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Zalzal J, Minet L, Brook J, Mihele C, Chen H, Hatzopoulou M. Capturing Exposure Disparities with Chemical Transport Models: Evaluating the Suitability of Downscaling Using Land Use Regression. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2024. [PMID: 39092553 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.4c03725] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/04/2024]
Abstract
High resolution exposure surfaces are essential to capture disparities in exposure to traffic-related air pollution in urban areas. In this study, we develop an approach to downscale Chemical Transport Model (CTM) simulations to a hyperlocal level (∼100m) in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) under three scenarios where emissions from cars, trucks and buses are zeroed out, thus capturing the burden of each transportation mode. This proposed approach statistically fuses CTMs with Land-Use Regression using machine learning techniques. With this proposed downscaling approach, changes in air pollutant concentrations under different scenarios are appropriately captured by downscaling factors that are trained to reflect the spatial distribution of emission reductions. Our validation analysis shows that high-resolution models resulted in better performance than coarse models when compared with observations at reference stations. We used this downscaling approach to assess disparities in exposure to nitrogen dioxide (NO2) for populations composed of renters, low-income households, recent immigrants, and visible minorities. Individuals in all four categories were disproportionately exposed to the burden of cars, trucks, and buses. We conducted this analysis at spatial resolutions of 12, 4, 1 km, and 100 m and observed that disparities were significantly underestimated when using coarse spatial resolutions. This reinforces the need for high-spatial resolution exposure surfaces for environmental justice analyses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jad Zalzal
- Department of Civil & Mineral Engineering, University of Toronto, 35 St George Street, Toronto, Ontario M5S 1A4, Canada
| | - Laura Minet
- Department of Civil Engineering, University of Victoria, 3800 Finnerty Road, Victoria, British Columbia V8P 5C2, Canada
| | - Jeffrey Brook
- Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, 155 College Street, Toronto, Ontario M5T 3M7, Canada
| | - Cristian Mihele
- Air Quality Research Division, Environment and Climate Change Canada, 4905 Dufferin Street, North York, Ontario M3H 5T4, Canada
| | - Hong Chen
- Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, 155 College Street, Toronto, Ontario M5T 3M7, Canada
- Environmental Health Science and Research Bureau, Health Canada, 50 Colombine Driveway, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0K9, Canada
- Public Health Ontario, 480 University Avenue, Toronto, Ontario M5G 1 V2, Canada
- ICES, 2075 Bayview Avenue, Toronto, Ontario M4N 3M5, Canada
| | - Marianne Hatzopoulou
- Department of Civil & Mineral Engineering, University of Toronto, 35 St George Street, Toronto, Ontario M5S 1A4, Canada
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Ma J, Chiu YF, Kao CC, Chuang CN, Chen CY, Lai CH, Kuo ML. Fine particulate matter manipulates immune response to exacerbate microbial pathogenesis in the respiratory tract. Eur Respir Rev 2024; 33:230259. [PMID: 39231594 PMCID: PMC11372469 DOI: 10.1183/16000617.0259-2023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2023] [Accepted: 06/18/2024] [Indexed: 09/06/2024] Open
Abstract
Particulate matter with a diameter ≤2.5 μm (PM2.5) poses a substantial global challenge, with a growing recognition of pathogens contributing to diseases associated with exposure to PM2.5 Recent studies have focused on PM2.5, which impairs the immune cells in response to microbial infections and potentially contributes to the development of severe diseases in the respiratory tract. Accordingly, changes in the respiratory immune function and microecology mediated by PM2.5 are important factors that enhance the risk of microbial pathogenesis. These factors have garnered significant interest. In this review, we summarise recent studies on the potential mechanisms involved in PM2.5-mediated immune system disruption and exacerbation of microbial pathogenesis in the respiratory tract. We also discuss crucial areas for future research to address the gaps in our understanding and develop effective strategies to combat the adverse health effects of PM2.5.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jason Ma
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan
- Equal contribution to this work
| | - Ya-Fang Chiu
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan
- Graduate Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan
- Research Center for Emerging Viral Infections, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Molecular Infectious Disease Research Center, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Linkou, Taiwan
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, New Taipei, Taiwan
- Equal contribution to this work
| | - Chih-Chen Kao
- School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan
| | - Chun-Ning Chuang
- Graduate Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan
| | - Chi-Yuan Chen
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan
| | - Chih-Ho Lai
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan
- Graduate Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan
- Research Center for Emerging Viral Infections, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Molecular Infectious Disease Research Center, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Linkou, Taiwan
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan
- Department of Nursing, Asia University, Taichung, Taiwan
- Equal contribution to this work
| | - Ming-Ling Kuo
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan
- Graduate Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan
- Division of Allergy, Asthma, and Rheumatology, Department of Pediatrics, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Linkou, Taiwan
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Zhao Y, Peng Z, Zhou Z, Zhai X, Gong S, Shen C, Zhang T, Zhao D, Cao D. The Impact of Air Pollution Controls on Health and Health Inequity Among Middle-Aged and Older Chinese: Evidence From Panel Data. Int J Public Health 2024; 69:1606956. [PMID: 38948086 PMCID: PMC11211253 DOI: 10.3389/ijph.2024.1606956] [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: 12/11/2023] [Accepted: 05/10/2024] [Indexed: 07/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Objectives We evaluated the long-term effects of air pollution controls on health and health inequity among Chinese >45 years of age. Methods Data were derived from the China Health Aging and Retirement Longitudinal Survey and the China National Environmental Monitoring Centre. Decreases in PM2.5 and PM10 were scaled to measure air quality controls. We used a quasi-experimental design to estimate the impact of air quality controls on self-reported health and health inequity. Health disparities were estimated using the concentration index and the horizontal index. Results Air pollution controls significantly improved self-reported health by 20% (OR 1.20, 95% CI, 1.02-1.42). The poorest group had a 40% (OR 1.41, 95% CI, 0.96-2.08) higher probability of having excellent self-reported health after air pollution controls. A pro-rich health inequity was observed, and the horizontal index decreased after air pollution controls. Conclusion Air pollution controls have a long-term positive effect on health and health equity. The poorest population are the main beneficiaries of air pollution controls, which suggests policymakers should make efforts to reduce health inequity in air pollution controls.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yaxin Zhao
- School of Public Health, Health Science Center, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, China
| | - Zixuan Peng
- School of Public Health, Southeast University, Nanjing, China
| | - Zhongliang Zhou
- School of Public Policy and Administration, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, Shaanxi, China
| | - Xiaohui Zhai
- School of Public Health, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, Shaanxi, China
| | | | - Chi Shen
- School of Public Policy and Administration, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, Shaanxi, China
| | - Tianci Zhang
- College of Computing and Information Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States
| | - Dantong Zhao
- School of Public Policy and Administration, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, Shaanxi, China
| | - Dan Cao
- School of Public Policy and Administration, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, Shaanxi, China
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Li X, Zhang Y, Tian Z, Wang J, Zhao J, Lyu Y, Ni Y, Guo Y, Cui Z, Zhang W, Li C. Lag effect of ambient temperature on respiratory emergency department visits in Beijing: a time series and pooled analysis. BMC Public Health 2024; 24:1363. [PMID: 38773497 PMCID: PMC11106889 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-024-18839-6] [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: 07/10/2023] [Accepted: 05/13/2024] [Indexed: 05/23/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Although the association between ambient temperature and mortality of respiratory diseases was numerously documented, the association between various ambient temperature levels and respiratory emergency department (ED) visits has not been well studied. A recent investigation of the association between respiratory ED visits and various levels of ambient temperature was conducted in Beijing, China. METHODS Daily meteorological data, air pollution data, and respiratory ED visits data from 2017 to 2018 were collected in Beijing. The relationship between ambient temperature and respiratory ED visits was explored using a distributed lagged nonlinear model (DLNM). Then we performed subgroup analysis based on age and gender. Finally, meta-analysis was utilized to aggregate the total influence of ambient temperature on respiratory ED visits across China. RESULTS The single-day lag risk for extreme cold peaked at a relative risk (RR) of 1.048 [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.009, 1.088] at a lag of 21 days, with a long lag effect. As for the single-day lag risk for extreme hot, a short lag effect was shown at a lag of 7 days with an RR of 1.076 (95% CI: 1.038, 1.114). The cumulative lagged effects of both hot and cold effects peaked at lag 0-21 days, with a cumulative risk of the onset of 3.690 (95% CI: 2.133, 6.382) and 1.641 (95% CI: 1.284, 2.098), respectively, with stronger impact on the hot. Additionally, the elderly were more sensitive to ambient temperature. The males were more susceptible to hot weather than the females. A longer cold temperature lag effect was found in females. Compared with the meta-analysis, a pooled effect of ambient temperature was consistent in general. In the subgroup analysis, a significant difference was found by gender. CONCLUSIONS Temperature level, age-specific, and gender-specific effects between ambient temperature and the number of ED visits provide information on early warning measures for the prevention and control of respiratory diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuan Li
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Tianjin Medical University, Heping District, Tianjin, 300070, P.R. China
| | - Yongming Zhang
- Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Center of Respiratory Medicine, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Respiratory Diseases, Beijing, China
| | - Zhenbiao Tian
- Beijing Red Cross Emergency Center, Beijing, 100085, China
| | - Jianping Wang
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Tianjin Medical University, Heping District, Tianjin, 300070, P.R. China
| | - Jinhua Zhao
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Tianjin Medical University, Heping District, Tianjin, 300070, P.R. China
| | - Yuanjun Lyu
- Department of Endocrinology, Tianjin Hospital, Tianjin, China
| | - Ying Ni
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Tianjin Medical University, Heping District, Tianjin, 300070, P.R. China
| | - Yuming Guo
- Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Zhuang Cui
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Tianjin Medical University, Heping District, Tianjin, 300070, P.R. China
| | - Wenyi Zhang
- Chinese PLA Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 20 Dong-Da Street, Fengtai District, Beijing, 100071, People's Republic of China.
| | - Changping Li
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Tianjin Medical University, Heping District, Tianjin, 300070, P.R. China.
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Recum P, Hirsch T. Graphene-based chemiresistive gas sensors. NANOSCALE ADVANCES 2023; 6:11-31. [PMID: 38125587 PMCID: PMC10729924 DOI: 10.1039/d3na00423f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2023] [Accepted: 10/17/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023]
Abstract
Gas sensors allow the monitoring of the chemical environment of humans, which is often crucial for their wellbeing or even survival. Miniaturization, reversibility, and selectivity are some of the key challenges for serial use of chemical sensors. This tutorial review describes critical aspects when using nanomaterials as sensing substrates for the application in chemiresistive gas sensors. Graphene has been shown to be a promising candidate, as it allows gas sensors to be operated at room temperature, possibly saving large amounts of energy. In this review, an overview is given on the general mechanisms for gas-sensitive semiconducting materials and the implications of doping and functionalization on the sensing parameters of chemiresistive devices. It shows in detail how different challenges, like sensitivity, response time, reversibility and selectivity have been approached by material development and operation modes. In addition, perspectives from the area of data analysis and intelligent algorithms are presented, which can further enhance these sensors' usability in the field.
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Abed Al Ahad M, Demšar U, Sullivan F, Kulu H. Long-term exposure to air pollution and mortality in Scotland: A register-based individual-level longitudinal study. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2023; 238:117223. [PMID: 37793592 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2023.117223] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2023] [Revised: 09/16/2023] [Accepted: 09/19/2023] [Indexed: 10/06/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Air pollution is associated with several adverse health outcomes. However, heterogeneity in the size of effect estimates between cohort studies for long-term exposures exist and pollutants like SO2 and mental/behavioural health outcomes are little studied. This study examines the association between long-term exposure to multiple ambient air pollutants and all-cause and cause-specific mortality from both physical and mental illnesses. METHODS We used individual-level administrative data from the Scottish-Longitudinal-Study (SLS) on 202,237 individuals aged 17 and older, followed between 2002 and 2017. The SLS dataset was linked to annual concentrations of NO2, SO2, and particulate-matter (PM10, PM2.5) pollution at 1 km2 spatial resolution using the individuals' residential postcode. We applied survival analysis to assess the association between air pollution and all-cause, cardiovascular, respiratory, cancer, mental/behavioural disorders/suicides, and other-causes mortality. RESULTS Higher all-cause mortality was associated with increasing concentrations of PM2.5, PM10, NO2, and SO2 pollutants. NO2, PM10, and PM2.5 were also associated with cardiovascular, respiratory, cancer and other-causes mortality. For example, the mortality hazard from respiratory diseases was 1.062 (95%CI = 1.028-1.096), 1.025 (95%CI = 1.005-1.045), and 1.013 (95%CI = 1.007-1.020) per 1 μg/m3 increase in PM2.5, PM10 and NO2 pollutants, respectively. In contrast, mortality from mental and behavioural disorders was associated with 1 μg/m3 higher exposure to SO2 pollutant (HR = 1.042; 95%CI = 1.015-1.069). CONCLUSION This study revealed an association between long-term (16-years) exposure to ambient air pollution and all-cause and cause-specific mortality. The results suggest that policies and interventions to enhance air quality would reduce the mortality hazard from cardio-respiratory, cancer, and mental/behavioural disorders in the long-term.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mary Abed Al Ahad
- School of Geography and Sustainable Development, University of St Andrews, Scotland, United Kingdom.
| | - Urška Demšar
- School of Geography and Sustainable Development, University of St Andrews, Scotland, United Kingdom
| | - Frank Sullivan
- School of Medicine, University of St Andrews, Scotland, United Kingdom
| | - Hill Kulu
- School of Geography and Sustainable Development, University of St Andrews, Scotland, United Kingdom
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Xiong Y, Tang X. Tourism during health disasters: Exploring the role of health system quality, transport infrastructure, and environmental expenditures in the revival of the global tourism industry. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0290252. [PMID: 37672489 PMCID: PMC10482304 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0290252] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2023] [Accepted: 08/07/2023] [Indexed: 09/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Tourism is one of the most important promoters of sustainable development in many nations and regions around the globe. Tourism expansion has been a significant contributor to social and economic growth, particularly in developing economies. It is, however, vulnerable to all kinds of health crises and natural disasters, no matter how small they are. The primary purpose of this study is to acquire an empirical understanding of the effects of health crises and disasters on international tourism. The SYS-GMM was used to examine the impact of health calamities and crises, carbon footprints from transportation, and green finance on the tourism of 51 countries between 2007 and 2020. The results showed that health crises and natural disasters have a big effect on international tourism. Alternatively, the presence of eco-friendly and secure transportation at tourist destinations has a positive effect on the tourism industry. The results also showed that environmental expenditures have positive short- and long-term effects on international tourism. Furthermore, the sensitivity of travelers to health crises and natural disasters varies over the short and long term. The study also showed that compared to normal times, international tourism dropped by more than 67% during COVID-19. Consequently, this research assists us in comprehending, predicting, and preventing the potential adverse effects of COVID-19 and other similar economic, health disasters and crises that could occur in the future and harm the tourism industry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Xiong
- School of Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Foshan University, Foshan, 528000, Guangdong, China
| | - Xiaohan Tang
- Decision Consulting Department, Party School of the Zhongshan Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China, Zhongshan, 528403, Guangdong, China
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Jin P, Lu W, Chen Y, Liu M. Change-plane analysis for subgroup detection with a continuous treatment. Biometrics 2023; 79:1920-1933. [PMID: 36134534 PMCID: PMC10030385 DOI: 10.1111/biom.13762] [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: 11/29/2021] [Accepted: 09/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Detecting and characterizing subgroups with differential effects of a binary treatment has been widely studied and led to improvements in patient outcomes and population risk management. Under the setting of a continuous treatment, however, such investigations remain scarce. We propose a semiparametric change-plane model and consequently a doubly robust test statistic for assessing the existence of two subgroups with differential treatment effects under a continuous treatment. The proposed testing procedure is valid when either the baseline function for the covariate effects or the generalized propensity score function for the continuous treatment is correctly specified. The asymptotic distributions of the test statistic under the null and local alternative hypotheses are established. When the null hypothesis of no subgroup is rejected, the change-plane parameters that define the subgroups can be estimated. This paper provides a unified framework of the change-plane method to handle various types of outcomes, including the exponential family of distributions and time-to-event outcomes. Additional extensions with nonparametric estimation approaches are also provided. We evaluate the performance of our proposed methods through extensive simulation studies under various scenarios. An application to the Health Effects of Arsenic Longitudinal Study with a continuous environmental exposure of arsenic is presented.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peng Jin
- Division of Biostatistics, Department of Population Health, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, New York 10016, U.S.A
| | - Wenbin Lu
- Department of Statistics, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695, U.S.A
| | - Yu Chen
- Division of Epidemiplogy, Department of Population Health, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, New York 10016, U.S.A
- Department of Environmental Medicine, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, New York 10016, U.S.A
| | - Mengling Liu
- Division of Biostatistics, Department of Population Health, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, New York 10016, U.S.A
- Department of Environmental Medicine, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, New York 10016, U.S.A
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Leirião L, de Oliveira M, Martins T, Miraglia S. A Multi-Pollutant and Meteorological Analysis of Cardiorespiratory Mortality among the Elderly in São Paulo, Brazil-An Artificial Neural Networks Approach. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2023; 20:ijerph20085458. [PMID: 37107740 PMCID: PMC10138542 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph20085458] [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: 02/09/2023] [Revised: 03/30/2023] [Accepted: 04/07/2023] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
Traditionally, studies that associate air pollution with health effects relate individual pollutants to outcomes such as mortality or hospital admissions. However, models capable of analyzing the effects resulting from the atmosphere mixture are demanded. In this study, multilayer perceptron neural networks were evaluated to associate PM10, NO2, and SO2 concentrations, temperature, wind speed, and relative air humidity with cardiorespiratory mortality among the elderly in São Paulo, Brazil. Daily data from 2007 to 2019 were considered and different numbers of neurons on the hidden layer, algorithms, and a combination of activation functions were tested. The best-fitted artificial neural network (ANN) resulted in a MAPE equal to 13.46%. When individual season data were analyzed, the MAPE decreased to 11%. The most influential variables in cardiorespiratory mortality among the elderly were PM10 and NO2 concentrations. The relative humidity variable is more important during the dry season, and temperature is more important during the rainy season. The models were not subjected to the multicollinearity issue as with classical regression models. The use of ANNs to relate air quality to health outcomes is still very incipient, and this work highlights that it is a powerful tool that should be further explored.
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Vargas VMF, da Silva Júnior FMR, Silva Pereira TD, Silva CSD, Coronas MV. A comprehensive overview of genotoxicity and mutagenicity associated with outdoor air pollution exposure in Brazil. JOURNAL OF TOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH. PART B, CRITICAL REVIEWS 2023; 26:172-199. [PMID: 36775848 DOI: 10.1080/10937404.2023.2175092] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
This review examined the mutagenicity and genotoxicity associated with exposure to outdoor air pollutants in Brazil. A search was performed on the Web of Science database using a combination of keywords that resulted in 134 articles. After applying exclusion criteria, a total of 75 articles were obtained. The articles were classified into three categories: (1) studies with plants and animals, (2) in vitro studies, and (3) human biomonitoring. The investigations were conducted in 11 of 27 Brazilian states with the highest prevalence in the southeast and south regions. Only 5 investigations focused on the effects of burning biomass on the quality of outdoor air. Plants, especially Tradescantia pallida, were the main air pollution biomonitoring tool. When available, a significant association between levels of air pollutants and genetic damage was described. Among the in vitro studies, Salmonella/microsome is the most used test to evaluate mutagenesis of outdoor air in Brazil (n = 26). Human biomonitoring studies were the least frequent category (n = 18). Most of the investigations utilized micronucleus bioassay, in oral mucosa cells (n = 15) and lymphocytes (n = 5), and the comet assay (n = 6). The analysis in this study points to the existence of gaps in genotoxicity studies and our findings indicate that future studies need to address the variety of potential sources of pollution existing in Brazil. In addition to extent of the impacts, consideration should be given to the enormous Brazilian biodiversity, as well as the determination of the role of socioeconomic inequality of the population in the observed outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vera Maria Ferrão Vargas
- Programa de Pós-graduação em Ecologia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS). Av. Bento Gonçalves, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | | | - Tatiana da Silva Pereira
- Laboratório de Aquicultura de Peixes Ornamentais do Xingu, Universidade Federal do Pará (UFPA), Altamira, PA, Brazil
| | - Cristiane Silva da Silva
- Programa de Pós-graduação em Ecologia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS). Av. Bento Gonçalves, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
- Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciênciae Tecnologia do Rio Grande do Sul (IFRS), Canoas, RS, Brazil
| | - Mariana Vieira Coronas
- Coordenaç'ão Acad"êmica, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria (UFSM), Cachoeira do Sul, RS, Brazil
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Okoji AI, Anozie AN, Omoleye JA, Taiwo AE, Babatunde DE. Evaluation of adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system-genetic algorithm in the prediction and optimization of NOx emission in cement precalcining kiln. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2023; 30:54835-54845. [PMID: 36882651 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-023-26282-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2022] [Accepted: 02/28/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
The increasing demand for cement due to urbanization growth in Africa countries may result in an upsurge of pollutants associated with its production. One major air pollutant in cement production is nitrogen oxides (NOx) and reported to cause serious damage to human health and the ecosystem. The operation of a cement rotary kiln NOx emission was studied with plant data using the ASPEN Plus software. It is essential to understand the effects of calciner temperature, tertiary air pressure, fuel gas, raw feed material, and fan damper on NOx emissions from a precalcining kiln. In addition, the performance capability of adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference systems and genetic algorithms (ANFIS-GA) to predict and optimize NOx emissions from a precalcining cement kiln is evaluated. The simulation results were in good agreement with the experimental results, with root mean square error of 2.05, variance account (VAF) of 96.0%, average absolute deviation (AAE) of 0.4097, and correlation coefficient of 0.963. Further, the optimal NOx emission was 273.0 mg/m3, with the parameters as determined by the algorithm were calciner temperature at 845 °C, tertiary air pressure - 4.50 mbar, fuel gas of 8550 m3/h, raw feed material 200 t/h, and damper opening of 60%. Consequently, it is recommended that ANFIS should be combined with GA for effective prediction, and optimization of NOx emission in cement plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anthony I Okoji
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Landmark University, Omu-Aran, Kwara State, Nigeria
| | - Ambrose N Anozie
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State, Nigeria
| | - James A Omoleye
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Covenant University, Ota, Ogun State, Nigeria
| | - Abiola E Taiwo
- Faculty of Engineering, Mangosuthu University of Technology, Durban, South Africa.
| | - Damilola E Babatunde
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Covenant University, Ota, Ogun State, Nigeria
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Zhang J, Fang XY, Wu J, Fan YG, Leng RX, Liu B, Lv XJ, Yan YL, Mao C, Ye DQ. Association of Combined Exposure to Ambient Air Pollutants, Genetic Risk, and Incident Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Prospective Cohort Study in the UK Biobank. ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PERSPECTIVES 2023; 131:37008. [PMID: 36913237 PMCID: PMC10010395 DOI: 10.1289/ehp10710] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2021] [Revised: 02/03/2023] [Accepted: 02/06/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Evidence for a potential link between air pollution and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is inconsistent, and the modified effect of genetic susceptibility on the relationship between air pollution and RA has not been well studied. OBJECTIVE Using a general population cohort from the UK Biobank, this study aimed to investigate the associations between various air pollutants and the risk of incident RA and to further estimate the impact of combined exposure to ambient air pollutants on the risk of developing RA under the modification effect of genetic predisposition. METHODS A total of 342,973 participants with completed genotyping data and who were free of RA at baseline were included in the study. An air pollution score was constructed by summing the concentrations of each pollutant weighted by the regression coefficients with RA from single-pollutant models to assess the combined effect of air pollutants, including particulate matter (PM) with diameters ≤ 2.5 μ m (PM 2.5 ), between 2.5 and 10 μ m (PM 2.5 - 10 ), and ≤ 10 μ m (PM 10 ), as well as nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 ) and nitrogen oxides (NO x ). In addition, the polygenic risk score (PRS) of RA was calculated to characterize individual genetic risk. The Cox proportional hazard model was used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) of associations of single air pollutant, air pollution score, or PRS with incident RA. RESULTS During a median follow-up time of 8.1 y, 2,034 incident events of RA were recorded. The HRs (95% CIs) of incident RA per interquartile range increment in PM 2.5 , PM 2.5 - 10 , PM 10 , NO 2 , and NO x were 1.07 (1.01, 1.13), 1.00 (0.96, 1.04), 1.01 (0.96, 1.07), 1.03 (0.98, 1.09), and 1.07 (1.02, 1.12), respectively. We also found a positive exposure-response relationship between air pollution score and RA risk (p Trend = 0.000053 ). The HR (95% CI) of incident RA was 1.14 (1.00, 1.29) in the highest quartile group compared with the lowest quartile group of the air pollution score. Furthermore, the results of the combined effect of air pollution score and PRS on the RA risk showed that the risk of RA incidence in the highest genetic risk and air pollution score group was almost twice that of the lowest genetic risk and air pollution score group [incidence rate (IR) per 100,000 person-years: 98.46 vs. 51.19, and HR = 1.73 (95% CI: 1.39, 2.17) vs. 1 (reference)], although no statistically significant interaction between the air pollution and genetic risk for incident RA was found (p Interaction > 0.05 ). DISCUSSION The results revealed that long-term combined exposure to ambient air pollutants might increase the risk of RA, particularly in those with high genetic risk. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP10710.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jie Zhang
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, China
- Inflammation and Immune Mediated Diseases Laboratory of Anhui Province, Hefei, Anhui, China
| | - Xin-Yu Fang
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, China
- Inflammation and Immune Mediated Diseases Laboratory of Anhui Province, Hefei, Anhui, China
| | - Jun Wu
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Guangdong Medical University, Dongguan, Guangdong, China
| | - Yin-Guang Fan
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, China
- Inflammation and Immune Mediated Diseases Laboratory of Anhui Province, Hefei, Anhui, China
| | - Rui-Xue Leng
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, China
- Inflammation and Immune Mediated Diseases Laboratory of Anhui Province, Hefei, Anhui, China
| | - Bo Liu
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, China
- Inflammation and Immune Mediated Diseases Laboratory of Anhui Province, Hefei, Anhui, China
| | - Xiao-Jie Lv
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, China
- Inflammation and Immune Mediated Diseases Laboratory of Anhui Province, Hefei, Anhui, China
| | - Yu-Lu Yan
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, China
- Inflammation and Immune Mediated Diseases Laboratory of Anhui Province, Hefei, Anhui, China
| | - Chen Mao
- Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Dong-Qing Ye
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, China
- Inflammation and Immune Mediated Diseases Laboratory of Anhui Province, Hefei, Anhui, China
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13
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Ahn J, Ha JH, Jeong Y, Jung Y, Choi J, Gu J, Hwang SH, Kang M, Ko J, Cho S, Han H, Kang K, Park J, Jeon S, Jeong JH, Park I. Nanoscale three-dimensional fabrication based on mechanically guided assembly. Nat Commun 2023; 14:833. [PMID: 36788240 PMCID: PMC9929216 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-36302-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2022] [Accepted: 01/25/2023] [Indexed: 02/16/2023] Open
Abstract
The growing demand for complex three-dimensional (3D) micro-/nanostructures has inspired the development of the corresponding manufacturing techniques. Among these techniques, 3D fabrication based on mechanically guided assembly offers the advantages of broad material compatibility, high designability, and structural reversibility under strain but is not applicable for nanoscale device printing because of the bottleneck at nanofabrication and design technique. Herein, a configuration-designable nanoscale 3D fabrication is suggested through a robust nanotransfer methodology and design of substrate's mechanical characteristics. Covalent bonding-based two-dimensional nanotransfer allowing for nanostructure printing on elastomer substrates is used to address fabrication problems, while the feasibility of configuration design through the modulation of substrate's mechanical characteristics is examined using analytical calculations and numerical simulations, allowing printing of various 3D nanostructures. The printed nanostructures exhibit strain-independent electrical properties and are therefore used to fabricate stretchable H2 and NO2 sensors with high performances stable under external strains of 30%.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junseong Ahn
- grid.37172.300000 0001 2292 0500Department of Mechanical Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, 34141 Republic of Korea ,grid.410901.d0000 0001 2325 3578Department of Nano Manufacturing Technology, Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials (KIMM), Daejeon, 34103 Republic of Korea
| | - Ji-Hwan Ha
- grid.37172.300000 0001 2292 0500Department of Mechanical Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, 34141 Republic of Korea ,grid.410901.d0000 0001 2325 3578Department of Nano Manufacturing Technology, Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials (KIMM), Daejeon, 34103 Republic of Korea
| | - Yongrok Jeong
- grid.37172.300000 0001 2292 0500Department of Mechanical Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, 34141 Republic of Korea ,grid.410901.d0000 0001 2325 3578Department of Nano Manufacturing Technology, Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials (KIMM), Daejeon, 34103 Republic of Korea
| | - Young Jung
- grid.37172.300000 0001 2292 0500Department of Mechanical Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, 34141 Republic of Korea
| | - Jungrak Choi
- grid.37172.300000 0001 2292 0500Department of Mechanical Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, 34141 Republic of Korea
| | - Jimin Gu
- grid.37172.300000 0001 2292 0500Department of Mechanical Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, 34141 Republic of Korea
| | - Soon Hyoung Hwang
- grid.410901.d0000 0001 2325 3578Department of Nano Manufacturing Technology, Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials (KIMM), Daejeon, 34103 Republic of Korea
| | - Mingu Kang
- grid.37172.300000 0001 2292 0500Department of Mechanical Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, 34141 Republic of Korea
| | - Jiwoo Ko
- grid.37172.300000 0001 2292 0500Department of Mechanical Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, 34141 Republic of Korea ,grid.410901.d0000 0001 2325 3578Department of Nano Manufacturing Technology, Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials (KIMM), Daejeon, 34103 Republic of Korea
| | - Seokjoo Cho
- grid.37172.300000 0001 2292 0500Department of Mechanical Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, 34141 Republic of Korea
| | - Hyeonseok Han
- grid.37172.300000 0001 2292 0500Department of Mechanical Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, 34141 Republic of Korea
| | - Kyungnam Kang
- grid.37172.300000 0001 2292 0500Department of Mechanical Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, 34141 Republic of Korea
| | - Jaeho Park
- grid.37172.300000 0001 2292 0500Department of Mechanical Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, 34141 Republic of Korea
| | - Sohee Jeon
- grid.410901.d0000 0001 2325 3578Department of Nano Manufacturing Technology, Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials (KIMM), Daejeon, 34103 Republic of Korea
| | - Jun-Ho Jeong
- Department of Nano Manufacturing Technology, Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials (KIMM), Daejeon, 34103, Republic of Korea.
| | - Inkyu Park
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, 34141, Republic of Korea.
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14
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Costa-Gómez I, Suarez-Suarez M, Moreno JM, Moreno-Grau S, Negral L, Arroyo-Manzanares N, López-García I, Peñalver R. A novel application of thermogravimetry-mass spectrometry for polystyrene quantification in the PM 10 and PM 2.5 fractions of airborne microplastics. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 856:159041. [PMID: 36174703 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.159041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2022] [Revised: 09/14/2022] [Accepted: 09/22/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Microplastics have appeared as emerging pollutants due to the diverse applications of plastics in today's world. Growing evidence points to the negative impacts that airborne microplastics have on human health, as they can enter the human body through respiration. Our aim was to quantify polystyrene airborne microplastics in smaller fractions, thoracic (PM10) and alveolar (PM2.5), as they have scarcely been studied. In this work, we proposed a methodology based on thermogravimetric analysis coupled with mass spectrometry that requires minimal sample preparation and does not limit particle size. We applied this methodology to quantify the airborne polystyrene in PM10 and PM2.5 fractions in mass units of microplastics per m3 of air in an urban and agricultural region during the summer of 2021. The mean concentrations of polystyrene found in the PM10 and PM2.5 fractions were 2.09 and 1.81 ng m-3, respectively. Therefore, the majority of airborne polystyrene microplastics are found in the alveolar fraction which, is associated with severe cardiopulmonary and respiratory diseases. According to air mass backward trajectories, it was noted that the main sources of these emerging pollutants could be related to local agricultural practices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isabel Costa-Gómez
- Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Regional Campus of International Excellence "Campus Mare Nostrum", Technical University of Cartagena, Dr. Fleming sn, 30202 Cartagena, Spain
| | - Mariel Suarez-Suarez
- Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Regional Campus of International Excellence "Campus Mare Nostrum", Technical University of Cartagena, Dr. Fleming sn, 30202 Cartagena, Spain
| | - José María Moreno
- Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Regional Campus of International Excellence "Campus Mare Nostrum", Technical University of Cartagena, Dr. Fleming sn, 30202 Cartagena, Spain
| | - Stella Moreno-Grau
- Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Regional Campus of International Excellence "Campus Mare Nostrum", Technical University of Cartagena, Dr. Fleming sn, 30202 Cartagena, Spain
| | - L Negral
- Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Regional Campus of International Excellence "Campus Mare Nostrum", Technical University of Cartagena, Dr. Fleming sn, 30202 Cartagena, Spain
| | - Natalia Arroyo-Manzanares
- Department of Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, Regional Campus of International Excellence "Campus Mare Nostrum", University of Murcia, E-30100 Murcia, Spain
| | - Ignacio López-García
- Department of Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, Regional Campus of International Excellence "Campus Mare Nostrum", University of Murcia, E-30100 Murcia, Spain
| | - Rosa Peñalver
- Department of Analytical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, Regional Campus of International Excellence "Campus Mare Nostrum", University of Murcia, E-30100 Murcia, Spain.
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15
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Reis J, Lopes D, Graça D, Fernandes AP, Miranda AI, Lopes M. Using low-cost sensors to assess real-time comfort and air quality patterns in indoor households. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2023; 30:7736-7751. [PMID: 36042135 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-022-22771-w] [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: 03/10/2022] [Accepted: 08/24/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
People spend most of their time in indoor environments without knowing about the air quality in these spaces. In this study, indoor low-cost sensors were used (for 5 months) to assess the comfort and air quality patterns in two indoor households. To strengthen the robustness of the considered approach and build confidence in the obtained comfort and indoor air quality (IAQ) levels, the sensor measurements were also compared against information from reference monitoring equipment; in which, high correlation coefficients were obtained (> 0.85) and also low errors (on average 22%). The IAQ results were strongly influenced by the residents' activity and behaviour, the outdoor weather conditions, and indoor/outdoor air pollution sources. Overall, the recommended values of temperature and relative humidity for the occupant's comfort in indoor environments were not fulfilled. The highest particulate matter (PM) levels were recorded at the weekend (on average +14% higher), while maximum CO2 and CO levels were obtained on the weekdays (on average +9% higher). PM daily profiles followed the outdoor concentrations with the maximum levels at the end of the night and the lowest values in the early morning/mid-afternoon. The highest and lowest CO2 concentrations were registered in the early morning (< 1536 ppm) and mid-afternoon (< 627 ppm), respectively, while the CO daily profiles showed a high impact of outdoor emissions, with the minimum concentrations up to 0.81 mg m-3 (at 10 a.m. or 6 p.m.), and a maximum concentration of 1.87 mg m-3 (at 10 p.m.). Real-time comfort conditions and IAQ levels are a powerful approach to providing fast decisions to minimise human exposure and prevent negative health impacts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johnny Reis
- CESAM - Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies, Department of Environment and Planning, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal
| | - Diogo Lopes
- CESAM - Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies, Department of Environment and Planning, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal.
| | - Daniel Graça
- CESAM - Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies, Department of Environment and Planning, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal
| | - Ana Patrícia Fernandes
- CESAM - Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies, Department of Environment and Planning, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal
| | - Ana Isabel Miranda
- CESAM - Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies, Department of Environment and Planning, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal
| | - Myriam Lopes
- CESAM - Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies, Department of Environment and Planning, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal
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16
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Tsai SS, Chen CC, Yang CY. The impacts of reduction in ambient fine particulate (PM 2.5) air pollution on life expectancy in Taiwan. JOURNAL OF TOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH. PART A 2022; 85:913-920. [PMID: 35993974 DOI: 10.1080/15287394.2022.2110343] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Fine particulate matter, particles less than 2.5 um in diameter (PM2.5), is an important environmental human health factor to consider. The long- and short-term influence of PM2.5 on health has been extensively studied in relation to many health outcomes, although few investigations examined the consequences of chronic ambient PM2.5 on life expectancy, which constitutes an important gauge of public human health status. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the effects of reducing ambient PM2.5 levels in Taiwan on life expectancy there from 2000 to 2020. Officially reported island-wide annually average concentrations of ambient PM2.5, county-level life expectancies, and demographic and socioeconomic and proxy variable were collected for the prevalence of smoking from various national public agencies and organizations, since variables these might potentially confound life expectancy results. The relationship between changes in ambient PM2.5 levels and life expectancy were determined using linear regression. Data demonstrated that counties with greater reductions in ambient PM2.5 concentrations were associated with higher life expectancies. Adjusting for alterations in demographic and socioeconomic variables and proxy parameter, the prevalence of smoking data from a multiple regression model, it was found that a 0.3-year rise in life expectancy was noted for each 10 ug/m3 decrease in PM2.5 in those counties. Our findings show that reducing ambient PM2.5 levels play an important role for prolongation of life expectancy in Taiwan.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shang-Shyue Tsai
- Department of Healthcare Administration, I-Shou University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
| | - Chih-Cheng Chen
- Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Chang- Gung Memorial Hospital and Chang-Gung University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
| | - Chun-Yuh Yang
- Department of Public Health, College of Health Sciences, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
- National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Health Research Institute, Miaoli, Taiwan
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17
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Mainka A, Żak M. Synergistic or Antagonistic Health Effects of Long- and Short-Term Exposure to Ambient NO 2 and PM 2.5: A Review. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:14079. [PMID: 36360958 PMCID: PMC9657687 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph192114079] [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: 09/30/2022] [Revised: 10/24/2022] [Accepted: 10/26/2022] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Studies on adverse health effects associated with air pollution mostly focus on individual pollutants. However, the air is a complex medium, and thus epidemiological studies face many challenges and limitations in the multipollutant approach. NO2 and PM2.5 have been selected as both originating from combustion processes and are considered to be the main pollutants associated with traffic; moreover, both elicit oxidative stress responses. An answer to the question of whether synergistic or antagonistic health effects of combined pollutants are demonstrated by pollutants monitored in ambient air is not explicit. Among the analyzed studies, only a few revealed statistical significance. Exposure to a single pollutant (PM2.5 or NO2) was mostly associated with a small increase in non-accidental mortality (HR:1.01-1.03). PM2.5 increase of <10 µg/m3 adjusted for NO2 as well as NO2 adjusted for PM2.5 resulted in a slightly lower health risk than a single pollutant. In the case of cardiovascular heart disease, mortality evoked by exposure to PM2.5 or NO2 adjusted for NO2 and PM2.5, respectively, revealed an antagonistic effect on health risk compared to the single pollutant. Both short- and long-term exposure to PM2.5 or NO2 adjusted for NO2 and PM2.5, respectively, revealed a synergistic effect appearing as higher mortality from respiratory diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Mainka
- Department of Air Protection, Silesian University of Technology, 22B Konarskiego St., 44-100 Gliwice, Poland
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18
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Krewski D, Saunders-Hastings P, Larkin P, Westphal M, Tyshenko MG, Leiss W, Dusseault M, Jerrett M, Coyle D. Principles of risk decision-making. JOURNAL OF TOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH. PART B, CRITICAL REVIEWS 2022; 25:250-278. [PMID: 35980104 DOI: 10.1080/10937404.2022.2107591] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Risk management decisions in public health require consideration of a number of complex, often conflicting factors. The aim of this review was to propose a set of 10 fundamental principles to guide risk decision-making. Although each of these principles is sound in its own right, the guidance provided by different principles might lead the decision-maker in different directions. For example, where the precautionary principle advocates for preemptive risk management action under situations of scientific uncertainty and potentially catastrophic consequences, the principle of risk-based decision-making encourages decision-makers to focus on established and modifiable risks, where a return on the investment in risk management is all but guaranteed in the near term. To evaluate the applicability of the 10 principles in practice, one needs to consider 10 diverse risk issues of broad concern and explore which of these principles are most appropriate in different contexts. The 10 principles presented here afford substantive insight into the process of risk management decision-making, although decision-makers will ultimately need to exercise judgment in reaching appropriate risk decisions, accounting for all of the scientific and extra-scientific factors relevant to the risk decision at hand.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Krewski
- McLaughlin Centre for Population Health Risk Assessment, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Patrick Saunders-Hastings
- McLaughlin Centre for Population Health Risk Assessment, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Patricia Larkin
- McLaughlin Centre for Population Health Risk Assessment, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Margit Westphal
- McLaughlin Centre for Population Health Risk Assessment, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | | | - William Leiss
- McLaughlin Centre for Population Health Risk Assessment, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Maurice Dusseault
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada
| | - Michael Jerrett
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Fielding School of Public Health, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Doug Coyle
- School of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Ottawa, ON, Canada
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Leo Hohenberger T, Che W, Sun Y, Fung JCH, Lau AKH. Assessment of the impact of sensor error on the representativeness of population exposure to urban air pollutants. ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL 2022; 165:107329. [PMID: 35660952 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2022.107329] [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: 01/20/2022] [Revised: 05/09/2022] [Accepted: 05/27/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
For the monitoring of urban air pollution, smart sensors are often seen as a welcome addition to fixed-site monitoring (FSM) networks. Due to price and simple installation, increases in spatial representation are thought to be achieved by large numbers of these sensors, however, a number of sensor errors have been identified. Based on a high-resolution modelling system, up to 400 pseudo smart sensors were perturbated with the aim of simulating common sensor errors and added to the existing FSM network in Hong Kong, resulting in 1200 pseudo networks for PM2.5 and 1040 pseudo networks for NO2. For each pseudo network, population-weighted area representativeness (PWAR) was calculated based on similarity frequency. For PM2.5, improvements (up to 16%) to the high baseline representativeness (PWAR = 0.74) were achievable only by the addition of high-quality sensors and favourable environmental conditions. The baseline FSM network represents NO2 less well (PWAR = 0.52), as local emissions in the study domain resulted in high spatial pollution variation. Due to higher levels of pollution (population-weighted average 37.3 ppb) in comparison to sensor error ranges, smart sensors of a wider quality range were able to improve network representativeness (up to 42%). Marginal representativeness increases were found to exponentially decrease with existing sensor number. The quality and maintenance of added sensors had a stronger effect on overall network representativeness than the number of sensors added. Often, a small number of added sensors of a higher quality class led to larger improvements than hundreds of lower-class sensors. Whereas smart sensor performance and maintenance are important prerequisites particularly for developed cities where pollutant concentration is low and there is an existing FSM network, our study shows that for places with high pollutant variability and concentration such as encountered in some developing countries, smart sensors will provide benefits for understanding population exposure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tilman Leo Hohenberger
- Division of Environment and Sustainability, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Hong Kong, China
| | - Wenwei Che
- Division of Environment and Sustainability, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Hong Kong, China.
| | - Yuxi Sun
- Division of Environment and Sustainability, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Hong Kong, China
| | - Jimmy C H Fung
- Division of Environment and Sustainability, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Hong Kong, China; Department of Mathematics, The Hong Kong University of Science & Technology, Clear Water Bay, Hong Kong, China
| | - Alexis K H Lau
- Division of Environment and Sustainability, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Hong Kong, China; Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Hong Kong, China; Institute for the Environment, The Hong Kong University of Science & Technology, Clear Water Bay, Hong Kong, China
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20
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Analysis of the COVID-19 Lockdown’s Impact on Air Quality in the Larger Cities of Spain. SUSTAINABILITY 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/su14095613] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
During the period of the COVID-19 pandemic, the air quality reached the best levels to be recorded in large cities in Spain. To analyze and demonstrate this improvement in air quality levels, the evolution of the average nitrogen dioxide (NO2) levels in 78 Spanish cities with more than 50,000 inhabitants during the pre-COVID-19 years (2017–2019), the period of the COVID-19 lockdown, and the post-COVID-19 year (2021) was analyzed. The results show an improvement in the air quality in most of the cities analyzed for 2020 due to the COVID-19 restrictions. In addition, in 2021, without the COVID-19 restrictions, the air quality levels of the largest cities in Spain showed important improvements in terms of NO2 concentration compared to the levels in the pre-COVID-19 years (2017–2019). Nevertheless, in 2021, only 11 cities were below the average annual limit of 10 µg/m3 NO2 established by the World Health Organization (WHO). In addition, no cities with more than 500,000 inhabitants achieved NO2 levels below the WHO limit. Finally, a detailed monthly analysis indicated that the pre-COVID-19 levels were reached again during the last months of the monitored period.
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21
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Väisänen A, Alonen L, Ylönen S, Hyttinen M. Organic compound and particle emissions of additive manufacturing with photopolymer resins and chemical outgassing of manufactured resin products. JOURNAL OF TOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH. PART A 2022; 85:198-216. [PMID: 34763622 DOI: 10.1080/15287394.2021.1998814] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Photopolymer resins are applied at an increasing rate in additive manufacturing (AM) industry as vat photopolymerization (VP) and material jetting (MJ) methods gain more popularity. The aim of this study was to measure volatile organic compound (VOC), carbonyl compound, ultrafine particle (UFP), and particulate matter (PM10) air concentrations emitted in 3D printer operations. Individual chemicals were identified when multiple photopolymer resin feedstocks were used in various VP and MJ printers. The size distributions of UFPs, and indoor air parameters were also monitored. Finally, the VOC outgassing of the cured resin materials was determined over 84 days. The data demonstrated that 3D printer operators were exposed to low concentrations of airborne exposure agents as follows: average concentrations of VOCs were between 41 and 87 µg/m3, UFP number levels ranged between 0.19 and 3.62 × 103 number/cm3; however, no impact was detected on air parameters or PM10 concentrations. A majority of the UFPs existed in the 10-45 nm size range. The identified compounds included hazardous species included sensitizing acrylates and carcinogenic formaldehyde. The outgassed products included similar compounds that were encountered during the AM processes, and post-processing solvents. Products heated to 37°C emitted 1.4‒2.9-fold more VOCs than at room temperature. Total emissions were reduced by 84‒96% after 28 days roughly from 3000-14000 to 100-1000 µg/m2/hr. In conclusion, resin printer operators are exposed to low concentrations of hazardous emissions, which might result in adverse health outcomes during prolonged exposure. Manufactured resin products are suggested to be stored for 4 weeks after their production to reduce potential consumer VOC hazards.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antti Väisänen
- Faculty of Science and Forestry, Department of Environmental and Biological Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland
| | - Lauri Alonen
- School of Engineering and Technology, Savonia University of Applied Sciences, Kuopio, Finland
| | - Sampsa Ylönen
- School of Engineering and Technology, Savonia University of Applied Sciences, Kuopio, Finland
| | - Marko Hyttinen
- Faculty of Science and Forestry, Department of Environmental and Biological Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland
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22
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Ugurlu A. An investigation on well-to-wheel emissions of passenger cars in Turkey. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2022; 29:16692-16715. [PMID: 34657255 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-021-16738-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2020] [Accepted: 09/22/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Passenger cars are responsible for a great amount of energy consumption and emissions in the world. Turkey is one of the world's twenty largest emission producers. The reason behind this study is to determine the most appropriate energy source for passenger cars particularly in Turkey in terms of main vehicle emissions. The results will be supportive for general inferences also. The impact of technological year, vehicle type, fuel type, fuel production, and electricity generation from different energy sources on well-to-wheel emissions for Turkey has been analyzed using the GREET software in this study. In the realization of emission analysis, transportation statistics of Turkey in the last 10 years have been evaluated. In addition, different scenarios have been presented for the years 2030 and 2050. It is found that average emissions emitted from passenger cars in Turkey decrease by year, and the use of LPG and CNG in plug-in hybrid cars generates lower emissions in future scenarios.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adem Ugurlu
- Department of Mechatronics Engineering, Kirklareli University, Kirklareli, Turkey.
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23
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Prediction of highly vulnerable areas to COVID-19 outbreaks using spatial model: Case study of Cairo Governorate, Egypt. THE EGYPTIAN JOURNAL OF REMOTE SENSING AND SPACE SCIENCES 2022; 25:233-247. [PMCID: PMC8352670 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejrs.2021.08.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2021] [Revised: 08/02/2021] [Accepted: 08/02/2021] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
COVID-19 has affected over 170 countries around the world. Alarming rate has increased with the increase of infected cases and death rates. Whereas, the World Health Organization (WHO) had declared the COVID-19 virus as a pandemic on 11th March 2020. Preparations were made to face the spread of COVID-19, as predicting the most probable risk areas by using spatial models. Prediction spatial models of COVID-19 risk areas can help the governmental authorities to generate sustainable strategies and set up suitable protocols to control the pandemic. This research presents an attempt of a potential spatial prediction modeling of COVID-19 risk areas in Cairo governorate-Egypt. Four indicator models (demographic, residential, environmental and topographic) were developed using geomatics technology based on the guidelines of the UN-habitat sustainable development goals (SDGs) target (11 & 3). Five predicted scenarios were generated for the most pandemic probability areas by the integration of the four indicator models. The results showed that there are common areas in all scenarios for highly COVID-19 pandemic risk areas. These common risk areas were found in (El Marag, El Salam, Ain Shams, El Mataria, El Gammaleya, Manshiat Nasser, El Mosky, Bolak, Hadaak El Koba, and El Sharbeya) districts. The hotspots zones are characterized by overcrowding, high population density and economic activities, large family size, poor infrastructure service and low rate of education. Moreover, it was noticed that crowding points resulted in traffic density and air pollution, which may affect the pandemic spread. The accuracy assessment results displayed that, the environmental predicted scenario was more consistent with the official data of the Egyptian Ministry of Health and Population) MOHP), while the residential one was less convenient. The result of this study supports the health sector by predicting the hot spots areas. The present study is aimed to develop a proactive plan to confront the pandemic before spreading in the Cairo governorate-Egypt. Also, the proposed prediction model can be an effective aid for decision-makers across the world working on containment strategies to minimize the spread of Coronavirus.
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24
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Karamanos A, Mudway I, Kelly F, Beevers SD, Dajnak D, Elia C, Cruickshank JK, Lu Y, Tandon S, Enayat E, Dazzan P, Maynard M, Harding S. Air pollution and trajectories of adolescent conduct problems: the roles of ethnicity and racism; evidence from the DASH longitudinal study. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 2021; 56:2029-2039. [PMID: 33929549 PMCID: PMC8519907 DOI: 10.1007/s00127-021-02097-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2020] [Accepted: 04/23/2021] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE No known UK empirical research has investigated prospective associations between ambient air pollutants and conduct problems in adolescence. Ethnic minority children are disproportionately exposed to structural factors that could moderate any observed relationships. This prospective study examined whether exposure to PM2.5 and NO2 concentrations is associated with conduct problems in adolescence, and whether racism or ethnicity moderate such associations. METHODS Longitudinal associations between annual mean estimated PM2.5 and NO2 concentrations at the residential address and trajectories of conduct problems, and the potential influence of racism and ethnicity were examined school-based sample of 4775 participants (2002-2003 to 2005-2006) in London, using growth curve models. RESULTS Overall, in the fully adjusted model, exposure to lower concentrations of PM2.5 and NO2 was associated with a decrease in conduct problems during adolescence, while exposure to higher concentrations was associated with a flattened trajectory of conduct symptoms. Racism amplified the effect of PM2.5 (β = 0.05 (95% CI 0.01 to 0.10, p < 0.01)) on adolescent trajectories of conduct problems over time. At higher concentrations of PM2.5, there was a divergence of trajectories of adolescent conduct problems between ethnic minority groups, with White British and Black Caribbean adolescents experiencing an increase in conduct problems over time. CONCLUSION These findings suggest that the intersections between air pollution, ethnicity, and racism are important influences on the development of conduct problems in adolescence.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Karamanos
- Department of Nutritional Sciences, School of Life Course Sciences, Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine, King's College London, 57 Waterloo Road, London, SE1 8WA, UK.
| | - I Mudway
- MRC Centre for Environment and Health, Imperial College London, London, UK
- NIHR Health Protection Research Unit in Environmental Exposures and Health, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - F Kelly
- MRC Centre for Environment and Health, Imperial College London, London, UK
- NIHR Health Protection Research Unit in Environmental Exposures and Health, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - S D Beevers
- MRC Centre for Environment and Health, Imperial College London, London, UK
- NIHR Health Protection Research Unit in Environmental Exposures and Health, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - D Dajnak
- MRC Centre for Environment and Health, Imperial College London, London, UK
- NIHR Health Protection Research Unit in Environmental Exposures and Health, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - C Elia
- Department of Nutritional Sciences, School of Life Course Sciences, Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine, King's College London, 57 Waterloo Road, London, SE1 8WA, UK
| | - J K Cruickshank
- Department of Nutritional Sciences, School of Life Course Sciences, Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine, King's College London, 57 Waterloo Road, London, SE1 8WA, UK
| | - Y Lu
- Department of Nutritional Sciences, School of Life Course Sciences, Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine, King's College London, 57 Waterloo Road, London, SE1 8WA, UK
| | - S Tandon
- Department of Population Health Sciences, School of Population Health & Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine, King's College London, London, UK
| | - E Enayat
- Division of Psychiatry, Faculty of Brain Sciences, University College London, London, UK
| | - P Dazzan
- Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - M Maynard
- School of Clinical and Applied Sciences, Leeds Beckett University, London, UK
| | - S Harding
- Department of Nutritional Sciences, School of Life Course Sciences, Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine, King's College London, 57 Waterloo Road, London, SE1 8WA, UK
- Department of Population Health Sciences, School of Population Health & Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine, King's College London, London, UK
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25
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The change of Cr and Mn concentrations in selected plants in Samsun city center depending on traffic density. LANDSCAPE AND ECOLOGICAL ENGINEERING 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s11355-021-00483-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
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26
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Hettfleisch K, Carvalho MA, Hoshida MS, Pastro LDM, Saldiva SRDM, Vieira SE, Francisco RPV, Saldiva PHN, Bernardes LS. Individual exposure to urban air pollution and its correlation with placental angiogenic markers in the first trimester of pregnancy, in São Paulo, Brazil. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2021; 28:28658-28665. [PMID: 33544347 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-021-12353-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2020] [Accepted: 01/02/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Pollution of the atmosphere is known that may lead to adverse obstetric outcomes, including fetal growth restriction, gestational hypertension, and preeclampsia. Such disorders are correlated with imbalances in angiogenic factors, which may also be involved in the pathological mechanism as the pollutants impact placental and maternal physiology. In the first trimester of gestation, this study assessed the outcomes of personal maternal short period exposure to air pollution on soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase 1 (sFlt1) and placental growth factor (PLGF) of pregnant women blood concentrations. This was a cross-sectional study, held in the city of São Paulo, Brazil, and conducted with low-risk pregnant women, who carried personal passive nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and ozone (O3) monitors for about a few days preceding the ultrasound evaluation, and on this day, the venous blood sample was collected to measure the angiogenic factors sFlt1 and PLGF and their ratio (sFlt1/PLGF) by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). By means of multiple regression models, the effect of the studied pollutants on the log-transformed concentrations of the angiogenic factors was evaluated. One hundred thirty-one patients were included. The log of the sFlt1/PLGF ratio increased with rising NO2 levels (p = 0.021 and beta = 0.206), and the log of the PLGF concentration showed a negative correlation with NO2 (p = 0.008 and beta = - 0.234). NO2, an indicator of the levels of primary air pollutants, presented significant positive correlation with an increased sFlt1/PLGF ratio and diminished PLGF levels, which may reflect an antiangiogenic state generated by air pollution exposure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karen Hettfleisch
- Disciplina de Obstetricia, Departamento de Obstetricia e Ginecologia, Faculdade de Medicina FMUSP, Universidade de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil
| | - Mariana Azevedo Carvalho
- Divisao de Clinica Obstetrica, Hospital das Clinicas HCFMUSP, Faculdade de Medicina FMUSP, Universidade de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil
| | - Mara Sandra Hoshida
- LIM 57 Laboratorio de Fisiologia Obstetrica, Hospital das Clinicas HCFMUSP, Faculdade de Medicina FMUSP, Universidade de Sao Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Luciana Duzolina Manfré Pastro
- Disciplina de Obstetricia, Departamento de Obstetricia e Ginecologia, Faculdade de Medicina FMUSP, Universidade de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil
| | | | - Sandra Elisabete Vieira
- Departamento de Pediatria, Faculdade de Medicina FMUSP, Universidade de Sao Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Rossana Pulcineli Vieira Francisco
- Disciplina de Obstetricia, Departamento de Obstetricia e Ginecologia, Faculdade de Medicina FMUSP, Universidade de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil
| | | | - Lisandra Stein Bernardes
- Disciplina de Obstetricia, Departamento de Obstetricia e Ginecologia, Faculdade de Medicina FMUSP, Universidade de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil.
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The Influence of Air Pollutants and Meteorological Conditions on the Hospitalization for Respiratory Diseases in Shenzhen City, China. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2021; 18:ijerph18105120. [PMID: 34065982 PMCID: PMC8151817 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18105120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2021] [Revised: 04/27/2021] [Accepted: 05/07/2021] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Air pollutants have significant direct and indirect adverse effects on public health. To explore the relationship between air pollutants and meteorological conditions on the hospitalization for respiratory diseases, we collected a whole year of daily major air pollutants’ concentrations from Shenzhen city in 2013, including Particulate Matter (PM10, PM2.5), Nitrogen dioxide (NO2), Ozone (O3), Sulphur dioxide (SO2), and Carbon monoxide (CO). Meanwhile, we also gained meteorological data. This study collected 109,927 patients cases with diseases of the respiratory system from 98 hospitals. We investigated the influence of meteorological factors on air pollution by Spearman correlation analysis. Then, we tested the short-term correlation between significant air pollutants and respiratory diseases’ hospitalization by Distributed Lag Non-linear Model (DLNM). There was a significant negative correlation between the north wind and NO2 and a significant negative correlation between the south wind and six pollutants. Except for CO, other air pollutants were significantly correlated with the number of hospitalized patients during the lag period. Most of the pollutants reached maximum Relative Risk (RR) with a lag of five days. When the time lag was five days, the annual average of PM10, PM2.5, SO2, NO2, and O3 increased by 10%, and the risk of hospitalization for the respiratory system increased by 0.29%, 0.23%, 0.22%, 0.25%, and 0.22%, respectively. All the pollutants except CO impact the respiratory system’s hospitalization in a short period, and PM10 has the most significant impact. The results are helpful for pollution control from a public health perspective.
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28
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Emission Inventories and Particulate Matter Air Quality Modeling over the Pearl River Delta Region. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2021; 18:ijerph18084155. [PMID: 33919978 PMCID: PMC8070918 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18084155] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2021] [Revised: 04/07/2021] [Accepted: 04/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The Pearl River Delta (PRD) region is located on the southeast coast of mainland China and it is an important economic hub. The high levels of particulate matter (PM) in the atmosphere, however, and poor visibility have become a complex environmental problem for the region. Air quality modeling systems are useful to understand the temporal and spatial distribution of air pollution, making use of atmospheric emission data as inputs. Over the years, several atmospheric emission inventories have been developed for the Asia region. The main purpose of this work is to evaluate the performance of the air quality modeling system for simulating PM concentrations over the PRD using three atmospheric emission inventories (i.e., EDGAR, REAS and MIX) during a winter and a summer period. In general, there is a tendency to underestimate PM levels, but results based on the EDGAR emission inventory show slightly better accuracy. However, improvements in the spatial and temporal disaggregation of emissions are still needed to properly represent PRD air quality. This study’s comparison of the three emission inventories’ data, as well as their PM simulating outcomes, generates recommendations for future improvements to atmospheric emission inventories and our understanding of air pollution problems in the PRD region.
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29
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Mukherjee S, Boral S, Siddiqi H, Mishra A, Meikap BC. Present cum future of SARS-CoV-2 virus and its associated control of virus-laden air pollutants leading to potential environmental threat - A global review. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMICAL ENGINEERING 2021; 9:104973. [PMID: 33462561 PMCID: PMC7805399 DOI: 10.1016/j.jece.2020.104973] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2020] [Revised: 12/06/2020] [Accepted: 12/20/2020] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
The world is presently infected by the biological fever of COVID-19 caused by SARS-CoV-2 virus. The present study is mainly related to the airborne transmission of novel coronavirus through airway. Similarly, our mother planet is suffering from drastic effects of air pollution. There are sufficient probabilities or evidences proven for contagious virus transmission through polluted airborne-pathway in formed aerosol molecules. The pathways and sources of spread are detailed along with the best possible green control technologies or ideas to hinder further transmission. The combined effects of such root causes and unwanted outcomes are similar in nature leading to acute cardiac arrest of our planet. To maintain environmental sustainability, the prior future of such emerging unknown biological hazardous air emissions is to be thoroughly researched. So it is high time to deal with the future of hazardous air pollution and work on its preventive measures. The lifetime of such an airborne virus continues for several hours, thus imposing severe threat even during post-lockdown phase. The world waits eagerly for the development of successful vaccination or medication but the possible outcome is quite uncertain in terms of equivalent economy distribution and biomedical availability. Thus, risk assessments are to be carried out even during the post-vaccination period with proper environmental surveillance and monitoring. The skilled techniques of disinfection, sanitization, and other viable wayouts are to be modified with time, place, and prevailing climatic conditions, handling the pandemic efficiently. A healthy atmosphere makes the earth a better place to dwell, ensuring its future lifecycle.
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Key Words
- 2019-nCoV, 2019 novel coronavirus
- ACE2, angiotensin-converting enzyme 2
- ALRI, Acute Lower Respiratory Infections
- ANN, artificial neural network
- API, air pollution index
- ASTM, American Society for Testing and Materials
- Aerosol or particulate matter
- Airborne virus
- BCG, Bacillus Calmette Guérin
- COCOREC, Collaborative Study COVID Recurrence
- COPD, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disorder
- COVID-19, coronavirus disease, 2019
- CSG, Coronavirus Study Group
- CoV, Coronavirus
- Dispersion
- EPA, Environmental Protection Agency
- FCVS, filtered containment venting systems
- HEME, High-Efficiency Mist Eliminator
- ICTV, International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses
- IHD, Ischemic Heart Disease
- ISO, International organization of Standardization
- IoT, Internet of Things
- MERS-CoV, Middle-East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus
- NAAQS, National Ambient Air Quality Standard
- NFKB, nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells
- NRF2, nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2
- Novel coronavirus
- PM, particulate matter
- Pathways of transmission
- Prevention and control measures
- ROS, reactive oxygen species
- SARS-CoV-2
- SARS-CoV-2, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2
- USEPA, United States Environmental Protection Agency
- UVGI, Ultraviolet Germicidal Irradiation
- VOC, volatile organic compound
- WHO, World Health Organization
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Affiliation(s)
- Subhrajit Mukherjee
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur 721302, West Bengal, India
| | - Soumendu Boral
- School of Bioscience, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur 721302, West Bengal, India
| | - Hammad Siddiqi
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur 721302, West Bengal, India
| | - Asmita Mishra
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur 721302, West Bengal, India
| | - Bhim Charan Meikap
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur 721302, West Bengal, India
- Department of Chemical Engineering, School of Engineering, Howard College Campus, University of Kwazulu-Natal (UKZN), King George V Avenue, Durban 4041, South Africa
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30
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Identification of High Personal PM2.5 Exposure during Real Time Commuting in the Taipei Metropolitan Area. ATMOSPHERE 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/atmos12030396] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
There has been an increase in the network of mass rapid transit (MRT) and the number of automobiles over the past decades in the Taipei metropolitan area, Taiwan. The effects of these changes on PM2.5 exposure for the residents using different modes of transportation are unclear. Volunteers measured PM2.5 concentrations while commuting in different modes of transportation using a portable PM2.5 detector. Exposure to PM2.5 (median (range)) was higher when walking along the streets (40 (10–275) µg/m3) compared to riding the buses (35 (13–65) µg/m3) and the cars (15 (8–80) µg/m3). PM2.5 concentrations were higher in underground MRT stations (80 (30–210) µg/m3) and inside MRT cars running in underground sections (80 (55–185) µg/m3) than those in elevated MRT stations (33 (15–35) µg/m3) and inside MRT cars running in elevated sections (28 (13–68) µg/m3) (p < 0.0001). Riding motorcycle also was associated with high PM2.5 exposure (75 (60–105 µg/m3), p < 0.0001 vs. walking). High PM2.5 concentrations were noted near the temples (588 ± 271 µg/m3) and in the underground food court of a night market (405 ± 238 µg/m3) where the eatery stalls stir-fried and grilled food (p < 0.0001 vs. walking). We conclude that residents in the Taipei metropolitan area may still be exposed to high PM2.5 during some forms of commuting, including riding underground MRT.
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Jiang S, Yu ZG, Anh VV, Zhou Y. Long- and short-term time series forecasting of air quality by a multi-scale framework. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2021; 271:116381. [PMID: 33421843 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2020.116381] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2020] [Revised: 11/19/2020] [Accepted: 12/22/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Air quality forecasting for Hong Kong is a challenge. Even taking the advantages of auto-regressive integrated moving average and some state-of-the-art numerical models, a recently-developed hybrid method for one-day (two- and three-day) ahead forecasting performs similarly to (slightly better than) a simple persistence forecasting. Long-term forecasting also remains an important issue, especially for policy decision for better control of air pollution and for evaluation of the long-term impacts on public health. Given the well-recognized negative effects of PM2.5, NO2 and O3 on public health, we study their time series under the multi-scale framework with empirical mode decomposition and nonstationary oscillation resampling to explore the possibility of long-term forecasting and to improve short-term forecasts in Hong Kong. Applied to a dataset from January 2016 to December 2018, the long-term forecasting (with lead time about 100 days) of the multi-scale framework has the root-mean-square error (RMSE) comparable with that of the short-term (with lead time of one or two days) forecasting by the persistence method, while its improvement for short-term forecasting (with lead time of one, two or three days) is quite substantial over the persistence forecasting, with RMSEs reduced by respectively 44%-47%, 30%-45%, and 40%-60% for PM2.5, NO2, and O3. Compared to the hybrid method, it turns out that, for short-term forecasting for the same data, the multi-scale framework can reduce RMSE by about 25% (respectively 30%) for PM2.5 (respectively NO2 and O3). In addition, we find no significant difference in the forecasting performance of the multi-scale framework among different types of stations. The multi-scale framework is feasible for time series forecasting and applicable to other pollutants in other cities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shan Jiang
- Hunan Key Laboratory for Computation and Simulation in Science and Engineering and Key Laboratory of Intelligent Computing and Information Processing of Ministry of Education, Xiangtan University, Xiangtan, Hunan, 411105, China
| | - Zu-Guo Yu
- Hunan Key Laboratory for Computation and Simulation in Science and Engineering and Key Laboratory of Intelligent Computing and Information Processing of Ministry of Education, Xiangtan University, Xiangtan, Hunan, 411105, China; School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Queensland University of Technology, GPO Box 2434, Brisbane, QLD, 4001, Australia
| | - Vo V Anh
- Hunan Key Laboratory for Computation and Simulation in Science and Engineering and Key Laboratory of Intelligent Computing and Information Processing of Ministry of Education, Xiangtan University, Xiangtan, Hunan, 411105, China; Faculty of Science, Engineering and Technology, Swinburne University of Technology, PO Box 218, Hawthorn, Victoria, 3122, Australia
| | - Yu Zhou
- Institute of Future Cities and Department of Geography and Resource Management, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong, China.
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32
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Seasonal Variations of Fine Particulate Matter and Mortality Rate in Seoul, Korea with a Focus on the Short-Term Impact of Meteorological Extremes on Human Health. ATMOSPHERE 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/atmos12020151] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Rapid industrialization of Korea’s economy has brought with it environmental pollution that threatens human health. Among various other pollutants, ambient fine particulate matter known to endanger human health often exceeds air quality standards in Seoul, South Korea’s capital. The goal of this research is to find the impact of meteorological extremes and particle levels on human health. The analysis was conducted using hourly air pollutant concentrations, meteorological variables, and the daily mortality from cerebrovascular disease. Results show that the effect of fine particulate matter on mortality from cerebrovascular disease was more noticeable during meteorological extremes. The linkage between extreme weather conditions and mortality was more apparent in winter than in summer. Comprehensive studies of various causes of diseases should be continued to more accurately analyze the effects of fine particulate matter on human health and meteorological extremes, and to further minimize the public health impact of air pollution and meteorological conditions.
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Zhang Y, Liu D, Liu Z. Fine Particulate Matter (PM 2.5) and Chronic Kidney Disease. REVIEWS OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONTAMINATION AND TOXICOLOGY 2021; 254:183-215. [PMID: 34529145 DOI: 10.1007/398_2020_62] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
The impact of ambient particulate matter (PM) on public health has become a great global concern, which is especially prominent in developing countries. For health purposes, PM is typically defined by size, with the smaller particles having more health impacts. Particles with a diameter <2.5 μm are called PM2.5. Initial research studies have focused on the impact of PM2.5 on respiratory and cardiovascular diseases; nevertheless, an increasing number of data suggested that PM2.5 may affect every organ system in the human body, and the kidney is of no exception. The kidney is vulnerable to particulate matter because most environmental toxins are concentrated by the kidney during filtration. According to the high morbidity and mortality related to chronic kidney disease, it is necessary to determine the effect of PM2.5 on kidney disease and its mechanism that needs to be identified. To understand the current status of PM2.5 in the atmosphere and their potential harmful kidney effects in different regions of the world this review article was prepared based on peer-reviewed scientific papers, scientific reports, and database from government organizations published after the year 1998. In this review, we focus on the worldwide epidemiological evidence linking PM2.5 with chronic kidney disease and the effect of PM2.5 on the chronic kidney disease (CKD) progression. At the same time, we also discuss the possible mechanisms of PM2.5 exposure leading to kidney damage, in order to emphasize the contribution of PM2.5 to kidney damage. A global database on PM2.5 and kidney disease should be developed to provide new ideas for the prevention and treatment of kidney disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yilin Zhang
- Department of Nephrology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, P. R. China
- Research Institute of Nephrology, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, P. R. China
- Research Center for Kidney Disease, Zhengzhou, Henan Province, P. R. China
- Key Laboratory of Precision Diagnosis and Treatment for Chronic Kidney Disease in Henan Province, Zhengzhou, P. R. China
- Core Unit of National Clinical Medical Research Center of Kidney Disease, Zhengzhou, P. R. China
| | - Dongwei Liu
- Department of Nephrology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, P. R. China.
- Research Institute of Nephrology, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, P. R. China.
- Research Center for Kidney Disease, Zhengzhou, Henan Province, P. R. China.
- Key Laboratory of Precision Diagnosis and Treatment for Chronic Kidney Disease in Henan Province, Zhengzhou, P. R. China.
- Core Unit of National Clinical Medical Research Center of Kidney Disease, Zhengzhou, P. R. China.
| | - Zhangsuo Liu
- Department of Nephrology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, P. R. China.
- Research Institute of Nephrology, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, P. R. China.
- Research Center for Kidney Disease, Zhengzhou, Henan Province, P. R. China.
- Key Laboratory of Precision Diagnosis and Treatment for Chronic Kidney Disease in Henan Province, Zhengzhou, P. R. China.
- Core Unit of National Clinical Medical Research Center of Kidney Disease, Zhengzhou, P. R. China.
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Dobson R, Semple S. Changes in outdoor air pollution due to COVID-19 lockdowns differ by pollutant: evidence from Scotland. Occup Environ Med 2020; 77:798-800. [DOI: 10.1136/oemed-2020-106659] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2020] [Revised: 08/26/2020] [Accepted: 08/29/2020] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
ObjectivesTo examine the impact of COVID-19 lockdown restrictions in March/April 2020 on concentrations of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and ambient fine particulate matter (PM2.5) air pollution measured at roadside monitors across Scotland by comparing data with previous years.MethodsPublicly available data of PM2.5 concentrations from reference monitoring systems at sites across Scotland were extracted for the 31-day period immediately following the imposition of lockdown rules on 23 March 2020. Similar data for 2017, 2018 and 2019 were gathered for comparison. Mean period values were calculated from the hourly data and logged values compared using pairwise t-tests. Weather effects were corrected using meteorological normalisation.ResultsNO2 concentrations were significantly lower in the 2020 lockdown period than in the previous 3 years (p<0.001). Mean outdoor PM2.5 concentrations in 2020 were much lower than during the same period in 2019 (p<0.001). However, despite UK motor vehicle journeys reducing by 65%, concentrations in 2020 were within 1 µg/m3 of those measured in 2017 (p=0.66) and 2018 (p<0.001), suggesting that traffic-related emissions may not explain variability of PM2.5 in outdoor air in Scotland.ConclusionsThe impact of reductions in motor vehicle journeys during COVID-19 lockdown restrictions may not have reduced ambient PM2.5 concentrations in some countries. There is also a need for work to better understand how movement restrictions may have impacted personal exposure to air pollutants generated within indoor environments.
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Ferreira J, Lopes D, Rafael S, Relvas H, Almeida SM, Miranda AI. Modelling air quality levels of regulated metals: limitations and challenges. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2020; 27:33916-33928. [PMID: 32557059 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-020-09645-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2020] [Accepted: 06/08/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Toxic metals as arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), nickel (Ni), and lead (Pb) exist in the atmosphere as particulate matter components. Their concentration levels in the European Union (EU) are regulated by European legislation, which sets target and limit values as annual means, and by the World Health Organization (WHO) that defines guidelines and reference values for those metal elements. Modelling tools are recommended to support air quality assessment regarding the toxic metals; however, few studies have been performed and those assessments rely on discrete measurements or field campaigns. This study aims to evaluate the capability of air quality modelling tools to verify the legislation compliance concerning the atmospheric levels of toxic elements and to identify the main challenges and limitations of using a modelling assessment approach for regulatory purposes, as a complement to monitoring. The CAMx air quality model was adapted and applied over Porto and Lisbon urban regions in Portugal at 5 × 5-km2 and 1 × 1-km2 horizontal resolution for the year 2015, and the results were analysed and compared with the few measurements available in three locations. The comparison between modelled and measured data revealed an overestimation of the model, although annual averages are much lower than the regulated standards. The comparison of the 5-km and 1-km resolutions' results indicates that a higher resolution does not necessarily imply a better performance, pointing out uncertainties in emissions and the need to better describe the magnitude and spatial allocation of toxic metal emissions. This work highlighted that an increase of the spatial and temporal coverage of monitoring sites would allow to improve the model design, contribute to a better knowledge on toxic metals atmospheric emission sources and to increase the capacity of models to simulate atmospheric particulate species of health concern.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joana Ferreira
- Department of Environment and Planning & CESAM, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal.
| | - Diogo Lopes
- Department of Environment and Planning & CESAM, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal
| | - Sandra Rafael
- Department of Environment and Planning & CESAM, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal
| | - Hélder Relvas
- Department of Environment and Planning & CESAM, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal
| | - Susana Marta Almeida
- Department of Nuclear Sciences and Engineering & C2TN, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Bobadela, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Ana Isabel Miranda
- Department of Environment and Planning & CESAM, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal
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Willingness to Pay for Urban Heat Island Mitigation: A Case Study of Singapore. CLIMATE 2020. [DOI: 10.3390/cli8070082] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
In many countries, urban heat island (UHI) effects come along with urbanization in metropolitan areas. They have relevant adverse effects on the health and wellbeing of citizens. Singapore is strongly affected by UHI. In this study, we assess Singaporeans’ willingness to pay (WTP) for UHI mitigation by implementing a contingent valuation analysis. Specifically, we employ a double-bounded dichotomous survey design on a representative sample of 1822 online respondents. We find that Singaporeans are willing to sacrifice on average 0.43% of their annual income to mitigate UHI. The total WTP for mitigation strategies among Singapore citizens and permanent residents is estimated at SGD$783.08 million per year, the equivalent of USD$563.80 per year. Our findings suggest that there is a positive and significant relationship between the size of UHI effects and the citizens’ WTP. People living in the region with the highest intensity of UHI are willing to pay 3.09 times more than those living in the region with the lowest UHI intensity. Furthermore, demographic and socio-economic characteristics are significant determinants of Singaporeans’ WTP. The WTP increases with income and education but decreases with age. Students, men, and people with children are willing to pay more. Additional analyses show that the level of UHI awareness, positive attitudes towards UHI mitigation strategies as well as preferences for outdoor activities are positively correlated with the WTP. Our findings suggest that citizens are aware of the impacts of UHI and support UHI mitigation measures to be financed by their taxes. Policy interventions to promote UHI-related education and disseminating UHI-related information might increase the support of UHI mitigation policies.
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An Optimized Hybrid Forecasting Model and Its Application to Air Pollution Concentration. ARABIAN JOURNAL FOR SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s13369-020-04572-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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Arooj M, Ali I, Kang HK, Hyun JW, Koh YS. Inhibitory effect of particulate matter on toll-like receptor 9 stimulated dendritic cells by downregulating mitogen-activated protein kinase and NF-κB pathway. JOURNAL OF TOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH. PART A 2020; 83:341-350. [PMID: 32340567 DOI: 10.1080/15287394.2020.1756018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Ambient particulate matter (PM) is associated with adverse health consequences. However, the influence of PM on the innate immune system is poorly understood. The aim of the present study was to examine the effect of diesel particulate matter 2.5 μm (PM2.5, SRM1650b) on dendritic cells. PM2.5 significantly reduced cytokine levels of interleukin (IL)-12 p40, IL-6 and TNF-α levels in CpG-DNA (TLR9 ligand)-stimulated dendritic cells. To determine the mechanisms underlying this observed inhibition induced by PM2.5, western blot analysis was conducted. PM2.5 was found to downregulate ERK1/2, JNK1/2, p38 MAPKs, and NF-κB pathways. PM2.5 exposure decreased TLR9-dependent NF-κB and activator protein (AP-1) reporter luciferase activities. Our findings demonstrate that PM2.5 reduced the production of cytokines which may be associated with inhibition of MAPK and NF-κB signaling pathway. Further, data suggest the immunosuppressive effect of PM2.5 on the innate immune cells may lead to serious damage to the host immune system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Madeeha Arooj
- School of Medicine, and Jeju Research Center for Natural Medicine, Jeju National University , Jeju, Korea
| | - Irshad Ali
- School of Medicine, and Jeju Research Center for Natural Medicine, Jeju National University , Jeju, Korea
| | - Hee Kyoung Kang
- School of Medicine, and Jeju Research Center for Natural Medicine, Jeju National University , Jeju, Korea
| | - Jin Won Hyun
- School of Medicine, and Jeju Research Center for Natural Medicine, Jeju National University , Jeju, Korea
| | - Young-Sang Koh
- School of Medicine, and Jeju Research Center for Natural Medicine, Jeju National University , Jeju, Korea
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Liu B, Fan D, Huang F. Relationship of chronic kidney disease with major air pollutants - A systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies. ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY AND PHARMACOLOGY 2020; 76:103355. [PMID: 32143119 DOI: 10.1016/j.etap.2020.103355] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2019] [Revised: 02/15/2020] [Accepted: 02/21/2020] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Articles concerning the correlation of the risk of chronic kidney disease (CKD) with air contaminant exposure present inconsistent findings and the magnitude of the link is still unclear. Therefore, we planned to systematically and quantitatively investigate the overall strength of proofs in this field. METHODS Relevant articles on Cochrane, EMBASE, Medline, Web of Science, and CINHAL were searched as per relevant strategies. Only observational studies that disclosed the link of CKD risk with major air pollutants were enrolled, including PM10 and PM2.5, which were particulate matter less than 10 um and less than 2.5 um in erodynamic diameter respectively. Pooled relative risk (RR) and 95 % confidence interval (CI) were determined using random--effects models, regardless of the heterogeneity quantified by I2 statistic. RESULTS Finally, 7 studies involving 5,812,381 participants were included. The incidence of CKD was increased by long-term exposure to PM10 (including solely estimated exposure to PM10 from studies using PM2.5) (RR 1.08, 95 %CI 1.04-1.11) with considerable heterogeneity (I2 = 79 %), and the risk of CKD was raised by 8% when the long-time exposure to PM10 increased by 10 ug/m3. The pooled RR (95 %CI) with a 10 μg/m3 increase in PM2.5 for risk of CKD was 1.09 (1.03-1.17). Stratified analysis also verified the general negative effects. CONCLUSIONS Chronic subjection to major air contaminants (PM10 and PM2.5) is more likely to cause CKD. Thus, developing global approaches of air pollution elimination to prevent CKD is urgent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bo Liu
- Department of Nephrology, Huzhou Central Hospital, Affiliated central hospital Huzhou University, Huzhou, Zhejiang, PR China
| | - Deyong Fan
- Department of Nephrology, Huzhou Central Hospital, Affiliated central hospital Huzhou University, Huzhou, Zhejiang, PR China
| | - Fuhan Huang
- Department of Nephrology, Huzhou Central Hospital, Affiliated central hospital Huzhou University, Huzhou, Zhejiang, PR China.
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Oncioiu I, Dănescu T, Popa MA. Air-Pollution Control in an Emergent Market: Does It Work? Evidence from Romania. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2020; 17:ijerph17082656. [PMID: 32294934 PMCID: PMC7215349 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph17082656] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2020] [Revised: 04/10/2020] [Accepted: 04/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Economic development in a national and international context must be based on a sustainability strategy established on the systemic interaction between the economic, sociocultural, and ecological environments. Today, the world is confronted by many challenges related to climate change and natural-resource flows, including waste streams resulting from economic activity. The need for national and European environmental standards and the work of an environment monitoring authority to reduce air pollution are highlighted by economic and industrial activities. Thus, our research focused on determining if emissions of sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen (NO2), and particulate matter 10 (PM10) are influenced by planned and unplanned inspections made by competent authorities from Romania. We built a regression model that estimates the influence of economic measures imposed by the authorities on reducing industrial air pollution. Preliminary results showed that the number of inspections negatively influences air pollution, indicating that national and local authorities in Romania are striving to maintain air quality and are conducting more inspections when air pollution is high.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ionica Oncioiu
- Faculty of Finance–Banking, Accountancy and Business Administration, Titu Maiorescu University, 040051 Bucharest, Romania
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +04-0241-6822-238
| | - Tatiana Dănescu
- Faculty of Economics and Law, George Emil Palade University of Medicine, Pharmacy, Science and Technology of Targu-Mures, 540139 Targu Mures, Romania; (T.D.); (M.-A.P.)
| | - Maria-Alexandra Popa
- Faculty of Economics and Law, George Emil Palade University of Medicine, Pharmacy, Science and Technology of Targu-Mures, 540139 Targu Mures, Romania; (T.D.); (M.-A.P.)
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A Functional Data Analysis Approach for the Detection of Air Pollution Episodes and Outliers: A Case Study in Dublin, Ireland. MATHEMATICS 2020. [DOI: 10.3390/math8020225] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Ground level concentrations of nitrogen oxide (NOx) can act as an indicator of air quality in the urban environment. In cities with relatively good air quality, and where NOx concentrations rarely exceed legal limits, adverse health effects on the population may still occur. Therefore, detecting small deviations in air quality and deriving methods of controlling air pollution are challenging. This study presents different data analytical methods which can be used to monitor and effectively evaluate policies or measures to reduce nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions through the detection of pollution episodes and the removal of outliers. This method helps to identify the sources of pollution more effectively, and enhances the value of monitoring data and exceedances of limit values. It will detect outliers, changes and trend deviations in NO2 concentrations at ground level, and consists of four main steps: classical statistical description techniques, statistical process control techniques, functional analysis and a functional control process. To demonstrate the effectiveness of the outlier detection methodology proposed, it was applied to a complete one-year NO2 dataset for a sub-urban site in Dublin, Ireland in 2013. The findings demonstrate how the functional data approach improves the classical techniques for detecting outliers, and in addition, how this new methodology can facilitate a more thorough approach to defining effect air pollution control measures.
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Lipfert FW, Wyzga RE. Longitudinal relationships between lung cancer mortality rates, smoking, and ambient air quality: a comprehensive review and analysis. Crit Rev Toxicol 2020; 49:790-818. [DOI: 10.1080/10408444.2019.1700210] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
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Fernandes P, Vilaça M, Macedo E, Sampaio C, Bahmankhah B, Bandeira JM, Guarnaccia C, Rafael S, Fernandes AP, Relvas H, Borrego C, Coelho MC. Integrating road traffic externalities through a sustainability indicator. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2019; 691:483-498. [PMID: 31325849 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.07.124] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2019] [Revised: 07/04/2019] [Accepted: 07/08/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Road traffic poses negative externalities on society and represents a key challenge in sustainable transportation. However, the existing literature about the assessment of traffic externalities drawn on a common measure is scarce. This paper develops a sustainability indicator that integrates traffic-related externalities as means of traffic congestion, noise, greenhouse gases (GHG) and nitrogen oxides emissions, health impacts and road crash related costs, and adjusted to local contexts of vulnerability. Traffic, road crashes, acoustic and vehicle dynamic data were collected from one real-world intercity corridor pair comprising three alternative routes. The site-specific operations were characterized using a modeling platform of traffic, emissions, noise and air quality. A specific methodology is applied for each road traffic externality and translated in a single factor - external cost. The results indicated that road crashes presented the largest share in the partly rural/urban route while GHG emissions had the highest contribution in external costs for the highway routes. Also, the distribution of external cost component varied according to the type of road, mostly due to different levels of exposed inhabitants. This paper offers a line of research that produced a method for decision-makers with a reliable and flexible cost analysis aimed at reducing the negative impacts of road traffic. It also encourages the design of eco-traffic management policies considering the perspective of drivers, commuters and population.
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Affiliation(s)
- P Fernandes
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Centre for Mechanical Technology and Automation (TEMA), University of Aveiro, Campus Universitário de Santiago, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal.
| | - M Vilaça
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Centre for Mechanical Technology and Automation (TEMA), University of Aveiro, Campus Universitário de Santiago, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
| | - E Macedo
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Centre for Mechanical Technology and Automation (TEMA), University of Aveiro, Campus Universitário de Santiago, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
| | - C Sampaio
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Centre for Mechanical Technology and Automation (TEMA), University of Aveiro, Campus Universitário de Santiago, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
| | - B Bahmankhah
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Centre for Mechanical Technology and Automation (TEMA), University of Aveiro, Campus Universitário de Santiago, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
| | - J M Bandeira
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Centre for Mechanical Technology and Automation (TEMA), University of Aveiro, Campus Universitário de Santiago, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
| | - C Guarnaccia
- Department of Civil Engineering, University of Salerno, Via Giovanni Paolo II, 132, I-84084 Fisciano, SA, Italy
| | - S Rafael
- Department of Environment and Planning, Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies (CESAM), University of Aveiro, Campus Universitário de Santiago, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
| | - A P Fernandes
- Department of Environment and Planning, Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies (CESAM), University of Aveiro, Campus Universitário de Santiago, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
| | - H Relvas
- Department of Environment and Planning, Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies (CESAM), University of Aveiro, Campus Universitário de Santiago, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
| | - C Borrego
- Department of Environment and Planning, Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies (CESAM), University of Aveiro, Campus Universitário de Santiago, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
| | - M C Coelho
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Centre for Mechanical Technology and Automation (TEMA), University of Aveiro, Campus Universitário de Santiago, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
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Madureira J, Brancher EA, Costa C, Aurino de Pinho R, Teixeira JP. Cardio-respiratory health effects of exposure to traffic-related air pollutants while exercising outdoors: A systematic review. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2019; 178:108647. [PMID: 31450147 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2019.108647] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2019] [Revised: 07/26/2019] [Accepted: 08/09/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Despite physical exercise provides numerous health benefits, outdoor exercisers are frequently exposed to traffic-related air pollutants (TRAP) known to be associated with respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. The aim of this systematic review was to investigate the effects of TRAP exposure, specifically particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide (NO2), during outdoor exercise on cardio-respiratory health effects. Systematic database searches of PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus and Medline were performed by two researchers to identify peer-reviewed studies from 2000 to 2018. Combinations of keywords related to cardio-respiratory health effects, physical exercise and ambient air pollution were used. Thirteen studies were included, originating predominantly from European countries but also the American. They suggested that exercising in an environment with high TRAP exposure increases markers of respiratory and systemic inflammation, as well as, impairs the vascular function and increases artery pressure, when compared with an environment with low-TRAP exposure. In addition, the smaller particles appear to have the most severe health consequences compared with the larger coarse particles and NO2. This study also provides evidence that specific groups of the population have enhanced susceptibility to adverse effects from particulate matter exposure while exercising. There is a need for more studies focused on the relationship between air pollution, physical exercise and health, as large societal benefits can be obtained from healthy environments that can promote outdoor physical exercise.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joana Madureira
- National Institute of Health, Environmental Health Department, Porto, Portugal; EPIUnit - Instituto de Saúde Pública, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal.
| | - Emerson Antonio Brancher
- Laboratório de Fisiologia e Bioquímica do Exercício (LAFIBE), Universidade do Extremo Sul Catarinense, Criciúma, Santa Catarina, Brazil; Departamento de Educação Física, Universidade Regional de Blumenau, Blumenau, Santa Catarina, Brazil
| | - Carla Costa
- National Institute of Health, Environmental Health Department, Porto, Portugal; EPIUnit - Instituto de Saúde Pública, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal.
| | - Ricardo Aurino de Pinho
- Laboratory of Exercise Biochemistry in Health, Graduate Program in Health Sciences, School of Medicine, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Paraná, Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil
| | - João Paulo Teixeira
- National Institute of Health, Environmental Health Department, Porto, Portugal; EPIUnit - Instituto de Saúde Pública, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
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Monthly-Term Associations Between Air Pollutants and Respiratory Morbidity in South Brazil 2013-2016: A Multi-City, Time-Series Analysis. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2019; 16:ijerph16203787. [PMID: 31600878 PMCID: PMC6843508 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph16203787] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2019] [Revised: 09/18/2019] [Accepted: 09/24/2019] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Most air pollution research conducted in Brazil has focused on assessing the daily-term effects of pollutants, but little is known about the health effects of air pollutants at an intermediate time term. The objective of this study was to determine the monthly-term association between air pollution and respiratory morbidity in five cities in South Brazil. An ecological time-series study was performed using the municipality as the unit of observation in five cities in South Brazil (Gravataí, Triunfo, Esteio, Canoas, and Charqueadas) between 2013 and 2016. Data for hospital admissions was obtained from the records of the Hospital Information Service. Air pollution data, including PM10, SO2, CO, NO2, and O3 (µg/m3) were obtained from the environmental government agency in Rio Grande do Sul State. Panel multivariable Poisson regression models were adjusted for monthly counts of respiratory hospitalizations. An increase of 10 μg/m3 in the monthly average concentration of PM10 was associated with an increase of respiratory hospitalizations in all age groups, with the maximum effect on the population aged between 16 and 59 years (IRR: Incidence rate ratio 2.04 (95% CI: Confidence interval = 1.97–2.12)). For NO2 and SO2, stronger intermediate-term effects were found in children aged between 6 and 15 years, while for O3 higher effects were found in children under 1 year. This is the first multi-city study conducted in South Brazil to account for intermediate-term effects of air pollutants on respiratory health.
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Deng Q, Wei Y, Chen L, Liang W, Du J, Tan Y, Zhao Y. Relationship between Air Pollution and Regional Longevity in Guangxi, China. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2019; 16:ijerph16193733. [PMID: 31623378 PMCID: PMC6801524 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph16193733] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2019] [Revised: 09/12/2019] [Accepted: 09/23/2019] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Air pollution has become a global environmental challenge and poses major threats to human health, particularly for the aging population. However, few studies have investigated the effects of air pollutants on human longevity, especially based on the total regional quantities and sources. Based on investigation of the spatiotemporal variations of three air pollutants (PM10, SO2, and NOx) and three longevity indicators (centenarian ratio, centenarity index, and aging tendency), this study aims to identify the relationship between air pollution and regional longevity in Guangxi Province. Air pollutant and population data from 109 counties and areas of Guangxi were collected from environmental research reports and statistical yearbooks. Cluster and outlier analysis was used to detect the regions with high and low clusters of the longevity indicators and air pollutants. Geographically weighted regression analyses were performed to determine the relationship between longevity and air pollutants. A negative relationship between the air pollutants PM10, SO2, and NOx on the aged population was observed. From a provincial level, industrial sources from the urban areas of cities located in the central province, including Liuzhou, Nanning, Laibing, Guigang and Yulin, were important contributors to the air pollutants PM10, SO2, and NOx, and thus could contribute to negative impacts on regional longevity. The key findings from this study will provide a case for management of air pollutants based on public health policies in China as well as other developing communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qucheng Deng
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane 4072, Australia.
| | - Yongping Wei
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane 4072, Australia.
| | - Lijuan Chen
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane 4072, Australia.
- Key Laboratory of Ecohydrology of Inland River Basin, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China.
| | - Wei Liang
- Guangxi Environmental Information Center, Nanning 530028, China.
| | - Jijun Du
- Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing 100101, China.
| | - Yuling Tan
- Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing 100101, China.
| | - Yinjun Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Environment Change and Resources Use in Beibu Gulf, Ministry of Education, Nanning Normal University, Nanning 530001, China.
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Chen CC, Chen PS, Yang CY. Relationship between fine particulate air pollution exposure and human adult life expectancy in Taiwan. JOURNAL OF TOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH. PART A 2019; 82:826-832. [PMID: 31438783 DOI: 10.1080/15287394.2019.1658386] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Among the air pollutants, particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter less than 2.5 um (PM2.5) is of particular interest to environmental medicine as epidemiologic studies consistently reported that long-term exposure to PM2.5 is associated with increased risk of premature death in adults. Life expectancy is a well-documented and important measure of overall public health policy. However, few investigators examined the relationship between PM2.5 levels and adult life expectancy. In this Taiwan-wide study, county-level annual mean PM2.5 concentrations data were collected concomitantly with potential confounding variables including demographic and socioeconomic status, as well as smoking prevalence. Subsequently, these PM2.5 data were analyzed with respect to county-level adult life expectancy data for the period 2010 to 2017. Linear regression was used to determine the relationship between PM2.5 and life expectancy in adults. Residents residing in the counties characterized as containing higher levels of PM2.5 exhibited significantly reduced life expectancy after controlling for potential confounders. For each 10 ug/m3 increase in PM2.5 there was an estimated mean decrease in life expectancy in adults of 0.3 years. The results of this study shed light on the relationship between fine particulate air pollution exposure and risk to human health in Taiwan.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chih-Cheng Chen
- Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine , Kaohsiung , Taiwan
- Chang-Gung Memorial Hospital and Chang-Gung University , Kaohsiung , Taiwan
| | - Pei-Shih Chen
- Department of Public Health, College of Health Sciences, Kaohsiung Medical University , Kaohsiung , Taiwan
- Research Center for Environmental Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University , Kaohsiung City , Taiwan
| | - Chun-Yuh Yang
- Department of Public Health, College of Health Sciences, Kaohsiung Medical University , Kaohsiung , Taiwan
- National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Health Research Institute , Miaoli , Taiwan
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Lee W, Jeong SY, Gu MJ, Lim JS, Park EK, Baek MC, Kim JS, Hahn D, Bae JS. Inhibitory effects of compounds isolated from Dioscorea batatas Decne peel on particulate matter-induced pulmonary injury in mice. JOURNAL OF TOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH. PART A 2019; 82:727-740. [PMID: 31342870 DOI: 10.1080/15287394.2019.1646174] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Particulate matter 2.5 (PM2.5), with an aerodynamic diameter of ≤2.5 μm, is the primary air pollutant that plays a key role associated with lung injury produced by loss of vascular barrier integrity. Dioscorea batatas Decne (Chinese yam), a perennial plant belonging to Dioscoreaceae family, is widely cultivated in tropical and subtropical regions across Asia. Both aerial parts and root of D. batatas are consumed for nutritional and medicinal purposes. The aim of this study was to (1) identify the bioactive compounds present in D. batatas peel which may be responsible for inhibition of PM2.5-induced pulmonary inflammation in mice and (2) examine in vitro mechanisms underlying the observed effects of these compounds on mouse lung microvascular endothelial cells. The measured parameters include permeability, leukocyte migration, proinflammatory protein activation, reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, and histology. Two phenanthrene compounds, 2,7-dihydroxy-4,6-dimethoxyphenanthrene (1) and 6,7-dihydroxy-2,4-dimethoxyphenanthrene (2) were isolated from D. batatas peels. Both these phenanthrene compounds exhibited significant scavenging activity against PM2.5-induced ROS and inhibited ROS-induced activation of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase. In addition, enhancement of Akt pathway, involved in the maintenance of endothelial integrity, was noted. These phenanthrene compounds also reduced vascular protein leakage, leukocyte infiltration, and proinflammatory cytokine release in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid obtained from PM2.5-induced lung tissues. Evidence thus indicates that phenanthrene compounds derived from D. batatas may exhibit protective effects against PM2.5-induced inflammatory lung injury and vascular hyperpermeability in mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wonhwa Lee
- a College of Pharmacy, CMRI, Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, BK21 Plus KNU Multi-Omics based Creative Drug Research Team, Kyungpook National University , Daegu , Republic of Korea
- b Aging Research Center, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB) , Daejeon , Republic of Korea
| | - So Yeon Jeong
- a College of Pharmacy, CMRI, Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, BK21 Plus KNU Multi-Omics based Creative Drug Research Team, Kyungpook National University , Daegu , Republic of Korea
| | - Myeong Ju Gu
- c School of Food Science and Biotechnology, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Kyungpook National University , Daegu , Republic of Korea
| | - Ji Sun Lim
- c School of Food Science and Biotechnology, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Kyungpook National University , Daegu , Republic of Korea
| | - Eui Kyun Park
- d Department of Pathology and Regenerative Medicine, School of Dentistry, Kyungpook National University , Daegu , Republic of Korea
| | - Moon-Chang Baek
- e Department of Molecular Medicine, CMRI, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University , Daegu , Republic of Korea
| | - Jong-Sang Kim
- c School of Food Science and Biotechnology, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Kyungpook National University , Daegu , Republic of Korea
- f Institute of Agricultural Science and Technology, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Kyungpook National University , Daegu , Republic of Korea
| | - Dongyup Hahn
- c School of Food Science and Biotechnology, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Kyungpook National University , Daegu , Republic of Korea
- f Institute of Agricultural Science and Technology, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Kyungpook National University , Daegu , Republic of Korea
| | - Jong-Sup Bae
- a College of Pharmacy, CMRI, Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, BK21 Plus KNU Multi-Omics based Creative Drug Research Team, Kyungpook National University , Daegu , Republic of Korea
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First Principles Simulations of Phenol and Methanol Detector Based on Pristine Graphene Nanosheet and Armchair Graphene Nanoribbons. SENSORS 2019; 19:s19122731. [PMID: 31216657 PMCID: PMC6631773 DOI: 10.3390/s19122731] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2019] [Revised: 06/12/2019] [Accepted: 06/13/2019] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
Over the last decade graphene based electronic devices have attracted the interest of researchers due to their exceptional chemical, electrical and optical properties. Graphene is very sensitive to any physical changes in its surrounding environment and, inherently, has very low electronic noise. This property of graphene makes it a suitable candidate for sensor applications. The purpose of the work presented in this article is to demonstrate the ability of graphene derivatives to detect toxic organic compounds like phenol and methanol. A novel method for the detection of organic compounds (phenol and methanol) has been introduced in this article. In this method, a change in the photocurrent, as well as electric current, have been used as detection signals to improve the sensor accuracy and selectivity for specific target molecules. A nanoscale electronic device simulator, Quantumwise Atomistix Toolkit (ATK), has been used to simulate graphene nanosheet and armchair graphene nanoribbon based sensors. Devices density of states (DOS), current–voltage curves and photocurrent curves have been calculated with the ATK simulator. In the proximity of target molecules, a significant change in DOS, electric current and photocurrent have been observed. The simulated graphene based structures can be converted into physical sensors to obtain a low cost, small sized, integrated sensing device.
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Li Z, Zhou Y, Wan B, Chen Q, Huang B, Cui Y, Chung H. The impact of urbanization on air stagnation: Shenzhen as case study. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2019; 664:347-362. [PMID: 30743127 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.01.232] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2018] [Revised: 01/18/2019] [Accepted: 01/19/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
One of the most concerning consequences arising from the dramatic urbanization in cities is air stagnation and the related high concentration of air pollutants. Many studies have investigated the impact of urbanization on air stagnation, but few have systematically evaluated such impact and its spatial-temporal variances at the municipal scale. This study proposed an approach based on high-resolution urban climate simulations for evaluating the impact of urbanization on air stagnation. We took the city of Shenzhen in south-eastern China, a city that grew from a small fishing and farming village to a highly urbanized city in the past thirty years, as a compelling case study. Using the WRF/Noah LSM/SLUCM model, we simulated and evaluated the probability of 6-hourly air stagnation cases (ASCs) in 1979 and 2010 at the spatial resolution of 1-km2 to demonstrate the change over a thirty-year period. Comparison results show that urbanization worsened the problem of air stagnation in Shenzhen. The number of 6-hourly ASCs has increased by 21,700 for the entire Shenzhen, and by 11.4 on average for each grid with a 1 km2 size. A maximum increase of 458 ASCs in a grid was also observed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhiqiang Li
- Institute of Space and Earth Information Science, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, 999077, Hong Kong, China
| | - Yulun Zhou
- Department of Geography and Resource Management, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, 999077, Hong Kong, China; Faculty of Geosciences and Environmental Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu 611756, China
| | | | - Qinxin Chen
- School of Statistics, Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, Chengdu 611130, China
| | - Bo Huang
- Institute of Space and Earth Information Science, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, 999077, Hong Kong, China; Department of Geography and Resource Management, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, 999077, Hong Kong, China.
| | - Yuanzheng Cui
- Institute of Land and Urban-rural Development, Zhejiang University of Finance and Economics, Hangzhou 310018, China
| | - Hopun Chung
- Department of Computer Science and Engineering, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, 999077, Hong Kong, China
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