scholarly journals Acute and chronic exposure to air pollution in relation with incidence, prevalence, severity and mortality of COVID-19: a rapid systematic review

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick D. M. C. Katoto ◽  
Amanda S. Brand ◽  
Buket Bakan ◽  
Paul Musa Obadia ◽  
Carsi Kuhangana ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Chronic Exposure ◽  
Ambient Air ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Incidence And Mortality ◽  
Acute And Chronic Exposure ◽  
Anthropogenic Pollutant ◽  
Incident Cases ◽  
Incidence Prevalence

Abstract Background Air pollution is one of the world’s leading mortality risk factors contributing to seven million deaths annually. COVID-19 pandemic has claimed about one million deaths in less than a year. However, it is unclear whether exposure to acute and chronic air pollution influences the COVID-19 epidemiologic curve. Methods We searched for relevant studies listed in six electronic databases between December 2019 and September 2020. We applied no language or publication status limits. Studies presented as original articles, studies that assessed risk, incidence, prevalence, or lethality of COVID-19 in relation with exposure to either short-term or long-term exposure to ambient air pollution were included. All patients regardless of age, sex and location diagnosed as having COVID-19 of any severity were taken into consideration. We synthesised results using harvest plots based on effect direction. Results Included studies were cross-sectional (n = 10), retrospective cohorts (n = 9), ecological (n = 6 of which two were time-series) and hypothesis (n = 1). Of these studies, 52 and 48% assessed the effect of short-term and long-term pollutant exposure, respectively and one evaluated both. Pollutants mostly studied were PM2.5 (64%), NO2 (50%), PM10 (43%) and O3 (29%) for acute effects and PM2.5 (85%), NO2 (39%) and O3 (23%) then PM10 (15%) for chronic effects. Most assessed COVID-19 outcomes were incidence and mortality rate. Acutely, pollutants independently associated with COVID-19 incidence and mortality were first PM2.5 then PM10, NO2 and O3 (only for incident cases). Chronically, similar relationships were found for PM2.5 and NO2. High overall risk of bias judgments (86 and 39% in short-term and long-term exposure studies, respectively) was predominantly due to a failure to adjust aggregated data for important confounders, and to a lesser extent because of a lack of comparative analysis. Conclusion The body of evidence indicates that both acute and chronic exposure to air pollution can affect COVID-19 epidemiology. The evidence is unclear for acute exposure due to a higher level of bias in existing studies as compared to moderate evidence with chronic exposure. Public health interventions that help minimize anthropogenic pollutant source and socio-economic injustice/disparities may reduce the planetary threat posed by both COVID-19 and air pollution pandemics.

P–736 Elevated levels of ambient air pollutants increase the primary sex ratio in human embryos

2021 ◽  
Vol 36 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
M Maluf ◽  
M Malu. Perin ◽  
P O Malu. Perin ◽  
P Perin
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Sex Ratio ◽  
Air Pollutants ◽  
Ambient Air ◽  
Outdoor Air ◽  
Exposure Risk ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Primary Sex Ratio ◽  
Short Term Exposure

Abstract Study question Are there any associations between ambient outdoor air pollution and the primary sex ratio (PSR)? Summary answer Short-term exposure to increased PM10, PM2.5 and NO2 levels were significantly associated with higher PSR. What is known already PSR estimates represent a backward extrapolation from data based on spontaneous or induced abortions, fetal deaths or live births and are usually male-biased. A recent study, analyzing 3- to 6-day-old embryos derived from assisted reproductive technology (ART) procedures, showed that the sex ratio at conception is unbiased (0.5). Epidemiologic studies of air pollution on secondary (birth) sex ratio showed that higher levels of particulate pollution were associated with increased rates of female birth. However, a direct association between urban levels of air pollutants and PSR has not been reported. Study design, size, duration A retrospective cohort study was carried out to assess the impact of long- or short-term exposure to six ambient outdoor air pollutants (particulate matter, PM10µm and PM2.5µm; SO2; CO; NO2; O3) on PSR (XY/XX) of couples undergoing their first IVF cycle for preimplantation genetic screening (N = 337). Data was from fixed air quality monitoring stations across the city between January 2014 and December 2018. Embryos with sex chromosome abnormalities were excluded from the analysis. Participants/materials, setting, methods Average concentrations of the pollutants for the 90 (long-term exposure) and 15 days (short-term exposure) predating oocyte retrieval represented the exposures of interest. Pollutant levels were categorized into quartiles (Q1 to Q4) and exposure risk was divided into two periods in which average concentrations and confidence intervals for the pollutants were in the upper quartile (Q4 period) or not (Q1-Q3 period). The strength association between exposure risk and PSR was performed through analysis of covariance. Main results and the role of chance The estimated means of PM10, PM2.5, SO2, NO2, O3 and CO for Q1-Q3/Q4 periods were 27.7/39.3, 16.7/23.7, 2.5/3.9, 37.0/46.4, 32.2/45.3 µg/m3 and 0.64/0.87 ppm and 26.3/43.0, 16.0/26.3, 2.4/4.2, 36.5/47.8, 31.7/50.4 µg/m3 and 0.62/0.90 ppm for long- and short-term exposures, respectively. PM10, PM2.5 and NO2 levels in the Q4 period had significantly higher PSR (138.1, 134.0 and 137.6) when compared to Q1-Q3 period (94.4, 98.1 and 96.4) for the short-term exposure (p = 0.0193; p = 0.0439; p = 0.0180, respectively). PM10, PM2.5, SO2, NO2 and CO levels in the Q4 and Q1-Q3 periods for the long-term exposure showed no significant effect on PSR. Contrastingly, O3 levels in the Q4 period had significantly lower PSR (82.6) when compared to Q1-Q3 (115.9) for the long-term exposure (p = 0.0202). A monotonic increase in PSR was observed with increased PM10 concentration in the Q4 period for the short-term exposure (F-ratio: 4.4476; p = 0.0352). Limitations, reasons for caution Some limitations of the study should be underlined, such as its retrospective nature, exposure assessment based on pollutant levels derived from a network average across city sites, and limited extrapolation of the results to the general population. Wider implications of the findings: Our data suggest that short-term exposure to environmental factors could affect the primary sex ratio in polluted seasons or cities. A monotonic effect on PSR in the case of exposure to increasing PM10 levels was identified. Trial registration number Not applicable

scholarly journals Long-term Exposures to Air Pollutants Affect FeNO in Children: A Longitudinal Study

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yue Zhang ◽  
Sandrah P. Eckel ◽  
Kiros Berhane ◽  
Erika Garcia ◽  
Patrick Muchmore ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Air Pollutants ◽  
Ambient Air ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Annual Average ◽  
Respiratory Effects ◽  
Early Marker ◽  
New Evidence ◽  
Short Term Effects

ABSTRACTFractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) is a marker of airway inflammation shown to be responsive to short-term air pollution exposures; however, effects of long-term exposures are uncertain. Using longitudinal assessments of FeNO and air pollutant exposures, we aimed to determine whether FeNO is a marker for chronic effects of air pollution exposures after accounting for short-term exposures effects.FeNO was assessed up to six times 2004-2012 in 3607 schoolchildren from 12 communities in the Southern California Children’s Health Study. Within-community long-term ambient air pollution exposures (PM2.5, PM10, NO2, O3) were represented by differences between community-specific annual averages and the eight-year average spanning the study period. Linear mixed-effect models estimated within-participant associations of annual average air pollution with current FeNO, controlling for previous FeNO, prior seven-day average pollution, potential confounders, and community-level random intercepts. We considered effect modification by sex, ethnicity, asthma, and allergy at baseline.We found FeNO was positively associated with annual average air pollution, after accounting for short-term exposures. One standard deviation higher annual PM2.5 and NO2 exposures (PM2.5:2.0 μg/m3 ; NO2:2.7 ppb) were associated, respectively, with 4.6% (95%CI:2.3%-6.8%) and 6.5% (95%CI:4.1%-8.9%) higher FeNO. These associations were larger among females. We found little evidence supporting association with PM10 or O3.Annual average PM2.5 and NO2 levels were associated with FeNO in schoolchildren, adding new evidence that long-term exposure affects FeNO beyond the well-documented short-term effects. Longitudinal FeNO measurements may be useful as an early marker of chronic respiratory effects of long-term PM2.5 and NO2 exposures in children.Key messagesWe show strong evidence that long-term exposures to air pollutants affect FeNO, independent of the well-documented associations with short-term exposures to air pollutionLongitudinal FeNO measurements may be useful as an early marker of chronic respiratory effects of long-term air pollution exposures in children.Capsule summaryAnnual average PM2.5 and NO2 were associated with FeNO in schoolchildren, adding new evidence that long-term exposure affects FeNO beyond the well-documented short-term effects.

scholarly journals Effects of Ambient Air Pollution on Blood Pressure Among Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miao Huang ◽  
Jingyuan Chen ◽  
Yiping Yang ◽  
Hong Yuan ◽  
Zhijun Huang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Blood Pressure ◽  
Air Pollution ◽  
Children And Adolescents ◽  
Air Pollutants ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Ambient Air ◽  
Ambient Air Pollution ◽  
Short Term

Background Previous studies have investigated the association of ambient air pollution with blood pressure (BP) in children and adolescents, however, the results are not consistent. We conducted a systematic review and meta‐analysis to assess the relationship between short‐term and long‐term ambient air pollutant exposure with BP values among children and adolescents. Methods and Results We searched PubMed, Web of Science, and Embase before September 6, 2020. Two reviewers independently searched and selected studies, extracted data, and assessed study quality. The studies were divided into groups by composition of air pollutants (NO 2 , particulate matter (PM) with diameter ≤10 μm or ≤2.5 μm) and length of exposure. The beta regression coefficients (β) and their 95% CIs were calculated to evaluate the strength of the effect with each 10 μg/m 3 increase in air pollutants. Out of 36 650 articles, 14 articles were included in this meta‐analysis. The meta‐analysis showed short‐term exposure to PM with diameter ≤10 μm (β=0.267; 95% CI, 0.033‒0.501) was significantly associated with elevated systolic BP values. In addition, long‐term exposure to PM with diameter ≤2.5 μm (β=1.809; 95% CI, 0.962‒2.655), PM with diameter ≤10 μm (β=0.526; 95% CI, 0.095‒0.958), and NO 2 (β=0.754; 95% CI, 0.541‒0.968) were associated with systolic BP values and long‐term exposure to PM with diameter ≤2.5 μm (β=0.931; 95% CI, 0.157‒1.705), and PM with diameter ≤10 μm (β=0.378; 95% CI, 0.022‒0.735) was associated with diastolic BP. Conclusions Our study indicates that both short‐term and long‐term exposure to some ambient air pollutants may increase BP values among children and adolescents.

scholarly journals Chronic effects of air pollution on lung function after lung transplantation in the Systems prediction of Chronic Lung Allograft Dysfunction (SysCLAD) study

2016 ◽  
Vol 49 (1) ◽  
pp. 1600206 ◽  
Author(s):  
Meriem Benmerad ◽  
Rémy Slama ◽  
Karine Botturi ◽  
Johanna Claustre ◽  
Antoine Roux ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Lung Function ◽  
Lung Transplantation ◽  
Air Pollutants ◽  
Chronic Exposure ◽  
Ambient Air ◽  
Forced Expiratory Volume ◽  
Ambient Air Pollution ◽  
Lung Transplant Recipients

An irreversible loss in lung function limits the long-term success in lung transplantation. We evaluated the role of chronic exposure to ambient air pollution on lung function levels in lung transplant recipients (LTRs).The lung function of 520 LTRs from the Cohort in Lung Transplantation (COLT) study was measured every 6 months. The levels of air pollutants (nitrogen dioxide (NO2), particulate matter with an aerodynamic cut-off diameter of x µm (PMx) and ozone (O3)) at the patients' home address were averaged in the 12 months before each spirometry test. The effects of air pollutants on forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) and forced vital capacity (FVC) in % predicted were estimated using mixed linear regressions. We assessed the effect modification of macrolide antibiotics in this relationship.Increased 12-month levels of pollutants were associated with lower levels of FVC % pred (−2.56%, 95% CI −3.86–−1.25 for 5 µg·m−3of PM10; −0.75%, 95% CI −1.38–−0.12 for 2 µg·m−3of PM2.5and −2.58%, 95% CI −4.63–−0.53 for 10 µg·m−3of NO2). In patients not taking macrolides, the deleterious association between PM and FVC tended to be stronger and PM10was associated with lower FEV1.Our study suggests a deleterious effect of chronic exposure to air pollutants on lung function levels in LTRs, which might be modified with macrolides.

P-736 Elevated levels of ambient air pollutants increase the primary sex ratio in human embryos

2021 ◽  
Vol 36 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
M Maluf ◽  
M Maluf Perin ◽  
P O Maluf Perin ◽  
P Perin
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Sex Ratio ◽  
Air Pollutants ◽  
Ambient Air ◽  
Outdoor Air ◽  
Exposure Risk ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Primary Sex Ratio ◽  
Short Term Exposure

Abstract Study question Are there any associations between ambient outdoor air pollution and the primary sex ratio (PSR)? Summary answer Short-term exposure to increased PM10, PM2.5 and NO2 levels were significantly associated with higher PSR. What is known already PSR estimates represent a backward extrapolation from data based on spontaneous or induced abortions, fetal deaths or live births and are usually male-biased. A recent study, analyzing 3- to 6-day-old embryos derived from assisted reproductive technology (ART) procedures, showed that the sex ratio at conception is unbiased (0.5). Epidemiologic studies of air pollution on secondary (birth) sex ratio showed that higher levels of particulate pollution were associated with increased rates of female birth. However, a direct association between urban levels of air pollutants and PSR has not been reported. Study design, size, duration A retrospective cohort study was carried out to assess the impact of long- or short-term exposure to six ambient outdoor air pollutants (particulate matter, PM10µm and PM2.5µm; SO2; CO; NO2; O3) on PSR (XY/XX) of couples undergoing their first IVF cycle for preimplantation genetic screening (N = 337). Data was from fixed air quality monitoring stations across the city between January 2014 and December 2018. Embryos with sex chromosome abnormalities were excluded from the analysis. Participants/materials, setting, methods Average concentrations of the pollutants for the 90 (long-term exposure) and 15 days (short-term exposure) predating oocyte retrieval represented the exposures of interest. Pollutant levels were categorized into quartiles (Q1 to Q4) and exposure risk was divided into two periods in which average concentrations and confidence intervals for the pollutants were in the upper quartile (Q4 period) or not (Q1-Q3 period). The strength association between exposure risk and PSR was performed through analysis of covariance. Main results and the role of chance The estimated means of PM10, PM2.5, SO2, NO2, O3 and CO for Q1-Q3/Q4 periods were 27.7/39.3, 16.7/23.7, 2.5/3.9, 37.0/46.4, 32.2/45.3 µg/m3 and 0.64/0.87 ppm and 26.3/43.0, 16.0/26.3, 2.4/4.2, 36.5/47.8, 31.7/50.4 µg/m3 and 0.62/0.90 ppm for long- and short-term exposures, respectively. PM10, PM2.5 and NO2 levels in the Q4 period had significantly higher PSR (138.1, 134.0 and 137.6) when compared to Q1-Q3 period (94.4, 98.1 and 96.4) for the short-term exposure (p = 0.0193; p = 0.0439; p = 0.0180, respectively). PM10, PM2.5, SO2, NO2 and CO levels in the Q4 and Q1-Q3 periods for the long-term exposure showed no significant effect on PSR. Contrastingly, O3 levels in the Q4 period had significantly lower PSR (82.6) when compared to Q1-Q3 (115.9) for the long-term exposure (p = 0.0202). A monotonic increase in PSR was observed with increased PM10 concentration in the Q4 period for the short-term exposure (F-ratio: 4.4476; p = 0.0352). Limitations, reasons for caution Some limitations of the study should be underlined, such as its retrospective nature, exposure assessment based on pollutant levels derived from a network average across city sites, and limited extrapolation of the results to the general population. Wider implications of the findings Our data suggest that short-term exposure to environmental factors could affect the primary sex ratio in polluted seasons or cities. A monotonic effect on PSR in the case of exposure to increasing PM10 levels was identified. Trial registration number Not applicable

scholarly journals Monetizing the Burden of Childhood Asthma Due to Traffic Related Air Pollution in the Contiguous United States in 2010

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (15) ◽  
pp. 7864
Author(s):  
Minaal Farrukh ◽  
Haneen Khreis
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Air Pollution ◽  
Economic Impact ◽  
Childhood Asthma ◽  
Ambient Air ◽  
The United States ◽  
The State ◽  
Cost Calculation ◽  
Cost Burden ◽  
Incident Cases

Background: Traffic-related air pollution (TRAP) refers to the wide range of air pollutants emitted by traffic that are dispersed into the ambient air. Emerging evidence shows that TRAP can increase asthma incidence in children. Living with asthma can carry a huge financial burden for individuals and families due to direct and indirect medical expenses, which can include costs of hospitalization, medical visits, medication, missed school days, and loss of wages from missed workdays for caregivers. Objective: The objective of this paper is to estimate the economic impact of childhood asthma incident cases attributable to nitrogen dioxide (NO2), a common traffic-related air pollutant in urban areas, in the United States at the state level. Methods: We calculate the direct and indirect costs of childhood asthma incident cases attributable to NO2 using previously published burden of disease estimates and per person asthma cost estimates. By multiplying the per person indirect and direct costs for each state with the NO2-attributable asthma incident cases in each state, we were able to estimate the total cost of childhood asthma cases attributable to NO2 in the United States. Results: The cost calculation estimates the total direct and indirect annual cost of childhood asthma cases attributable to NO2 in the year 2010 to be $178,900,138.989 (95% CI: $101,019,728.20–$256,980,126.65). The state with the highest cost burden is California with $24,501,859.84 (95% CI: $10,020,182.62–$38,982,261.250), and the state with the lowest cost burden is Montana with $88,880.12 (95% CI: $33,491.06–$144,269.18). Conclusion: This study estimates the annual costs of childhood asthma incident cases attributable to NO2 and demonstrates the importance of conducting economic impacts studies of TRAP. It is important for policy-making institutions to focus on this problem by advocating and supporting more studies on TRAP’s impact on the national economy and health, including these economic impact estimates in the decision-making process, and devising mitigation strategies to reduce TRAP and the population’s exposure.

scholarly journals Systemic Inflammation (C-Reactive Protein) in Older Chinese Adults Is Associated with Long-Term Exposure to Ambient Air Pollution

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (6) ◽  
pp. 3258
Author(s):  
Mona Elbarbary ◽  
Artem Oganesyan ◽  
Trenton Honda ◽  
Geoffrey Morgan ◽  
Yuming Guo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Systemic Inflammation ◽  
Ambient Air ◽  
Ambient Air Pollution ◽  
Chinese Adults ◽  
Reactive Protein ◽  
Hs Crp ◽  
Older Chinese ◽  
Older Chinese Adults

There is an established association between air pollution and cardiovascular disease (CVD), which is likely to be mediated by systemic inflammation. The present study evaluated links between long-term exposure to ambient air pollution and high-sensitivity C reactive protein (hs-CRP) in an older Chinese adult cohort (n = 7915) enrolled in the World Health Organization (WHO) study on global aging and adult health (SAGE) China Wave 1 in 2008–2010. Multilevel linear and logistic regression models were used to assess the associations of particulate matter (PM) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) on log-transformed hs-CRP levels and odds ratios of CVD risk derived from CRP levels adjusted for confounders. A satellite-based spatial statistical model was applied to estimate the average community exposure to outdoor air pollutants (PM with an aerodynamic diameter of 10 μm or less (PM10), 2.5 μm or less (PM2.5), and 1 μm or less (PM1) and NO2) for each participant of the study. hs-CRP levels were drawn from dried blood spots of each participant. Each 10 μg/m3 increment in PM10, PM2.5, PM1, and NO2 was associated with 12.8% (95% confidence interval; (CI): 9.1, 16.6), 15.7% (95% CI: 10.9, 20.8), 10.2% (95% CI: 7.3, 13.2), and 11.8% (95% CI: 7.9, 15.8) higher serum levels of hs-CRP, respectively. Our findings suggest that air pollution may be an important factor in increasing systemic inflammation in older Chinese adults.

scholarly journals The Impact of Short-Term Exposure to Air Pollution on the Exhaled Breath of Healthy Adults

Sensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (7) ◽  
pp. 2518
Author(s):  
Ariana Lammers ◽  
Anne H. Neerincx ◽  
Susanne J. H. Vijverberg ◽  
Cristina Longo ◽  
Nicole A. H. Janssen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Ambient Air ◽  
Healthy Adults ◽  
Partial Least Square ◽  
Exhaled Breath ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Post Exposure ◽  
Short Term Exposure ◽  
Validation Set ◽  
The Impact

Environmental factors, such as air pollution, can affect the composition of exhaled breath, and should be well understood before biomarkers in exhaled breath can be used in clinical practice. Our objective was to investigate whether short-term exposures to air pollution can be detected in the exhaled breath profile of healthy adults. In this study, 20 healthy young adults were exposed 2–4 times to the ambient air near a major airport and two highways. Before and after each 5 h exposure, exhaled breath was analyzed using an electronic nose (eNose) consisting of seven different cross-reactive metal-oxide sensors. The discrimination between pre and post-exposure was investigated with multilevel partial least square discriminant analysis (PLSDA), followed by linear discriminant and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis, for all data (71 visits), and for a training (51 visits) and validation set (20 visits). Using all eNose measurements and the training set, discrimination between pre and post-exposure resulted in an area under the ROC curve of 0.83 (95% CI = 0.76–0.89) and 0.84 (95% CI = 0.75–0.92), whereas it decreased to 0.66 (95% CI = 0.48–0.84) in the validation set. Short-term exposure to high levels of air pollution potentially influences the exhaled breath profiles of healthy adults, however, the effects may be minimal for regular daily exposures.

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