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Zhang J, Lim YH, Andersen ZJ, Napolitano G, Taghavi Shahri SM, So R, Plucker M, Danesh-Yazdi M, Cole-Hunter T, Therming Jørgensen J, Liu S, Bergmann M, Jayant Mehta A, H. Mortensen L, Requia W, Lange T, Loft S, Kuenzli N, Schwartz J, Amini H. Stringency of COVID-19 Containment Response Policies and Air Quality Changes: A Global Analysis across 1851 Cities. Environ Sci Technol 2022; 56:12086-12096. [PMID: 35968717 PMCID: PMC9454244 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.2c04303] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2022] [Revised: 08/03/2022] [Accepted: 08/04/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The COVID-19 containment response policies (CRPs) had a major impact on air quality (AQ). These CRPs have been time-varying and location-specific. So far, despite having numerous studies on the effect of COVID-19 lockdown on AQ, a knowledge gap remains on the association between stringency of CRPs and AQ changes across the world, regions, nations, and cities. Here, we show that globally across 1851 cities (each more than 300 000 people) in 149 countries, after controlling for the impacts of relevant covariates (e.g., meteorology), Sentinel-5P satellite-observed nitrogen dioxide (NO2) levels decreased by 4.9% (95% CI: 2.2, 7.6%) during lockdowns following stringent CRPs compared to pre-CRPs. The NO2 levels did not change significantly during moderate CRPs and even increased during mild CRPs by 2.3% (95% CI: 0.7, 4.0%), which was 6.8% (95% CI: 2.0, 12.0%) across Europe and Central Asia, possibly due to population avoidance of public transportation in favor of private transportation. Among 1768 cities implementing stringent CRPs, we observed the most NO2 reduction in more populated and polluted cities. Our results demonstrate that AQ improved when and where stringent COVID-19 CRPs were implemented, changed less under moderate CRPs, and even deteriorated under mild CRPs. These changes were location-, region-, and CRP-specific.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiawei Zhang
- Department
of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, 1014 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Youn-Hee Lim
- Department
of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, 1014 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | | | - George Napolitano
- Department
of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, 1014 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | | | - Rina So
- Department
of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, 1014 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Maude Plucker
- Department
of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, 1014 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Mahdieh Danesh-Yazdi
- Department
of Environmental Health, Harvard TH Chan
School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
- Program
in Public Health, Department of Family, Population & Preventive
Medicine, Stony Brook University School
of Medicine, Stony Brook, New York 11794-8434, United States
| | - Thomas Cole-Hunter
- Department
of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, 1014 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | | | - Shuo Liu
- Department
of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, 1014 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Marie Bergmann
- Department
of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, 1014 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Amar Jayant Mehta
- Department
of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, 1014 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Laust H. Mortensen
- Department
of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, 1014 Copenhagen, Denmark
- Methods
and Analysis, Statistics Denmark, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Weeberb Requia
- School
of Public Policy and Government, Fundação
Getúlio Vargas, Brasilia, Distrito Federal 72125590, Brazil
| | - Theis Lange
- Department
of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, 1014 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Steffen Loft
- Department
of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, 1014 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Nino Kuenzli
- Swiss Tropical
and Public Health Institute (Swiss TPH), Basel 4051, Switzerland
- University
of Basel, Basel 4001, Switzerland
| | - Joel Schwartz
- Department
of Environmental Health, Harvard TH Chan
School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
| | - Heresh Amini
- Department
of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, 1014 Copenhagen, Denmark
- Department
of Environmental Health, Harvard TH Chan
School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
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Weinberger KR, Wu X, Sun S, Spangler KR, Nori-Sarma A, Schwartz J, Requia W, Sabath BM, Braun D, Zanobetti A, Dominici F, Wellenius GA. Heat warnings, mortality, and hospital admissions among older adults in the United States. Environ Int 2021; 157:106834. [PMID: 34461376 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2021.106834] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2021] [Revised: 07/22/2021] [Accepted: 08/15/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Heat warnings are issued in advance of forecast extreme heat events, yet little evidence is available regarding their effectiveness in reducing heat-related illness and death. We estimated the association of heat warnings and advisories (collectively, "alerts") issued by the United States National Weather Service with all-cause mortality and cause-specific hospitalizations among Medicare beneficiaries aged 65 years and older in 2,817 counties, 2006-2016. METHODS In each county, we compared days with heat alerts to days without heat alerts, matched on daily maximum heat index and month. We used conditional Poisson regression models stratified on county, adjusting for year, day of week, federal holidays, and lagged daily maximum heat index. RESULTS We identified a matched non-heat alert day for 92,029 heat alert days in 2,817 counties, or 54.6% of all heat alert days during the study period. Contrary to expectations, heat alerts were not associated with lower risk of mortality (RR: 1.005 [95% CI: 0.997, 1.013]). However, heat alerts were associated with higher risk of hospitalization for fluid and electrolyte disorders (RR: 1.040 [95% CI: 1.015, 1.065]) and heat stroke (RR: 1.094 [95% CI: 1.038, 1.152]). Results were similar in sensitivity analyses additionally adjusting for same-day heat index, ozone, and PM2.5. CONCLUSIONS Our results suggest that heat alerts are not associated with lower risk of mortality but may be associated with higher rates of hospitalization for fluid and electrolyte disorders and heat stroke, potentially suggesting that heat alerts lead more individuals to seek or access care.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kate R Weinberger
- School of Population and Public Health, University of British Columbia, 2206 East Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z3, Canada.
| | - Xiao Wu
- Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, 677 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Shengzhi Sun
- Boston University School of Public Health, 715 Albany Street, Boston, MA 02118, USA
| | - Keith R Spangler
- Boston University School of Public Health, 715 Albany Street, Boston, MA 02118, USA
| | - Amruta Nori-Sarma
- Boston University School of Public Health, 715 Albany Street, Boston, MA 02118, USA
| | - Joel Schwartz
- Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, 677 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Weeberb Requia
- School of Public Policy and Government, Fundação Getúlio Vargas, Brasilia, SGAN (Setor de Grandes Áreas Norte) Quadra 602 - Módulos A, B e C - Asa Norte, Brasilia, DF 70830-051, Brasil
| | - Benjamin M Sabath
- Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, 677 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Danielle Braun
- Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, 677 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Data Science, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, 450 Brookline Avenue, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Antonella Zanobetti
- Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, 677 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Francesca Dominici
- Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, 677 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Gregory A Wellenius
- Boston University School of Public Health, 715 Albany Street, Boston, MA 02118, USA
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Smargiassi A, Plante C, Morency P, Hatzopoulou M, Morency C, Eluru N, Tétreault LF, Goudreau S, Bourbonnais PL, Bhowmik T, Shekarrizfard M, Chandra Iraganaboina N, Requia W. Environmental and health impacts of transportation and land use scenarios in 2061. Environ Res 2020; 187:109622. [PMID: 32416356 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2020.109622] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2019] [Revised: 04/26/2020] [Accepted: 04/29/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
We compared numbers of trips and distances by transport mode, air pollution and health impacts of a Business As Usual (BAU) and an Ideal scenario with urban densification and reductions in car share (76%-62% in suburbs; 55%-34% in urban areas) for the Greater Montreal (Canada) for 2061. We estimated the population in 87 municipalities using a demographic model and population projections. Year 2031 (Y2031) trips (from mode choice modeling) and distances were used to estimate those of Y2061. Emissions of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and carbon dioxide (CO2) were estimated and NO2 used with dispersion modeling to estimate concentrations. Walking and Public Transit (PT) use and corresponding distances walked in Y2061 were >70% higher for the Ideal scenario vs the BAU, while car share and distances were <40% lower. NO2 levels were slightly lower in the Ideal scenario vs the BAU, but always higher in the urban core. Health impacts, summarized with disability adjusted life years (DALY), differed between urban and suburb areas but globally, the Ideal scenario reduced the impacts of the Y2061 BAU by 33% DALY. Percentages of car and PT trips were similar for the Y2031 and Y2061 BAU but kms travelled by car, CO2 and NO2 increased, due to increased populations. Drastic measures to decrease car share appear necessary to substantially reduce impacts of transportation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Audrey Smargiassi
- School of Public Health, Centre of Public Health Research, University of Montreal and CIUSSS du Centre-Sud-de-l'Île-de-Montréal, Quebec, H3T 1A8, Canada; Quebec Institute of Public Health, Quebec, H2P 1E2, Canada.
| | - Céline Plante
- Montreal Department of Public Health, Quebec, H2L 1M3, Canada
| | - Patrick Morency
- School of Public Health, Centre of Public Health Research, University of Montreal and CIUSSS du Centre-Sud-de-l'Île-de-Montréal, Quebec, H3T 1A8, Canada; Montreal Department of Public Health, Quebec, H2L 1M3, Canada
| | | | - Catherine Morency
- Département des Génies Civil, Géologique et des Mines, École Polytechnique de Montréal, Quebec, H3T 1J4, Canada
| | - Naveen Eluru
- Department of Civil, Environmental and Construction Engineering, University of Central, Florida, 32816, USA
| | | | - Sophie Goudreau
- Montreal Department of Public Health, Quebec, H2L 1M3, Canada
| | - Pierre Leo Bourbonnais
- Département des Génies Civil, Géologique et des Mines, École Polytechnique de Montréal, Quebec, H3T 1J4, Canada
| | - Tanmoy Bhowmik
- Department of Civil, Environmental and Construction Engineering, University of Central, Florida, 32816, USA
| | | | | | - Weeberb Requia
- School of Public Health, Centre of Public Health Research, University of Montreal and CIUSSS du Centre-Sud-de-l'Île-de-Montréal, Quebec, H3T 1A8, Canada; School of Public Policy and Government, Fundação Getúlio Vargas Brasília, Distrito Federal, Brazil
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Vieira CLZ, Koutrakis P, Huang S, Grady S, Hart JE, Coull BA, Laden F, Requia W, Schwartz J, Garshick E. Short-term effects of particle gamma radiation activities on pulmonary function in COPD patients. Environ Res 2019; 175:221-227. [PMID: 31146094 PMCID: PMC6609300 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2019.05.032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2019] [Revised: 05/07/2019] [Accepted: 05/17/2019] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND It is not known whether environmental gamma radiation measured in US cities has detectable adverse health effects. We assessed whether short-term exposure to gamma radiation emitted from ambient air particles [gamma particle activity (PRγ)] is associated with reduced pulmonary function in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients. OBJECTIVE We hypothesize that the inhalation of gamma radiation emitted from ambient air particles may be associated with reduced pulmonary function in individuals with COPD. METHODS In 125 patients with COPD from Eastern Massachusetts who had up to 4 seasonal one-week assessments of particulate matter ≤2.5 μm (PM2.5), black carbon (BC), and sulfur followed by spirometry. The US EPA continuously monitors ambient gamma (γ) radiation including γ released from radionuclides attached to particulate matter that is recorded as 9 γ-energy spectra classes (i = 3-9) in counts per minute (CPMγ) in the Boston area (USA). We analyzed the associations between ambient and indoor PRγi (up to one week) and pre and post-bronchodilator (BD) forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) and with forced vital capacity (FVC) using mixed-effects regression models. We estimated indoor PRγi using the ratio of the indoor-to-outdoor sulfur in PM2.5 as a proxy for infiltration of ambient radionuclide-associated particles. RESULTS Overall, exposures to ambient and indoor PRγi were associated with a similar decrease in pre- and post-BD FEV1 and FVC. For example, ambient PRγ3 exposure averaged from the day of pulmonary function testing through the previous 3 days [IQR of 55.1 counts per minute (CPMγ)] was associated with a decrease in pre-BD FEV1 of 21.0 ml (95%CI: -38.5 to -3.0 ml; p < 0.01) and pre-BD FVC of 27.5 ml [95% confidence interval (CI): -50.7 to -5.0 ml; p < 0.01] with similar effects adjusting for indoor and outdoor BC and PM2.5. CONCLUSION Our results show that short-term ambient and indoor exposures to environmental gamma radiation associated with particulate matter are associated with reduced pre- and post-BD pulmonary function in patients with COPD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolina L Z Vieira
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - Petros Koutrakis
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Shaodan Huang
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Stephanie Grady
- Channing Division of Network Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Research and Development Service, VA Boston Health Care System, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Jaime E Hart
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA; Channing Division of Network Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Brent A Coull
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Biostatistics, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Francine Laden
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA; Channing Division of Network Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Weeberb Requia
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Joel Schwartz
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA; Channing Division of Network Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Eric Garshick
- Pulmonary, Allergy, Sleep and Critical Care Medicine Section, VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA, USA; Channing Division of Network Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
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