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Zhu A, Cao Y, Li C, Yu J, Liu M, Xu K, Ruan Y. Effects of major air pollutants on angina hospitalizations: a correlation study. BMC Public Health 2024; 24:1877. [PMID: 39004712 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-024-19380-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2024] [Accepted: 07/05/2024] [Indexed: 07/16/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Angina is a crucial risk signal for cardiovascular disease. However, few studies have evaluated the effects of ambient air pollution exposure on angina. OBJECTIVE We aimed to explore the short-term effects of air pollution on hospitalization for angina and its lag effects. METHODS We collected data on air pollutant concentrations and angina hospitalizations from 2013 to 2020. Distributed lag nonlinear model (DLNM) was used to evaluate the short-term effects of air pollutants on angina hospitalization under different lag structures. Stratified analysis by sex, age and season was obtained. RESULTS A total of 39,110 cases of angina hospitalization were included in the study. The results showed a significant positive correlation between PM2.5, SO2, NO2, and CO and angina hospitalization. Their maximum harmful effects were observed at lag0-7 (RR = 1.042; 95% CI: 1.017, 1.068), lag0-3 (RR = 1.067; 95% CI: 1.005, 1.133), lag0-6 (RR = 1.078; 95% CI: 1.041, 1.117), and lag0-6 (RR = 1.244; 95% CI: 1.109, 1.397), respectively. PM10 did not have an overall risk effect on angina hospitalization, but it did have a risk effect on women and the elderly. O3 was significantly negatively correlated with angina hospitalization, with the most pronounced effect observed at lag0-6 (RR = 0.960; 95% CI: 0.940, 0.982). Stratified analysis results showed that women and the elderly were more susceptible to pollutants, and the adverse effects of pollutants were stronger in the cold season. CONCLUSION Short-term exposure to PM2.5, SO2, NO2, and CO increases the risk of hospitalization for angina.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anning Zhu
- School of Public Health, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, PR China
| | - Yongqin Cao
- Gansu Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Lanzhou, 730000, PR China
| | - Chunlan Li
- Third People's Hospital of Gansu Province, Lanzhou, 730000, PR China
| | - Jingze Yu
- School of Public Health, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, PR China
| | - Miaoxin Liu
- School of Public Health, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, PR China
| | - Ke Xu
- School of Public Health, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, PR China
| | - Ye Ruan
- School of Public Health, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, PR China.
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Salvador P, Pey J, Pérez N, Alastuey A, Querol X, Artíñano B. Estimating the probability of occurrence of African dust outbreaks over regions of the western Mediterranean basin from thermodynamic atmospheric parameters. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 922:171307. [PMID: 38428593 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.171307] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2023] [Revised: 02/19/2024] [Accepted: 02/25/2024] [Indexed: 03/03/2024]
Abstract
Desert dust is currently recognized as a health risk factor. Therefore, the World Health Organization (WHO) is actively promoting the establishment of early warning systems for sand and dust storms. This study introduces a methodology to estimate the probability of African dust outbreaks occurring in eight different regions of the Iberian Peninsula and the Balearic Islands. In each region, a multilinear regression model was developed to calculate daily probabilities of dust events using three thermodynamic variables (geopotential thickness in the 1000-500 hPa layer, mean potential temperature between 925 and 700 hPa, and temperature anomalies at 850 hPa) as assessment parameters. All days with African dust transport over each study region were identified in the period 2001-2021 using a proven procedure. This information was then utilized to establish a functional relationship between the values of the thermodynamic parameters and the probability of African dust outbreaks occurring. The validation of this methodology involved comparing the daily probabilities of dust events generated by the models in 2001-2021 with the daily African dust contributions to PM10 regional background levels in each region. On average, daily dust contributions increased proportionally with the increase in daily probabilities, reaching zero for days with low probabilities. Furthermore, a well-defined seasonal evolution of probability values was observed in all regions, with the highest values in the summer months and the lowest in the winter period, ensuring the physical relevance of the models' results. Finally, upward trends were observed in all regions for the three thermodynamic parameters over 1940-2021. Thus, the probability of dust events development also increased in this period. It demonstrates that the aggravation of warm conditions in southern Europe in the last decades, have modified the frequency of North-African dust outbreaks over the western Mediterranean basin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pedro Salvador
- CIEMAT, Department of Environment - Joint Research Unit Atmospheric Pollution CIEMAT-CSIC, Av. Complutense 40, 28040 Madrid, Spain.
| | - Jorge Pey
- Instituto Pirenaico de Ecología (IPE), CSIC, Av. Montañana 1005, 50059 Zaragoza, Spain
| | - Noemí Pérez
- Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research (IDAEA), CSIC, c. Jordi Girona 18, 08034 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Andrés Alastuey
- Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research (IDAEA), CSIC, c. Jordi Girona 18, 08034 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Xavier Querol
- Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research (IDAEA), CSIC, c. Jordi Girona 18, 08034 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Begoña Artíñano
- CIEMAT, Department of Environment - Joint Research Unit Atmospheric Pollution CIEMAT-CSIC, Av. Complutense 40, 28040 Madrid, Spain
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Roy A, Mandal M, Das S, Popek R, Rakwal R, Agrawal GK, Awasthi A, Sarkar A. The cellular consequences of particulate matter pollutants in plants: Safeguarding the harmonious integration of structure and function. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 914:169763. [PMID: 38181950 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.169763] [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: 09/05/2023] [Revised: 12/19/2023] [Accepted: 12/28/2023] [Indexed: 01/07/2024]
Abstract
Particulate matter (PM) pollution is one of the pressing environmental concerns confronting human civilization in the face of the Anthropocene era. Plants are continuously exposed to an accelerating PM, threatening their growth and productivity. Although plants and plant-based infrastructures can potentially reduce ambient air pollutants, PM still affects them morphologically, anatomically, and physiologically. This review comprehensively summarizes an up-to-date review of plant-PM interaction among different functional plant groups, PM deposition and penetration through aboveground and belowground plant parts, and plants' cellular strategies. Upon exposure, PM represses lipid desaturases, eventually leading to modification of cell wall and membrane and altering cell fluidity; consequently, plants can sense the pollutants and, thus, adapt different cellular strategies. The PM also causes a reduction in the photosynthetically active radiation. The study demonstrated that plants reduce stomatal density to avoid PM uptake and increase stomatal index to compensate for decreased gaseous exchange efficiency and transpiration rates. Furthermore, genes and gene sets associated with photosynthesis, glycolysis, gluconeogenesis, and the TCA cycle were dramatically lowered by PM stress. Several transcription factors, including MYB, C2H2, C3H, G2-like, and WRKY were induced, and metabolites such as proline and soluble sugar were accumulated to increase resistance against stressors. In addition, enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidants were also accumulated to scavenge the PM-induced reactive oxygen species (ROS). Taken together, this review provides an insight into plants' underlying cellular mechanisms and gene regulatory networks in response to the PM to determine strategies to preserve their structural and functional blend in the face of particulate pollution. The study concludes by recommending that future research should precisely focus on plants' response to short- and long-term PM exposure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anamika Roy
- Laboratory of Applied Stress Biology, Department of Botany, University of Gour Banga, Malda 732 103, West Bengal, India
| | - Mamun Mandal
- Laboratory of Applied Stress Biology, Department of Botany, University of Gour Banga, Malda 732 103, West Bengal, India
| | - Sujit Das
- Laboratory of Applied Stress Biology, Department of Botany, University of Gour Banga, Malda 732 103, West Bengal, India
| | - Robert Popek
- Section of Basic Research in Horticulture, Department of Plant Protection, Institute of Horticultural Sciences, Warsaw University of Life Sciences - SGGW (WULS-SGGW), Nowoursynowska 159, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Randeep Rakwal
- Institute of Health and Sport Sciences, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tennodai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8574, Japan; GRADE Academy (Pvt.) Ltd., Birgunj, Nepal
| | | | - Amit Awasthi
- Department of Applied Sciences, University of Petroleum and Energy Studies, Dehradun, India
| | - Abhijit Sarkar
- Laboratory of Applied Stress Biology, Department of Botany, University of Gour Banga, Malda 732 103, West Bengal, India.
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Pouri N, Karimi B, Kolivand A, Mirhoseini SH. Ambient dust pollution with all-cause, cardiovascular and respiratory mortality: A systematic review and meta-analysis. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 912:168945. [PMID: 38042201 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.168945] [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: 08/21/2023] [Revised: 11/12/2023] [Accepted: 11/25/2023] [Indexed: 12/04/2023]
Abstract
A severe health crisis has been well-documented regarding dust particle exposure. We aimed to present the risk of all-cause, cardiovascular, and respiratory mortality due to particulate matter (PM) exposure during non-dust and dust storm events by performing a meta-analysis. A systematic review of the literature was conducted by an online search of the databases (Google Scholar, Web of Science, Scopus, and PubMed) with no restrictions according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines until December 2022. We performed a random-effects model to compute the pooled rate ratio (RR) of mortality with 95 % confidence intervals (CI). The Office of Health Assessment and Translation (OHAT) risk of bias rating tool was prepared to assess the quality of the individual study. The registration number in PROSPERO was CRD42023423212. We found a 16 % (95 % CI: 0.7 %, 24 %) increase in all-cause, 25 % (95 % CI: 14 %, 37 %) increase in cardiovascular, and 18 % (95 % CI: 13 %, 22 %) increase in respiratory mortality per 10 μg/m3 increment in dust exposure. Furthermore, the RRs per 10 μg/m3 increment in PM10-2.5 were 1.046 (95 % CI: 1.019, 1.072)¸ 1.085 (95 % CI: 1.045, 1.0124), and 1.089 (95 % CI: 0.939, 1.24) for all-cause, cardiovascular, and respiratory mortality, respectively. PM10 during dust days significantly increased the all-cause (1.013, 95 % CI: 1.007, 1.018) cardiovascular mortality risk (1.014, 95 % CI: 1.009, 1.02). We also found significant evidence for all-cause, cardiovascular, and respiratory mortality among females and the elderly age group due to dust particle (PM10-2.5 and PM10) exposure. Our results provided significant evidence about high concentrations of PM10-2.5 and PM10 during dust storm events related to mortality risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nasrin Pouri
- Students Research Committee, Arak University of Medical Sciences, Arak, Iran
| | - Behrooz Karimi
- Department of Environmental Health Engineering, Arak University of Medical Sciences, Arak, Iran.
| | - Ali Kolivand
- Department of Environmental Health Engineering, Arak University of Medical Sciences, Arak, Iran
| | - Seyed Hamed Mirhoseini
- Department of Environmental Health Engineering, Arak University of Medical Sciences, Arak, Iran
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Howlett-Downing C, Boman J, Molnár P, Shirinde J, Wichmann J. Health risk assessment of PM 2.5 and PM 2.5-bound trace elements in Pretoria, South Africa. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND HEALTH. PART A, TOXIC/HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCES & ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING 2023; 58:342-358. [PMID: 36960711 DOI: 10.1080/10934529.2023.2186653] [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: 11/30/2022] [Revised: 02/18/2023] [Accepted: 02/21/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Exposure to outdoor air pollutants poses a risk for both non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic respiratory disease outcomes. A standardized health risk assessment (US EPA) utilizes air quality data, body mass and breathing rates to determine potential risk. This health risk assessment study assesses the hazard quotient (HQ) for total PM2.5 and trace elemental constituents (Br, Cl, K, Ni, S, Si, Ti and U) exposure in Pretoria, South Africa. The World Health Organization (WHO) air quality guideline (5 µg m-3) and the yearly South African National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) (20 µg m-3) were the references dosages for total PM2.5. A total of 350 days was sampled in Pretoria, South Africa. The mean total PM2.5 concentration during the 34-month study period was 23.2 µg m-3 (0.7-139 µg m-3). The HQ for total PM2.5 was 1.17, 3.47 and 3.78 for adults, children and infants. Non-carcinogenic risks for trace elements K, Cl, S and Si were above 1 for adults. Seasonally, Si was the highest during autumn for adults (1.9) and during spring for S (5.5). The HQ values for K and Cl were highest during winter. The exposure to Ni posed a risk for cancer throughout the year and for As during winters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chantelle Howlett-Downing
- Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Health Systems and Public Health, University of Pretoria, Gezina, South Africa
| | - Johan Boman
- Atmospheric Science Division, Department of Chemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Gothenburg, Göteborg, Sweden
| | - Peter Molnár
- Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Institute of Medicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Göteborg, Sweden
| | - Joyce Shirinde
- Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Health Systems and Public Health, University of Pretoria, Gezina, South Africa
| | - Janine Wichmann
- Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Health Systems and Public Health, University of Pretoria, Gezina, South Africa
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Karimi SM, Mostafavi-Dehzooei M, Asadi G, Jacobs C, Majbouri M. Early-life exposure to Saharan dust storms and adolescence functional disability: Evidence from Cameroon. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 858:160007. [PMID: 36368388 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.160007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2022] [Revised: 10/24/2022] [Accepted: 11/03/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
The direct link between early-life dust storm exposure and later-in-life outcomes is not fully understood. This study examines the association of functional disability in a large sample of adolescent Cameroonians (N = 112,855) with in-utero and early childhood exposure to Saharan dust storms. Adjusting all estimations for temperature, precipitation, time and location fixed-effects, and person and family sociodemographic characteristics, we documented adverse effects on functional disability in female adolescents due to exposure to dense dust storms during the third gestation trimester and the second postnatal trimester. We also found suggestive evidence that an effect exists for the first as well as the third through fifth postnatal trimesters. In the third trimester of gestation and the second postnatal trimester, exposure to an average length dust storm with PM10 levels beyond 190 μg/m3 increased the likelihood of disability among female adolescents by approximately 229 (95 % CI: 10-464) in 100,000. The size of the adverse effects for the other periods followed similar patterns. These results show the value of creating infrastructures to mitigate or adapt to the effects of dust storms. These endeavors should focus on communities and populations in and around the Sahara where international organizations can play a role. In addition, establishing health data infrastructures not only improves public health but also advances our understanding of the long-term effects of dust storms. This study demonstrates the importance of research on the long-term effects of early-life exposure to dust storms and the need for additional work on this topic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seyed M Karimi
- Department of Health Management and System Sciences, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, USA.
| | | | | | - Claire Jacobs
- Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - Mahdi Majbouri
- Department of Economics, Babson College, Wellesley, MA, USA.
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Putman AL, Jones DK, Blakowski MA, DiViesti D, Hynek SA, Fernandez DP, Mendoza D. Industrial Particulate Pollution and Historical Land Use Contribute Metals of Concern to Dust Deposited in Neighborhoods Along the Wasatch Front, UT, USA. GEOHEALTH 2022; 6:e2022GH000671. [PMID: 36340997 PMCID: PMC9627553 DOI: 10.1029/2022gh000671] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2022] [Revised: 09/14/2022] [Accepted: 10/03/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
The Salt Lake Valley, UT, USA, is proximal to the desiccating Great Salt Lake (GSL). Prior work has found that this lakebed/playa contributes metals-laden dust to snow in the Wasatch and Uinta Mountains. Dust and industrial particulate pollution are also delivered to communities along the Wasatch Front, but their sources, compositions, and fluxes are poorly characterized. In this study, we analyzed the dust deposited in 18 passive samplers positioned near the GSL, in cities in and near the Salt Lake Valley for total dust flux, the <63 µm dust fraction, 87Sr/86Sr, and trace element geochemistry. We compared spatial patterns in metal flux and abundance with community-level socioeconomic metrics. We observed the highest dust fluxes at sites near the GSL playa. Within the urban corridor, 87Sr/86Sr and trace element relative abundances suggest that most of the dust to which people are regularly exposed may be fugitive dust from local soil materials. The trace metal content of dust deposited along the Wasatch Front exceeded Environmental Protection Agency screening levels and exhibited enrichment relative to both the upper continental crust and the dust collected adjacent to GSL. Sources of metals to dust deposited along the Wasatch Front may include industrial activities like mining, oil refining, as well as past historical pesticide and herbicide applications. Arsenic and vanadium indicated a statistically significant positive correlation with income, whereas lead, thallium, and nickel exhibited higher concentrations in the least wealthy and least white neighborhoods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annie L. Putman
- Utah Water Science CenterU.S. Geological SurveyWest Valley CityUTUSA
| | - Daniel K. Jones
- Utah Water Science CenterU.S. Geological SurveyWest Valley CityUTUSA
| | - Molly A. Blakowski
- Utah Water Science CenterU.S. Geological SurveyWest Valley CityUTUSA
- Department of Watershed SciencesUtah State UniversityLoganUTUSA
| | - Destry DiViesti
- Utah Water Science CenterU.S. Geological SurveyWest Valley CityUTUSA
| | - Scott A. Hynek
- Utah Water Science CenterU.S. Geological SurveyWest Valley CityUTUSA
| | - Diego P. Fernandez
- Department of Geology and GeophysicsUniversity of UtahSalt Lake CityUTUSA
| | - Daniel Mendoza
- Department of Atmospheric SciencesUniversity of UtahSalt Lake CityUTUSA
- Department of City & Metropolitan PlanningUniversity of UtahSalt Lake CityUTUSA
- Division of Pulmonary MedicineUniversity of UtahSalt Lake CityUTUSA
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Adebayo-Ojo TC, Wichmann J, Arowosegbe OO, Probst-Hensch N, Schindler C, Künzli N. Short-Term Effects of PM10, NO2, SO2 and O3 on Cardio-Respiratory Mortality in Cape Town, South Africa, 2006–2015. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:ijerph19138078. [PMID: 35805737 PMCID: PMC9265394 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19138078] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2022] [Revised: 06/26/2022] [Accepted: 06/27/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Background: The health effect of air pollution is rarely quantified in Africa, and this is evident in global systematic reviews and multi-city studies which only includes South Africa. Methods: A time-series analysis was conducted on daily mortality (cardiovascular (CVD) and respiratory diseases (RD)) and air pollution from 2006–2015 for the city of Cape Town. We fitted single- and multi-pollutant models to test the independent effects of particulate matter (PM10), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), sulphur dioxide (SO2) and ozone (O3) from co-pollutants. Results: daily average concentrations per interquartile range (IQR) increase of 16.4 µg/m3 PM10, 10.7 µg/m3 NO2, 6 µg/m3 SO2 and 15.6 µg/m3 O3 lag 0–1 were positively associated with CVD, with an increased risk of 2.4% (95% CI: 0.9–3.9%), 2.2 (95% CI: 0.4–4.1%), 1.4% (95% CI: 0–2.8%) and 2.5% (95% CI: 0.2–4.8%), respectively. For RD, only NO2 showed a significant positive association with a 4.5% (95% CI: 1.4–7.6%) increase per IQR. In multi-pollutant models, associations of NO2 with RD remained unchanged when adjusted for PM10 and SO2 but was weakened for O3. In CVD, O3 estimates were insensitive to other pollutants showing an increased risk. Interestingly, CVD and RD lag structures of PM10, showed significant acute effect with evidence of mortality displacement. Conclusion: The findings suggest that air pollution is associated with mortality, and exposure to PM10 advances the death of frail population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Temitope Christina Adebayo-Ojo
- Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Kreuzstrasse 2, Allschwil, 4123 Basel, Switzerland; (O.O.A.); (N.P.-H.); (C.S.); (N.K.)
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Basel, 4056 Basel, Switzerland
- Correspondence:
| | - Janine Wichmann
- Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Health Systems and Public Health, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0002, South Africa;
| | - Oluwaseyi Olalekan Arowosegbe
- Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Kreuzstrasse 2, Allschwil, 4123 Basel, Switzerland; (O.O.A.); (N.P.-H.); (C.S.); (N.K.)
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Basel, 4056 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Nicole Probst-Hensch
- Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Kreuzstrasse 2, Allschwil, 4123 Basel, Switzerland; (O.O.A.); (N.P.-H.); (C.S.); (N.K.)
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Basel, 4056 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Christian Schindler
- Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Kreuzstrasse 2, Allschwil, 4123 Basel, Switzerland; (O.O.A.); (N.P.-H.); (C.S.); (N.K.)
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Basel, 4056 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Nino Künzli
- Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Kreuzstrasse 2, Allschwil, 4123 Basel, Switzerland; (O.O.A.); (N.P.-H.); (C.S.); (N.K.)
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Basel, 4056 Basel, Switzerland
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Iakovides M, Tsiamis G, Tziaras T, Stathopoulou P, Nikolaki S, Iakovides G, Stephanou EG. Two-year systematic investigation reveals alterations induced on chemical and bacteriome profile of PM 2.5 by African dust incursions to the Mediterranean atmosphere. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 815:151976. [PMID: 34843760 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.151976] [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: 09/07/2021] [Revised: 11/22/2021] [Accepted: 11/22/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
PM2.5 atmospheric samples were regularly collected between January 2013 and March 2015 at a central location of Eastern Mediterranean (Island of Crete) during African dust events (DES) and periods of absence of such episodes as controls (CS). The elemental composition and microbiome DES and CS were thoroughly investigated. Fifty-six major and trace elements were determined by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry. Relative mass abundances (RMA) of major crustal elements and lanthanoids were higher in DES than in CS. Conversely in CS, RMAs were higher for most anthropogenic transition metals. Lanthanum-to-other lanthanoids concentration ratios for DES approached the corresponding reference values for continental crust and several African dust source regions, while in CS they exceeded these values. USEPA's UNMIX receptor model, applied in all PM2.5 samples, established that African dust is the dominant contributing source (by 80%) followed by road dust/fuel oil emissions (17%) in the receptor area. Potential source contribution function (PSCF) identified dust hotspots in Tunisia, Libya and Egypt. The application of 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing revealed high variation of bacterial composition and diversity between DES and CS samples. Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria and Bacteroides were the most dominant in both DES and CS samples, representing ~88% of the total bacterial diversity. Cutibacterium, Tumebacillus and Sphingomonas dominated the CS samples, while Rhizobium and Brevundimonas were the most prevalent genera in DES. Mutual exclusion/co-occurrence network analysis indicated that Sphingomonas and Chryseobacterium exhibited the highest degrees of mutual exclusion in CS, while in DES the corresponding species were Brevundimonas, Delftia, Rubellimicrobium, Flavobacterium, Blastococcus, and Pseudarthrobacter. Some of these microorganisms are emerging global opportunistic pathogens and an increase in human exposure to them as a result of environmental changes, is inevitable.
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Affiliation(s)
- Minas Iakovides
- Department of Chemistry, University of Crete, 71003 Heraklion, Greece
| | - George Tsiamis
- Laboratory of Systems Microbiology and Applied Genomics, Department of Environmental Engineering, University of Patras, 2 Seferi St, 30100 Agrinio, Greece
| | | | - Panagiota Stathopoulou
- Laboratory of Systems Microbiology and Applied Genomics, Department of Environmental Engineering, University of Patras, 2 Seferi St, 30100 Agrinio, Greece
| | - Sofia Nikolaki
- Laboratory of Systems Microbiology and Applied Genomics, Department of Environmental Engineering, University of Patras, 2 Seferi St, 30100 Agrinio, Greece
| | - Giannis Iakovides
- Department of Mathematics and Applied Mathematics, University of Crete, 71003 Heraklion, Greece
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Detecting the Causal Nexus between Particulate Matter (PM10) and Rainfall in the Caribbean Area. ATMOSPHERE 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/atmos13020175] [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
In this study, we investigate the interactions between particulate matter that have an aerodynamic diameter less than 10 μm diameter (PM10) and rainfall (RR) in entropy framework. Our results showed there is a bidirectional causality between PM10 concentrations and RR values. This means that PM10 concentrations influence RR values while RR induces the wet scavenging process. Rainfall seasonality has a significant impact on the wet scavenging process while African dust seasonality strongly influence RR behavior. Indeed, the wet scavenging process is 5 times higher during the wet season while PM10 impact on RR is 2.5 times higher during the first part of the high dust season. These results revealed two types of causality: a direct causality (RR to PM10) and an indirect causality (PM10 to RR). All these elements showed that entropy is an efficient way to quantify the behavior of atmospheric processes using ground-based measurements.
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Cao S, Wen D, Chen X, Duan X, Zhang L, Wang B, Qin N, Wei F. Source identification of pollution and health risks to metals in household indoor and outdoor dust: A cross-sectional study in a typical mining town, China. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2022; 293:118551. [PMID: 34813887 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2021.118551] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2021] [Revised: 10/22/2021] [Accepted: 11/17/2021] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
Dust is regarded as an important pathway of heavy metal(loid)s to the human body. Health risks posed by metal(loid)s from household dust are of particular concern. However, the contamination and sources of heavy metal(loid)s in household dust environments, as well as source identification of health risks related to heavy metal(loid)s from household dust for vulnerable populations such as children, have not been thoroughly studied in China, particularly for the areas involved with industrial activities such as ore mining. Thus, a cross-sectional study was conducted in a rural area famous for Pb/Zn ore mining, to assess the pollution sources and health risks of heavy metal(loid)s from household indoor and outdoor dust and to identify the contribution of household dust to the health risks for children. The results indicated that household environment was heavily contaminated by metal(loid)s, which were mainly attributed to mining activity. Meanwhile, the indoor/outdoor ratio and the redundancy analysis indicated that there were other pollution sources in indoor environments such as coal combustion, materials for interior building and decoration. Vapor inhalation was the main exposure pathway for Hg, while ingestion was the predominant pathway for other metal(loid)s. Although the cancer risks were relatively low, the HIt from household indoor and outdoor dust (2.19) was about twice the acceptable limit (1) and was primarily from Pb (64.52%) and As (23.42%). Outdoor dust was a larger contributor to the HI of Sb, As, Cr, Cd, Zn and Pb, which accounted for 51.37%, 58.63%, 52.14%, 59.66%, 52.87% and 64.47%, respectively, and the HIt was mainly from outdoor dust (60.76%). These results indicated that non-cancer health risks were largely from outdoor dust exposure, and strengthened the notion that concern should be given to the potential health risks from metal(loid)s in household dust both originating from mining activity and indoor environmental sources.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suzhen Cao
- School of Energy and Environmental Engineering, Beijing Key Laboratory of Resource-oriented Treatment of Industrial Pollutants, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing, 100083, China
| | - Dongsen Wen
- School of Energy and Environmental Engineering, Beijing Key Laboratory of Resource-oriented Treatment of Industrial Pollutants, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing, 100083, China
| | - Xing Chen
- School of Energy and Environmental Engineering, Beijing Key Laboratory of Resource-oriented Treatment of Industrial Pollutants, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing, 100083, China
| | - Xiaoli Duan
- School of Energy and Environmental Engineering, Beijing Key Laboratory of Resource-oriented Treatment of Industrial Pollutants, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing, 100083, China.
| | - Linlin Zhang
- China National Environmental Monitoring Center, Beijing, 100012, China
| | - Beibei Wang
- School of Energy and Environmental Engineering, Beijing Key Laboratory of Resource-oriented Treatment of Industrial Pollutants, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing, 100083, China
| | - Ning Qin
- School of Energy and Environmental Engineering, Beijing Key Laboratory of Resource-oriented Treatment of Industrial Pollutants, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing, 100083, China
| | - Fusheng Wei
- China National Environmental Monitoring Center, Beijing, 100012, China
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12
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Koenig TK, Volkamer R, Apel EC, Bresch JF, Cuevas CA, Dix B, Eloranta EW, Fernandez RP, Hall SR, Hornbrook RS, Pierce RB, Reeves JM, Saiz-Lopez A, Ullmann K. Ozone depletion due to dust release of iodine in the free troposphere. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2021; 7:eabj6544. [PMID: 34936464 PMCID: PMC8694599 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abj6544] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2021] [Accepted: 11/03/2021] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
Iodine is an atmospheric trace element emitted from oceans that efficiently destroys ozone (O3). Low O3 in airborne dust layers is frequently observed but poorly understood. We show that dust is a source of gas-phase iodine, indicated by aircraft observations of iodine monoxide (IO) radicals inside lofted dust layers from the Atacama and Sechura Deserts that are up to a factor of 10 enhanced over background. Gas-phase iodine photochemistry, commensurate with observed IO, is needed to explain the low O3 inside these dust layers (below 15 ppbv; up to 75% depleted). The added dust iodine can explain decreases in O3 of 8% regionally and affects surface air quality. Our data suggest that iodate reduction to form volatile iodine species is a missing process in the geochemical iodine cycle and presents an unrecognized aeolian source of iodine. Atmospheric iodine has tripled since 1950 and affects ozone layer recovery and particle formation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Theodore K. Koenig
- Department of Chemistry, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA
- Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, Boulder, CO, USA
| | - Rainer Volkamer
- Department of Chemistry, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA
- Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, Boulder, CO, USA
| | - Eric C. Apel
- Atmospheric Chemistry Observations & Modeling Laboratory, National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, CO, USA
| | - James F. Bresch
- Mesoscale & Microscale Meteorology Laboratory, National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, CO, USA
| | - Carlos A. Cuevas
- Department of Atmospheric Chemistry and Climate, Institute of Physical Chemistry Rocasolano, Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), Madrid, Spain
| | - Barbara Dix
- Department of Chemistry, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA
- Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, Boulder, CO, USA
| | - Edwin W. Eloranta
- Space Science and Engineering Center, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Rafael P. Fernandez
- Institute for Interdisciplinary Science, National Research Council (ICB-CONICET), FCEN-UNCuyo, Mendoza, Argentina
| | - Samuel R. Hall
- Atmospheric Chemistry Observations & Modeling Laboratory, National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, CO, USA
| | - Rebecca S. Hornbrook
- Atmospheric Chemistry Observations & Modeling Laboratory, National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, CO, USA
| | - R. Bradley Pierce
- The National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS), Madison, WI, USA
| | - J. Michael Reeves
- Earth Observing Laboratory, National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, CO, USA
| | - Alfonso Saiz-Lopez
- Department of Atmospheric Chemistry and Climate, Institute of Physical Chemistry Rocasolano, Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), Madrid, Spain
| | - Kirk Ullmann
- Atmospheric Chemistry Observations & Modeling Laboratory, National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, CO, USA
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13
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Millán-Martínez M, Sánchez-Rodas D, Sánchez de la Campa AM, de la Rosa J. Contribution of anthropogenic and natural sources in PM10 during North African dust events in Southern Europe. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2021; 290:118065. [PMID: 34523517 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2021.118065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2021] [Revised: 08/06/2021] [Accepted: 08/26/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
The influence of North African (NAF) dust events on the air quality at the regional level (12 representative monitoring stations) in Southern Europe during a long time series (2007-2014) was studied. PM10 levels and chemical composition were separated by Atlantic (ATL) and NAF air masses. An increase in the average PM10 concentrations was observed on sampling days with NAF dust influence (42 μg m-3) when compared to ATL air masses (29 μg m-3). Major compounds such as crustal components and secondary inorganic compounds (SIC), as well as toxic trace elements derived from industrial emissions, also showed higher concentrations of NAF events. A source contribution analysis using positive matrix factorisation (PMF) 5.0 of the PM10 chemical data, discriminating ATL and NAF air mass origins, allowed the identification of five sources: crustal, sea salt, traffic, regional, and industrial. A higher contribution (74%) of the natural sources to PM10 concentrations was confirmed under NAF episodes compared with ATL. Furthermore, there was an increase in anthropogenic sources during these events (51%), indicating the important influence of the NAF air masses on these sources. The results of this study highlight that environmental managers should take appropriate actions to reduce local emissions during NAF events to ensure good air quality.
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Affiliation(s)
- María Millán-Martínez
- Associate Unit CSIC-University of Huelva "Atmospheric Pollution", Center for Research in Sustainable Chemistry - CIQSO, University of Huelva, E21071, Huelva, Spain; Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Experimental Sciences, University of Huelva, Campus El Carmen s/n, 21071, Huelva, Spain.
| | - Daniel Sánchez-Rodas
- Associate Unit CSIC-University of Huelva "Atmospheric Pollution", Center for Research in Sustainable Chemistry - CIQSO, University of Huelva, E21071, Huelva, Spain; Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Experimental Sciences, University of Huelva, Campus El Carmen s/n, 21071, Huelva, Spain
| | - Ana M Sánchez de la Campa
- Associate Unit CSIC-University of Huelva "Atmospheric Pollution", Center for Research in Sustainable Chemistry - CIQSO, University of Huelva, E21071, Huelva, Spain; Department of Mining, Mechanic, Energetic and Construction Engineering, ETSI, University of Huelva, 21071, Huelva, Spain
| | - Jesús de la Rosa
- Associate Unit CSIC-University of Huelva "Atmospheric Pollution", Center for Research in Sustainable Chemistry - CIQSO, University of Huelva, E21071, Huelva, Spain; Department of Earth Science, Faculty of Experimental Sciences, University of Huelva, Campus El Carmen s/n, 21071, Huelva, Spain
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14
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Aghababaeian H, Ostadtaghizadeh A, Ardalan A, Asgary A, Akbary M, Yekaninejad MS, Sharafkhani R, Stephens C. Effect of Dust Storms on Non-Accidental, Cardiovascular, and Respiratory Mortality: A Case of Dezful City in Iran. ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH INSIGHTS 2021; 15:11786302211060152. [PMID: 34819734 PMCID: PMC8606970 DOI: 10.1177/11786302211060152] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2021] [Accepted: 10/22/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Despite the fact that Iran has been exposed to severe dust storms during the past 2 decades, few studies have investigated the health effects of these events in Iran. This study was conducted to assess the association between dust storms and daily non-accidental, cardiovascular, and respiratory mortality in Dezful City (Khuzestan Province, Iran) during 2014 to 2019. METHODS In this study, mortality, meteorological, and climatological data were obtained from the Dezful University of Medical Sciences, Iranian Meteorological Organization, and Department of Environment in Khuzestan Province, respectively. Days of dust storm were identified based on the daily concentration threshold of particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter of less than 10 μm (PM10) according to Hoffmanns҆ definition, and then an ecological time-series was used to estimate the short-term effects of dust storms on daily mortality. Statistical analysis was performed using a distributed lag linear model (DLM) and a distributed lag non-linear model (DLNM) packages by R software and the study results were reported as excess mortality. RESULTS During the study period, 15 223 deaths were recorded, and 139 dust storms occurred in Dezful city. In addition, there was statistically significant excess risk of mortality due to dust storms in Dezful City (mortality in the group under 15 years of age, lag4: 34.17% and 15-64 years of age groups, lag5: 32.19%, lag6: 3.28%), also dust storms had statistically significant effects on respiratory mortality (lag6: 5.49%). CONCLUSION The findings of the current study indicate that dust storms increase the risk of mortality with some lags. An evidence-based early warning system may be able to aware the people of the health effects of dust storms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hamidreza Aghababaeian
- Department of Health in Emergencies and Disasters, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
- Department of Nursing and Emergency, Dezful University of Medical Sciences, Dezful, Iran
| | - Abbas Ostadtaghizadeh
- Department of Health in Emergencies and Disasters, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
- Center for Air Pollution Research (CAPR), Institute for Environmental Research (IER), Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Ali Ardalan
- Department of Health in Emergencies and Disasters, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Ali Asgary
- Disaster and Emergency Management, School of Administrative Studies, York University, Toronto, Canada
| | - Mehry Akbary
- Department of Climatology, Faculty of Geographical Sciences, Kharazmi University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mir Saeed Yekaninejad
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Rahim Sharafkhani
- School of Public Health, Khoy University of Medical Sciences, Khoy, Iran
| | - Carolyn Stephens
- UCL Institute of Health Equity, London, UK
- UK Faculty of Public Health Medicine, London, UK
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15
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Veld MI', Alastuey A, Pandolfi M, Amato F, Pérez N, Reche C, Via M, Minguillón MC, Escudero M, Querol X. Compositional changes of PM 2.5 in NE Spain during 2009-2018: A trend analysis of the chemical composition and source apportionment. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 795:148728. [PMID: 34328931 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.148728] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2021] [Revised: 06/11/2021] [Accepted: 06/24/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
In this work, time-series analyses of the chemical composition and source contributions of PM2.5 from an urban background station in Barcelona (BCN) and a rural background station in Montseny (MSY) in northeastern Spain from 2009 to 2018 were investigated and compared. A multisite positive matrix factorization analysis was used to compare the source contributions between the two stations, while the trends for both the chemical species and source contributions were studied using the Theil-Sen trend estimator. Between 2009 and 2018, both stations showed a statistically significant decrease in PM2.5 concentrations, which was driven by the downward trends of levels of chemical species and anthropogenic source contributions, mainly from heavy oil combustion, mixed combustion, industry, and secondary sulfate. These source contributions showed a continuous decrease over the study period, signifying the continuing success of mitigation strategies, although the trends of heavy oil combustion and secondary sulfate have flattened since 2016. Secondary nitrate also followed a significant decreasing trend in BCN, while secondary organic aerosols (SOA) very slightly decreased in MSY. The observed decreasing trends, in combination with the absence of a trend for the organic aerosols (OA) at both stations, resulted in an increase in the relative proportion of OA in PM2.5 by 12% in BCN and 9% in MSY, mostly from SOA, which increased by 7% in BCN and 4% in MSY. Thus, at the end of the study period, OA accounted for 40% and 50% of the annual mean PM2.5 at BCN and MSY, respectively. This might have relevant implications for air quality policies aiming at abating PM2.5 in the study region and for possible changes in toxicity of PM2.5 due to marked changes in composition and source apportionment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marten In 't Veld
- Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research, IDAEA-CSIC, Barcelona 08034, Spain; Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Barcelona 08034, Spain.
| | - Andres Alastuey
- Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research, IDAEA-CSIC, Barcelona 08034, Spain
| | - Marco Pandolfi
- Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research, IDAEA-CSIC, Barcelona 08034, Spain
| | - Fulvio Amato
- Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research, IDAEA-CSIC, Barcelona 08034, Spain
| | - Noemi Pérez
- Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research, IDAEA-CSIC, Barcelona 08034, Spain
| | - Cristina Reche
- Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research, IDAEA-CSIC, Barcelona 08034, Spain
| | - Marta Via
- Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research, IDAEA-CSIC, Barcelona 08034, Spain; Department of Applied Physics, University of Barcelona, Barcelona 08028, Spain
| | - María Cruz Minguillón
- Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research, IDAEA-CSIC, Barcelona 08034, Spain
| | - Miguel Escudero
- Centro Universitario de la Defensa, Academia General Militar, Zaragoza 50090, Spain
| | - Xavier Querol
- Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research, IDAEA-CSIC, Barcelona 08034, Spain
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16
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Silva T, Fragoso M, Almendra R, Vasconcelos J, Lopes A, Faleh A. North African dust intrusions and increased risk of respiratory diseases in Southern Portugal. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BIOMETEOROLOGY 2021; 65:1767-1780. [PMID: 33890123 PMCID: PMC8437926 DOI: 10.1007/s00484-021-02132-x] [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: 05/28/2020] [Revised: 03/30/2021] [Accepted: 04/09/2021] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
The study of dust intrusions in Portugal is still a subject on which little investigation has been made, especially in terms of their effects. Thus, this work aims to achieve two goals: firstly, to characterize the dust intrusions in the study area; and secondly, to evaluate the possible statistical association between the dust intrusion days and hospital admissions due to respiratory diseases. Dust intrusions in Portugal are prevalent during the summer season. During this season, the dust plumes tend to cover broader areas than in the other seasons and they have origin in the North African countries. In the study area for the period between 2005 and 2015, the relative risk of urgent hospitalizations due to respiratory diseases was 12.6% higher during dust intrusion days. In order to obtain this statistical association, a Distributed Lag Nonlinear Model was developed. With this work, we expect to help the development of further studies regarding North African dust intrusions in Portugal, more precisely their effects on human health.
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Affiliation(s)
- T Silva
- University of Lisbon, Institute of Geography and Spatial Planning (IGOT), Centre of Geographical Studies (CEG), Lisbon, Portugal.
- Portuguese Institute for Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA) , Lisbon, Portugal.
| | - M Fragoso
- University of Lisbon, Institute of Geography and Spatial Planning (IGOT), Centre of Geographical Studies (CEG), Lisbon, Portugal
| | - R Almendra
- Department of Geography and Tourism, University of Coimbra, Centre of Studies in Geography and Spatial Planning (CEGOT), Coimbra, Portugal
| | - J Vasconcelos
- University of Lisbon, Institute of Geography and Spatial Planning (IGOT), Centre of Geographical Studies (CEG), Lisbon, Portugal
- Polytechnic of Leiria , Leiria, Portugal
| | - A Lopes
- University of Lisbon, Institute of Geography and Spatial Planning (IGOT), Centre of Geographical Studies (CEG), Lisbon, Portugal
| | - A Faleh
- Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdellah University-Fès , Fès, Morocco
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17
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Kutralam-Muniasamy G, Pérez-Guevara F, Martínez IE, Chari SV. Particulate matter concentrations and their association with COVID-19-related mortality in Mexico during June 2020 Saharan dust event. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2021; 28:49989-50000. [PMID: 33945088 PMCID: PMC8093133 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-021-14168-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2021] [Accepted: 04/26/2021] [Indexed: 04/15/2023]
Abstract
The present study evaluated the impact of Saharan dust event on particulate matter (PM: PM10 and PM2.5) concentrations by analyzing the daily average PM data between Saharan dust days (June 23-29, 2020) and non-Saharan dust days (June 15 to June 22 and June 30 to July 12, 2020) for four majorly affected regions in Mexico and by comparing with three major previous events (2015, 2018, and 2019). The results showed that PM10 and PM2.5 concentrations were 2-5 times higher during the Saharan dust event with the highest daily averages of 197 μg/m3 and 94 μg/m3, respectively, and exceeded the Mexican standard norm (NOM-020-SSA1-2014). When comparing with the previous Saharan dust episodes of 2015, 2018, and 2019, the levels of PM10 and PM2.5 considerably increased and more than doubled across Mexico. The correlation analysis revealed a positive association of PM levels with the number of daily COVID-19 cases and deaths during Saharan dust event. Furthermore, the human health risk assessment showed that the chronic daily intake and hazard quotient values incremented during Saharan dust days compared to non-Saharan days, indicating potential health effects and importance of taking necessary measures to ensure better air quality following the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gurusamy Kutralam-Muniasamy
- Department of Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Ciudad de México, México
| | - Fermín Pérez-Guevara
- Department of Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Ciudad de México, México
- Nanoscience & Nanotechnology Program, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Ciudad de México, México
| | - Ignacio Elizalde Martínez
- Instituto Politécnico Nacional (IPN), Centro Mexicano para la Producción más Limpia (CMP+L), Av. Acueducto s/n, Col. Barrio la Laguna Ticomán, Del Gustavo A. Madero, C.P. 07340, México, D.F., México
| | - Shruti Venkata Chari
- Instituto Politécnico Nacional (IPN), Centro Mexicano para la Producción más Limpia (CMP+L), Av. Acueducto s/n, Col. Barrio la Laguna Ticomán, Del Gustavo A. Madero, C.P. 07340, México, D.F., México.
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18
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Long-Term Impact of Wind Erosion on the Particle Size Distribution of Soils in the Eastern Part of the European Union. ENTROPY 2021; 23:e23080935. [PMID: 34441075 PMCID: PMC8391434 DOI: 10.3390/e23080935] [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: 06/13/2021] [Accepted: 07/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Wind erosion is the leading cause of soil degradation and air pollution in many regions of the world. As wind erosion is controlled by climatic factors, research on this phenomenon is urgently needed in soil and land management in order to better adapt to climate change. In this paper, the impact of wind erosion on the soil surface in relation to particle size distribution was investigated. Changes in percentage of sand, silt and clay fractions based on historical KPP data (1961–1970), LUCAS data base (2009), and field measurements (2016) were analysed in five cadastral areas impacted by wind erosion (Záhorie Lowlands, Slovakia). With the use of GIS tools, models of spatial distribution of sand, silt, clay and erodible fraction (EF) content were developed based on those measurements. Our findings proved that soil texture change driven by wind erosion could happen relatively quickly, and a significant proportion of soil fine particles may be carried away within a few years. The results indicate that the soil surface became much rougher over the period of more than 50 years, but also that the accumulation of fraction of the silt particles occurred in most of the areas affected by the erosive effect.
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19
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Aghababaeian H, Ostadtaghizadeh A, Ardalan A, Asgary A, Akbary M, Yekaninejad MS, Stephens C. Global Health Impacts of Dust Storms: A Systematic Review. ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH INSIGHTS 2021; 15:11786302211018390. [PMID: 34103932 PMCID: PMC8150667 DOI: 10.1177/11786302211018390] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2021] [Accepted: 04/27/2021] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Dust storms and their impacts on health are becoming a major public health issue. The current study examines the health impacts of dust storms around the world to provide an overview of this issue. METHOD In this systematic review, 140 relevant and authoritative English articles on the impacts of dust storms on health (up to September 2019) were identified and extracted from 28 968 articles using valid keywords from various databases (PubMed, WOS, EMBASE, and Scopus) and multiple screening steps. Selected papers were then qualitatively examined and evaluated. Evaluation results were summarized using an Extraction Table. RESULTS The results of the study are divided into two parts: short and long-term impacts of dust storms. Short-term impacts include mortality, visitation, emergency medical dispatch, hospitalization, increased symptoms, and decreased pulmonary function. Long-term impacts include pregnancy, cognitive difficulties, and birth problems. Additionally, this study shows that dust storms have devastating impacts on health, affecting cardiovascular and respiratory health in particular. CONCLUSION The findings of this study show that dust storms have significant public health impacts. More attention should be paid to these natural hazards to prepare for, respond to, and mitigate these hazardous events to reduce their negative health impacts.Registration: PROSPERO registration number CRD42018093325.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hamidreza Aghababaeian
- Department of Health in Emergencies and Disasters, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
- Center for Air Pollution Research (CAPR), Institute for Environmental Research (IER), Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
- Department of Nursing and Emergency, Dezful University of Medical Sciences, Dezful, Iran
| | - Abbas Ostadtaghizadeh
- Department of Health in Emergencies and Disasters, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
- Center for Air Pollution Research (CAPR), Institute for Environmental Research (IER), Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Ali Ardalan
- Department of Health in Emergencies and Disasters, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Ali Asgary
- Disaster and Emergency Management, School of Administrative Studies, York University, Toronto, Canada
| | - Mehry Akbary
- Department of Climatology, Faculty of Geographical Sciences, Kharazmi University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mir Saeed Yekaninejad
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Carolyn Stephens
- UCL Bartlett Development Planning Unit, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK
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20
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Li J, Garshick E, Huang S, Koutrakis P. Impacts of El Niño-Southern Oscillation on surface dust levels across the world during 1982-2019. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 769:144566. [PMID: 33485198 PMCID: PMC7969440 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.144566] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2020] [Revised: 11/12/2020] [Accepted: 12/13/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Dust pollution has become a significant concern worldwide. Both human activities and climate conditions affect dust levels. This study investigates the influence of El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), an important large-scale climate phenomenon, on surface dust levels in different regions. We used surface dust concentrations from Retrospective analysis for Research and Applications version 2 reanalysis and Southern Oscillation index (SOI) as dust and ENSO indicators, respectively. First, we first described characteristics of the global surface dust concentrations spanning a period of 37 years (1982-2019). Subsequently, we investigated the associations between monthly surface dust concentrations and SOI in regions with relative high dust levels, (i.e., North Africa, Northwest China and Mongolia, the Middle East, and South Australia) using time-series generalized additive models, controlled for meteorological variables and normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI). In order to capture the delayed effects of ENSO on dust, we fitted the model for SOI with 13 different moving averages starting from 12 months before. The highest average surface dust concentration for our study regions was 306.68 μg/m3, observed in North Africa. The average dust concentrations in the Middle East, Northwest China, and South Australia were 193.18, 113.64, and 77.19 μg/m3, respectively. Our results showed that dust concentrations were positively related with SOI. The associations between dust and SOI were more significant and higher for North Africa and the Middle East. Our results indicated that for regions with high dust pollution, La Niña episodes are associated with increased dust concentrations, while El Niño events are associated with decreased dust concentrations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Li
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston 02115, USA
| | - Eric Garshick
- Pulmonary, Allergy, Sleep, and Critical Care Medicine Section, Medical Service, VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA 02132, USA; Channing Division of Network Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Shaodan Huang
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston 02115, USA.
| | - Petros Koutrakis
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston 02115, USA
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Domínguez-Rodríguez A, Rodríguez S, Baez-Ferrer N, Avanzas P, Abreu-González P, Silva J, Morís C, Hernández-Vaquero D. Impacto del polvo sahariano en la incidencia de síndrome coronario agudo. Rev Esp Cardiol (Engl Ed) 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.recesp.2020.01.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
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22
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Abstract
Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text. Desert dust is assumed to have substantial adverse effects on human health. However, the epidemiologic evidence is still inconsistent, mainly because previous studies used different metrics for dust exposure and its corresponding epidemiologic analysis. We aim to provide a standardized approach to the methodology for evaluating the short-term health effects of desert dust.
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Overview of the French Operational Network for In Situ Observation of PM Chemical Composition and Sources in Urban Environments (CARA Program). ATMOSPHERE 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/atmos12020207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
The CARA program has been running since 2008 by the French reference laboratory for air quality monitoring (LCSQA) and the regional monitoring networks, to gain better knowledge—at a national level—on particulate matter (PM) chemistry and its diverse origins in urban environments. It results in strong collaborations with international-level academic partners for state-of-the-art, straightforward, and robust results and methodologies within operational air quality stakeholders (and subsequently, decision makers). Here, we illustrate some of the main outputs obtained over the last decade, thanks to this program, regarding methodological aspects (both in terms of measurement techniques and data treatment procedures) as well as acquired knowledge on the predominant PM sources. Offline and online methods are used following well-suited quality assurance and quality control procedures, notably including inter-laboratory comparison exercises. Source apportionment studies are conducted using various receptor modeling approaches. Overall, the results presented herewith underline the major influences of residential wood burning (during the cold period) and road transport emissions (exhaust and non-exhaust ones, all throughout the year), as well as substantial contributions of mineral dust and primary biogenic particles (mostly during the warm period). Long-range transport phenomena, e.g., advection of secondary inorganic aerosols from the European continental sector and of Saharan dust into the French West Indies, are also discussed in this paper. Finally, we briefly address the use of stable isotope measurements (δ15N) and of various organic molecular markers for a better understanding of the origins of ammonium and of the different organic aerosol fractions, respectively.
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Mishra R, Krishnamoorthy P, Gangamma S, Raut AA, Kumar H. Particulate matter (PM 10) enhances RNA virus infection through modulation of innate immune responses. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2020; 266:115148. [PMID: 32771845 PMCID: PMC7357538 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2020.115148] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2020] [Revised: 06/28/2020] [Accepted: 06/28/2020] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
Sensing of pathogens by specialized receptors is the hallmark of the innate immunity. Innate immune response also mounts a defense response against various allergens and pollutants including particulate matter present in the atmosphere. Air pollution has been included as the top threat to global health declared by WHO which aims to cover more than three billion people against health emergencies from 2019 to 2023. Particulate matter (PM), one of the major components of air pollution, is a significant risk factor for many human diseases and its adverse effects include morbidity and premature deaths throughout the world. Several clinical and epidemiological studies have identified a key link between the PM existence and the prevalence of respiratory and inflammatory disorders. However, the underlying molecular mechanism is not well understood. Here, we investigated the influence of air pollutant, PM10 (particles with aerodynamic diameter less than 10 μm) during RNA virus infections using Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) - H5N1 virus. We thus characterized the transcriptomic profile of lung epithelial cell line, A549 treated with PM10 prior to H5N1infection, which is known to cause severe lung damage and respiratory disease. We found that PM10 enhances vulnerability (by cellular damage) and regulates virus infectivity to enhance overall pathogenic burden in the lung cells. Additionally, the transcriptomic profile highlights the connection of host factors related to various metabolic pathways and immune responses which were dysregulated during virus infection. Collectively, our findings suggest a strong link between the prevalence of respiratory illness and its association with the air quality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richa Mishra
- Laboratory of Immunology and Infectious Disease Biology, Department of Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Bhopal, Bhopal, 462066, MP, India
| | - Pandikannan Krishnamoorthy
- Laboratory of Immunology and Infectious Disease Biology, Department of Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Bhopal, Bhopal, 462066, MP, India
| | - S Gangamma
- National Institute of Technology Karnataka (NITK), Surathkal, Mangaluru, 575025, Karnataka, India; Centre for Water Food and Environment, IIT Ropar, Rupnagar, 140001, Punjab, India
| | - Ashwin Ashok Raut
- Pathogenomics Laboratory, ICAR - National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases (NIHSAD), OIE Reference Laboratory for Avian Influenza, Bhopal, 462021, MP, India
| | - Himanshu Kumar
- Laboratory of Immunology and Infectious Disease Biology, Department of Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Bhopal, Bhopal, 462066, MP, India; WPI Immunology, Frontier Research Centre, Osaka University, Osaka, 5650871, Japan.
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Impacts of discriminated PM 2.5 on global under-five and maternal mortality. Sci Rep 2020; 10:17654. [PMID: 33077784 PMCID: PMC7573627 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-74437-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2020] [Accepted: 09/07/2020] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Globally, it was estimated that maternal and under-five deaths were high in low-income countries than that of high-income countries. Most studies, however, have focused only on the clinical causes of maternal and under-five deaths, and yet there could be other factors such as ambient particulate matter (PM). The current global estimates indicate that exposure to ambient PM2.5 (with ≤ 2.5 microns aerodynamic diameter) has caused about 7 million deaths and over 100 million disability-adjusted life-years. There are also several health risks that have been linked PM2.5, including mortality, both regionally and globally; however, PM2.5 is a mixture of many compounds from various sources. Globally, there is little evidence of the health effects of various types of PM2.5, which may uniquely contribute to the global burden of disease. Currently, only two studies had estimated the effects of discriminated ambient PM2.5, that is, anthropogenic, biomass and dust, on under-five and maternal mortality using satellite measurements, and this study found a positive association in Africa and Asia. However, the study area was conducted in only one region and may not reflect the spatial variations throughout the world. Therefore, in this study, we discriminated different ambient PM2.5 and estimated the effects on a global scale. Using the generalized linear mixed-effects model (GLMM) with a random-effects model, we found that biomass PM2.5 was associated with an 8.9% (95% confidence interval [CI] 4.1-13.9%) increased risk of under-five deaths, while dust PM2.5 was marginally associated with 9.5% of under-five deaths. Nevertheless, our study found no association between PM2.5 type and global maternal deaths. This result may be because the majority of maternal deaths could be associated with preventable deaths that would require clinical interventions. Identification of the mortality-related types of ambient PM2.5 can enable the development of a focused intervention strategy of placing appropriate preventive measures for reducing the generation of source-specific PM2.5 and subsequently diminishing PM2.5-related mortality.
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Respiratory Health after Military Service in Southwest Asia and Afghanistan. An Official American Thoracic Society Workshop Report. Ann Am Thorac Soc 2020; 16:e1-e16. [PMID: 31368802 PMCID: PMC6774741 DOI: 10.1513/annalsats.201904-344ws] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Since 2001, more than 2.7 million U.S. military personnel have been deployed in support of operations in Southwest Asia and Afghanistan. Land-based personnel experienced elevated exposures to particulate matter and other inhalational exposures from multiple sources, including desert dust, burn pit combustion, and other industrial, mobile, or military sources. A workshop conducted at the 2018 American Thoracic Society International Conference had the goals of: 1) identifying key studies assessing postdeployment respiratory health, 2) describing emerging research, and 3) highlighting knowledge gaps. The workshop reviewed epidemiologic studies that demonstrated more frequent encounters for respiratory symptoms postdeployment compared with nondeployers and for airway disease, predominantly asthma, as well as case series describing postdeployment dyspnea, asthma, and a range of other respiratory tract findings. On the basis of particulate matter effects in other populations, it also is possible that deployers experienced reductions in pulmonary function as a result of such exposure. The workshop also gave particular attention to constrictive bronchiolitis, which has been reported in lung biopsies of selected deployers. Workshop participants had heterogeneous views regarding the definition and frequency of constrictive bronchiolitis and other small airway pathologic findings in deployed populations. The workshop concluded that the relationship of airway disease, including constrictive bronchiolitis, to exposures experienced during deployment remains to be better defined. Future clinical and epidemiologic research efforts should address better characterization of deployment exposures; carry out longitudinal assessment of potentially related adverse health conditions, including lung function and other physiologic changes; and use rigorous histologic, exposure, and clinical characterization of patients with respiratory tract abnormalities.
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Gutierrez MP, Zuidema P, Mirsaeidi M, Campos M, Kumar N. Association between African Dust Transport and Acute Exacerbations of COPD in Miami. J Clin Med 2020; 9:jcm9082496. [PMID: 32756441 PMCID: PMC7464868 DOI: 10.3390/jcm9082496] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2020] [Revised: 07/27/2020] [Accepted: 07/29/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Air pollution is increasingly recognized as a risk factor for acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Changing climate and weather patterns can modify the levels and types of air pollutants. For example, dust outbreaks increase particulate air pollution. Objective: This paper examines the effect of Saharan dust storms on the concentration of coarse particulate matter in Miami, and its association with the risk of acute exacerbation of COPD (AECOPD). Methods: In this prospective cohort study, 296 COPD patients (with 313 events) were followed between 2013 and 2016. We used Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) and satellite-based Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) to identify dust events and quantify particulate matter (PM) exposure, respectively. Exacerbation events were modeled with respect to location- and time-lagged dust and PM exposures, using multivariate logistic regressions. Measurements and main results: Dust duration and intensity increased yearly during the study period. During dust events, AOD increased by 51% and particulate matter ≤2.5 µm in aerodynamic diameter (PM2.5) increased by 25%. Adjusting for confounders, ambient temperature and local PM2.5 exposure, one-day lagged dust exposure was associated with 4.9 times higher odds of two or more (2+ hereto after) AECOPD events (odds ratio = 4.9; 95% CI = 1.8–13.4; p < 0.001). Ambient temperature exposure also showed a significant association with 2+ and 3+ AECOPD events. The risk of AECOPD lasted up to 15 days after dust exposure, declining from 10× higher on day 0 to 20% higher on day 15. Conclusions: Saharan dust outbreaks observed in Miami elevate the concentration of PM and increase the risk of AECOPD in COPD patients with recurring exacerbations.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Paquita Zuidema
- Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, University of Miami, Miami, FL 33149, USA;
| | - Mehdi Mirsaeidi
- Pulmonary and Critical Care, Jackson Memorial Hospital, Miami, FL 33136, USA; (M.P.G.); (M.M.)
- Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, University of Miami School of Medicine, Miami, FL and Miami Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Miami, FL 33136, USA
| | - Michael Campos
- Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, University of Miami School of Medicine, Miami, FL and Miami Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Miami, FL 33136, USA
- Correspondence: (M.C.); (N.K.); Tel.: +1-305-243-4854 (M.C. & N.K.)
| | - Naresh Kumar
- Environmental Health Division, Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Miami School of Medicine, Miami, FL 33136, USA
- Correspondence: (M.C.); (N.K.); Tel.: +1-305-243-4854 (M.C. & N.K.)
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Rublee CS, Sorensen CJ, Lemery J, Wade TJ, Sams EA, Hilborn ED, Crooks JL. Associations Between Dust Storms and Intensive Care Unit Admissions in the United States, 2000-2015. GEOHEALTH 2020; 4:e2020GH000260. [PMID: 32783014 PMCID: PMC7411550 DOI: 10.1029/2020gh000260] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2020] [Revised: 06/25/2020] [Accepted: 06/26/2020] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
Anthropogenic climate change is influencing the incidence of dust storms and associated human exposure to coarse particulate matter (PM2.5-10) in the United States. Studies have found adverse health consequences related to dust exposure. These consequences include respiratory disease exacerbations and premature mortality, resulting in increased health care utilization. However, the impact of dust storms on critical care demand has not been studied in the United States. We seek to quantify the relationship between dust storms and surges in critical care demand by investigating the association between dust storms and intensive care unit (ICU) admissions at nearby hospitals from 2000 to 2015. ICU data were acquired from Premier, Inc. and encompass 15-20% of all ICU admissions in the United States. Dust storm, meteorology, and air pollutant data were downloaded from the U.S. National Weather Service, the U.S. National Climatic Data Center, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency websites, respectively. Associations between ICU admission and dust storms, controlling for temperature, dew point temperature, ambient PM2.5 and ozone, as well as seasonally varying confounders, were estimated using a distributed lag conditional Poisson model with overdispersion. We found a 4.8% (95% CI: 0.4, 9.4; p = 0.033) increase in total ICU admissions on the day of the dust storm (Lag 0) and a 9.2% (95% CI: 1.8, 17.0; p = 0.013) and 7.5% (95% CI: 0.3, 15.2; p = 0.040) increase in respiratory admissions at Lags 0 and 5. North American dust storms are associated with increases in same day and lagged demand for critical care services at nearby hospitals.
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Affiliation(s)
- C. S. Rublee
- Department of Emergency MedicineUniversity of Colorado School of MedicineAuroraCOUSA
| | - C. J. Sorensen
- Department of Emergency MedicineUniversity of Colorado School of MedicineAuroraCOUSA
| | - J. Lemery
- Department of Emergency MedicineUniversity of Colorado School of MedicineAuroraCOUSA
| | - T. J. Wade
- United States Environmental Protection AgencyChapel HillNCUSA
| | - E. A. Sams
- United States Environmental Protection AgencyChapel HillNCUSA
| | - E. D. Hilborn
- United States Environmental Protection AgencyChapel HillNCUSA
| | - J. L. Crooks
- Division of Biostatistics and BioinformaticsNational Jewish HealthDenverCOUSA
- Department of EpidemiologyColorado School of Public HealthAuroraCOUSA
- Now at National Jewish Health Main CampusDenverCOUSA
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Manigrasso M, Costabile F, Liberto LD, Gobbi GP, Gualtieri M, Zanini G, Avino P. Size resolved aerosol respiratory doses in a Mediterranean urban area: From PM 10 to ultrafine particles. ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL 2020; 141:105714. [PMID: 32416371 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2020.105714] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2019] [Revised: 02/25/2020] [Accepted: 04/01/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
In the framework of the 2017 "carbonaceous aerosol in Rome and Environs" (CARE) experiment, particle number size distributions have been continuously measured on February 2017 in downtown Rome. These data have been used to estimate, through MPPD model, size and time resolved particle mass, surface area and number doses deposited into the respiratory system. Dosimetry estimates are presented for PM10, PM2.5, PM1 and Ultrafine Particles (UFPs), in relation to the aerosol sources peculiar to the Mediterranean basin and to the atmospheric conditions. Particular emphasis is focused on UFPs and their fraction deposited on the olfactory bulb, in view of their possible translocation to the brain. The site of PM10 deposition within the respiratory system considerably changes, depending on the aerosol sources and then on its different size distributions. On making associations between health endpoints and aerosol mass concentrations, the relevant coarse and fine fractions would be more properly adopted, because they have different sources, different capability of penetrating deep into the respiratory system and different toxicological implications. The separation between them should be set at 1 µm, rather than at 2.5 µm, because the fine fraction is considerably less affected by the contribution of the natural sources. Mass dose is a suitable metric to describe coarse aerosol events but gives a poor representation of combustion aerosol. This fraction of particles, made of UFPs and of accumulation mode particles (mainly with size below 0.2 µm), is of high health relevance. It elicited the highest oxidative activity in the CARE experiment and is properly described by the particle surface area and by the number metrics. Such metrics are even more relevant for the UFP doses deposited on the olfactory bulb, in consideration of the role recognized to oxidative stress in the progression of neurodegenerative diseases. Such metrics would be more appropriate, rather than PMx mass concentrations, to correlate neurodegenerative pathologies with aerosol pollution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maurizio Manigrasso
- Department of Technological Innovations, INAIL, Via IV Novembre 144, I-00187 Rome, Italy.
| | - Francesca Costabile
- CNR-ISAC - Italian National Research Council, Institute of Atmospheric Science and Climate, via Fosso del Cavaliere 100, I-00133 Rome, Italy
| | - Luca Di Liberto
- CNR-ISAC - Italian National Research Council, Institute of Atmospheric Science and Climate, via Fosso del Cavaliere 100, I-00133 Rome, Italy
| | - Gian Paolo Gobbi
- CNR-ISAC - Italian National Research Council, Institute of Atmospheric Science and Climate, via Fosso del Cavaliere 100, I-00133 Rome, Italy
| | | | - Gabriele Zanini
- ENEA SSPT-MET-INAT, Via Martiri di Monte Sole 4, I-40129 Bologna, Italy
| | - Pasquale Avino
- Department of Agricultural, Environmental and Food Sciences (DiAAA), University of Molise, via F. De Sanctis, I-86100, Campobasso, Italy
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Kelly FJ, Fussell JC. Global nature of airborne particle toxicity and health effects: a focus on megacities, wildfires, dust storms and residential biomass burning. Toxicol Res (Camb) 2020; 9:331-345. [PMID: 32905302 PMCID: PMC7467248 DOI: 10.1093/toxres/tfaa044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2020] [Revised: 05/26/2020] [Accepted: 06/08/2020] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Since air pollutants are difficult and expensive to control, a strong scientific underpinning to policies is needed to guide mitigation aimed at reducing the current burden on public health. Much of the evidence concerning hazard identification and risk quantification related to air pollution comes from epidemiological studies. This must be reinforced with mechanistic confirmation to infer causality. In this review we focus on data generated from four contrasting sources of particulate air pollution that result in high population exposures and thus where there remains an unmet need to protect health: urban air pollution in developing megacities, household biomass combustion, wildfires and desert dust storms. Taking each in turn, appropriate measures to protect populations will involve advocating smart cities and addressing economic and behavioural barriers to sustained adoption of clean stoves and fuels. Like all natural hazards, wildfires and dust storms are a feature of the landscape that cannot be removed. However, many efforts from emission containment (land/fire management practices), exposure avoidance and identifying susceptible populations can be taken to prepare for air pollution episodes and ensure people are out of harm's way when conditions are life-threatening. Communities residing in areas affected by unhealthy concentrations of any airborne particles will benefit from optimum communication via public awareness campaigns, designed to empower people to modify behaviour in a way that improves their health as well as the quality of the air they breathe.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frank J Kelly
- NIHR Health Protection Research Unit in Environmental Exposures and Health, School of Public Health, Sir Michael Uren Building, Imperial College London, White City Campus, 80-92 Wood Lane, London W12 0BZ, UK
| | - Julia C Fussell
- NIHR Health Protection Research Unit in Environmental Exposures and Health, School of Public Health, Sir Michael Uren Building, Imperial College London, White City Campus, 80-92 Wood Lane, London W12 0BZ, UK
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Hashizume M, Kim Y, Ng CFS, Chung Y, Madaniyazi L, Bell ML, Guo YL, Kan H, Honda Y, Yi SM, Kim H, Nishiwaki Y. Health Effects of Asian Dust: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PERSPECTIVES 2020; 128:66001. [PMID: 32589456 PMCID: PMC7319773 DOI: 10.1289/ehp5312] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Potential adverse health effects of Asian dust exposure have been reported, but systematic reviews and quantitative syntheses are lacking. OBJECTIVE We reviewed epidemiologic studies that assessed the risk of mortality, hospital admissions, and symptoms/dysfunction associated with exposure to Asian dust. METHODS We performed a systematic search of PubMed and Web of Science to identify studies that reported the association between Asian dust exposure and human health outcomes. We conducted separate meta-analyses using a random-effects model for mortality and hospital admissions for a specific health outcome and assessed pooled estimates for each lag when at least three studies were available for a specific lag. RESULTS We identified 89 studies that met our inclusion criteria for the systematic review, and 21 studies were included in the meta-analysis. The pooled estimates (percentage changes) of mortality from circulatory and respiratory causes for Asian dust days vs. non-Asian dust days were 2.33% [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.76, 3.93] increase at lag 0 and 3.99% (95% CI: 0.08, 8.06) increase at lag 3, respectively. The increased risk for hospital admissions for respiratory disease, asthma, and pneumonia peaked at lag 3 by 8.85% (95% CI: 0.80, 17.55), 14.55% (95% CI: 6.74, 22.94), and 8.51% (95% CI: 2.89, 14.44), respectively. Seven of 12 studies reported reduced peak expiratory flow, and 16 of 21 studies reported increased respiratory symptoms associated with Asian dust exposure. There were substantial variations between the studies in definitions of Asian dust, study designs, model specifications, and confounder controls. DISCUSSION We found evidence of increased mortality and hospital admissions for circulatory and respiratory events. However, the number of studies included in the meta-analysis was not large and further evidences are merited to strengthen our conclusions. Standardized protocols for epidemiological studies would facilitate interstudy comparisons. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP5312.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masahiro Hashizume
- Department of Global Health Policy, Graduate School of Medicine, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
- School of Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nagasaki University, Nagasaki, Japan
- Institute of Tropical Medicine, Nagasaki University, Nagasaki, Japan
| | - Yoonhee Kim
- Department of Global Environmental Health, Graduate School of Medicine, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Chris Fook Sheng Ng
- School of Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nagasaki University, Nagasaki, Japan
| | - Yeonseung Chung
- Department of Mathematical Sciences, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Daejeon, South Korea
| | - Lina Madaniyazi
- School of Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nagasaki University, Nagasaki, Japan
- Institute of Tropical Medicine, Nagasaki University, Nagasaki, Japan
| | - Michelle L Bell
- School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Yue Leon Guo
- Environmental and Occupational Medicine, National Taiwan University (NTU) and NTU Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Haidong Kan
- Department of Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yasushi Honda
- Faculty of Health and Sport Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Seung-Muk Yi
- Graduate School of Public Health, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Ho Kim
- Graduate School of Public Health, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Yuji Nishiwaki
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, School of Medicine, Toho University, Tokyo, Japan
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Itazawa T, Kanatani KT, Hamazaki K, Inadera H, Tsuchida A, Tanaka T, Nakayama T, Go T, Onishi K, Kurozawa Y, Adachi Y, Konishi I, Heike T, Konishi Y, Sato K, Egawa M, Takahashi Y, Watanabe M, Yasumi R, Hirabayashi K, Morita M, Konishi K, Hirooka Y, Fukumoto S, Teshima R, Inoue T, Harada T, Kanzaki S, Maegaki Y, Ohno K, Koeda T, Amano H, Masumoto T. The impact of exposure to desert dust on infants' symptoms and countermeasures to reduce the effects. Allergy 2020; 75:1435-1445. [PMID: 31886894 DOI: 10.1111/all.14166] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2019] [Revised: 09/24/2019] [Accepted: 10/08/2019] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The association between particulate matter (PM), including desert dust, and allergic symptoms has not been well studied. We examined whether PM exacerbated nose/eye/respiratory symptoms in infants, with a focus on the desert dust element, and assessed possible countermeasures. METHODS We conducted a panel study of 1492 infants from October 2014 to July 2016 in 3 regions in Japan as an adjunct study of the Japan Environment and Children's Study. Infants' daily symptom scores and behaviors were acquired by web-based questionnaires sent to mothers, who answered within a day using mobile phones. Odds ratios (OR) for symptom development per increased fine PM or desert dust exposure were estimated. Regular use of medications and behaviors on the day of exposure were investigated as possible effect modifiers. RESULTS Infants developed nose/eye/respiratory symptoms significantly more often in accordance with fine particulate levels (adjusted OR per 10 µg/m3 increase: 1.04, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.01-1.07). A model including both fine particulates and desert dust showed reduced OR for fine particulates and robust OR for desert dust (adjusted OR per 0.1/km increase: 1.16, 95% CI: 1.09-1.23). An increased OR was observed both in infants who had previously wheezed and in those who had never wheezed. Receiving information on the particulate forecast, reducing time outdoors, closing windows, and regular use of leukotriene receptor antagonists were significant effect modifiers. CONCLUSIONS Transborder desert dust arrival increased the risk of nose/eye/respiratory symptoms development in infants. Regular use of leukotriene receptor antagonists and other countermeasures reduced the risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Toshiko Itazawa
- Department of Pediatrics Faculty of Medicine University of Toyama Toyama Japan
| | - Kumiko T. Kanatani
- Japan Environment and Children's Study Kyoto Regional Center Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine Kyoto Japan
| | - Kei Hamazaki
- Department of Public Health Faculty of Medicine University of Toyama Toyama Japan
| | - Hidekuni Inadera
- Department of Public Health Faculty of Medicine University of Toyama Toyama Japan
| | - Akiko Tsuchida
- Department of Public Health Faculty of Medicine University of Toyama Toyama Japan
| | - Tomomi Tanaka
- Department of Pediatrics Faculty of Medicine University of Toyama Toyama Japan
| | - Takeo Nakayama
- Department of Health Informatics Kyoto University School of Public Health Kyoto Japan
| | - Tohshin Go
- Japan Environment and Children's Study Kyoto Regional Center Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine Kyoto Japan
| | - Kazunari Onishi
- Division of Environmental Health Graduate School of Public Health St.Luke's International University Tokyo Japan
- Division of Health Administration and Promotion Faculty of Medicine Tottori University Tottori Japan
| | - Yoichi Kurozawa
- Division of Health Administration and Promotion Faculty of Medicine Tottori University Tottori Japan
| | - Yuichi Adachi
- Department of Pediatrics Faculty of Medicine University of Toyama Toyama Japan
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Varga G. Changing nature of Saharan dust deposition in the Carpathian Basin (Central Europe): 40 years of identified North African dust events (1979-2018). ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL 2020; 139:105712. [PMID: 32283354 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2020.105712] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2019] [Revised: 03/19/2020] [Accepted: 03/31/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Several billion tonnes of mineral dust is emitted, and transported through winds every year from arid-semiarid areas. North African dust hot spots located in the Sahara are responsible for 50-70% of the global mineral dust budget. Dust-loaded air-masses originated from these sources can be transported over long distances and can also affect remote areas, such as North and South Americas, Europe, and the Middle East. In this study, we analysed 218 identified Saharan dust events (SDEs) in the Carpathian Basin (Central Europe) during 1979 to 2018. Systematic identification of SDEs and analyses of dust emission, dust source area activity, dust transporting wind systems, and transport routes revealed that different synoptic meteorological patterns are responsible for SDEs, and these are occurring mostly in spring and summer. The characteristic synoptic meteorological background of episodes was also identified, and three major types of atmospheric pressure-system patterns were distinguished. In recent years, several intense wintertime dust deposition events have been recorded in Central Europe. All of the identified unusual episodes were characterised by severe washout of mineral dust material and were related to very similar synoptic meteorological situations. Enhanced southward propagation of a high-latitude upper-level atmospheric trough to north-western Africa and orographic blocking of Atlas Mountains played an essential role in the formation of severe dust storms, whereas the long-range transport was associated with the northward branch of the meandering jet. The occurrence and southerly penetration of high-latitude upper-level atmospheric trough to low-latitudes and the increased meridionality of the dominant flow patterns may be associated with enhanced warming of the Arctic, leading to more meandering jet streams. Particles size of sampled dust material of some intense deposition episodes were very coarse with a considerable volumetric proportion of > 20 µm particles.
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Affiliation(s)
- György Varga
- Research Centre for Astronomy and Earth Sciences, Budapest H-1112, Hungary.
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Ghio AJ, Soukup JM, Dailey LA, Madden MC. Air pollutants disrupt iron homeostasis to impact oxidant generation, biological effects, and tissue injury. Free Radic Biol Med 2020; 151:38-55. [PMID: 32092410 PMCID: PMC8274387 DOI: 10.1016/j.freeradbiomed.2020.02.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2019] [Revised: 01/27/2020] [Accepted: 02/10/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Air pollutants cause changes in iron homeostasis through: 1) a capacity of the pollutant, or a metabolite(s), to complex/chelate iron from pivotal sites in the cell or 2) an ability of the pollutant to displace iron from pivotal sites in the cell. Through either pathway of disruption in iron homeostasis, metal previously employed in essential cell processes is sequestered after air pollutant exposure. An absolute or functional cell iron deficiency results. If enough iron is lost or is otherwise not available within the cell, cell death ensues. However, prior to death, exposed cells will attempt to reverse the loss of requisite metal. This response of the cell includes increased expression of metal importers (e.g. divalent metal transporter 1). Oxidant generation after exposure to air pollutants includes superoxide production which functions in ferrireduction necessary for cell iron import. Activation of kinases and phosphatases and transcription factors and increased release of pro-inflammatory mediators also result from a cell iron deficiency, absolute or functional, after exposure to air pollutants. Finally, air pollutant exposure culminates in the development of inflammation and fibrosis which is a tissue response to the iron deficiency challenging cell survival. Following the response of increased expression of importers and ferrireduction, activation of kinases and phosphatases and transcription factors, release of pro-inflammatory mediators, and inflammation and fibrosis, cell iron is altered, and a new metal homeostasis is established. This new metal homeostasis includes increased total iron concentrations in cells with metal now at levels sufficient to meet requirements for continued function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew J Ghio
- From the National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory, Environmental Protection Agency, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
| | - Joleen M Soukup
- From the National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory, Environmental Protection Agency, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Lisa A Dailey
- From the National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory, Environmental Protection Agency, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Michael C Madden
- From the National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory, Environmental Protection Agency, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
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Li J, Garshick E, Al-Hemoud A, Huang S, Koutrakis P. Impacts of meteorology and vegetation on surface dust concentrations in Middle Eastern countries. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2020; 712:136597. [PMID: 32050389 PMCID: PMC7085415 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.136597] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2019] [Revised: 12/29/2019] [Accepted: 01/07/2020] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
Severe dust events have occurred frequently in arid regions, which greatly impacted air quality, climate, and public health. The Middle East is one of the areas in the world impacted by intense dust storms. We investigated the characteristics of airborne dust levels in five Middle Eastern countries (Kuwait, Iraq, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Syria) from 2001 to 2017. Surface level dust concentrations were determined using the Modern-Era Retrospective analysis for Research and Applications version 2. Kuwait was selected as an example to assess sources and other factors influencing dust levels in arid regions. We performed backward trajectory analysis to identify the dust transport pathways. We quantitatively assessed the impacts of meteorological parameters along with the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI). Dust levels in Kuwait were higher than the other four countries, and had a distinct seasonal pattern, with the highest in summer and the lowest in winter. Our results showed that dust levels in Kuwait in January were influenced largely by local emissions, whereas in June they were affected more by emissions attributable to long-distance transport. There were significant positive associations between wind speed in the five countries, particularly Iraq, with dust levels in Kuwait, indicating the impact of nearby desert areas. Significant negative associations were observed between NDVI in Kuwait, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia with dust levels in Kuwait. Our result highlights that climatic variations and vegetation conditions are associated with changes in dust levels in arid regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Li
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston 02115, USA
| | - Eric Garshick
- Pulmonary, Allergy, Sleep, and Critical Care Medicine Section, Medical Service, VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA 02132, USA; Channing Division of Network Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Ali Al-Hemoud
- Crisis Decision Support Program, Environment and Life Sciences Research Center, Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research, Safat 13109, Kuwait
| | - Shaodan Huang
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston 02115, USA.
| | - Petros Koutrakis
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston 02115, USA
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Katra I, Krasnov H. Exposure Assessment of Indoor PM Levels During Extreme Dust Episodes. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2020; 17:ijerph17051625. [PMID: 32138256 PMCID: PMC7084705 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph17051625] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2020] [Revised: 02/21/2020] [Accepted: 02/29/2020] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Millions of people live in areas that are subject to frequent dust events; however gaps remain in our knowledge about the association between dust, air quality and corresponding particulate matter (PM) exposure levels inside buildings. This case study demonstrates how the PM2.5 and PM10 levels in an urban environment respond to strong natural dust episodes. Real-time measurements were recorded simultaneously in indoor and outdoor environments in households in the city of Beer-Sheva, Israel during several strong dust events. A typical strong event was used for a detailed analysis of PM10 and PM2.5. Outdoor daily concentrations were above 1000 µg m−3 for PM10, the maximum hourly value of which was 1320 µg m−3. The indoor PM10 peaked at about 700 µg m−3 and fluctuated in parallel with the outdoor level but with a time lag of about 15 min. Indoor air tended to remain for several hours after the dust event had subsided. Analyses of multiple events revealed that the dependence of indoor PM2.5 and PM10 on natural dust varies but is not directly linked to the level of atmospheric dust concentration. From a health perspective, the exposure risk posed by extreme indoor PM2.5 and PM10 levels generated by natural dust episodes should be considered.
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Domínguez-Rodríguez A, Rodríguez S, Baez-Ferrer N, Avanzas P, Abreu-González P, Silva J, Morís C, Hernández-Vaquero D. Impact of Saharan dust on the incidence of acute coronary syndrome. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2020; 74:321-328. [PMID: 32127342 DOI: 10.1016/j.rec.2020.02.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2019] [Accepted: 01/24/2020] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES Asian desert dust has recently been recognized as a trigger for acute myocardial infarction. The inflow of dust from the Sahara into Spain impairs air quality due to an increase in particulate matter concentrations in the ambient air. The aim of the present study was to elucidate whether Saharan dust events are associated with the incidence of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) in patients living near North Africa, the major global dust source. METHODS We prospectively collected data on hospitalizations due to ACS in 2416 consecutive patients from a tertiary care hospital (Canary Islands, Spain) from December 2012 to December 2017. Concentrations of particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter 10 microns or smaller (PM10) and reactive gases were measured in the European Air Quality Network implemented in the Canary Islands. We applied the time-stratified case crossover design using conditional Poisson regression models to estimate the impact of PM10 Saharan dust events on the incidence of ACS. RESULTS The occurrence of Saharan dust events observed 0 to 5 days before the onset of ACS was not significantly associated with the incidence of ACS. Incidence rate ratios (IRR) of PM10 levels 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 days before ACS onset (for changes in 10μg/m3) were 1.27 (95%CI, 0.87-1.85), 0.92 (95%CI, 0.84-1.01), 0.74 (95%CI, 0.45-1.22), 0.98 (95%CI, 0.87-1.11), and 0.95 (95%CI, 0.84-1.06), respectively. CONCLUSIONS Exposure to Saharan desert dust is unlikely to be associated with the incidence of ACS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alberto Domínguez-Rodríguez
- Servicio de Cardiología, Hospital Universitario de Canarias, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain; Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad Europea de Canarias, La Orotava, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red Enfermedades Cardiovaculares (CIBERCV), Madrid, Spain.
| | - Sergio Rodríguez
- Estación Experimental de Zonas Áridas (EEZA), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Almería, Spain; Instituto de Productos Naturales y Agrobiología (IPNA), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain
| | - Néstor Baez-Ferrer
- Servicio de Cardiología, Hospital Universitario de Canarias, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain
| | - Pablo Avanzas
- Área del Corazón, Hospital Universitario Central de Asturias, Oviedo, Asturias, Spain; Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria del Principado de Asturias, Oviedo, Asturias, Spain; Departamento de Medicina, Universidad de Oviedo, Oviedo, Asturias, Spain
| | - Pedro Abreu-González
- Departamento de Fisiología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de La Laguna, San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain
| | - Jacobo Silva
- Área del Corazón, Hospital Universitario Central de Asturias, Oviedo, Asturias, Spain; Departamento de Medicina, Universidad de Oviedo, Oviedo, Asturias, Spain
| | - César Morís
- Área del Corazón, Hospital Universitario Central de Asturias, Oviedo, Asturias, Spain; Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria del Principado de Asturias, Oviedo, Asturias, Spain; Departamento de Medicina, Universidad de Oviedo, Oviedo, Asturias, Spain
| | - Daniel Hernández-Vaquero
- Área del Corazón, Hospital Universitario Central de Asturias, Oviedo, Asturias, Spain; Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria del Principado de Asturias, Oviedo, Asturias, Spain
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Shahsavani A, Tobías A, Querol X, Stafoggia M, Abdolshahnejad M, Mayvaneh F, Guo Y, Hadei M, Saeed Hashemi S, Khosravi A, Namvar Z, Yarahmadi M, Emam B. Short-term effects of particulate matter during desert and non-desert dust days on mortality in Iran. ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL 2020; 134:105299. [PMID: 31751828 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2019.105299] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2019] [Revised: 10/30/2019] [Accepted: 10/30/2019] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Increased atmospheric particulate matter (PM) concentrations are commonly observed during desert dust days in Iran, but there is still no evidence of their effects on human health. We aimed to evaluate the association between daily mortality and exposure to PM10 and PM2.5 during dust and non-dust days in Tehran and Ahvaz, two major Middle Eastern cities with different sources, intensity, and frequency of desert dust days. METHODS We identified desert dust days based on exceeding a daily PM10 concentration threshold of 150 µg/m3 between 2014 and 2017, checking for low PM2.5/PM10 ratio typical of dust days. We used a time-stratified case-crossover design to estimate the short-term effects of PM10 and PM2.5 concentrations on daily mortality during dust and non-dust days. Data was analyzed using conditional Poisson regression models. RESULTS Higher concentrations of PM and frequency of desert dust days were observed in Ahvaz rather than Tehran. In Ahvaz, the effect of PM10 at lag 0 was much higher during dust days, an increment of 10 μg/m3 was associated with 3.28% (95%CI = [2.42, 4.15]) increase of daily mortality, than non-dust days, 1.03% (95%CI = [-0.02, 2.08]), while in Tehran, was slightly higher during non-dust days, 0.72% (95%CI = [0.23, 1.23]), than in dust days, 0.49% (95%CI = [-0.22, 1.20]). No statistically significant associations were observed between PM2.5 and daily mortality in Ahvaz, while in Teheran the effect of PM2.5 increased significantly during non-dust days at lag 2, 1.89% (95%CI = [0.83, 1.2.95] and lag 3, 1.88% (95%CI = [0.83, 1.2.95]). CONCLUSION The study provides evidence that exposure to PM during Middle East dust days is an important risk factor to human health in arid regions and areas affected by desert dust events.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abbas Shahsavani
- Environmental and Occupational Hazards Control Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Public Health and Safety, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Aurelio Tobías
- Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research (IDAEA), Spanish Council for Scientific Research (CSIC), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Xavier Querol
- Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research (IDAEA), Spanish Council for Scientific Research (CSIC), Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Massimo Stafoggia
- Department of Epidemiology, Lazio Regional Health Service/ASL Roma 1, Rome, Italy
| | | | - Fatemeh Mayvaneh
- Faculty of Geography and Environmental Sciences, Hakim Sabzevari University, Sabzevar, Iran
| | - Yuming Guo
- Department of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Mostafa Hadei
- Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; Students' Scientific Research Center (SSRC), Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Seyed Saeed Hashemi
- Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health and Safety, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | | | - Zahra Namvar
- Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Public Health and Safety, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | | | - Baharan Emam
- Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Public Health and Safety, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
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Abstract
Air pollution has many adverse effects on health and is associated with an increased risk of mortality. Desert dust outbreaks contribute directly to air pollution by increasing particulate matter concentrations. We investigated the influence of desert dust outbreaks on air quality in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, a city located in the dust export pathway off the west coast of North Africa, using air-quality observations from a six-year period (2012–2017). During winter intense dust outbreaks PM 10 mean (24-h) concentrations increased from 14 μ g m − 3 to 98 μ g m − 3 , on average, and PM 2 . 5 mean (24-h) concentrations increased from 6 μ g m − 3 to 32 μ g m − 3 . Increases were less during summer outbreaks, with a tripling of PM 10 and PM 2 . 5 daily mean concentrations. We found that desert dust outbreaks reduced the height of the marine boundary layer in our study area by >45%, on average, in summer and by ∼25%, on average, in winter. This thinning of the marine boundary layer was associated with an increase of local anthropogenic pollution during dust outbreaks. NO 2 and NO mean concentrations more than doubled and even larger relative increases in black carbon were observed during the more intense summer dust outbreaks; increases also occurred during the winter outbreaks but were less than in summer. This has public health implications; local anthropogenic emissions need to be reduced even further in areas that are impacted by desert dust outbreaks to reduce adverse health effects.
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40
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Byun G, Kim H, Choi Y, Lee JT. The difference in effect of ambient particles on mortality between days with and without yellow dust events: Using a larger dataset in Seoul, Korea from 1998 to 2015. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2019; 691:819-826. [PMID: 31326805 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.07.085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2019] [Revised: 07/05/2019] [Accepted: 07/05/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Yellow Dust (YD) is a natural source of particulate matter (PM) in Korea. It remarkably increases the concentration of PM. However, characteristics of PM in YD period are different from those of PM in non-YD period. OBJECTIVES To investigate whether the association of PM with mortality is different between all days and non-YD days in Seoul, Korea, 1998-2015. METHODS We applied time-stratified case-crossover design to estimate effects of PM10 and PM2.5 on non-accidental cardiovascular and respiratory mortality. Effect estimates of PM were compared for all days in the study period and days without YD events. To identify whether different effect estimates between all days and non-YD days were not merely caused by the exclusion of high PM concentrations but rather by YD itself, we estimated effects of PM by randomly excluding the same number of days as days of YD. RESULTS A total of 4,509,392 deaths were observed during the study period. A 10 μg/m3 increase in PM10 or PM2.5 was associated with a 0.15% (95% CI: 0.06% to 0.24%) or 0.27% (95% CI: 0.07% to 0.47%) increase in risk of non-accidental mortality for all days, respectively. These associations were changed to 0.30% (95% CI: 0.18% to 0.42%) and 0.33% (95% CI: 0.10% to 0.55%) when YD days were excluded from analyses. We also found that effect estimates of PM were larger when YD days were excluded than those when high PM concentrations were randomly excluded. CONCLUSIONS The effect estimates of PM differed between all days and non-YD days. Our study suggests that including YD days in the analyses is likely to attenuate the effect of PM in a usual urban environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Garam Byun
- The BK21PLUS Program in 'Embodiment: Health-Society Interaction', Department of Public Health Science, Graduate School, Korea University, 145, Anam-ro, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 02841, Republic of Korea
| | - Honghyok Kim
- The BK21PLUS Program in 'Embodiment: Health-Society Interaction', Department of Public Health Science, Graduate School, Korea University, 145, Anam-ro, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 02841, Republic of Korea
| | - Yongsoo Choi
- The BK21PLUS Program in 'Embodiment: Health-Society Interaction', Department of Public Health Science, Graduate School, Korea University, 145, Anam-ro, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 02841, Republic of Korea
| | - Jong-Tae Lee
- The BK21PLUS Program in 'Embodiment: Health-Society Interaction', Department of Public Health Science, Graduate School, Korea University, 145, Anam-ro, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 02841, Republic of Korea; School of Health Policy and Management, College of Health Science, Korea University, 145, Anam-ro, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, 0284e1, Republic of Korea.
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Forecasting Particulate Matter Concentration Using Linear and Non-Linear Approaches for Air Quality Decision Support. ATMOSPHERE 2019. [DOI: 10.3390/atmos10110667] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Air quality status on the East Coast of Peninsular Malaysia is dominated by Particulate Matter (PM10) throughout the years. Studies have affirmed that PM10 influence human health and the environment. Therefore, precise forecasting algorithms are urgently needed to determine the PM10 status for mitigation plan and early warning purposes. This study investigates the forecasting performance of a linear (Multiple Linear Regression) and two non-linear models (Multi-Layer Perceptron and Radial Basis Function) utilizing meteorological and gaseous pollutants variables as input parameters from the year 2000–2014 at four sites with different surrounding activities of urban, sub-urban and rural areas. Non-linear model (Radial Basis Function) outperforms the linear model with the error reduced by 78.9% (urban), 32.1% (sub-urban) and 39.8% (rural). Association between PM10 and its contributing factors are complex and non-linear in nature, best captured by an Artificial Neural Network, which generates more accurate PM10 compared to the linear model. The results are robust enough for precise next day forecasting of PM10 concentration on the East Coast of Peninsular Malaysia.
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Querol X, Pérez N, Reche C, Ealo M, Ripoll A, Tur J, Pandolfi M, Pey J, Salvador P, Moreno T, Alastuey A. African dust and air quality over Spain: Is it only dust that matters? THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2019; 686:737-752. [PMID: 31195282 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.05.349] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2019] [Revised: 05/16/2019] [Accepted: 05/23/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
The 2001-2016 contribution of African dust outbreaks to ambient regional background PM10 and PM2.5 levels over Spain, as well as changes induced in the PMx composition over NE Spain in 2009-2016, were investigated. A clear decrease in PMx dust contributions from the Canary Islands to N Iberia was found. A parallel increase in the PM2.5/PM10 ratio (30% in the Canary Islands to 57% in NW Iberia) was evidenced, probably due to size segregation and the larger relative contribution of the local PMx with increasing distance from Africa. PM1-10 and PM2.5-10 measured in Barcelona during African dust outbreaks (ADOs) were 43-46% higher compared to non-ADO days. The continental background contribution prevailed in terms of both PM1-10 and PM2.5-10 during ADO days (62 and 69%, respectively, and 31 and 27% for non-ADO days). The relative contributions of Al2O3/Fe2O3/CaO to PMx fraction showed that Al2O3 is a suitable tracer for African dust in our context; while CaO at the urban site is clearly affected by local resuspension, construction and road dust, and Fe2O3 by dust from vehicle brake discs. The results also provide evidence that PM increases during ADOs are caused not only by the mineral dust load, but by an increased accumulation of locally emitted or co-transported anthropogenic pollutants as compared with non-ADO days. Possible causes for this accumulation are discussed. We recommend that further epidemiological studies should explore independently the potential effects of mineral dust and the anthropogenic PM during ADOs, because, at least over SW Europe, not only mineral dust affects the air quality during African dust episodes.
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Affiliation(s)
- X Querol
- Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research IDAEA-CSIC, C/Jordi Girona 18-26, Barcelona 08034, Spain.
| | - N Pérez
- Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research IDAEA-CSIC, C/Jordi Girona 18-26, Barcelona 08034, Spain
| | - C Reche
- Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research IDAEA-CSIC, C/Jordi Girona 18-26, Barcelona 08034, Spain
| | - M Ealo
- Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research IDAEA-CSIC, C/Jordi Girona 18-26, Barcelona 08034, Spain
| | - A Ripoll
- Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research IDAEA-CSIC, C/Jordi Girona 18-26, Barcelona 08034, Spain
| | - J Tur
- Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research IDAEA-CSIC, C/Jordi Girona 18-26, Barcelona 08034, Spain
| | - M Pandolfi
- Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research IDAEA-CSIC, C/Jordi Girona 18-26, Barcelona 08034, Spain
| | - J Pey
- ARAID, Instituto Pirenaico de Ecología (IPE-CSIC), 50059 Zaragoza, Spain
| | - P Salvador
- Department of Environment, Joint Research Unit Atmospheric Pollution CIEMAT-CSIC, Madrid 28040, Spain
| | - T Moreno
- Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research IDAEA-CSIC, C/Jordi Girona 18-26, Barcelona 08034, Spain
| | - A Alastuey
- Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research IDAEA-CSIC, C/Jordi Girona 18-26, Barcelona 08034, Spain
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ATR-FTIR Spectral Analysis and Soluble Components of PM 10 And PM 2.5 Particulate Matter over the Urban Area of Palermo (Italy) during Normal Days and Saharan Events. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2019; 16:ijerph16142507. [PMID: 31337072 PMCID: PMC6679192 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph16142507] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2019] [Revised: 06/17/2019] [Accepted: 06/26/2019] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Several epidemiological studies have shown a close relationship between the mass of particulate matter (PM) and its effects on human health. This study reports the identification of inorganic and organic components by attenuated total reflectance-Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) analysis in PM10 and PM2.5 filters collected from three air quality monitoring stations in the city of Palermo (Sicily, Italy) during non-Saharan dust events and Saharan events. It also provides information on the abundance and types of water-soluble species. ATR-FTIR analysis identified sulfate, ammonium, nitrate, and carbonate matter characterized by vibrational frequencies at 603, 615, 670, and 1100 cm–1 (SO42–); at 1414 cm–1 (NH4+); at 825 and 1356 cm–1 (NO3–); and at 713, 730, and 877 cm–1 (CO32–) in PM10 and PM2.5 filters. Moreover, aliphatic hydrocarbons were identified in the collected spectra. Stretching frequencies at 2950 cm–1 were assigned to CH3 aliphatic carbon stretching absorptions, while frequencies at 2924 and 2850 cm–1 indicated CH2 bonds. In filters collected during Saharan dust events, the analysis also showed the presence of absorbance peaks typical of clay minerals. The measurement of soluble components confirmed the presence of a geogenic component (marine spray and local rocks) and secondary particles ((NH4)2SO4, NH4NO3) in the PM filters. ATR-FTIR characterization of solid surfaces is a powerful analytical technique for identifying inorganic and organic compounds in samples of particulate matter.
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Oduber F, Calvo AI, Blanco-Alegre C, Castro A, Nunes T, Alves C, Sorribas M, Fernández-González D, Vega-Maray AM, Valencia-Barrera RM, Lucarelli F, Nava S, Calzolai G, Alonso-Blanco E, Fraile B, Fialho P, Coz E, Prevot ASH, Pont V, Fraile R. Unusual winter Saharan dust intrusions at Northwest Spain: Air quality, radiative and health impacts. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2019; 669:213-228. [PMID: 30878930 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.02.305] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2018] [Revised: 02/16/2019] [Accepted: 02/19/2019] [Indexed: 05/14/2023]
Abstract
Saharan air masses can transport high amounts of mineral dust particles and biological material to the Iberian Peninsula. During winter, this kind of events is not very frequent and usually does not reach the northwest of the Peninsula. However, between 21 and 22 February 2016 and between 22 and 23 February 2017, two exceptional events were registered in León (Spain), which severely affected air quality. An integrative approach including: i) typical synoptic conditions; ii) aerosol chemical composition; iii) particle size distributions; iv) pollen concentration; v) aerosol optical depth (AOD); vi) radiative forcing and vii) estimation of the impact of aerosols in the respiratory tract, was carried out. In the global characterization of these events, the exceedance of the PM10 daily limit value, an increase in the coarse mode and a rise in the iron concentration were observed. On the 2016 event, an AOD and extinction-related Ångström exponent clearly characteristic of desert aerosol (1.1 and 0.05, respectively) were registered. Furthermore, pollen grains not typical of flowering plants in this period were identified. The chemical analysis of the aerosol from the 2017 event allowed us to confirm the presence of the main elements associated with mineral sources (aluminum, calcium, and silica concentrations). An increase in the SO42-, NO3- and Cl- concentrations during the Saharan dust intrusion was also noted. However, in this event, there was no presence of atypical pollen types. The estimated dust radiative forcing traduced a cooling effect for surface and atmosphere during both events, corroborated by trends of radiative flux measurements. The estimated impact on the respiratory tract regions of the high levels of particulate matter during both Saharan dust intrusions showed high levels for the respirable fraction.
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Affiliation(s)
- F Oduber
- Department of Physics, IMARENAB University of León, León, Spain
| | - A I Calvo
- Department of Physics, IMARENAB University of León, León, Spain
| | - C Blanco-Alegre
- Department of Physics, IMARENAB University of León, León, Spain
| | - A Castro
- Department of Physics, IMARENAB University of León, León, Spain
| | - T Nunes
- Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies, Department of Environment, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal
| | - C Alves
- Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies, Department of Environment, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal
| | - M Sorribas
- El Arenosillo-Atmospheric Sounding Station, Atmospheric Research and Instrumentation Branch, INTA, Mazagón, Huelva, Spain
| | - D Fernández-González
- Biodiversity and Environmental Management, University of León, Spain; Institute of Atmospheric Sciences and Climate-CNR, Bologna, Italy
| | - A M Vega-Maray
- Biodiversity and Environmental Management, University of León, Spain
| | | | - F Lucarelli
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Florence and I.N.F.N., Florence, Italy
| | - S Nava
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Florence and I.N.F.N., Florence, Italy
| | - G Calzolai
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Florence and I.N.F.N., Florence, Italy
| | - E Alonso-Blanco
- Centre for Energy, Environment and Technology Research (CIEMAT), Department of the Environment, Madrid, Spain
| | - B Fraile
- Department of Biomedicine and Biotechnology, University of Alcalá, Alcalá de Henares, Spain
| | - P Fialho
- Research Institute for Volcanology and Risk Assessment-IVAR, Ponta Delgada, Portugal
| | - E Coz
- Centre for Energy, Environment and Technology Research (CIEMAT), Department of the Environment, Madrid, Spain
| | - A S H Prevot
- Laboratory of Atmospheric Chemistry, Paul Scherrer Institute, Villigen, Switzerland
| | - V Pont
- Laboratory of Aerology, National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS), University of Toulouse, Toulouse, France
| | - R Fraile
- Department of Physics, IMARENAB University of León, León, Spain.
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Dastoorpoor M, Sekhavatpour Z, Masoumi K, Mohammadi MJ, Aghababaeian H, Khanjani N, Hashemzadeh B, Vahedian M. Air pollution and hospital admissions for cardiovascular diseases in Ahvaz, Iran. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2019; 652:1318-1330. [PMID: 30586817 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.10.285] [Citation(s) in RCA: 76] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2018] [Revised: 10/16/2018] [Accepted: 10/21/2018] [Indexed: 04/13/2023]
Abstract
Cardiovascular disease is one of the main causes of death in Iran. The aim of this study was to determine the relation between air pollution and cardiovascular hospital admissions in Ahwaz, Iran. Daily information about cardiovascular hospital admissions (based on the ICD-10) and data on air pollutants during 2008-2018 were inquired. A quasi-Poisson regression combined with linear distributed lag models; adjusted for trend, seasonality, temperature, relative humidity, weekdays and holidays was used to assess the relation between hospital admission for cardiovascular diseases and the average daily air pollution. The results of this study showed a significant increase in cardiovascular hospital admissions in the total population and women's population in relation to O3. There was a significant increase in hospital admissions for cardiovascular diseases in the whole population as well as gender and age groups associated with NO2 and NO. A significant increase was found in hospital admissions for cardiovascular diseases in relation to CO in the 65-74-year-old population. Finally, the results of this study showed that there was a significant increase in hospital admissions for cardiovascular disease associated with SO2. The main results of the present study confirm the deleterious short term impact of air pollution on cardiovascular morbidity in Ahvaz city. This evidence empasizes the need to implement policies for reducing air pollution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maryam Dastoorpoor
- Air Pollution and Respiratory Diseases Research Center, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran; Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran
| | - Zohreh Sekhavatpour
- Department of Anesthesiology, School of Paramedicine, Dezful University of Medical Sciences, Dezful, Iran
| | - Kambiz Masoumi
- Air Pollution and Respiratory Diseases Research Center, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran; Department of Emergency Medicine, Imam Khomeini General Hospital, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran
| | | | | | - Narges Khanjani
- Environmental Health Engineering Research Center, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran
| | | | - Mostafa Vahedian
- Research Center for Environmental Pollutants, Qom University of Medical Sciences, Qom, Iran.
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46
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Williams LJ, Zosky GR. The Inflammatory Effect of Iron Oxide and Silica Particles on Lung Epithelial Cells. Lung 2019; 197:199-207. [DOI: 10.1007/s00408-019-00200-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2018] [Accepted: 02/06/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
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47
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Characterization of In Situ Aerosol Optical Properties at Three Observatories in the Central Mediterranean. ATMOSPHERE 2018. [DOI: 10.3390/atmos9100369] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
In this work, results of scattering and backscattering coefficients, scattering Ångström exponent (SAE), single scattering albedo (SSA), and asymmetry parameter (g) of atmospheric aerosols are presented. All these parameters were measured during the month of April 2016 in Southern Italy on three different Global Atmosphere Watch observatories in the Central Mediterranean. This is the first time, to our knowledge, that optical aerosol properties were studied at the same time, even if in a brief intensive measurement campaign, at three sites in the South of Italy. In order to obtain a characteristic value for aerosol optical properties, different kinds of particle sources (i.e., dust, marine, and anthropic) have been identified and studied. In the measurement period, one event of a long-range transport of Saharan dust from Northern Africa was observed at all observatories. During the Saharan dust transport event, a minimum value of the SAE (0.69 ± 0.34) and a relatively higher values of SSA were observed. During the dust event, g increased up to 0.69. Marine aerosol contribution and anthropic/urban aerosol intrusion were analysed. From this analysis, SAE average values were 0.70, 0.84, and 1.22, respectively, for dust, marine, and anthropic particles. On the other hand, the SSA minimum value was 0.86 for anthropic particles, and it increased for dust (0.88) and marine (0.93) aerosols. The asymmetry parameter had a limited variability for the three types of aerosol from 0.62 to 0.58, as reported also in literature.
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48
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Nirel R, Adar SD, Dayan U, Vakulenko-Lagun B, Golovner M, Levy I, Alon Z, Peretz A. Fine and Coarse Particulate Matter Exposures and Associations with Acute Cardiac Events among Participants in a Telemedicine Service: A Case-Crossover Study. ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PERSPECTIVES 2018; 126:97003. [PMID: 30203992 PMCID: PMC6375393 DOI: 10.1289/ehp2596] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Subclinical cardiovascular changes have been associated with ambient particulate matter (PM) exposures within hours. Although the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency continues to look for additional evidence of effects associated with sub-daily PM exposure, this information is still limited because most studies of clinical events have lacked data on the onset time of symptoms to assess rapid increased risk. OBJECTIVE Our objective was to investigate associations between sub-daily exposures to PM and acute cardiac events using telemedicine data. METHODS We conducted a case-crossover study among telemedicine participants [Formula: see text] of age who called a service center for cardiac-related symptoms and were transferred to a hospital in Tel Aviv and Haifa, Israel (2002-2013). Ambient [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] measured by monitors located in each city during the hours before the patient called with symptoms were compared with matched control periods. We investigated the sensitivity of these associations to more accurate symptom onset time and greater certainty of diagnosis. RESULTS We captured 12,661 calls from 7,617 subscribers experiencing ischemic (19%), arrhythmic (31%), or nonspecific (49%) cardiac events. PM concentrations were associated with small increases in the odds of cardiac events. For example, odds ratios for any cardiac event in association with a [Formula: see text] increase in 6-h and 24-h average [Formula: see text] were 1.008 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.998, 1.018] and 1.006 (95% CI: 0.995, 1.018), respectively, and for [Formula: see text] were 1.003 (95% CI: 1.001, 1.006) and 1.003 (95% CI: 1.000, 1.007), respectively. Associations were stronger when using exposures matched to the call time rather than calendar date and for events with higher certainty of the diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS Our analysis of telemedicine data suggests that risks of cardiac events in telemedicine participants [Formula: see text] of age may increase within hours of PM exposures. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP2596.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ronit Nirel
- 1 Department of Statistics, Hebrew University of Jerusalem , Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Sara D Adar
- 2 Department of Epidemiology, University of Michigan , Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Uri Dayan
- 3 Department of Geography, Hebrew University of Jerusalem , Jerusalem, Israel
| | | | | | - Ilan Levy
- 5 Center of Excellence in Exposure Science and Environmental Health, Technion , Haifa, Israel
| | - Zvi Alon
- 1 Department of Statistics, Hebrew University of Jerusalem , Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Alon Peretz
- 6 Occupational Medicine Clinic, Rabin Medical Center , Petah Tiqua, Israel
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Wang X, Zhang L, Yao Z, Ai S, Qian ZM, Wang H, BeLue R, Liu T, Xiao J, Li X, Zeng W, Ma W, Lin H. Ambient coarse particulate pollution and mortality in three Chinese cities: Association and attributable mortality burden. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2018; 628-629:1037-1042. [PMID: 30045528 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.02.100] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2017] [Revised: 01/25/2018] [Accepted: 02/09/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
The short-term mortality effects of ambient fine particulate matter air pollution have been widely investigated in China. However, the associations between day-to-day variation in ambient coarse particles pollution (PMc) and mortality, as well as the corresponding mortality burden, remain understudied. We estimated the short-term PMc-mortality association in three Chinese cities of the Pearl River Delta (PRD) region during the period of 2013-16. The city-specific association was first estimated using generalized additive models and then combined to obtain the overall effect estimates. We further estimated PMc related attributable fraction and attributable mortality. Our study found a significant association between PMc and mortality. Each 10μg/m3 increase of a current day's PMc was associated with a 1.37% (95% CI: 0.55%, 2.22%) increase in total mortality, a 1.63% increase (95% CI: 0.31%, 2.98%) in cardiovascular mortality, and a 0.97% increase (95% CI: -0.17%, 2.13%) in respiratory mortality in the three cities. We estimated that 0.37% (95% CI: 0.14%, 0.61%) and 2.72% (95% CI: 1.03%, 4.50%) of total mortalities were attributable to PMc by using China's standards and WHO's air quality guidelines as references-corresponding to 1394 (95% CI: 528, 2291) and 10,305 (95% CI: 3884, 17,000) attributable premature mortalities in the three cities, respectively. This study suggests that ambient coarse particulate pollution might be one important risk factor of total, cardiovascular, and respiratory mortality, as well as account for substantial mortality burdens in the three Chinese cities of the PRD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaojie Wang
- School of Public Health, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou 510220, China
| | - Lingli Zhang
- School of Public Health, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou 510220, China
| | - Zhenjiang Yao
- School of Public Health, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou 510220, China
| | - Siqi Ai
- Department of Medical Statistics and Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China
| | - Zhengmin Min Qian
- College for Public Health and Social Justice, Saint Louis University, Saint Louis, MO 63104, USA
| | - Hao Wang
- The First Affiliated Hospital/School of Clinical Medicine of Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou 510310, China
| | - Rhonda BeLue
- College for Public Health and Social Justice, Saint Louis University, Saint Louis, MO 63104, USA
| | - Tao Liu
- Guangdong Provincial Institute of Public Health, Guangdong Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Guangzhou 511430, China
| | - Jianpeng Xiao
- Guangdong Provincial Institute of Public Health, Guangdong Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Guangzhou 511430, China
| | - Xing Li
- Guangdong Provincial Institute of Public Health, Guangdong Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Guangzhou 511430, China
| | - Weilin Zeng
- Guangdong Provincial Institute of Public Health, Guangdong Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Guangzhou 511430, China
| | - Wenjun Ma
- Guangdong Provincial Institute of Public Health, Guangdong Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Guangzhou 511430, China.
| | - Hualiang Lin
- School of Public Health, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou 510220, China; Department of Medical Statistics and Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, China.
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50
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Keil DE, Buck B, Goossens D, McLaurin B, Murphy L, Leetham-Spencer M, Teng Y, Pollard J, Gerads R, DeWitt JC. Nevada desert dust with heavy metals suppresses IgM antibody production. Toxicol Rep 2018; 5:258-269. [PMID: 29854597 PMCID: PMC5978016 DOI: 10.1016/j.toxrep.2018.01.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2017] [Revised: 01/19/2018] [Accepted: 01/22/2018] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
NDRA emits geogenic dusts that are comprised of a mineral-metal mixture. Exposure to NDRA geogenic dusts suppressed immune function in a mouse model. Similar desert surfaces emit dust in southern Nevada and elsewhere in the world. This study represents a desert environment; dust composition may vary by source.
Systemic health effects from exposure to a complex natural dust containing heavy metals from the Nellis Dunes Recreation Area (NDRA) near Las Vegas, NV, were evaluated. Several toxicological parameters were examined following lung exposure to emissive dust from three geologic sediment types heavily used for recreational off-road activities: yellow sand very rich in arsenic (termed CBN 5); a shallow cover of loose dune sand overlying a gravelly subsoil bordering dune fields (termed CBN 6); and brown claystone and siltstone (termed CBN 7). Adult female B6C3F1 mice were exposed by oropharyngeal administration to these three types of geogenic dusts at 0.01–100 mg of dust/kg of body weight, once per week for four weeks. The median grain sizes were 4.6, 3.1, and 4.4 μm, for CBN 5, 6, and 7, respectively. Each type of dust contained quantifiable amounts of aluminum, vanadium, chromium, manganese, iron, cobalt, copper, zinc, arsenic, strontium, cesium, lead, uranium, and others. Descriptive markers of immunotoxicity, neurotoxicity, hematology, and clinical chemistry parameters were assessed. Notable among all three CBN units was a systemic, dose-responsive decrease in antigen-specific IgM antibody responses. Geogenic dust from CBN 5 produced more than a 70% suppression in IgM responses, establishing a lowest adverse effect level (LOAEL) of 0.01 mg/kg. A suppression in IgM responses and a corresponding increase in serum creatinine determined a LOAEL of 0.01 mg/kg for CBN 6. The LOAEL for CBN 7 was 0.1 mg/kg and also was identified from suppression in IgM responses. These results are of concern given the frequent off-road vehicle traffic and high visitor rates at the NDRA, estimated at 300,000 each year.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deborah E Keil
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Montana State University, PO Box 173520, Bozeman, MT, 59717, USA
| | - Brenda Buck
- Department of Geoscience, University of Nevada Las Vegas, 4505 S. Maryland Pkwy., Las Vegas, NV, 89154, USA
| | - Dirk Goossens
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, KU Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 200E, 3001 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Brett McLaurin
- Department of Environmental, Geographical, and Geological Sciences, Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania, Bloomsburg, PA, 17815, USA
| | - Lacey Murphy
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Montana State University, PO Box 173520, Bozeman, MT, 59717, USA
| | - Mallory Leetham-Spencer
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Montana State University, PO Box 173520, Bozeman, MT, 59717, USA
| | - Yuanxin Teng
- Department of Geoscience, University of Nevada Las Vegas, 4505 S. Maryland Pkwy., Las Vegas, NV, 89154, USA
| | - James Pollard
- Department of Geoscience, University of Nevada Las Vegas, 4505 S. Maryland Pkwy., Las Vegas, NV, 89154, USA
| | - Russell Gerads
- Brooks Applied Labs, 18804 North Creek Parkway, Bothell, WA, 98011, USA
| | - Jamie C DeWitt
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, East Carolina University, 600 Moye Blvd., Greenville, NC, 27834, USA
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