scholarly journals Effects of policy-driven hypothetical air pollutant interventions on childhood asthma incidence in southern California

2019 ◽  
Vol 116 (32) ◽  
pp. 15883-15888 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erika Garcia ◽  
Robert Urman ◽  
Kiros Berhane ◽  
Rob McConnell ◽  
Frank Gilliland
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Air Pollution ◽  
Childhood Asthma ◽  
Southern California ◽  
Health Benefit ◽  
Incidence Rates ◽  
Air Pollutant ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Asthma Incidence ◽  
Pollutant Reduction

Childhood asthma is a major public health concern and has significant adverse impacts on the lives of the children and their families, and on society. There is an emerging link between air pollution, which is ubiquitous in our environment, particularly in urban centers, and incident childhood asthma. Here, using data from 3 successive cohorts recruited from the same 9 communities in southern California over a span of 20 y (1993 to 2014), we estimated asthma incidence using G-computation under hypothetical air pollution exposure scenarios targeting nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and particulate matter <2.5 μm (PM2.5) in separate interventions. We reported comparisons of asthma incidence under each hypothetical air pollution intervention with incidence under the observed natural course of exposure; results that may be more tangible for policymakers compared with risk ratios. Model results indicated that childhood asthma incidence rates would have been statistically significantly higher had the observed reduction in ambient NO2 in southern California not occurred in the 1990s and early 2000s, and asthma incidence rates would have been significantly lower had NO2 been lower than what it was observed to be. For example, compliance with a hypothetical standard of 20 ppb NO2 was estimated to result in 20% lower childhood asthma incidence (95% CI, −27% to −11%) compared with the exposure that actually occurred. The findings for hypothetical PM2.5 interventions, although statistically significant, were smaller in magnitude compared with results for the hypothetical NO2 interventions. Our results suggest a large potential public health benefit of air pollutant reduction in reduced incidence of childhood asthma.

scholarly journals Gender Differences in Association between Air Pollution and Daily Mortality in the Capital of the Green Lungs of Poland–Population-Based Study with 2,953,000 Person-Years of Follow-Up

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (8) ◽  
pp. 2351
Author(s):  
Łukasz Kuźma ◽  
Krzysztof Struniawski ◽  
Szymon Pogorzelski ◽  
Hanna Bachórzewska-Gajewska ◽  
Sławomir Dobrzycki
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Gender Differences ◽  
Air Pollution ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Air Pollutant ◽  
World Health ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Daily Mortality ◽  
Male Population ◽  
The Impact

(1) Introduction: air pollution is considered to be one of the main risk factors for public health. According to the European Environment Agency (EEA), air pollution contributes to the premature deaths of approximately 500,000 citizens of the European Union (EU), including almost 5000 inhabitants of Poland every year. (2) Purpose: to assess the gender differences in the impact of air pollution on the mortality in the population of the city of Bialystok—the capital of the Green Lungs of Poland. (3) Materials and Methods: based on the data from the Central Statistical Office, the number—and causes of death—of Białystok residents in the period 2008–2017 were analyzed. The study utilized the data recorded by the Provincial Inspectorate for Environmental Protection station and the Institute of Meteorology and Water Management during the analysis period. Time series regression with Poisson distribution was used in statistical analysis. (4) Results: A total of 34,005 deaths had been recorded, in which women accounted for 47.5%. The proportion of cardiovascular-related deaths was 48% (n = 16,370). An increase of SO2 concentration by 1-µg/m3 (relative risk (RR) 1.07, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.02–1.12; p = 0.005) and a 10 °C decrease of temperature (RR 1.03, 95% CI 1.01–1.05; p = 0.005) were related to an increase in the number of daily deaths. No gender differences in the impact of air pollution on mortality were observed. In the analysis of the subgroup of cardiovascular deaths, the main pollutant that was found to have an effect on daily mortality was particulate matter with a diameter of 2.5 μm or less (PM2.5); the RR for 10-µg/m3 increase of PM2.5 was 1.07 (95% CI 1.02–1.12; p = 0.01), and this effect was noted only in the male population. (5) Conclusions: air quality and atmospheric conditions had an impact on the mortality of Bialystok residents. The main air pollutant that influenced the mortality rate was SO2, and there were no gender differences in the impact of this pollutant. In the male population, an increased exposure to PM2.5 concentration was associated with significantly higher cardiovascular mortality. These findings suggest that improving air quality, in particular, even with lower SO2 levels than currently allowed by the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines, may benefit public health. Further studies on this topic are needed, but our results bring questions whether the recommendations concerning acceptable concentrations of air pollutants should be stricter, or is there a safe concentration of SO2 in the air at all.

scholarly journals The Establishment of the Household Air Pollution Consortium (HAPCO)

Atmosphere ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 422
Author(s):  
H. Dean Hosgood ◽  
Madelyn Klugman ◽  
Keitaro Matsuo ◽  
Alexandra J. White ◽  
Atsuko Sadakane ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Air Pollution ◽  
Smoking Status ◽  
Household Air Pollution ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Lung Cancer Death ◽  
Specific Effects ◽  
Carcinogenic Potential ◽  
The Us ◽  
Disease Specific Mortality

Household air pollution (HAP) is of public health concern, with ~3 billion people worldwide (including >15 million in the US) exposed. HAP from coal use is a human lung carcinogen, yet the epidemiological evidence on carcinogenicity of HAP from biomass use, primarily wood, is not conclusive. To robustly assess biomass’s carcinogenic potential, prospective studies of individuals experiencing a variety of HAP exposures are needed. We have built a global consortium of 13 prospective cohorts (HAPCO: Household Air Pollution Consortium) that have site- and disease-specific mortality and solid fuel use data, for a combined sample size of 587,257 participants and 57,483 deaths. HAPCO provides a novel opportunity to assess the association of HAP with lung cancer death while controlling for important confounders such as tobacco and outdoor air pollution exposures. HAPCO is also uniquely positioned to determine the risks associated with cancers other than lung as well as nonmalignant respiratory and cardiometabolic outcomes, for which prospective epidemiologic research is limited. HAPCO will facilitate research to address public health concerns associated with HAP-attributed exposures by enabling investigators to evaluate sex-specific and smoking status-specific effects under various exposure scenarios.

scholarly journals The Effects of Air Pollution on COVID-19 Infection and Mortality—A Review on Recent Evidence

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nurshad Ali ◽  
Farjana Islam
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Air Pollution ◽  
Nitrogen Dioxide ◽  
Air Pollutants ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Public Health Concern ◽  
Short Term ◽  
The World ◽  
Harmful Effects

The outbreak of COVID-19 has created a serious public health concern worldwide. Although, most of the regions around the globe have been affected by COVID-19 infections; some regions are more badly affected in terms of infections and fatality rates than others. The exact reasons for such variations are not clear yet. This review discussed the possible effects of air pollution on COVID-19 infections and mortality based on some recent evidence. The findings of most studies reviewed here demonstrate that both short-term and long-term exposure to air pollution especially PM2.5 and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) may contribute significantly to higher rates of COVID-19 infections and mortalities with a lesser extent also PM10. A significant correlation has been found between air pollution and COVID-19 infections and mortality in some countries in the world. The available data also indicate that exposure to air pollution may influence COVID-19 transmission. Moreover, exposure to air pollution may increase vulnerability and have harmful effects on the prognosis of patients affected by COVID-19 infections. Further research should be conducted considering some potential confounders such as age and pre-existing medical conditions along with exposure to NO2, PM2.5 and other air pollutants to confirm their detrimental effects on mortalities from COVID-19.

Air pollution and asthma: how can a public health concern inform the care of individual patients?

2014 ◽  
Vol 113 (4) ◽  
pp. 343-346 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michelle L. North ◽  
Neil E. Alexis ◽  
Anne K. Ellis ◽  
Chris Carlsten
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Air Pollution ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Public Health Concern

scholarly journals Public health air pollution impacts of pathway options to meet the 2050 UK Climate Change Act target: a modelling study

2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (7) ◽  
pp. 1-124
Author(s):  
Martin L Williams ◽  
Sean Beevers ◽  
Nutthida Kitwiroon ◽  
David Dajnak ◽  
Heather Walton ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Climate Change ◽  
Air Pollution ◽  
Great Britain ◽  
Road Transport ◽  
Air Pollutant ◽  
Life Years ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Impact

BackgroundThe UK’sClimate Change Act 2008(CCA; Great Britain.Climate Change Act 2008. Chapter 27. London: The Stationery Office; 2008) requires a reduction of 80% in carbon dioxide-equivalent emissions by 2050 on a 1990 base. This project quantified the impact of air pollution on health from four scenarios involving particulate matter of ≤ 2.5 µm (PM2.5), nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and ozone (O3). Two scenarios met the CCA target: one with limited nuclear power build (nuclear replacement option; NRPO) and one with no policy constraint on nuclear (low greenhouse gas). Another scenario envisaged no further climate actions beyond those already agreed (‘baseline’) and the fourth kept 2011 concentrations constant to 2050 (‘2011’).MethodsThe UK Integrated MARKAL–EFOM System (UKTM) energy system model was used to develop the scenarios and produce projections of fuel use; these were used to produce air pollutant emission inventories for Great Britain (GB) for each scenario. The inventories were then used to run the Community Multiscale Air Quality model ‘air pollution model’ to generate air pollutant concentration maps across GB, which then, combined with relationships between concentrations and health outcomes, were used to calculate the impact on health from the air pollution emitted in each scenario. This is a significant improvement on previous health impact studies of climate policies, which have relied on emissions changes. Inequalities in exposure in different socioeconomic groups were also calculated, as was the economic impact of the pollution emissions.ResultsConcentrations of NO2declined significantly because of a high degree of electrification of the GB road transport fleet, although the NRPO scenario shows large increases in oxides of nitrogen emissions from combined heat and power (CHP) sources. Concentrations of PM2.5show a modest decrease by 2050, which would have been larger if it had not been for a significant increase in biomass (wood burning) use in the two CCA scenarios peaking in 2035. The metric quantifying long-term exposure to O3is projected to decrease, while the important short-term O3exposure metric increases. Large projected increases in future GB vehicle kilometres lead to increased non-exhaust PM2.5and particulate matter of ≤ 10 µm emissions. The two scenarios which achieve the CCA target resulted in more life-years lost from long-term exposures to PM2.5than in the baseline scenario. This is an opportunity lost and arises largely from the increase in biomass use, which is projected to peak in 2035. Reduced long-term exposures to NO2lead to many more life-years saved in the ‘CCA-compliant’ scenarios, but the association used may overestimate the effects of NO2itself. The more deprived populations are estimated currently to be exposed to higher concentrations than those less deprived, the contrast being largest for NO2. Despite reductions in concentrations in 2050, the most socioeconomically deprived are still exposed to higher concentrations than the less deprived.LimitationsModelling of the atmosphere is always uncertain; we have shown the model to be acceptable through comparison with observations. The necessary complexity of the modelling system has meant that only a small number of scenarios were run.ConclusionsWe have established a system which can be used to explore a wider range of climate policy scenarios, including more European and global scenarios as well as local measures. Future work could explore wood burning in more detail, in terms of the sectors in which it might be burned and the spatial distribution of this across the UK. Further analyses of options for CHP could also be explored. Non-exhaust emissions from road transport are an important source of particles and emission factors are uncertain. Further research on this area coupled with our modelling would be a valuable area of research.FundingThe National Institute for Health Research Public Health Research programme.

scholarly journals Associations between ambient air pollution and cancer incidence in Taiwan: an ecological study of geographical variations

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shih-Yung Su ◽  
Yung-Po Liaw ◽  
Jing-Rong Jhuang ◽  
Shu-Yi Hsu ◽  
Chun-Ju Chiang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Particulate Matter ◽  
Cancer Incidence ◽  
Ecological Study ◽  
Correlation Coefficients ◽  
Ambient Air ◽  
Incidence Rates ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Aerodynamic Diameter ◽  
Cancer Incidence Rates

Abstract Background Air pollution is a global public health concern. The World Health Organization has recently set up a goal of saving 7 million people globally by 2030 from air pollution related death. We conducted an ecological study of geographical variation to explore the association between air pollution (specifically, particulate matter <2.5 μm in aerodynamic diameter [PM2.5], particulate matter <10 μm in aerodynamic diameter, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, nitric oxide, and ozone) and cancer incidence in Taiwan, from 2012 to 2016. Methods In this study, the yearly average concentrations of each air pollutant at 75 air quality monitoring stations were calculated, and using the kriging method, the concentrations were extrapolated to each and every geographical central point of 349 local administrative areas of Taiwan. Spearman rank correlation coefficients between the age-adjusted cancer incidence rates and various air pollutants were calculated by stratifying genders and urbanization degrees of the local administrative areas. A total of 70 correlation coefficients were calculated. Results In total, 17 correlation coefficients were significantly positive at an alpha level of 0.05. Among these, four correlation coefficients between the age-adjusted cancer incidence rates and PM2.5 levels remained significant after Bonferroni correction. For men in developing towns, general towns, and aged towns and for women in aged towns, the age-adjusted cancer incidence rates increased 13.1 (95% confidence interval [CI], 8.8–17.6), 11 (95% CI, 5.6–16.4), 16.7 (95% CI, 6.9–26.4), and 11.9 (95% CI, 5.6–18.2) per 100,000 populations, respectively, for every 1 μg/m3 increment in PM2.5 concentrations. Conclusions A significantly positive correlation was observed between the PM2.5 level and cancer incidence rate after multiple testing correction.

scholarly journals Session 1: Allergic disease Nutrition as a potential determinant of asthma

2009 ◽  
Vol 69 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Graham Devereux
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Vitamin D ◽  
Vitamin E ◽  
Childhood Asthma ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Maternal Diet ◽  
Airflow Obstruction ◽  
Vitamin D Supplementation ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Asthma Prevalence

Asthma is characterised by chronic lung airway inflammation, increased airway responsiveness and variable airflow obstruction. In Westernised countries asthma is a public health concern because of its prevalence, associated ill health and high societal and healthcare costs. In recent decades there has been a marked increase in asthma prevalence, particularly in Westernised countries. It has been proposed that changing diet has contributed to the increase in asthma. Several dietary hypotheses exist; the first relates the increase in asthma to declining dietary antioxidant intake, the second to decreased intake of long-chainn-3 PUFA and increasing intake ofn-6 PUFA. Vitamin D supplementation and deficiency have also been hypothesised to have contributed to the increase in asthma. Observational studies have reported associations between asthma and dietary antioxidants (vitamin E, vitamin C, carotenoids, Se, flavonoids, fruit), lipids (PUFA, butter, margarine, fish) and vitamin D. However, supplementing the diets of adults with asthma with antioxidants and lipids has minimal, if any, clinical benefit. There is growing interest in the possibility that childhood asthma is influenced by maternal diet during pregnancy, with studies highlighting associations between childhood asthma and maternal intake of some nutrients (vitamin E, vitamin D, Se, PUFA) during pregnancy. It has been suggested that maternal diet during pregnancy influences fetal airway and/or immune development. Further intervention studies are needed to establish whether modification of maternal nutrient intake during pregnancy can be used as a healthy low-cost public health measure to reduce the prevalence of childhood asthma.

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