Cardiovascular and respiratory emergency dispatch due to short-term exposure to ambient PM10 in Dezful, Iran

Association between Outdoor Air Pollution and Fatal Acute Myocardial Infarction in Lithuania between 2006 and 2015: A Time Series Design

BACKGROUND

Air pollution has a significant effect on human health and there is a broad body of evidence showing that exposure to air pollution is associated with an increased risk of adverse health effects. The main objective of this study was to assess the association of traffic-related air pollutants with fatal AMI during the ten-year period.

METHODS

The study was conducted in Kaunas city, where the WHO MONICA register included a total of 2273 adult cases of fatal AMI cases during the 10-year study period. We focused on the period between 2006 and 2015. The associations between exposure to traffic-related air pollution and the risk of fatal AMI were evaluated by using a multivariate Poisson regression model, RR presented per an increase in IQR.

RESULTS

It was found that the risk of fatal AMI was significantly higher in all subjects (RR 1.06; 95% CI 1.00-1.12) and women (RR 1.12; 95% CI 1.02-1.22) when the concentration of PM₁₀ in the ambient air was increased 5-11 days before the onset of AMI, adjusting for NO₂ concentration. The effect was stronger during spring in all subjects (RR 1.12; 95% CI 1.03-1.22), in men (RR 1.13; 95% CI 1.01-1.26), in younger-aged (RR 1.15; 95% CI 1.03-1.28), and in winter in women (RR 1.24; 95% CI 1.03-1.50).

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings show that ambient air pollution increases the risk of fatal AMI, and this pertains to PM₁₀ specifically.

Mortality Risk Related to Heatwaves in Dezful City, Southwest of Iran

BACKGROUND

We aimed to evaluate the impact of heatwaves on daily deaths due to non-accidental, cardiovascular and respiratory causes in the city of Dezful in Iran from 2013 to 2019.

METHOD

We collected daily ambient temperature and mortality and defined 2 types of heatwaves by combining daily temperature ⩾90th in each month of the study period or since 30 years with duration ⩾2 and 3 days. We used a distributed lag non-linear model to study the association between each type of heatwave definition, and deaths due to non-accidental, cardiovascular and respiratory causes with lags up to 13 days.

RESULTS

There was no discernible correlation in this area, despite the fact that heatwaves raised the risk of death from cardiovascular causes and lowered the risk from respiratory causes. On the other hand, the risk of total non-accidental mortality on days with the heatwaves is significantly higher than normal days. In main effects, the heatwaves have a significant relationship with the risk of total non-accidental mortality (in the first heatwave definition, Cumulative Excess Risk (CER) in lag_0-2 was 10.4 and in second heatwave definition, CER values in lag_{0, 0-2, and 0-6} were 12.4, 29.2, and 38.8 respectively). Also, in added effects, heatwaves have a significant relationship with the risk of total non-accidental mortality (in the first heatwave definition, CER in lag_{0 and 0-2} were 1.79 and 4.11 and in the second heatwave definition, CER values in lag_{0, 0-2, and 0-6} were 7.76, 18.35 and 24.87 respectively). In addition, heatwaves appeared to contribute to a cumulative excess risk of non-accidental death among the male group as well as the older adults.

CONCLUSION

However, the results showed that heatwaves could have detrimental effects on health, even in populations accustomed to the extreme heat. Therefore, early warning systems which monitor heatwaves should provide the necessary warnings to the population, especially the most vulnerable groups.

Effect of Dust Storms on Non-Accidental, Cardiovascular, and Respiratory Mortality: A Case of Dezful City in Iran

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.

Association between PM10 and specific circulatory system diseases in China

Particulate matter (PM) has been proved to be a risk factor for the development of circulatory system diseases (CSDs) around the world. In this study, we collected daily air pollutants, emergency room (ER) visits for CSDs, and meteorological data from 2009 to 2012 in Beijing, China. After controlling for the long-term trend and eliminating the influence of confounding factors, the generalized additive model (GAM) was used to evaluate the short-term effects of PM10 on CSDs and cause-specific diseases. The results showed that for every 10 μg/m3 increase in PM10, the largest effect estimates in ER visits of total CSDs, arrhythmia, cerebrovascular diseases, high blood pressure, ischemic heart disease and other related diseases were 0.14% (95% CI: 0.06-0.23%), 0.37% (95% CI: - 0.23 to 0.97%), 0.20% (95% CI: 0.00-0.40%), 0.15% (95% CI: 0.02-0.27%), 0.18% (95% CI: 0.02-0.35%) and 0.35% (95% CI: - 0.04 to 0.79%), respectively. When NO2 or SO2 was added into the model, the effect estimates of PM10 were mostly attenuated, while in those models with PM2.5 added, the effect estimates of PM10 were mostly increased. Stratified analysis indicated that PM10 had a greater effect on males and the elderly.

Global Health Impacts of Dust Storms: A Systematic Review

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.

Mechanistic Implications of Biomass-Derived Particulate Matter for Immunity and Immune Disorders

Particulate matter (PM) is a major and the most harmful component of urban air pollution, which may adversely affect human health. PM exposure has been associated with several human diseases, notably respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. In particular, recent evidence suggests that exposure to biomass-derived PM associates with airway inflammation and can aggravate asthma and other allergic diseases. Defective or excess responsiveness in the immune system regulates distinct pathologies, such as infections, hypersensitivity, and malignancies. Therefore, PM-induced modulation of the immune system is crucial for understanding how it causes these diseases and highlighting key molecular mechanisms that can mitigate the underlying pathologies. Emerging evidence has revealed that immune responses to biomass-derived PM exposure are closely associated with the risk of diverse hypersensitivity disorders, including asthma, allergic rhinitis, atopic dermatitis, and allergen sensitization. Moreover, immunological alteration by PM accounts for increased susceptibility to infectious diseases, such as tuberculosis and coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19). Evidence-based understanding of the immunological effects of PM and the molecular machinery would provide novel insights into clinical interventions or prevention against acute and chronic environmental disorders induced by biomass-derived PM.