Acute Diesel Exhaust Exposure Causes a Delayed Reduction in Cognitive Control

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Faherty ◽  
Juana Maria Delgado-Saborit ◽  
Rami Alfarra ◽  
Angus R MacKenzie ◽  
Gordon McFiggans ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Young Adults ◽  
Cognitive Control ◽  
Diesel Exhaust ◽  
Social Contexts ◽  
Attention Task ◽  
Air Exposure ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Clean Air ◽  
Pollution Exposure

Abstract Urban residents are frequently exposed to high levels of traffic-derived air pollution for short time periods, often (but not exclusively) during commuting. Although chronic air pollution exposure and health effects, including neurological effects on children and older adults, are known to be correlated, causal effects of acute pollution exposure on brain function in healthy young adults remain sparsely investigated. Neuroinflammatory accounts suggest effects could be delayed by several hours and could affect attention, especially in social contexts. Using a controlled atmosphere chamber, we exposed 81 healthy young adults to either diluted diesel exhaust (equivalent to polluted roadside environments) or clean air for one hour. Half of each group immediately completed a selective attention task to assess cognitive control; remaining participants completed the task after a 4-hour delay. Cognitive control was significantly poorer after diesel versus clean air exposure for those in the delay but not immediate test condition, suggesting an inflammatory basis for this acute negative effect of air pollution on cognition. These findings provide the first experimental evidence that acute diesel exposure, comparable to polluted city streets, causes a negative effect on cognitive control several hours later. These findings may explain commuter mental fatigue and support clean-air initiatives.

scholarly journals Particulate matter air pollution offsets ozone damage to global crop production

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luke D. Schiferl ◽  
Colette L. Heald
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Particulate Matter ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Surface Ozone ◽  
Diffuse Radiation ◽  
Environmental Pressures ◽  
Global Food Security ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Pollution Exposure

Abstract. Ensuring global food security requires a comprehensive understanding of environmental pressures on food production, including the impacts of air quality. Surface ozone damages plants and decreases crop production; this effect has been extensively studied. In contrast, the presence of particulate matter (PM) in the atmosphere can be beneficial to crops given that enhanced light scattering leads to a more even and efficient distribution of photons which can outweigh total incoming radiation loss. This study quantifies the impacts of ozone and PM on the global production of maize, rice, and wheat in 2010 and 2050. We show that accounting for the growing season of these crops is an important factor in determining their air pollution exposure. We find that the effect of PM can offset much, if not all, of the reduction in yield associated with ozone damage. Assuming maximum sensitivity to PM, the current (2010) global net impact of air quality on crop production is positive (+6.0 %, +0.5 %, and +4.9 % for maize, wheat, and rice, respectively). Future emissions scenarios indicate that attempts to improve air quality can result in a net negative effect on crop production in areas dominated by the PM effect. However, we caution that the uncertainty in this assessment is large due to the uncertainty associated with crop response to changes in diffuse radiation; this highlights that more detailed physiological study of this response for common cultivars is crucial.

scholarly journals Particulate matter air pollution may offset ozone damage to global crop production

2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (8) ◽  
pp. 5953-5966 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luke D. Schiferl ◽  
Colette L. Heald
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Particulate Matter ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Surface Ozone ◽  
Diffuse Radiation ◽  
Environmental Pressures ◽  
Global Food Security ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Pollution Exposure

Abstract. Ensuring global food security requires a comprehensive understanding of environmental pressures on food production, including the impacts of air quality. Surface ozone damages plants and decreases crop production; this effect has been extensively studied. In contrast, the presence of particulate matter (PM) in the atmosphere can be beneficial to crops given that enhanced light scattering leads to a more even and efficient distribution of photons which can outweigh total incoming radiation loss. This study quantifies the impacts of ozone and PM on the global production of maize, rice, and wheat in 2010 and 2050. We show that accounting for the growing season of these crops is an important factor in determining their air pollution exposure. We find that the effect of PM can offset much, if not all, of the reduction in yield associated with ozone damage. Assuming maximum sensitivity to PM, the current (2010) global net impact of air quality on crop production varies by crop (+5.6, −3.7, and +4.5 % for maize, wheat, and rice, respectively). Future emissions scenarios indicate that attempts to improve air quality can result in a net negative effect on crop production in areas dominated by the PM effect. However, we caution that the uncertainty in this assessment is large, due to the uncertainty associated with crop response to changes in diffuse radiation; this highlights that a more detailed physiological study of this response for common cultivars is crucial.

scholarly journals Prenatal Air Pollution Exposure and Early Cardiovascular Phenotypes in Young Adults

PLoS ONE ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. e0150825 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carrie V. Breton ◽  
Wendy J. Mack ◽  
Jin Yao ◽  
Kiros Berhane ◽  
Milena Amadeus ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Young Adults ◽  
Air Pollution Exposure ◽  
Pollution Exposure

scholarly journals Association of the combined effects of air pollution and changes in physical activity with cardiovascular disease in young adults

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Seong Rae Kim ◽  
Seulggie Choi ◽  
Kyuwoong Kim ◽  
Jooyoung Chang ◽  
Sung Min Kim ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Cardiovascular Disease ◽  
Air Pollution ◽  
Young Adults ◽  
Cardiovascular Health ◽  
Combined Effects ◽  
Cvd Risk ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
High Pollution ◽  
Pollution Exposure

Abstract Aims Little is known about the trade-off between the health benefits of physical activity (PA) and the potential harmful effects of increased exposure to air pollution during outdoor PA. We examined the association of the combined effects of air pollution and changes in PA with cardiovascular disease (CVD) in young adults. Methods and results This nationwide cohort study included 1 469 972 young adults aged 20–39 years. Air pollution exposure was estimated by the annual average cumulative level of particulate matter (PM). PA was calculated as minutes of metabolic equivalent tasks per week (MET-min/week) based on two consecutive health examinations from 2009 to 2012. Compared with the participants exposed to low-to-moderate levels of PM2.5 or PM10 who continuously engaged in ≥1000 MET-min/week of PA, those who decreased their PA from ≥1000 MET-min/week to 1–499 MET-min/week [PM10 adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) 1.22; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.00–1.48] and to 0 MET-min/week (physically inactive; PM10 aHR 1.38; 95% CI 1.07–1.78) had an increased risk of CVD (P for trend <0.01). Among participants exposed to high levels of PM2.5 or PM10, the risk of CVD was elevated with an increase in PA above 1000 MET-min/week. Conclusion Reducing PA may lead to subsequent elevation of CVD risk in young adults exposed to low-to-moderate levels of PM2.5 or PM10, whereas a large increase in PA in a high-pollution environment may adversely affect cardiovascular health.

scholarly journals Acute air pollution exposure alters neutrophils in never-smokers and at-risk humans

2019 ◽  
Vol 55 (4) ◽  
pp. 1901495 ◽  
Author(s):  
Denise J. Wooding ◽  
Min Hyung Ryu ◽  
Hang Li ◽  
Neil E. Alexis ◽  
Olga Pena ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
At Risk ◽  
Air Pollution ◽  
Diesel Exhaust ◽  
Neutrophil Function ◽  
Diesel Exhaust Exposure ◽  
Copd Patients ◽  
At Risk Populations ◽  
Never Smokers ◽  
Pollution Exposure

Outdoor air pollution exposure increases chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) hospitalisations, and may contribute to COPD development. The mechanisms of harm, and the extent to which at-risk populations are more susceptible are not fully understood. Neutrophils are recruited to the lung following diesel exhaust exposure, a model of traffic-related air pollution (TRAP), but their functional role in this response is unknown. The purpose of this controlled human-exposure crossover study was to assess the effects of acute diesel exhaust exposure on neutrophil function in never-smokers and at-risk populations, with support from additional in vitro studies.18 participants, including never-smokers (n=7), ex-smokers (n=4) and mild–moderate COPD patients (n=7), were exposed to diesel exhaust and filtered air for 2 h on separate occasions, and neutrophil function in blood (0 h and 24 h post-exposure) and bronchoalveolar lavage (24 h post-exposure) was assessed.Compared to filtered air, diesel exhaust exposure reduced the proportion of circulating band cells at 0 h, which was exaggerated in COPD patients. Diesel exhaust exposure increased the amount of neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) in the lung across participants. COPD patients had increased peripheral neutrophil activation following diesel exhaust exposure. In vitro, suspended diesel exhaust particles increased the amount of NETs measured in isolated neutrophils. We propose NET formation as a possible mechanism through which TRAP exposure affects airway pathophysiology. In addition, COPD patients may be more prone to an activated inflammatory state following exposure.This is the first controlled human TRAP exposure study directly comparing at-risk phenotypes (COPD and ex-smokers) with lower-risk (never-smokers) participants, elucidating the human susceptibility spectrum.

scholarly journals Near-roadway air pollution exposure and altered fatty acid oxidation among adolescents and young adults – The interplay with obesity

2019 ◽  
Vol 130 ◽  
pp. 104935 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhanghua Chen ◽  
Christopher B. Newgard ◽  
Jeniffer S. Kim ◽  
Olga IIkayeva ◽  
Tanya L. Alderete ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Young Adults ◽  
Fatty Acid ◽  
Fatty Acid Oxidation ◽  
Adolescents And Young Adults ◽  
Acid Oxidation ◽  
Air Pollution Exposure ◽  
Pollution Exposure
Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document