESULTS The SARIMA monthly model has better fit and forecasting power than its own quarterly model and the Holt-Winters model, with an optimal model of (1,1,0) (2,1,0)12. Overall, environmental factors including humidity, wind speed and SO2 were correlated with the onset of HFRS and there was a non-linear exposure-lag-response association. Extremely high SO2 increased the risk of HFRS incidence, with the maximum RR values: 2.583 (95%CI:1.145,5.827). Extremely low windy and low SO2 played a significant protective role on HFRS infection, with the minimum RR values: 0.487 (95%CI:0.260,0.912) and 0.577 (95%CI:0.370,0.898), respectively. Interaction indicated that the risk of HFRS infection reached its highest when increasing daily SO2 and decreasing humidity. CONCLUSIONS The SARIMA model may help to enhance the forecast of monthly HFRS incidence based on a long-range dataset. Our study had shown that environmental factors such as humidity and SO2 have a delayed effect on the occurrence of HFRS and that the effect of humidity can be influenced by SO2 and wind speed. Public health professionals should take greater care in controlling HFRS in low humidity, low windy conditions and 2-3 days after SO2 levels above 200 μg/m3.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ye Chen
- Department of Infectious Disease, Shenyang Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Shenyang, PR China
| | - Weiming Hou
- Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, School of Public Health, China Medical University, Shenyang, Peoples' Republic of China
| | - Jing Dong
- Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, School of Public Health, China Medical University, Shenyang, Peoples' Republic of China
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19
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Poniedziałek B, Rzymski P, Zarębska-Michaluk D, Rogalska M, Rorat M, Czupryna P, Kozielewicz D, Hawro M, Kowalska J, Jaroszewicz J, Sikorska K, Flisiak R. Short-term exposure to ambient air pollution and COVID-19 severity during SARS-CoV-2 Delta and Omicron waves: A multicenter study. J Med Virol 2023; 95:e28962. [PMID: 37466326 DOI: 10.1002/jmv.28962] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2023] [Revised: 06/15/2023] [Accepted: 07/06/2023] [Indexed: 07/20/2023]
Abstract
Air pollution may affect the clinical course of respiratory diseases, including COVID-19. This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between exposure of adult patients to mean 24 h levels of particulate matter sized <10 μm (PM10 ) and <2.5 μm (PM2.5 ) and benzo(a)pyrene (B(a)P) during a week before their hospitalization due to SARS-CoV-2 infection and symptomatology, hyperinflammation, coagulopathy, the clinical course of disease, and outcome. The analyses were conducted during two pandemic waves: (i) dominated by highly pathogenic Delta variant (n = 1440) and (ii) clinically less-severe Omicron (n = 785), while the analyzed associations were adjusted for patient's age, BMI, gender, and comorbidities. The exposure to mean 24 h B(a)P exceeding the limits was associated with increased odds of fever and fatigue as early COVID-19 symptoms, hyperinflammation due to serum C-reactive protein >200 mg/L and interleukin-6 >100 pg/mL, coagulopathy due to d-dimer >2 mg/L and fatal outcome. Elevated PM10 and PM2. 5 levels were associated with higher odds of respiratory symptoms, procalcitonin >0.25 ng/mL and interleukin >100 pg/mL, lower oxygen saturation, need for oxygen support, and death. The significant relationships between exposure to air pollutants and the course and outcomes of COVID-19 were observed during both pandemic waves. Short-term exposure to elevated PM and B(a)P levels can be associated with a worse clinical course of COVID-19 in patients requiring hospitalization and, ultimately, contribute to the health burden caused by SARS-CoV-2 variants of higher and lower clinical significance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Barbara Poniedziałek
- Department of Environmental Medicine, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Poznań, Poland
| | - Piotr Rzymski
- Department of Environmental Medicine, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Poznań, Poland
- Integrated Science Association (ISA), Universal Scientific Education and Research Network (USERN), Poznań, Poland
| | | | - Magdalena Rogalska
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Hepatology, Medical University of Białystok, Białystok, Poland
| | - Marta Rorat
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Wrocław Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland
| | - Piotr Czupryna
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Neuroinfections, Medical University of Białystok, Bialystok, Poland
| | - Dorota Kozielewicz
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Hepatology, Faculty of Medicine, Collegium Medicum in Bydgoszcz, Nicolaus Copernicus University, Toruń, Poland
| | - Marcin Hawro
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Hepatology, Medical Center in Łańcut, Łańcut, Poland
| | - Justyna Kowalska
- Department of Adult's Infectious Diseases, Hospital for Infectious Diseases, Medical University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Jerzy Jaroszewicz
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Hepatology, Medical University of Silesia in Katowice, Bytom, Poland
| | - Katarzyna Sikorska
- Division of Tropical Medicine and Epidemiology, Faculty of Health Sciences, Medical University of Gdańsk, Gdańsk, Poland
- Division of Tropical and Parasitic Diseases, Faculty of Health Sciences, Medical University of Gdańsk, Gdańsk, Poland
| | - Robert Flisiak
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Hepatology, Medical University of Białystok, Białystok, Poland
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Zhang R, Li Y, Bi P, Wu S, Peng Z, Meng Y, Wang Y, Wang S, Huang Y, Liang J, Wu J. Seasonal associations between air pollutants and influenza in 10 cities of southern China. Int J Hyg Environ Health 2023; 252:114200. [PMID: 37329817 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijheh.2023.114200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2022] [Revised: 05/20/2023] [Accepted: 06/05/2023] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
Few studies have explored the associations between air pollutants and influenza across seasons, especially at large scales. This study aimed to evaluate seasons' modifying effects on associations between air pollutants and influenza from 10 cities of southern China. Through scientific evidence, it provides mitigation and adaptation strategies with practical guidelines to local health authorities and environmental protection agencies. Daily influenza incidence, meteorological, and air pollutants data from 2016 to 2019 were collected. Quasi-Poisson regression with a distributed lag nonlinear model was used to evaluate city-specific air pollutants and influenza associations. Meta-analysis was used to pool site-specific estimates. Attributable fractions (AFs) of influenza incidence due to pollutants were calculated. Stratified analyses were conducted by season, sex, and age. Overall, the cumulative relative risk (CRR) of influenza incidence for a 10-unit increase in PM2.5, PM10, SO2, NO2, and CO was 1.45 (95% CI: 1.25, 1.68), 1.53 (95% CI: 1.29, 1.81), 1.87 (95% CI: 1.40, 2.48), 1.74 (95% CI: 1.49, 2.03), and 1.19 (95% CI: 1.04, 1.36), respectively. Children aged 0-17 were more sensitive to air pollutants in spring and winter. PM10 had greater effect on influenza than PM2.5 in autumn, winter, and overall, lesser in spring. The overall AF due to PM2.5, PM10, SO2, NO2, and CO was 4.46% (95% eCI: 2.43%, 6.43%), 5.03% (95% eCI: 2.33%, 7.56%), 5.36% (95% eCI: 3.12%, 7.58%), 24.88% (95% eCI: 18.02%, 31.67%), and 23.22% (95% eCI: 17.56%, 28.61%), respectively. AF due to O3 was 10.00% (95% eCI: 4.76%, 14.95%) and 3.65% (95% eCI: 0.50%, 6.59%) in spring and summer, respectively. The seasonal variations in the associations between air pollutants and influenza in southern China would provide evidence to service providers for tailored intervention, especially for vulnerable populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rui Zhang
- National Center for Chronic and Noncommunicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China; Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China
| | - Yonghong Li
- China CDC Key Laboratory of Environment and Population Health, National Institute of Environmental Health, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China
| | - Peng Bi
- School of Public Health, The University of Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
| | - Siyuan Wu
- Sprott School of Business, Carleton University, Ottawa Ontario, Canada
| | - Zhibin Peng
- Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China
| | - Yujie Meng
- Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China
| | - Yu Wang
- China CDC Key Laboratory of Environment and Population Health, National Institute of Environmental Health, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China
| | - Songwang Wang
- Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China
| | - Yushu Huang
- China CDC Key Laboratory of Environment and Population Health, National Institute of Environmental Health, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China
| | - Juan Liang
- China CDC Key Laboratory of Environment and Population Health, National Institute of Environmental Health, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China
| | - Jing Wu
- National Center for Chronic and Noncommunicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China; Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China.
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21
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Stafoggia M, Ranzi A, Ancona C, Bauleo L, Bella A, Cattani G, Nobile F, Pezzotti P, Iavarone I. Long-Term Exposure to Ambient Air Pollution and Mortality among Four Million COVID-19 Cases in Italy: The EpiCovAir Study. ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PERSPECTIVES 2023; 131:57004. [PMID: 37167483 PMCID: PMC10174641 DOI: 10.1289/ehp11882] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The role of chronic exposure to ambient air pollutants in increasing COVID-19 fatality is still unclear. OBJECTIVES The study aimed to investigate the association between long-term exposure to air pollutants and mortality among 4 million COVID-19 cases in Italy. METHODS We obtained individual records of all COVID-19 cases identified in Italy from February 2020 to June 2021. We assigned 2016-2019 mean concentrations of particulate matter (PM) with aerodynamic diameter ≤10μm (PM10), PM with aerodynamic diameter ≤2.5μm (PM2.5), and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) to each municipality (n=7,800) as estimates of chronic exposures. We applied a principal component analysis (PCA) and a generalized propensity score (GPS) approach to an extensive list of area-level covariates to account for major determinants of the spatial distribution of COVID-19 case-fatality rates. Then, we applied generalized negative binomial models matched on GPS, age, sex, province, and month. As additional analyses, we fit separate models by pandemic periods, age, and sex; we quantified the numbers of COVID-19 deaths attributable to exceedances in annual air pollutant concentrations above predefined thresholds; and we explored associations between air pollution and alternative outcomes of COVID-19 severity, namely hospitalizations or accesses to intensive care units. RESULTS We analyzed 3,995,202 COVID-19 cases, which generated 124,346 deaths. Overall, case-fatality rates increased by 0.7% [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.5%, 0.9%], 0.3% (95% CI: 0.2%, 0.5%), and 0.6% (95% CI: 0.5%, 0.8%) per 1 μg/m3 increment in PM2.5, PM10, and NO2, respectively. Associations were higher among elderly subjects and during the first (February 2020-June 2020) and the third (December 2020-June 2021) pandemic waves. We estimated ∼8% COVID-19 deaths were attributable to pollutant levels above the World Health Organization 2021 air quality guidelines. DISCUSSION We found suggestive evidence of an association between long-term exposure to ambient air pollutants with mortality among 4 million COVID-19 cases in Italy. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP11882.
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Affiliation(s)
- Massimo Stafoggia
- Department of Epidemiology, Lazio Region Health Service/ASL Roma 1, Rome, Italy
| | - Andrea Ranzi
- Environmental Health Reference Centre, Regional Agency for Environmental Prevention of Emilia-Romagna, Modena, Italy
| | - Carla Ancona
- Department of Epidemiology, Lazio Region Health Service/ASL Roma 1, Rome, Italy
| | - Lisa Bauleo
- Department of Epidemiology, Lazio Region Health Service/ASL Roma 1, Rome, Italy
| | | | - Giorgio Cattani
- Italian Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA), Rome, Italy
| | - Federica Nobile
- Department of Epidemiology, Lazio Region Health Service/ASL Roma 1, Rome, Italy
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22
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Lee W, Wu X, Heo S, Kim JM, Fong KC, Son JY, Sabath MB, Trisovic A, Braun D, Park JY, Kim YC, Lee JP, Schwartz J, Kim H, Dominici F, Al-Aly Z, Bell ML. Air Pollution and Acute Kidney Injury in the U.S. Medicare Population: A Longitudinal Cohort Study. ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PERSPECTIVES 2023; 131:47008. [PMID: 37036790 PMCID: PMC10084931 DOI: 10.1289/ehp10729] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2021] [Revised: 02/14/2023] [Accepted: 02/23/2023] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Recent studies have reported the association between air pollution exposure and reduced kidney function. However, it is unclear whether air pollution is associated with an increased risk of acute kidney injury (AKI). OBJECTIVES To address this gap in knowledge, we investigated the effect estimates of long-term exposures to fine particulate matter [PM ≤ 2.5 μ m in aerodynamic diameter (PM 2.5 )], nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 ), and ozone (O 3 ) on the risk of first hospital admission for AKI using nationwide Medicare data. METHODS This nationwide population-based longitudinal cohort study included 61,300,754 beneficiaries enrolled in Medicare Part A fee-for-service (FFS) who were ≥ 65 years of age and resided in the continental United States from the years 2000 through 2016. We applied Cox-equivalent Poisson models to estimate the association between air pollution and first hospital admission for AKI. RESULTS Exposure to PM 2.5 , NO 2 , and O 3 was associated with increased risk for first hospital admission for AKI, with hazard ratios (HRs) of 1.17 (95% CI: 1.16, 1.19) for a 5 - μ g / m 3 increase in PM 2.5 , 1.12 (95% CI: 1.11, 1.13) for a 10 -ppb increase in NO 2 , and 1.03 (95% CI: 1.02, 1.04) for a 10 -ppb increase in summer-period O 3 (June to September). The associations persisted at annual exposures lower than the current National Ambient Air Quality Standard. DISCUSSION This study found an association between exposures to air pollution and the risk of the first hospital admission with AKI, and this association persisted even at low concentrations of air pollution. Our findings provide beneficial implications for public health policies and air pollution guidelines to alleviate health care expenditures and the disease burden attributable to AKI. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP10729.
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Affiliation(s)
- Whanhee Lee
- School of Biomedical Convergence Engineering, Pusan National University, Yangsan, Republic of Korea
| | - Xiao Wu
- Department of Biostatistics, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, New York, USA
| | - Seulkee Heo
- Yale School of the Environment, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Joyce Mary Kim
- Department of Environmental Medicine, College of Medicine, Ewha Womans University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Kelvin C. Fong
- Yale School of the Environment, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Ji-Young Son
- Yale School of the Environment, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Matthew Benjamin Sabath
- Faculty of Arts and Sciences Research Computing Department, Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Ana Trisovic
- Department of Data Science, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Biostatistics, Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Danielle Braun
- Department of Data Science, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Biostatistics, Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Jae Yoon Park
- Department of Internal Medicine, Dongguk University Ilsan Hospital, Republic of Korea
- Department of Internal Medicine, Dongguk University College of Medicine, Republic of Korea
| | - Yong Chul Kim
- Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Jung Pyo Lee
- Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University Boramae Medical Center, Republic of Korea
| | - Joel Schwartz
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Ho Kim
- Department of Public Health Science, Graduate School of Public Health, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Institute for Sustainable Development, Graduate School of Public Health, Seoul National University, Republic of Korea
| | - Francesca Dominici
- Department of Data Science, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Biostatistics, Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Ziyad Al-Aly
- Nephrology Section, Medicine Service, Veterans Affairs Saint Louis Health Care System, Saint Louis, Missouri, USA
- Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, Missouri, USA
- Division of Public Health Sciences, Department of Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, Missouri, USA
- Institute for Public Health, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Michelle L. Bell
- Yale School of the Environment, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
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23
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Lee W, Heo S, Stewart R, Wu X, Fong KC, Son JY, Sabath B, Braun D, Park JY, Kim YC, Lee JP, Schwartz J, Kim H, Dominici F, Bell ML. Associations between greenness and kidney disease in Massachusetts: The US Medicare longitudinal cohort study. ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL 2023; 173:107844. [PMID: 36841189 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2023.107844] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2022] [Revised: 01/22/2023] [Accepted: 02/19/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Recent studies have identified the association of environmental stressors with reduced kidney function and the development of kidney disease. While residential greenness has been linked to many health benefits, the association between residential greenness and the development of kidney disease is not clear. We aimed to investigate the association between residential greenness and the development of kidney disease. METHODS We performed a longitudinal population-based cohort study including all fee-for-service Medicare Part A beneficiaries (aged 65 years or older) in Massachusetts (2000-2016). We assessed greenness with the annual average Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI) based on residential ZIP codes of beneficiaries. We applied Cox-equivalent Poisson models to estimate the association between EVI and first hospital admission for total kidney disease, chronic kidney disease (CKD), and acute kidney injury (AKI), separately. RESULTS Data for 1,462,949 beneficiaries who resided in a total of 644 ZIP codes were analyzed. The total person-years of follow-up for total kidney disease, CKD, and AKI were 9.8, 10.9, and 10.8 million person-years, respectively. For a 0.1 increase in annual EVI, the hazard ratios (HRs) were 0.95 (95% CI: 0.93 to 0.97) for the first hospital admission for total kidney disease, and the association was more prominent for AKI (HR: 0.94 with 95% CI: 0.92 to 0.97) than CKD (HR: 0.98 with 95% CI: 0.95-1.01]). The estimated effects of EVI on kidney disease were generally more evident in White beneficiaries and those residing in metropolitan areas compared to the overall population. CONCLUSIONS This study found that higher levels of annual residential greenness were associated with a lower risk of the first hospital admission for kidney diseases. Results are consistent with the hypothesis that higher residential greenness benefits kidney patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Whanhee Lee
- School of Biomedical Convergence Engineering, College of Information and Biomedical Engineering, Pusan National University, Yangsan, Republic of Korea.
| | - Seulkee Heo
- Yale School of the Environment, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Rory Stewart
- Yale School of the Environment, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Xiao Wu
- Department of Biostatistics, Harvard T H Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Kelvin C Fong
- Yale School of the Environment, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Ji-Young Son
- Yale School of the Environment, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Benjamin Sabath
- Faculty of Arts and Sciences Research Computing Department, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Danielle Braun
- Department of Biostatistics, Harvard T H Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Data Science, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Jae Yoon Park
- Department of Internal Medicine, Dongguk University Ilsan Hospital, Republic of Korea; Department of Internal Medicine, Dongguk University College of Medicine, Republic of Korea
| | - Yong Chul Kim
- Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Jung Pyo Lee
- Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University Boramae Medical Center, Republic of Korea
| | - Joel Schwartz
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T H Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Ho Kim
- Department of Public Health Science, Graduate School of Public Health, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea; Institute for Sustainable Development, Graduate School of Public Health, Seoul National University, Republic of Korea
| | - Francesca Dominici
- Department of Biostatistics, Harvard T H Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Michelle L Bell
- Yale School of the Environment, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
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24
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Chauhan A, Gupta SK, Liou YA. Rising surface ozone due to anthropogenic activities and its impact on COVID-19 related deaths in Delhi, India. Heliyon 2023; 9:e14975. [PMID: 37035357 PMCID: PMC10060016 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e14975] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/01/2023] [Revised: 03/23/2023] [Accepted: 03/23/2023] [Indexed: 03/31/2023] Open
Abstract
The rapidity and global spread of the COVID-19 pandemic have left several vital questions in the research community requiring coordinated investigation and unique perspectives to explore the relationship between the spread of disease and air quality. Previous studies have focused mainly on the relation of particulate matter concentration with COVID-19-related mortalities. In contrast, surficial ozone has not been given much attention as surface ozone is a primary air pollutant and directly impacts the respiratory system of humans. Hence, we analyzed the relationship between surface ozone pollution and COVID-19-related mortalities. In this study, we have analyzed the variability of various atmospheric pollutants (particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10), Nitrogen dioxide (NO2), Carbon monoxide (CO), and Ozone) in the National Capital Region (NCR) of India during 2020-2021 using station data and investigated the relationship of the air-quality parameters with the COVID-19 related deaths. In northern parts of India, the concentration of particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10), Nitrogen dioxide (NO2), Carbon monoxide (CO), and Ozone remain high during the pre- and post-monsoon seasons due to dust loading and crop residue burning (after winter wheat in April & summer rice in November). The westerly wind brings the polluted airmass from western and northwestern parts to Delhi and National Capital Region during April-June and October-November, and meteorological conditions help raise the concentration of these pollutants. Due to long solar hours and high CO concentrations, the ozone concentration is higher from April to June and September. While comparing major air quality parameters with COVID-19-related deaths, we found a good relationship between surface ozone and COVID-19 mortality in Delhi. We also observed a time lag relationship between ozone concentration and mortality in Delhi, so the exposure to Ozone in a large population of Delhi may have augmented the rise of COVID-19-related deaths. The analysis suggested that ozone has a significant relationship with COVID-19 related mortality in Delhi in comparison to other parameters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Akshansha Chauhan
- Center for Space and Remote Sensing Research, National Central University, Taoyuan, Taiwan
| | - Sharad Kumar Gupta
- Advanced Geospatial Application Group, Punjab Remote Sensing Centre, Ludhiana, India
| | - Yuei-An Liou
- Center for Space and Remote Sensing Research, National Central University, Taoyuan, Taiwan
- Corresponding author.
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25
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Zhou J, Fan L, Lin H, Zheng D, Yang L, Zhuo D, Zhuoma J, Li H, Zhang S, Ruan Z. Size-specific particulate matter and outpatient visits for allergic conjunctivitis in children: a time-stratified case-crossover study in Guangzhou, China. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2023; 30:33949-33959. [PMID: 36502478 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-022-24564-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2022] [Accepted: 11/30/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
This time-stratified case-crossover study aims to quantify the risk of allergic conjunctivitis (AC) associated with short-term exposure to PMs (i.e., PM1, PM2.5, PMc, and PM10) among children in Guangzhou, China. We collected data on children's daily AC outpatient visits from the Guangzhou Women and Children Medical Center during February 20, 2016 to December 31, 2018, and also extracted air pollution and meteorological data in the same time frame. We used conditional logistic regression model to estimate the associations between PMs and AC outpatient visits, and conducted subgroup analyses stratified by sex, age, and season. During the study period, we recorded 39,330 children's outpatient visits for AC, including 27,638 boys and 11,692 girls. The associations between PMs and AC were general linear with no clear threshold, which were largest at the current days but remained positive for lag 1 to 3 days. For every 10 μg/m3 increase in daily PM1, PM2.5, PMc, and PM10 concentrations, the estimated risks of AC outpatient visits at the current days increased by 2.5% (OR = 1.025, 95% CI: 1.011-1.039), 1.8% (OR = 1.018, 95% CI: 1.009-1.027), 2.1% (OR = 1.021, 95% CI: 1.004-1.039), and 1.3% (OR = 1.013, 95% CI: 1.007-1.020), respectively. In addition, our stratified analyses revealed that girls and children aged 1 to 6 years were more sensitive to PM exposure, and the PM-associated risks for AC were more apparent in autumn and winter. Our study suggests that short-term exposure to PMs may induce AC in children.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jin Zhou
- Department of Ophthalmology, Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Lijun Fan
- Key Laboratory of Environmental Medicine and Engineering of Ministry of Education, and Department of Epidemiology & Health Statistics, School of Public Health, Southeast University, 87 Dingjiaqiao, Gulou District, Jiangsu, 210096, Nanjing, China
| | - Hualiang Lin
- Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Sun Yat-Sen University, No. 74 Zhongshan Road 2, Guangdong, 510080, Guangzhou, China
| | - Dehui Zheng
- Department of Ophthalmology, Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Lihong Yang
- Department of Ophthalmology, Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Dan Zhuo
- Key Laboratory of Environmental Medicine and Engineering of Ministry of Education, and Department of Epidemiology & Health Statistics, School of Public Health, Southeast University, 87 Dingjiaqiao, Gulou District, Jiangsu, 210096, Nanjing, China
| | - Jiayang Zhuoma
- Key Laboratory of Environmental Medicine and Engineering of Ministry of Education, and Department of Epidemiology & Health Statistics, School of Public Health, Southeast University, 87 Dingjiaqiao, Gulou District, Jiangsu, 210096, Nanjing, China
| | - Huan Li
- Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Sun Yat-Sen University, No. 74 Zhongshan Road 2, Guangdong, 510080, Guangzhou, China
| | - Shiyu Zhang
- Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Sun Yat-Sen University, No. 74 Zhongshan Road 2, Guangdong, 510080, Guangzhou, China
| | - Zengliang Ruan
- Key Laboratory of Environmental Medicine and Engineering of Ministry of Education, and Department of Epidemiology & Health Statistics, School of Public Health, Southeast University, 87 Dingjiaqiao, Gulou District, Jiangsu, 210096, Nanjing, China.
- Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Sun Yat-Sen University, No. 74 Zhongshan Road 2, Guangdong, 510080, Guangzhou, China.
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26
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Ma P, Zhou N, Wang X, Zhang Y, Tang X, Yang Y, Ma X, Wang S. Stronger susceptibilities to air pollutants of influenza A than B were identified in subtropical Shenzhen, China. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2023; 219:115100. [PMID: 36565842 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2022.115100] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2022] [Revised: 12/10/2022] [Accepted: 12/17/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Air pollution was indicated to be a key factor contributing to the aggressive spread of influenza viruses, whereas uncertainty still exists regarding to whether distinctions exist between influenza subtypes. Our study quantified the impact of five air pollutants on influenza subtype outbreaks in Shenzhen, China, a densely populated and highly urbanized megacity. Daily influenza outbreak data of laboratory-confirmed positive cases were obtained from the Shenzhen CDC, from May 1, 2013 to Dec 31, 2015. Concentrations of nitrogen dioxide (NO2), sulfur dioxide (SO2), particulate matters ≤2.5 μm (PM2.5), particulate matters ≤10 μm (PM10), and ozone (O3), were retrieved from the 18 national monitoring stations. The generalized additive model (GAM) and distributed lag non-linear model (DLNM) were used to calculate the concentration-response relationships between environmental inducers and outbreak epidemics, respectively for influenza A (Flu-A) and B (Flu-B). There were 1687 positive specimens were confirmed during the study period. The cold season was restricted from Nov. 4th to Apr. 20th, covering all seasons other than the long-lasting summer. Relatively heavy fine particle matter (PM2.5) and NO2 pollution was observed in cold months, with mean concentrations of 46.06 μg/m3 and 40.03 μg/m3, respectively. Time-series analysis indicated that high concentrations of NO2, PM2.5, PM10, and O3 were associated with more influenza outbreaks at short lag periods (0-5 d). Although more Flu-B (679 cases) epidemics occurred than Flu-A (382 cases) in the cold season, Flu-A generally showed higher susceptibility to air pollutants. A 10 μg/m3 increment in concentrations of PM2.5, PM10, and O3 at lag 04, was associated with a 2.103 (95%CI: 1.528-2.893), 1.618 (95%CI: 1.311-1.996), and 1.569 (95%CI: 1.214-2.028) of the relative risk (RR) of Flu-A, respectively. A 5 μg/m3 increase in NO2 was associated with higher risk of Flu-A at lag 03 (RR = 1.646, 95%CI: 1.295-2.092) and of Flu-B at lag 04 (RR = 1.319, 95%CI: 1.095-1.588). Nevertheless, barely significant effect of particulate matters (PM2.5, PM10) on Flu-B and SO2 on both subtypes was detected. Further, the effect estimates of NO2 increased for both subtypes when coexisting with other pollutants. This study provides evidence that declining concentrations of main pollutants including NO2, O3, and particulate matters, could substantially decrease influenza risk in subtropical Shenzhen, especially for influenza A.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pan Ma
- Plateau Atmosphere and Environment Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, College of Atmospheric Science, Chengdu University of Information Technology, Chengdu, 610225, Sichuan, China; Chengdu Plain Urban Meteorology and Environment Scientific Observation and Research Station of Sichuan Province, Chengdu, 610225, Sichuan, China.
| | - Ning Zhou
- The First People's Hospital of Lanzhou, Lanzhou, 730050, Gansu, China.
| | - Xinzi Wang
- Meteorological Bureau of Jinnan District, Tianjin, 300350, China.
| | - Ying Zhang
- Plateau Atmosphere and Environment Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, College of Atmospheric Science, Chengdu University of Information Technology, Chengdu, 610225, Sichuan, China; Chengdu Plain Urban Meteorology and Environment Scientific Observation and Research Station of Sichuan Province, Chengdu, 610225, Sichuan, China.
| | - Xiaoxin Tang
- Shenzhen National Climate Observatory, Shenzhen, 518000, China.
| | - Yang Yang
- Plateau Atmosphere and Environment Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, College of Atmospheric Science, Chengdu University of Information Technology, Chengdu, 610225, Sichuan, China.
| | - Xiaolu Ma
- Plateau Atmosphere and Environment Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, College of Atmospheric Science, Chengdu University of Information Technology, Chengdu, 610225, Sichuan, China.
| | - Shigong Wang
- Plateau Atmosphere and Environment Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, College of Atmospheric Science, Chengdu University of Information Technology, Chengdu, 610225, Sichuan, China.
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Developmental Programming in Animal Models: Critical Evidence of Current Environmental Negative Changes. Reprod Sci 2023; 30:442-463. [PMID: 35697921 PMCID: PMC9191883 DOI: 10.1007/s43032-022-00999-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2022] [Accepted: 06/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
The Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD) approach answers questions surrounding the early events suffered by the mother during reproductive stages that can either partially or permanently influence the developmental programming of children, predisposing them to be either healthy or exhibit negative health outcomes in adulthood. Globally, vulnerable populations tend to present high obesity rates, including among school-age children and women of reproductive age. In addition, adults suffer from high rates of diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular, and other metabolic diseases. The increase in metabolic outcomes has been associated with the combination of maternal womb conditions and adult lifestyle-related factors such as malnutrition and obesity, smoking habits, and alcoholism. However, to date, "new environmental changes" have recently been considered negative factors of development, such as maternal sedentary lifestyle, lack of maternal attachment during lactation, overcrowding, smog, overurbanization, industrialization, noise pollution, and psychosocial stress experienced during the current SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Therefore, it is important to recognize how all these factors impact offspring development during pregnancy and lactation, a period in which the subject cannot protect itself from these mechanisms. This review aims to introduce the importance of studying DOHaD, discuss classical programming studies, and address the importance of studying new emerging programming mechanisms, known as actual lifestyle factors, during pregnancy and lactation.
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Li Y, Sun J, Lei R, Zheng J, Tian X, Xue B, Luo B. The Interactive Effects between Drought and Air Pollutants on Children's Upper Respiratory Tract Infection: A Time-Series Analysis in Gansu, China. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2023; 20:1959. [PMID: 36767324 PMCID: PMC9915313 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph20031959] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2022] [Revised: 01/14/2023] [Accepted: 01/16/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
As a destructive and economic disaster in the world, drought shows an increasing trend under the continuous global climate change and adverse health effects have been reported. The interactive effects between drought and air pollutants, which may also be harmful to respiratory systems, remain to be discussed. We built the generalized additive model (GAM) and distributed lag nonlinear model (DLNM) to estimate the effects of drought and air pollutants on daily upper respiratory infections (URTI) outpatient visits among children under 6 in three cities of Gansu province. The Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) based on monthly precipitation (SPI-1) was used as an indicator of drought. A non-stratified model was established to explore the interaction effect of SPI-1 and air pollutants. We illustrated the number of daily pediatric URTI outpatient visits increased with the decrease in SPI-1. The interactive effects between air pollutants and the number of daily pediatric URTIs were significant. According to the non-stratified model, we revealed highly polluted and drought environments had the most significant impact on URTI in children. The occurrence of drought and air pollutants increased URTI in children and exhibited a significant interactive effect.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanlin Li
- Institute of Occupational Health and Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Jianyun Sun
- Gansu Provincial Centre for Diseases Prevention and Control, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Ruoyi Lei
- Institute of Occupational Health and Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Jie Zheng
- Institute of Occupational Health and Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Xiaoyu Tian
- Institute of Occupational Health and Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Baode Xue
- Institute of Occupational Health and Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Bin Luo
- Institute of Occupational Health and Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Meteorology and Health, Shanghai Meteorological Bureau, Shanghai 200030, China
- Shanghai Typhoon Institute, China Meteorological Administration, Shanghai 200030, China
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Mathys T, Souza FTD, Barcellos DDS, Molderez I. The relationship among air pollution, meteorological factors and COVID-19 in the Brussels Capital Region. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 857:158933. [PMID: 36179850 PMCID: PMC9514957 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.158933] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2022] [Revised: 09/06/2022] [Accepted: 09/18/2022] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
In great metropoles, there is a need for a better understanding of the spread of COVID-19 in an outdoor context with environmental parameters. Many studies on this topic have been carried out worldwide. However, there is conflicting evidence regarding the influence of environmental variables on the transmission, hospitalizations and deaths from COVID-19, even though there are plausible scientific explanations that support this, especially air quality and meteorological factors. Different urban contexts, methodological approaches and even the limitations of ecological studies are some possible explanations for this issue. That is why methodological experimentations in different regions of the world are important so that scientific knowledge can advance in this aspect. This research analyses the relationship between air pollution, meteorological factors and COVID-19 in the Brussels Capital Region. We use a data mining approach that is capable of extracting patterns in large databases with diverse taxonomies. Data on air pollution, meteorological, and epidemiological variables were processed in time series for the multivariate analysis and the classification based on association. The environmental variables associated with COVID-19-related deaths, cases and hospitalization were PM2.5, O3, NO2, black carbon, radiation, air pressure, wind speed, dew point, temperature and precipitation. These environmental variables combined with epidemiological factors were able to predict intervals of hospitalization, cases and deaths from COVID-19. These findings confirm the influence of meteorological and air quality variables in the Brussels region on deaths and cases of COVID-19 and can guide public policies and provide useful insights for high-level governmental decision-making concerning COVID-19. However, it is necessary to consider intrinsic elements of this study that may have influenced our results, such as the use of air quality aggregated data, ecological fallacy, focus on acute effects in the time-series study, the underreporting of COVID-19, and the lack of behavioral factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timo Mathys
- Centre for Economics and Corporate Sustainability (CEDON), KU Leuven, Warmoesberg 26, Brussels, Belgium.
| | - Fábio Teodoro de Souza
- Centre for Economics and Corporate Sustainability (CEDON), KU Leuven, Warmoesberg 26, Brussels, Belgium; Graduate Program in Urban Management (PPGTU), Pontifical Catholic University of Paraná (PUCPR), 1155 Imaculada Conceição St, Curitiba, Parana, Brazil.
| | - Demian da Silveira Barcellos
- Graduate Program in Urban Management (PPGTU), Pontifical Catholic University of Paraná (PUCPR), 1155 Imaculada Conceição St, Curitiba, Parana, Brazil.
| | - Ingrid Molderez
- Centre for Economics and Corporate Sustainability (CEDON), KU Leuven, Warmoesberg 26, Brussels, Belgium.
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Jerrett M, Nau CL, Young DR, Butler RK, Batteate CM, Su J, Burnett RT, Kleeman MJ. Air pollution and meteorology as risk factors for COVID-19 death in a cohort from Southern California. ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL 2023; 171:107675. [PMID: 36565571 PMCID: PMC9715495 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2022.107675] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2022] [Revised: 11/18/2022] [Accepted: 12/01/2022] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Recent evidence links ambient air pollution to COVID-19 incidence, severity, and death, but few studies have analyzed individual-level mortality data with high quality exposure models. METHODS We sought to assess whether higher air pollution exposures led to greater risk of death during or after hospitalization in confirmed COVID-19 cases among patients who were members of the Kaiser Permanente Southern California (KPSC) healthcare system (N=21,415 between 06-01-2020 and 01-31-2022 of whom 99.85 % were unvaccinated during the study period). We used 1 km resolution chemical transport models to estimate ambient concentrations of several common air pollutants, including ozone, nitrogen dioxide, and fine particle matter (PM2.5). We also derived estimates of pollutant exposures from ultra-fine particulate matter (PM0.1), PM chemical species, and PM sources. We employed Cox proportional hazards models to assess associations between air pollution exposures and death from COVID-19 among hospitalized patients. FINDINGS We found significant associations between COVID-19 death and several air pollution exposures, including: PM2.5 mass, PM0.1 mass, PM2.5 nitrates, PM2.5 elemental carbon, PM2.5 on-road diesel, and PM2.5 on-road gasoline. Based on the interquartile (IQR) exposure increment, effect sizes ranged from hazard ratios (HR) = 1.12 for PM2.5 mass and PM2.5 nitrate to HR ∼ 1.06-1.07 for other species or source markers. Humidity and temperature in the month of diagnosis were also significant negative predictors of COVID-19 death and negative modifiers of the air pollution effects. INTERPRETATION Air pollution exposures and meteorology were associated the risk of COVID-19 death in a cohort of patients from Southern California. These findings have implications for prevention of death from COVID-19 and for future pandemics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Jerrett
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles 650 Charles Young Dr. S., 56-070 CHS Box 951772, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, United States.
| | - Claudia L Nau
- Department of Research & Evaluation, Kaiser Permanente Southern California 100 S. Los Robles Ave., 5th Floor, Pasadena, CA 91101, United States
| | - Deborah R Young
- Department of Research & Evaluation, Kaiser Permanente Southern California 100 S. Los Robles Ave., 5th Floor, Pasadena, CA 91101, United States
| | - Rebecca K Butler
- Department of Research & Evaluation, Kaiser Permanente Southern California 100 S. Los Robles Ave., 5th Floor, Pasadena, CA 91101, United States
| | - Christina M Batteate
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles 650 Charles Young Dr. S., 56-070 CHS Box 951772, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, United States
| | - Jason Su
- Division of Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley 2121 Berkeley Way, Room 5302, Berkeley, CA 94720, United States
| | - Richard T Burnett
- Population Studies Division, Environmental Health Directorate, Health Canada 251 Sir Frederick Banting Driveway, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0K9, Canada
| | - Michael J Kleeman
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California, Davis 1 Sheilds Avenue, Davis, CA 95616, United States
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31
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Juber NF, Shongwe MC, Ma E, Lin WS, Ngo TH. The Association Between Pediatric Asthma and Missed School Days: A Sex-Stratified Secondary Analysis From the Indonesian Family Life Survey. Asia Pac J Public Health 2023; 35:85-87. [PMID: 36346132 DOI: 10.1177/10105395221137187] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Nirmin F Juber
- Public Health Research Center, New York University Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.,Institute of Public Health, College of Medicine, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Mduduzi C Shongwe
- Institute of Public Health, College of Medicine, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei, Taiwan.,Department of Midwifery Science, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Eswatini, Mbabane, Eswatini
| | - Enbo Ma
- Health Promotion Center and Department of Epidemiology, Fukushima Medical University, Fukushima, Japan
| | - Wen-Shu Lin
- Institute of Health and Welfare Policy, College of Medicine, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Tuan-Hung Ngo
- Institute of Public Health, College of Medicine, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei, Taiwan.,Institute of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei, Taiwan
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Lu J, Wu K, Ma X, Wei J, Yuan Z, Huang Z, Fan W, Zhong Q, Huang Y, Wu X. Short-term effects of ambient particulate matter (PM 1, PM 2.5 and PM 10) on influenza-like illness in Guangzhou, China. Int J Hyg Environ Health 2023; 247:114074. [PMID: 36436470 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijheh.2022.114074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2022] [Revised: 11/09/2022] [Accepted: 11/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Particulate matter (PM) has been linked to respiratory infections in a growing body of evidence. Studies on the relationship between ILI (influenza-like illness) and PM1 (particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter ≤1 μm) are, however, scarce. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of PM on ILI in Guangzhou, China. METHODS Daily ILI cases, air pollution records (PM1, PM2.5, PM10 and gaseous pollutants), and metrological data between 2014 and 2019 were gathered from Guangzhou, China. To estimate the risk of ILI linked with exposure to PM pollutants, a quasi-Poisson regression was used. Additionally, subgroup analyses stratified by gender, age and season were carried out. RESULTS For each 10 μg/m3 increase of PM1 and PM2.5 over the past two days (lag01), and PM10 over the past three days (lag02), the relative risks (RR) of ILI were 1.079 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.050, 1.109), 1.044 (95% CI: 1.027, 1.062) and 1.046 (95% CI: 1.032, 1.059), respectively. The estimated risks for men and women were substantially similar. The effects of PM pollutants between male and female were basically equivalent. People aged 15-24 years old were more susceptive to PM pollutants. CONCLUSIONS It implies that PM1, PM2.5 and PM10 are all risk factors for ILI, the health impacts of PM pollutants vary by particle size. Reducing the concentration of PM1 needs to be considered when generating a strategy to prevent ILI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianyun Lu
- Guangzhou Baiyun Center for Disease Control and Prevention, China
| | - Keyi Wu
- Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University (Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Research), Nos.1023-1063, Shatai South Road, Baiyun District, 510515, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xiaowei Ma
- Guangzhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Guangzhou City, 510440, Guangdong, China
| | - Jing Wei
- Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Science, Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, 20740, USA
| | - Zelin Yuan
- Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University (Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Research), Nos.1023-1063, Shatai South Road, Baiyun District, 510515, Guangzhou, China
| | - Zhiwei Huang
- Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University (Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Research), Nos.1023-1063, Shatai South Road, Baiyun District, 510515, Guangzhou, China
| | - Weidong Fan
- Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University (Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Research), Nos.1023-1063, Shatai South Road, Baiyun District, 510515, Guangzhou, China
| | - Qi Zhong
- Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University (Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Research), Nos.1023-1063, Shatai South Road, Baiyun District, 510515, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yining Huang
- Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University (Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Research), Nos.1023-1063, Shatai South Road, Baiyun District, 510515, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xianbo Wu
- Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University (Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Tropical Disease Research), Nos.1023-1063, Shatai South Road, Baiyun District, 510515, Guangzhou, China.
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Elbayoumi M, Albelbeisi AH. Biomass use and its health effects among the vulnerable and marginalized refugee families in the Gaza Strip. Front Public Health 2023; 11:1129985. [PMID: 37089471 PMCID: PMC10117936 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1129985] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2022] [Accepted: 03/15/2023] [Indexed: 04/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Biomass fuel remains the most common type of fuel used in many developing countries, leading to indoor air pollution and serious health impacts. Objective The objective of this study was to compile evidence on the impact household fuel combustion has on child and adult health, with an emphasis on solid fuel use in Gaza. Methods In this cross-sectional study, 110 structured self-administered questionnaires were distributed in April 2019 among families living in the Al-Maghazi refugee camp. Results Participants reported that the main fuel used were wood, coal, cardboard, and a mix of wood, cardboard, and plastic, which were used for cooking, heating, baking, boiling water, and lighting. The most common symptoms were nasal irritation (71.8%), followed by headache (66.4%) and dizziness (65.4%). The results of logistic regression showed that the participants who used wood fuel had a higher chance of feeling eye irritation than those who used a mix of wood, cardboard, and dried grass (OR = 1.316; 95% CI = 1.54-8.99). The participants who opened windows during the burning process of biomass fuel were five times more likely to develop pneumonia than those who closed windows (OR = 5.53; 95%CI = 11.60-19.0). Conclusion there is an urgent need for community awareness campaigns designed to inform people about the risks of exposure to biomass fuel smoke and how to better implement household ventilation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maher Elbayoumi
- Energy and Sustainable Environment Center, School of Engineering, Israa University, Gaza Strip, Palestine
- *Correspondence: Maher Elbayoumi,
| | - Ahmed Hassan Albelbeisi
- Medical Services Directorate, Gaza Strip, Palestine
- College of Health Professions, Israa University, Gaza Strip, Palestine
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Seah A, Loo LH, Jamali N, Maiwald M, Aik J. The influence of air quality and meteorological variations on influenza A and B virus infections in a paediatric population in Singapore. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2023; 216:114453. [PMID: 36183790 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2022.114453] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2022] [Revised: 09/11/2022] [Accepted: 09/26/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Influenza is an important cause of paediatric illness across the globe. However, information about the relationships between air pollution, meteorological variability and paediatric influenza A and B infections in tropical settings is limited. METHODS We analysed all daily reports of influenza A and B infections in children <5 years old obtained from the largest specialist women and children's hospital in Singapore. In separate negative binomial regression models, we assessed the dependence of paediatric influenza A and B infections on air quality and meteorological variability, using multivariable fractional polynomial modelling and adjusting for time-varying confounders. RESULTS Approximately 80% of 7329 laboratory-confirmed reports were caused by influenza A. We observed positive associations between sulphur dioxide (SO2) exposure and the subsequent risk of infection with both influenza types. We observed evidence of a harvesting effect of SO2 on Influenza A but not Influenza B. Ambient temperature was associated with a decline in influenza A reports (Relative Risk at lag 5 [RRlag5]: 0.949, 95% CI: 0.916-0.983). Rainfall was positively associated with a subsequent increase in influenza A reports (RRlag3: 1.044, 95% CI: 1.017-1.071). Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) concentration was positively associated with influenza B reports (RRlag5: 1.015, 95% CI: 1.005-1.025). There was a non-linear association between CO and influenza B reports. Absolute humidity increased the ensuing risk of influenza B (RRlag5: 4.799, 95% CI: 2.277-10.118). Influenza A and B infections displayed dissimilar but predictable within-year seasonal patterns. CONCLUSIONS We observed different independent associations between air quality and meteorological variability with paediatric influenza A and B infections. Anticipated seasonal infection peaks and variations in air quality and meteorological parameters can inform the timing of community measures aimed at reducing influenza infection risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annabel Seah
- Environmental Epidemiology and Toxicology Division, National Environment Agency, 40 Scotts Road, Environment Building, #13-00, 228231, Singapore.
| | - Liat Hui Loo
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, KK Women's and Children's Hospital, 100 Bukit Timah Road, 229899, Singapore; Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School, 8 College Road, 169857, Singapore.
| | - Natasha Jamali
- Environmental Monitoring and Modelling Division, National Environment Agency, 40 Scotts Road, #13-00, 228231, Singapore.
| | - Matthias Maiwald
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, KK Women's and Children's Hospital, 100 Bukit Timah Road, 229899, Singapore; Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School, 8 College Road, 169857, Singapore; Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, NUHS Tower Block, 1E Kent Ridge Road Level 11, 119228, Singapore.
| | - Joel Aik
- Environmental Epidemiology and Toxicology Division, National Environment Agency, 40 Scotts Road, Environment Building, #13-00, 228231, Singapore; Pre-Hospital & Emergency Research Centre, Duke-NUS Medical School, 8 College Road, 169857, Singapore.
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Yang Y, Lu Y, Jiang B. Population-weighted exposure to green spaces tied to lower COVID-19 mortality rates: A nationwide dose-response study in the USA. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 851:158333. [PMID: 36041607 PMCID: PMC9420198 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.158333] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2022] [Revised: 08/23/2022] [Accepted: 08/23/2022] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a huge loss of human life globally. However, few studies investigated the link between exposure to green space and risk of COVID-19 mortality rate, while also distinguishing the effects of various types of green space, considering the spatial distribution of human population and green space, and identifying the optimal buffer distances of nearby green space. It is critical and pressing to fill these significant knowledge gaps to protect and promote billions of people's health and life across the world. This study adopted a negative binomial generalized linear mixed-effects model to examine the association between the ratios of various types of green space, population-weighted exposure to those various types of green space, and COVID-19 mortality rates across 3025 counties in the USA, adjusted for sociodemographic, pre-existing chronic disease, policy and regulation, behavioral, and environmental factors. The findings show that greater exposure to forest was associated with lower COVID-19 mortality rates, while developed open space had mixed associations with COVID-19 mortality rates. Forest outside park had the largest effect size across all buffer distances, followed by forest inside park. The optimal exposure buffer distance was 1 km for forest outside park, with per one-unit of increase in exposure associated with a 9.9 % decrease in COVID-19 mortality rates (95 % confidence interval (CI): 6.9 %-12.8 %). The optimal exposure buffer distance of forest inside park was 400 m, with per one-unit of increase in exposure associated with a 4.7 % decrease in mortality rates (95 % CI: 2.4 %-6.9 %). The results suggest that greater exposure to green spaces, especially to nearby forests, may mitigate the risk of COVID-19 mortality. Although findings of an ecological study cannot be directly used to guide medical interventions, this study may pave a critical new way for future research and practice across multiple disciplines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuwen Yang
- Urban Environments and Human Health Lab, HKUrbanLabs, Faculty of Architecture, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR; Division of Landscape Architecture, Department of Architecture, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR
| | - Yi Lu
- Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering, College of Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR
| | - Bin Jiang
- Urban Environments and Human Health Lab, HKUrbanLabs, Faculty of Architecture, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR; Division of Landscape Architecture, Department of Architecture, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR.
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Hernandez Carballo I, Bakola M, Stuckler D. The impact of air pollution on COVID-19 incidence, severity, and mortality: A systematic review of studies in Europe and North America. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2022; 215:114155. [PMID: 36030916 PMCID: PMC9420033 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2022.114155] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2022] [Revised: 08/16/2022] [Accepted: 08/17/2022] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Air pollution is speculated to increase the risks of COVID-19 spread, severity, and mortality. OBJECTIVES We systematically reviewed studies investigating the relationship between air pollution and COVID-19 cases, non-fatal severity, and mortality in North America and Europe. METHODS We searched PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus for studies investigating the effects of harmful pollutants, including particulate matter with diameter ≤2.5 or 10 μm (PM2.5 or PM10), ozone (O3), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), sulfur dioxide (SO2) and carbon monoxide (CO), on COVID-19 cases, severity, and deaths in Europe and North America through to June 19, 2021. Articles were included if they quantitatively measured the relationship between exposure to air pollution and COVID-19 health outcomes. RESULTS From 2,482 articles screened, we included 116 studies reporting 355 separate pollutant-COVID-19 estimates. Approximately half of all evaluations on incidence were positive and significant associations (52.7%); for mortality the corresponding figure was similar (48.1%), while for non-fatal severity this figure was lower (41.2%). Longer-term exposure to pollutants appeared more likely to be positively associated with COVID-19 incidence (63.8%). PM2.5, PM10, O3, NO2, and CO were most strongly positively associated with COVID-19 incidence, while PM2.5 and NO2 with COVID-19 deaths. All studies were observational and most exhibited high risk of confounding and outcome measurement bias. DISCUSSION Air pollution may be associated with worse COVID-19 outcomes. Future research is needed to better test the air pollution-COVID-19 hypothesis, particularly using more robust study designs and COVID-19 measures that are less prone to measurement error and by considering co-pollutant interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ireri Hernandez Carballo
- Department of Social and Political Sciences, Bocconi University, Milan, Lombardy, Italy; RFF-CMCC European Institute of Economics and the Environment, Centro Euro-Mediterraneo Sui Cambiamenti Climatici, Milan, Lombardy, Italy.
| | - Maria Bakola
- Research Unit for General Medicine and Primary Health Care, Faculty of Medicine, School of Health Science, University of Ioannina, Ioannina, Greece
| | - David Stuckler
- Department of Social and Political Sciences, Bocconi University, Milan, Lombardy, Italy; DONDENA Centre for Research on Social Dynamics and Public Policy, Bocconi University, Milan, Lombardy, Italy
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Ponzano M, Schiavetti I, Bergamaschi R, Pisoni E, Bellavia A, Mallucci G, Carmisciano L, Inglese M, Cordioli C, Marfia GA, Cocco E, Immovilli P, Pesci I, Scandellari C, Cavalla P, Radaelli M, Vianello M, Vitetta F, Montepietra S, Amato MP, Fioretti C, Filippi M, Sartori A, Caleri F, Clerico M, Gallo A, Conte A, Clerici R, De Luca G, Boneschi FM, Cantello R, Calabrese M, Tortorella C, Rovaris M, Verrengia EP, Patti F, Morra VB, Salvetti M, Sormani MP. The impact of PM2.5, PM10 and NO2 on Covid-19 severity in a sample of patients with multiple sclerosis: A case-control study. Mult Scler Relat Disord 2022; 68:104243. [PMID: 36288659 PMCID: PMC9581645 DOI: 10.1016/j.msard.2022.104243] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2022] [Revised: 09/19/2022] [Accepted: 10/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Many studies investigated the association between air pollution and Covid-19 severity but the only study focusing on patients with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) exclusively evaluated exposure to PM2.5. We aim to study, in a sample of MS patients, the impact of long-term exposure to PM2.5, PM10 and NO2 on Covid-19 severity, described as occurrence of pneumonia. METHODS A 1:2 ratio case-control study was designed, differentiating cases and controls based on Covid-19 pneumonia. Associations between pollutants and outcome were studied using logistic regression. Weighted quantile sum (WQS) logistic regression was used to identify the individual contribution of each pollutant within the mixture; Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO) penalized regression was performed to confirm the variable selection from WQS. All the analyses were adjusted for confounders selected a priori. RESULTS Of the 615 eligible patients, 491 patients provided detailed place of exposure and were included in the principal analysis. Higher concentrations of air pollutants were associated with increased odds of developing Covid-19 pneumonia (PM2.5: 3rd vs 1st tercile OR(95% CI)=2.26(1.29;3.96); PM10: 3rd vs 1st tercile OR(95% CI)=2.12(1.22;3.68); NO2: 3rd vs 1st tercile OR(95% CI)=2.12(1.21;3.69)). Pollutants were highly correlated with each other; WQS index was associated to an increased risk of pneumonia (β=0.44; p-value=0.004) and the main contributors to this association were NO2 (41%) and PM2.5 (34%). Consistently, Lasso method selected PM2.5 and NO2. CONCLUSIONS Higher long-term exposure to PM2.5, PM10 and NO2 increased the odds of Covid-19 pneumonia among MS patients and the most dangerous pollutants were NO2 and PM2.5.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marta Ponzano
- Department of Health Sciences, Section of Biostatistics, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy.
| | - Irene Schiavetti
- Department of Health Sciences, Section of Biostatistics, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy
| | | | - Enrico Pisoni
- European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), Ispra, Italy
| | - Andrea Bellavia
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Giulia Mallucci
- Multiple Sclerosis Research Center, IRCCS Mondino Foundation, Pavia, Italy
| | - Luca Carmisciano
- Department of Health Sciences, Section of Biostatistics, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy
| | - Matilde Inglese
- Department of Neurosciences, Rehabilitation, Ophthalmology, Genetics, Maternal and Child Health (DINOGMI), University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy; IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genoa, Italy
| | - Cinzia Cordioli
- Multiple Sclerosis Center, ASST Spedali Civili di Brescia, Montichiari, Italy
| | - Girolama Alessandra Marfia
- Department of Systems Medicine, Multiple Sclerosis Clinical and Research Unit, Tor Vergata University, Rome, Italy
| | - Eleonora Cocco
- Multiple Sclerosis Center, Ospedale Binaghi, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Paolo Immovilli
- Multiple Sclerosis Center, Ospedale Guglielmo da Saliceto, Piacenza, Italy
| | - Ilaria Pesci
- Multiple Sclerosis Center, UO Neurology, Fidenza, Fidenza, Italy
| | - Cinzia Scandellari
- IRCCS Institute of Neurological Sciences, UOSI Multiple Sclerosis Rehabilitation, Bologna, Italy
| | - Paola Cavalla
- MS Center, Department of Neuroscience, City of Health and Science University Hospital of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Marta Radaelli
- Department of Neurology and Multiple Sclerosis Center, ASST "Papa Giovanni XXIII", Bergamo, Italy
| | - Marika Vianello
- Unit of Neurology, Ca' Fancello Hospital, AULSS2, Treviso, Italy
| | - Francesca Vitetta
- Neurology Unit, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria of Modena, Modena, Italy
| | - Sara Montepietra
- Neurology Unit, Neuromotor and Rehabilitation Department, AUSL-IRCCS of Reggio Emilia, Reggio Emilia, Italy
| | | | | | - Massimo Filippi
- Neurology Unit, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy; Neurorehabilitation Unit, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy; Neurophysiology Unit, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy; Neuroimaging Research Unit, Division of Neuroscience, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy; Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy
| | - Arianna Sartori
- Clinical Unit of Neurology, Department of Medicine, Surgery and Health Sciences, ASUGI, University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy
| | - Francesca Caleri
- Department of Neurology, MS Center, F. Tappeiner Hospital, Merano, Italy
| | - Marinella Clerico
- Clinical and Biological Sciences Department, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Antonio Gallo
- Department of Advanced Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Naples, (NA), Italy
| | - Antonella Conte
- Department of Human Neuroscience, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy; IRCCS Neuromed, Pozzilli, Italy
| | | | - Giovanna De Luca
- Institute for Advanced Biomedical Technologies (ITAB), Department of Neurosciences, Imaging and Clinical Sciences, University "G. d'Annunzio" of Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy
| | | | - Roberto Cantello
- Movement Disorders Centre, Neurology Unit, Department of Translational Medicine, University of Piemonte Orientale, Novara, Italy
| | - Massimiliano Calabrese
- Department of Neuroscience, Biomedicine and Movement, The Multiple Sclerosis Center of the University Hospital of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Carla Tortorella
- Department of Neurosciences, S. Camillo-Forlanini Hospital, Rome, Italy
| | | | | | - Francesco Patti
- Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences and Advanced Technologies, GF Ingrassia, University of Catania
| | - Vincenzo Brescia Morra
- Multiple Sclerosis Clinical Care and Research Centre, Department of Neuroscience, Federico II University, Naples, Italy
| | - Marco Salvetti
- Department of Neuroscience, Mental Health and Sensory Organs, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy; Unit of Neurology, IRCCS Neuromed, Pozzilli, Isernia, Italy
| | - Maria Pia Sormani
- Department of Health Sciences, Section of Biostatistics, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy; IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genoa, Italy
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Singh A. Ambient air pollution and COVID-19 in Delhi, India: a time-series evidence. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH RESEARCH 2022; 32:2575-2588. [PMID: 34538153 DOI: 10.1080/09603123.2021.1977258] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2021] [Accepted: 09/01/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
This study aimed to explore the short-term health effects of ambient air pollutants PM2.5, PM10, SO2, NO2, O3, and CO on COVID-19 daily new cases and COVID-19 daily new deaths. A time-series design used in this study. Data were obtained from 1 April 2020 to 31 December 2020 in the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, India. The generalized additive models (GAMs) were applied to explore the associations of six air pollutants with COVID-19 daily new cases and COVID-19 daily new deaths. The GAMs revealed statistically significant associations of ambient air pollutants with COVID-19 daily new cases and COVID-19 daily new deaths. These findings suggest that governments need to give greater considerations to regions with higher concentrations of PM2.5, PM10, SO2, NO2, O3, and CO, since these areas may experience a more serious COVID-19 pandemic or, in general, any respiratory disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abhishek Singh
- Department of Mathematics and Scientific Computing, National Institute of Technology Hamirpur, Hamirpur, Himchal Pradesh, India
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Brągoszewska E, Mainka A. Impact of Different Air Pollutants (PM 10, PM 2.5, NO 2, and Bacterial Aerosols) on COVID-19 Cases in Gliwice, Southern Poland. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:14181. [PMID: 36361060 PMCID: PMC9655007 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph192114181] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2022] [Revised: 10/23/2022] [Accepted: 10/27/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Many studies have shown that air pollution may be closely associated with increased morbidity and mortality due to COVID-19. It has been observed that exposure to air pollution leads to reduced immune response, thereby facilitating viral penetration and replication. In our study, we combined information on confirmed COVID-19 daily new cases (DNCs) in one of the most polluted regions in the European Union (EU) with air-quality monitoring data, including meteorological parameters (temperature, relative humidity, atmospheric pressure, wind speed, and direction) and concentrations of particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5), sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen oxides (NO and NO2), ozone (O3), and carbon monoxide (CO). Additionally, the relationship between bacterial aerosol (BA) concentration and COVID-19 spread was analyzed. We confirmed a significant positive correlation (p < 0.05) between NO2 concentrations and numbers of confirmed DNCs and observed positive correlations (p < 0.05) between BA concentrations and DNCs, which may point to coronavirus air transmission by surface deposits on bioaerosol particles. In addition, wind direction information was used to show that the highest numbers of DNCs were associated with the dominant wind directions in the region (southern and southwestern parts).
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Affiliation(s)
- Ewa Brągoszewska
- Department of Technologies and Installations for Waste Management, Faculty of Energy and Environmental Engineering, Silesian University of Technology, 18 Konarskiego St., 44-100 Gliwice, Poland
| | - Anna Mainka
- Department of Air Protection, Silesian University of Technology, 22B Konarskiego St., 44-100 Gliwice, Poland
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de la Fuente J, Armas O, Barroso-Arévalo S, Gortázar C, García-Seco T, Buendía-Andrés A, Villanueva F, Soriano JA, Mazuecos L, Vaz-Rodrigues R, García-Contreras R, García A, Monsalve-Serrano J, Domínguez L, Sánchez-Vizcaíno JM. Good and bad get together: Inactivation of SARS-CoV-2 in particulate matter pollution from different fuels. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 844:157241. [PMID: 35817121 PMCID: PMC9264720 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.157241] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2022] [Revised: 06/09/2022] [Accepted: 07/05/2022] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
Air pollution and associated particulate matter (PM) affect environmental and human health worldwide. The intense vehicle usage and the high population density in urban areas are the main causes of this public health impact. Epidemiological studies have provided evidence on the effect of air pollution on airborne SARS-CoV-2 transmission and COVID-19 disease prevalence and symptomatology. However, the causal relationship between air pollution and COVID-19 is still under investigation. Based on these results, the question addressed in this study was how long SARS-CoV-2 survives on the surface of PM from different origin to evaluate the relationship between fuel and atmospheric pollution and virus transmission risk. The persistence and viability of SARS-CoV-2 virus was characterized in 5 engine exhaust PM and 4 samples of atmospheric PM10. The results showed that SARS-CoV-2 remains on the surface of PM10 from air pollutants but interaction with engine exhaust PM inactivates the virus. Consequently, atmospheric PM10 levels may increase SARS-CoV-2 transmission risk thus supporting a causal relationship between these factors. Furthermore, the relationship of pollution PM and particularly engine exhaust PM with virus transmission risk and COVID-19 is also affected by the impact of these pollutants on host oxidative stress and immunity. Therefore, although fuel PM inactivates SARS-CoV-2, the conclusion of the study is that both atmospheric and engine exhaust PM negatively impact human health with implications for COVID-19 and other diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- José de la Fuente
- SaBio, Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos IREC-CSIC-UCLM-JCCM, Ronda de Toledo s/n, 13005 Ciudad Real, Spain; Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, Center for Veterinary Health Sciences, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK 74078, USA.
| | - Octavio Armas
- Escuela de Ingeniería Industrial y Aeroespacial, Universidad de Castilla - La Mancha, Campus de Excelencia Internacional en Energía y Medioambiente, Real Fábrica de Armas, Edif. Sabatini, Av. Carlos III, s/n, 45071 Toledo, Spain
| | - Sandra Barroso-Arévalo
- VISAVET Health Surveillance Centre, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Puerta de Hierro s/n, 28040 Madrid, Spain; Department of Animal Health, Faculty of Veterinary, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Av. Puerta de Hierro s/n, 28040 Madrid, Spain
| | - Christian Gortázar
- SaBio, Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos IREC-CSIC-UCLM-JCCM, Ronda de Toledo s/n, 13005 Ciudad Real, Spain
| | - Teresa García-Seco
- VISAVET Health Surveillance Centre, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Puerta de Hierro s/n, 28040 Madrid, Spain
| | - Aránzazu Buendía-Andrés
- VISAVET Health Surveillance Centre, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Puerta de Hierro s/n, 28040 Madrid, Spain
| | - Florentina Villanueva
- Instituto de Investigación en Combustión y Contaminación Atmosférica, Universidad de Castilla La Mancha, Camino de Moledores s/n, 13071 Ciudad Real, Spain; Parque Científico y Tecnológico de Castilla La Mancha, Paseo de La Innovación 1, 02006 Albacete, Spain
| | - José A Soriano
- Escuela de Ingeniería Industrial y Aeroespacial, Universidad de Castilla - La Mancha, Campus de Excelencia Internacional en Energía y Medioambiente, Real Fábrica de Armas, Edif. Sabatini, Av. Carlos III, s/n, 45071 Toledo, Spain
| | - Lorena Mazuecos
- SaBio, Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos IREC-CSIC-UCLM-JCCM, Ronda de Toledo s/n, 13005 Ciudad Real, Spain
| | - Rita Vaz-Rodrigues
- SaBio, Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos IREC-CSIC-UCLM-JCCM, Ronda de Toledo s/n, 13005 Ciudad Real, Spain
| | - Reyes García-Contreras
- Escuela de Ingeniería Industrial y Aeroespacial, Universidad de Castilla - La Mancha, Campus de Excelencia Internacional en Energía y Medioambiente, Real Fábrica de Armas, Edif. Sabatini, Av. Carlos III, s/n, 45071 Toledo, Spain
| | - Antonio García
- CMT-Motores Térmicos, Universitat Politècnica de València, Camino de Vera s/n, 46022 Valencia, Spain
| | - Javier Monsalve-Serrano
- CMT-Motores Térmicos, Universitat Politècnica de València, Camino de Vera s/n, 46022 Valencia, Spain
| | - Lucas Domínguez
- VISAVET Health Surveillance Centre, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Puerta de Hierro s/n, 28040 Madrid, Spain; Department of Animal Health, Faculty of Veterinary, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Av. Puerta de Hierro s/n, 28040 Madrid, Spain
| | - José Manuel Sánchez-Vizcaíno
- VISAVET Health Surveillance Centre, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Puerta de Hierro s/n, 28040 Madrid, Spain; Department of Animal Health, Faculty of Veterinary, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Av. Puerta de Hierro s/n, 28040 Madrid, Spain
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41
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Madu FU, Agoro EYS, Madu MC. Exhaled breath condensate markers of oxidative stress in male storekeepers of chemical stores in the Ariaria international market Aba Abia state Nigeria. Toxicol Ind Health 2022; 38:801-809. [PMID: 36261326 DOI: 10.1177/07482337221133885] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
In most developing countries, stores, where chemical substances are sold, are poorly ventilated, and best practices are not followed. This can result in the contamination of the ambient air inside the stores with toxicological implications for the lungs. This work aimed at determining the risk of pulmonary disease in chemical storekeepers in the Ariaria international market Aba by the evaluation of exhaled breath condensate (EBC) biomarkers of oxidative stress. A gas monitor was used for gas sampling while an Aerocet analyzer was used for particulate matter determinations. Exposed filter paper was used for the sampling of heavy metals in the air, and the determination was done using atomic absorption spectrophotometry. The exhaled breath condensate was collected with a refrigerated condenser, and the markers of oxidative stress were determined spectrophotometrically. Concentrations of particulate matter (PM1, PM2.5, PM4, PM7, PM10) were elevated in all the chemical stores studied. Our findings also showed that the indoor air of the chemical stores studied was polluted with SO2, NO2, NH3 and H2S, as their concentrations were respectively higher than the WHO standard values. Concentrations of all the heavy metals present in the ambient air of the chemical stores were also higher than the Nigerian Environmental Standard and Regulation Enforcement Agency (NESREA) standard values. Chemical storekeepers at the Ariaria international market exhaled increased concentrations of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), H2O2, and lower concentrations of glutathione (GSH). The pH values of the exhaled breath condensates were decreased and slightly acidic. It therefore means that the storekeepers were exposed to polluted ambient air inside the stores. This resulted to airway oxidative stress in the storekeepers as reported herein. Therefore, storekeepers of chemical stores in the Ariaria international market, Aba Nigeria were at risk of pulmonary disease(s).
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Affiliation(s)
- Francis Ugochukwu Madu
- Department of Environmental Management and Toxicology, 487357Federal University Oye-Ekiti, Nigeria
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42
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Marian B, Yan Y, Chen Z, Lurmann F, Li K, Gilliland F, Eckel SP, Garcia E. Independent associations of short- and long-term air pollution exposure with COVID-19 mortality among Californians. ENVIRONMENTAL ADVANCES 2022; 9:100280. [PMID: 35966412 PMCID: PMC9361629 DOI: 10.1016/j.envadv.2022.100280] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2022] [Revised: 06/30/2022] [Accepted: 08/08/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The growing literature demonstrating air pollution associations on COVID-19 mortality contains studies predominantly examining long-term exposure, with few on short-term exposure, and rarely both together to estimate independent associations. Because mechanisms by which air pollution may impact COVID-19 mortality risk function over timescales ranging from years to days, and given correlation among exposure time windows, consideration of both short- and long-term exposure is of importance. We assessed the independent associations between COVID-19 mortality rates with short- and long-term air pollution exposure by modeling both concurrently. Using California death certificate data COVID-19-related deaths were identified, and decedent residential information used to assess short- (4-week mean) and long-term (6-year mean) exposure to particulate matter <2.5µm (PM2.5), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and ozone (O3). Negative binomial mixed models were fitted on weekly census tract COVID-19 mortality adjusting for potential confounders with random effects for county and census tract and an offset for population. Data were evaluated separately for two time periods March 16, 2020-October 18, 2020 and October 19, 2020-April 25, 2021, representing the Spring/Summer surges and Winter surge. Independent positive associations with COVID-19 mortality were observed for short- and long-term PM2.5 in both study periods, with strongest associations observed in the first study period: COVID-19 mortality rate ratio for a 2-μg/m3 increase in long-term PM2.5 was 1.13 (95%CI:1.09,1.17) and for a 4.7-μg/m3 increase in short-term PM2.5 was 1.05 (95%CI:1.02,1.08). Statistically significant positive associations were seen for both short- and long-term NO2 in study period 1, but short-term NO2 was not statistically significant in study period 2. Results for long-term O3 indicate positive associations, however, only marginal significance is achieved in study period 1. These findings support an adverse effect of long-term PM2.5 and NO2 exposure on COVID-19 mortality risk, independent of short-term exposure, and a possible independent effect of short-term PM2.5.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brittney Marian
- Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States of America
| | - Ying Yan
- Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States of America
| | - Zhanghua Chen
- Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States of America
| | - Fred Lurmann
- Sonoma Technology, Inc, Petaluma, CA, United States of America
| | - Kenan Li
- Spatial Sciences Institute, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States of America
| | - Frank Gilliland
- Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States of America
| | - Sandrah P Eckel
- Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States of America
| | - Erika Garcia
- Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States of America
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43
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English PB, Von Behren J, Balmes JR, Boscardin J, Carpenter C, Goldberg DE, Horiuchi S, Richardson M, Solomon G, Valle J, Reynolds P. Association between long-term exposure to particulate air pollution with SARS-CoV-2 infections and COVID-19 deaths in California, U.S.A. ENVIRONMENTAL ADVANCES 2022; 9:100270. [PMID: 35912397 PMCID: PMC9316717 DOI: 10.1016/j.envadv.2022.100270] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2022] [Revised: 07/06/2022] [Accepted: 07/25/2022] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
Previous studies have reported associations between air pollution and COVID-19 morbidity and mortality, but most have limited their exposure assessment to a large area, have not used individual-level variables, nor studied infections. We examined 3.1 million SARS-CoV-2 infections and 49,691 COVID-19 deaths that occurred in California from February 2020 to February 2021 to evaluate risks associated with long-term neighborhood concentrations of particulate matter less than 2.5 μm in diameter (PM2.5). We obtained individual address data on SARS-CoV-2 infections and COVID-19 deaths and assigned 2000-2018 1km-1km gridded PM2.5 surfaces to census block groups. We included individual covariate data on age and sex, and census block data on race/ethnicity, air basin, Area Deprivation Index, and relevant comorbidities. Our analyses were based on generalized linear mixed models utilizing a Poisson distribution. Those living in the highest quintile of long-term PM2.5 exposure had risks of SARS-CoV-2 infections 20% higher and risks of COVID-19 mortality 51% higher, compared to those living in the lowest quintile of long-term PM2.5 exposure. Those living in the areas of highest long-term PM2.5 exposure were more likely to be Hispanic and more vulnerable, based on the Area Deprivation Index. The increased risks for SARS-CoV-2 Infections and COVID-19 mortality associated with highest long-term PM2.5 concentrations at the neighborhood-level in California were consistent with a growing body of literature from studies worldwide, and further highlight the importance of reducing levels of air pollution to protect public health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul B English
- Tracking California Public Health Institute, 555 12th St., Suite 290, Oakland, CA 94607, United States
| | - Julie Von Behren
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - John R Balmes
- Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - John Boscardin
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Catherine Carpenter
- Tracking California Public Health Institute, 555 12th St., Suite 290, Oakland, CA 94607, United States
| | - Debbie E Goldberg
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Sophia Horiuchi
- Tracking California Public Health Institute, 555 12th St., Suite 290, Oakland, CA 94607, United States
| | - Maxwell Richardson
- Tracking California Public Health Institute, 555 12th St., Suite 290, Oakland, CA 94607, United States
| | - Gina Solomon
- Tracking California Public Health Institute, 555 12th St., Suite 290, Oakland, CA 94607, United States
- Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Jhaqueline Valle
- Tracking California Public Health Institute, 555 12th St., Suite 290, Oakland, CA 94607, United States
| | - Peggy Reynolds
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
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Urrutia-Pereira M, Chong-Neto HJ, Annesi Maesano I, Ansotegui IJ, Caraballo L, Cecchi L, Galán C, López JF, Aguttes MM, Peden D, Pomés A, Zakzuk J, Rosário Filho NA, D'Amato G. Environmental contributions to the interactions of COVID-19 and asthma: A secondary publication and update. World Allergy Organ J 2022; 15:100686. [PMID: 35966894 PMCID: PMC9359502 DOI: 10.1016/j.waojou.2022.100686] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2022] [Revised: 07/22/2022] [Accepted: 07/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/01/2022] Open
Abstract
An outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) started in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China and quickly spread around the world. Current evidence is contradictory on the association of asthma with COVID-19 and associated severe outcomes. Type 2 inflammation may reduce the risk for severe COVID-19. Whether asthma diagnosis may be a risk factor for severe COVID-19, especially for those with severe disease or non-allergic phenotypes, deserves further attention and clarification. In addition, COVID-19 does not appear to provoke asthma exacerbations, and asthma therapeutics should be continued for patients with exposure to COVID-19. Changes in the intensity of pollinization, an earlier start and extension of the pollinating season, and the increase in production and allergenicity of pollen are known direct effects that air pollution has on physical, chemical, and biological properties of the pollen grains. They are influenced and triggered by meteorological variables that could partially explain the effect on COVID-19. SARS-CoV-2 is capable of persisting in the environment and can be transported by bioaerosols which can further influence its transmission rate and seasonality. The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the behavior of adults and children globally. A general trend during the pandemic has been human isolation indoors due to school lockdowns and loss of job or implementation of virtual work at home. A consequence of this behavior change would presumably be changes in indoor allergen exposures and reduction of inhaled outdoor allergens. Therefore, lockdowns during the pandemic might have improved some specific allergies, while worsening others, depending on the housing conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Herberto Jose Chong-Neto
- Division of Allergy and Immunology, Department of Pediatrics, Federal University of Paraná, Curitiba, PR, Brazil
| | - Isabella Annesi Maesano
- French NIH (INSERM), and EPAR Department, IPLESP, INSERM and Sorbonne University, Paris, France
| | | | - Luis Caraballo
- Institute for Immunological Research, University of Cartagena, Cartagena, Colombia
| | - Lorenzo Cecchi
- Centre of Bioclimatology, University of Florence, Florence, Italy.,SOS Allergy and Clinical Immunology, USL Toscana Centro, Prato, Italy
| | - Carmen Galán
- Department of Botany, Ecology and Plant Physiology, International Campus of Excellence on Agrifood (ceiA3), University of Córdoba, Córdoba, Spain
| | - Juan Felipe López
- Institute for Immunological Research, University of Cartagena, Cartagena, Colombia
| | | | - David Peden
- UNC School of Medicine, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, United States
| | - Anna Pomés
- Basic Research, Indoor Biotechnologies, Inc, Charlottesville, VA, United States
| | - Josefina Zakzuk
- Institute for Immunological Research, University of Cartagena, Cartagena, Colombia
| | | | - Gennaro D'Amato
- Division of Respiratory and Allergic Diseases, High Specialty Hospital A. Cardarelli, School of Specialization in Respiratory Diseases, Federico II University, Naples, Italy
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45
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Shim SR, Kim HJ, Hong M, Kwon SK, Kim JH, Lee SJ, Lee SW, Han HW. Effects of meteorological factors and air pollutants on the incidence of COVID-19 in South Korea. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2022; 212:113392. [PMID: 35525295 PMCID: PMC9068245 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2022.113392] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2022] [Revised: 04/26/2022] [Accepted: 04/28/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Air pollution and meteorological factors can exacerbate susceptibility to respiratory viral infections. To establish appropriate prevention and intervention strategies, it is important to determine whether these factors affect the transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Therefore, this study examined the effects of sunshine, temperature, wind, and air pollutants including sulfur dioxide (SO2), carbon monoxide (CO), ozone (O3), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), particulate matter ≤2.5 μm (PM2.5), and particulate matter ≤10 μm (PM10) on the age-standardized incidence ratio of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in South Korea between January 2020 and April 2020. Propensity score weighting was used to randomly select observations into groups according to whether the case was cluster-related, to reduce selection bias. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were used to identify factors associated with COVID-19 incidence. Age 60 years or over (odds ratio [OR], 1.29; 95% CI, 1.24-1.35), exposure to ambient air pollutants, especially SO2 (OR, 5.19; 95% CI, 1.13-23.9) and CO (OR, 1.17; 95% CI, 1.07-1.27), and non-cluster infection (OR, 1.28; 95% CI, 1.24-1.32) were associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection. To manage and control COVID-19 effectively, further studies are warranted to confirm these findings and to develop appropriate guidelines to minimize SARS-CoV-2 transmission.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sung Ryul Shim
- Department of Health and Medical Informatics, Kyungnam University College of Health Sciences, Changwon, Republic of Korea; Institute for Biomedical Informatics, School of Medicine, CHA University, Seongnam, Republic of Korea
| | - Hye Jun Kim
- Institute for Biomedical Informatics, School of Medicine, CHA University, Seongnam, Republic of Korea; Department of Biomedical Informatics, CHA University School of Medicine, CHA University, Seongnam, Republic of Korea; Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, School of Medicine, CHA University, Seongnam, Republic of Korea
| | - Myunghee Hong
- Institute for Biomedical Informatics, School of Medicine, CHA University, Seongnam, Republic of Korea; Department of Biomedical Informatics, CHA University School of Medicine, CHA University, Seongnam, Republic of Korea; Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, School of Medicine, CHA University, Seongnam, Republic of Korea
| | - Sun Kyu Kwon
- Institute for Biomedical Informatics, School of Medicine, CHA University, Seongnam, Republic of Korea; Department of Biomedical Informatics, CHA University School of Medicine, CHA University, Seongnam, Republic of Korea; Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, School of Medicine, CHA University, Seongnam, Republic of Korea
| | - Ju Hee Kim
- Institute for Biomedical Informatics, School of Medicine, CHA University, Seongnam, Republic of Korea; Department of Biomedical Informatics, CHA University School of Medicine, CHA University, Seongnam, Republic of Korea; Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, School of Medicine, CHA University, Seongnam, Republic of Korea
| | - Sang Jun Lee
- Institute for Biomedical Informatics, School of Medicine, CHA University, Seongnam, Republic of Korea; Department of Biomedical Informatics, CHA University School of Medicine, CHA University, Seongnam, Republic of Korea; Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, School of Medicine, CHA University, Seongnam, Republic of Korea
| | - Seung Won Lee
- Department of Data Science, Sejong University College of Software Convergence, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Hyun Wook Han
- Institute for Biomedical Informatics, School of Medicine, CHA University, Seongnam, Republic of Korea; Department of Biomedical Informatics, CHA University School of Medicine, CHA University, Seongnam, Republic of Korea; Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, School of Medicine, CHA University, Seongnam, Republic of Korea; Healthcare Big-Data Center, Bundang CHA Hospital, Seongnam, Republic of Korea
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46
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Armero G, Penela-Sánchez D, Belmonte J, Gómez-Barroso D, Larrauri A, Henares D, Vallejo V, Jordan I, Muñoz-Almagro C, Brotons P, Launes C. Concentrations of nitrogen compounds are related to severe rhinovirus infection in infants. A time-series analysis from the reference area of a pediatric university hospital in Barcelona. Pediatr Pulmonol 2022; 57:2180-2188. [PMID: 35652447 PMCID: PMC9543680 DOI: 10.1002/ppul.26021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2022] [Revised: 05/17/2022] [Accepted: 05/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/14/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND There is scarce information focused on the effect of weather conditions and air pollution on specific acute viral respiratory infections, such as rhinovirus (RV), with a wide clinical spectrum of severity. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to analyze the association between episodes of severe respiratory tract infection by RV and air pollutant concentrations (NOx and SO2 ) in the reference area of a pediatric university hospital. METHODS An analysis of temporal series of daily values of NOx and SO2 , weather variables, circulating pollen and mold spores, and daily number of admissions in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) with severe respiratory RV infection (RVi) in children between 6 months and 18 years was performed. Lagged variables for 0-5 days were considered. The study spanned from 2010 to 2018. Patients with comorbidities were excluded. RESULTS One hundred and fifty patients were admitted to the PICU. Median age was 19 months old (interquartile range [IQR]: 11-47). No relationship between RV-PICU admissions and temperature, relative humidity, cumulative rainfall, or wind speed was found. Several logistic regression models with one pollutant and two pollutants were constructed but the best model was that which included average daily NOx concentrations. Average daily NOx concentrations were related with the presence of PICU admissions 3 days later (odds ratio per IQR-unit increase: 1.64, 95% confidence interval: 1.20-2.25)). CONCLUSIONS This study has shown a positive correlation between NOx concentrations at Lag 3 and children's PICU admissions with severe RV respiratory infection. Air pollutant data should be taken into consideration when we try to understand the severity of RVis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Georgina Armero
- Pediatrics Department, Hospital Sant Joan de Déu, Barcelona, Spain.,Pediatrics Intensive Care Unit, Hospital Sant Joan de Déu, Barcelona, Spain
| | | | - Jordina Belmonte
- Botanic Unit of Animal Biology, Vegetal Biology and Ecology Department, Science and Ambiental Technology Institute, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Diana Gómez-Barroso
- Centro Nacional de Epidemiología, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain.,Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Amparo Larrauri
- Centro Nacional de Epidemiología, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain.,Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Desiree Henares
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain.,Grupo de investigación en enfermedades infecciosas pediátricas, Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de Déu, Esplugues de Llobregat, Spain
| | - Violeta Vallejo
- Pediatrics Department, Hospital Sant Joan de Déu, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Iolanda Jordan
- Pediatrics Intensive Care Unit, Hospital Sant Joan de Déu, Barcelona, Spain.,Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain.,Grupo de investigación en enfermedades infecciosas pediátricas, Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de Déu, Esplugues de Llobregat, Spain.,Departament de Cirurgia i Especialitats Medicoquirúrgiques, Facultat de Medicina i Ciències de la Salut, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Carmen Muñoz-Almagro
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain.,Grupo de investigación en enfermedades infecciosas pediátricas, Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de Déu, Esplugues de Llobregat, Spain.,Molecular Microbiology Department, Hospital Sant Joan de Déu, Barcelona, Spain.,Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, Universitat Internacional de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Pedro Brotons
- Grupo de investigación en enfermedades infecciosas pediátricas, Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de Déu, Esplugues de Llobregat, Spain.,Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, Universitat Internacional de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Cristian Launes
- Pediatrics Department, Hospital Sant Joan de Déu, Barcelona, Spain.,Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain.,Grupo de investigación en enfermedades infecciosas pediátricas, Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de Déu, Esplugues de Llobregat, Spain.,Departament de Cirurgia i Especialitats Medicoquirúrgiques, Facultat de Medicina i Ciències de la Salut, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
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47
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Influence of modified nano-copper oxide particles on the reaction between nitrocobalamin and ascorbic acid. Polyhedron 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.poly.2022.115942] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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48
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Vitello GA, Federico C, Bruno F, Vinci M, Musumeci A, Ragalmuto A, Sturiale V, Brancato D, Calì F, Saccone S. Allelic Variations in the Human Genes TMPRSS2 and CCR5, and the Resistance to Viral Infection by SARS-CoV-2. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23169171. [PMID: 36012436 PMCID: PMC9409186 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23169171] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2022] [Revised: 07/18/2022] [Accepted: 08/13/2022] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
During the first wave of COVID-19 infection in Italy, the number of cases and the mortality rates were among the highest compared to the rest of Europe and the world. Several studies demonstrated a severe clinical course of COVID-19 associated with old age, comorbidities, and male gender. However, there are cases of virus infection resistance in subjects living in close contact with infected subjects. Thus, to explain the predisposition to virus infection and to COVID-19 disease progression, we must consider, in addition to the genetic variability of the virus and other environmental or comorbidity conditions, the allelic variants of specific human genes, directly or indirectly related to the life cycle of the virus. Here, we analyzed three human genetic polymorphisms belonging to the TMPRSS2 and CCR5 genes in a sample population from Sicily (Italy) to investigate possible correlations with the resistance to viral infection and/or to COVID-19 disease progression as recently described in other human populations. Our results did not show any correlations of the rs35074065, rs12329760, and rs333 polymorphisms with SARS-CoV-2 infection or with COVID-19 disease severity. Further studies on other human genetic polymorphisms should be performed to identify the major human determinants of SARS-CoV-2 viral resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Concetta Federico
- Department Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, University of Catania, Via Androne 81, 95124 Catania, Italy
| | - Francesca Bruno
- Department Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, University of Catania, Via Androne 81, 95124 Catania, Italy
| | - Mirella Vinci
- Oasi Research Institute-IRCCS, Via Conte Ruggero 73, 94018 Troina, Italy
| | - Antonino Musumeci
- Oasi Research Institute-IRCCS, Via Conte Ruggero 73, 94018 Troina, Italy
| | - Alda Ragalmuto
- Oasi Research Institute-IRCCS, Via Conte Ruggero 73, 94018 Troina, Italy
| | - Valentina Sturiale
- Department Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, University of Catania, Via Androne 81, 95124 Catania, Italy
| | - Desiree Brancato
- Department Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, University of Catania, Via Androne 81, 95124 Catania, Italy
| | - Francesco Calì
- Oasi Research Institute-IRCCS, Via Conte Ruggero 73, 94018 Troina, Italy
| | - Salvatore Saccone
- Department Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, University of Catania, Via Androne 81, 95124 Catania, Italy
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The relationship between the built environment and respiratory health: Evidence from a longitudinal analysis in Indonesia. SSM Popul Health 2022; 19:101193. [PMID: 36105559 PMCID: PMC9464964 DOI: 10.1016/j.ssmph.2022.101193] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2022] [Revised: 07/20/2022] [Accepted: 07/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Multiple studies have discussed the relationship between the built environment and non-infectious diseases, but research involving infectious diseases and the built environment is scarce. How the built environment is associated with infectious diseases varies across areas, and previous literature produces mixed results. This study investigated the relationship between the built environment and infectious diseases in Indonesia, which has different settings compared to developed countries. We combined the longitudinal panel data, Indonesian Family Life Survey (IFLS), and land cover data to examine the relationship between the built environment and the likelihood of contracting respiratory infectious diseases. We focused on the sprawl index to measure the built environment. The study confirmed that a sprawling neighbourhood is linked to lower respiratory infection symptoms by employing a fixed effect method. The association is more evident in urban areas and for females. The results also suggested that the linkage works through housing quality, such as housing crowdedness and ventilation, and neighbourhood conditions like neighbourhood transportation modes and air pollution levels. Thus, our results underlined the need to consider the health consequences of the densification policy and determine the direction of landscape planning and policy. The association between built environment and respiratory infectious diseases is studied. The study use fixed effect method to estimate the relationship between built environment and respiratory infectious diseases. A compact built environment is associated with a higher rate of respiratory infectious diseases. Housing and neighbourhood conditions, and transport behaviour underlie the results.
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50
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Hoskovec L, Martenies S, Burket TL, Magzamen S, Wilson A. Association between air pollution and COVID-19 disease severity via Bayesian multinomial logistic regression with partially missing outcomes. ENVIRONMETRICS 2022; 33:e2751. [PMID: 35945947 PMCID: PMC9353392 DOI: 10.1002/env.2751] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2021] [Revised: 05/20/2022] [Accepted: 05/31/2022] [Indexed: 05/14/2023]
Abstract
Recent ecological analyses suggest air pollution exposure may increase susceptibility to and severity of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Individual-level studies are needed to clarify the relationship between air pollution exposure and COVID-19 outcomes. We conduct an individual-level analysis of long-term exposure to air pollution and weather on peak COVID-19 severity. We develop a Bayesian multinomial logistic regression model with a multiple imputation approach to impute partially missing health outcomes. Our approach is based on the stick-breaking representation of the multinomial distribution, which offers computational advantages, but presents challenges in interpreting regression coefficients. We propose a novel inferential approach to address these challenges. In a simulation study, we demonstrate our method's ability to impute missing outcome data and improve estimation of regression coefficients compared to a complete case analysis. In our analysis of 55,273 COVID-19 cases in Denver, Colorado, increased annual exposure to fine particulate matter in the year prior to the pandemic was associated with increased risk of severe COVID-19 outcomes. We also found COVID-19 disease severity to be associated with interactions between exposures. Our individual-level analysis fills a gap in the literature and helps to elucidate the association between long-term exposure to air pollution and COVID-19 outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren Hoskovec
- Department of StatisticsColorado State UniversityFort CollinsColoradoUSA
| | - Sheena Martenies
- Department of Kinesiology and Community HealthUniversity of Illinois at Urbana‐ChampaignUrbana‐ChampaignIllinoisUSA
| | - Tori L. Burket
- Denver Department of Public Health and EnvironmentDenverColoradoUSA
| | - Sheryl Magzamen
- Department of Environmental and Radiological Health SciencesColorado State UniversityFort CollinsColoradoUSA
| | - Ander Wilson
- Department of StatisticsColorado State UniversityFort CollinsColoradoUSA
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