scholarly journals Assessment of Health Impact of PM2.5 Exposure by Using WRF-Chem Model in Kathmandu Valley, Nepal

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
Author(s):  
Avalokita Tuladhar ◽  
Palistha Manandhar ◽  
Kundan Lal Shrestha
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Particulate Matter ◽  
Population Distribution ◽  
Atmospheric Condition ◽  
Health Impact ◽  
Health Impacts ◽  
Kathmandu Valley ◽  
Exposure Analysis ◽  
Negative Impacts ◽  
Horizontal Grid

PM2.5 is one of the major air pollutants in Kathmandu Valley, and its emission and the unique atmospheric condition of the valley make it significantly hazardous to human health. The air pollution due to particulate matter is a major health issue with numerous negative impacts on us. This research aims to quantify the health impacts of PM2.5 exposure on the population of Kathmandu Valley. The ambient PM2.5 concentration of Kathmandu Valley was simulated using WRF-Chem model by using a horizontal grid resolution of 3 × 3 km. The concentration obtained from WRF-Chem was used as input in the health equation of an intervention model to quantify the health impacts. This quantitative assessment of atmospheric pollution was applied to evaluate the human exposure to PM2.5 in Kathmandu Valley. PM2.5 concentration and its distribution in the valley along with the ward-wise population distribution were used to find the health impact of the particulate matter in December 2019 in Kathmandu Valley. Exposure analysis using the model showed that 19 people could die due to lung cancer and 175 people could die due to all cause diseases except accidents due to PM2.5 exposure in December 2019. It was estimated that the reduction in the PM2.5 level by half in the valley reduces the monthly mortality by 51.4%. Hence, the exposure analysis of the particulate matter on the urban population could be improved by using air quality models in order to solve the health problems arising from air pollution.

scholarly journals Health and Economic Impacts Assessment of O3 Exposure in Mexico

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (21) ◽  
pp. 11646
Author(s):  
José Texcalac-Sangrador ◽  
Magali Hurtado-Díaz ◽  
Eunice Félix-Arellano ◽  
Carlos Guerrero-López ◽  
Horacio Riojas-Rodríguez
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Economic Valuation ◽  
Ambient Air ◽  
Health Impact ◽  
Ambient Air Pollution ◽  
World Health ◽  
Health Impacts ◽  
Uncertainty Interval ◽  
Avoidable Deaths

Health effects related to exposure to air pollution such as ozone (O3) have been documented. The World Health Organization has recommended the use of the Sum of O3 Means Over 35 ppb (SOMO35) to perform Health Impact Assessments (HIA) for long-term exposure to O3. We estimated the avoidable mortality associated with long-term exposure to tropospheric O3 in 14 cities in Mexico using information for 2015. The economic valuation of avoidable deaths related to SOMO35 exposure was performed using the willingness to pay (WTP) and human capital (HC) approaches. We estimated that 627 deaths (95% uncertainty interval (UI): 227–1051) from respiratory diseases associated with the exposure to O3 would have been avoided in people over 30 years in the study area, which confirms the public health impacts of ambient air pollution. The avoidable deaths account for almost 1400 million USD under the WTP approach, whilst the HC method yielded a lost productivity estimate of 29.7 million USD due to premature deaths. Our findings represent the first evidence of the health impacts of O3 exposure in Mexico, using SOMO35 metrics.

scholarly journals Examination of Air Pollution’s Relationship with COVID-19, Physical and Mental Health

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 137-140
Author(s):  
Hina Islam ◽  
Irfan Sharif Shakoori ◽  
Fauzia Aslam ◽  
Gohar Ashraf ◽  
Hammad Akram
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Particulate Matter ◽  
Air Pollutants ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Health Impacts ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
Adverse Health ◽  
Organ Systems ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Mental Well Being

AbstractAir pollution is a result of natural phenomena or human activities that can cause the release of harmful substances in the environment, leading to adverse health outcomes among living beings. Pollution is associated with adverse health impacts on multiple organ systems among humans. While the respiratory and cardiovascular systems are mainly affected, there are other health issues related to the eyes, skin, brain, blood, immunity, behavioral/mental well-being, and reproduction among exposed individuals. Air pollutants can especially have higher health impacts on people at the extremes of their ages (children and elderly) and on those suffering from underlying respiratory and heart issues. Pollutants such as ozone, sulfur dioxide, particulate matter, and nitrogen dioxide have respiratory effects among children and adults and are associated with increased respiratory diseases, asthma exacerbations, and related hospitalizations. Carbon monoxide interferes with transporting oxygen by forming carboxyhemoglobin leading to cardiovascular, neurological, and respiratory problems. Particulate matter is a heterogeneous mixture of tiny particles of varying compositions found in the atmosphere and has a wide variety of severe health effects. Particulate matter emits from combustion, diesel engines, power generation, and wood-burning, and certain industrial activities. Lead is considered neurotoxic and has more severe consequences among children. Here we summarize characteristics of six criteria air pollutants and associated air quality risk assessment parameters known as the Pollutant Standard Index (PSI). The present manuscript also examines the impact of air pollution on human behavior, mental well-being, and neurological health consequences, as air pollution has been associated with cognitive decline, hyperactivity, dementia, anxiety, depression, aggression, and Alzheimer’s disease-related changes. Lastly, we also attempt to look into any relationship between air pollutants and Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and examine its possible association with a higher COVID-19 incidence, complications, and mortality.

scholarly journals Outdoor air pollution in India is not only an urban problem

2020 ◽  
Vol 117 (46) ◽  
pp. 28640-28644
Author(s):  
A. R. Ravishankara ◽  
Liji M. David ◽  
Jeffrey R. Pierce ◽  
Chandra Venkataraman
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Particulate Matter ◽  
Census Data ◽  
Developing World ◽  
Health Impacts ◽  
Outdoor Air ◽  
Urban Regions ◽  
Outdoor Air Pollution ◽  
Premature Deaths ◽  
Urban Problem

Urban outdoor air pollution in the developing world, mostly due to particulate matter with diameters smaller than 2.5 µm (PM2.5), has been highlighted in recent years. It leads to millions of premature deaths. Outdoor air pollution has also been viewed mostly as an urban problem. We use satellite-derived demarcations to parse India’s population into urban and nonurban regions, which agrees with the census data. We also use the satellite-derived surface PM2.5levels to calculate the health impacts in the urban and nonurban regions. We show that outdoor air pollution is just as severe in nonurban regions as in the urban regions of India, with implications to monitoring, regulations, health, and policy.

scholarly journals Health-Based Approach to Determine Alert and Information Thresholds for Particulate Matter Air Pollution

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 1345
Author(s):  
Łukasz Adamkiewicz ◽  
Katarzyna Maciejewska ◽  
Krzysztof Skotak ◽  
Michal Krzyzanowski ◽  
Artur Badyda ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Particulate Matter ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Hospital Admissions ◽  
Health Impact ◽  
Pm10 Concentration ◽  
Case Scenario ◽  
Potential Health ◽  
Pollution Levels ◽  
Guideline Value

In this study Health Impact Assessment (HIA) methods were used to evaluate potential health benefits related to keeping air pollution levels in Poland under certain threshold concentrations. Impacts of daily mean particulate matter (PM)10 levels on hospital admissions due to cardiovascular and respiratory diseases were considered. Relative risk coefficients were adopted from WHO HRAPIE project. The analyses covered period from 2015 to 2017, and were limited to the heating season (1st and 4th quarter of the year), when the highest PM10 concentrations occur. The national total number of hospital admissions attributed to PM10 concentration exceeding WHO daily Air Quality Guideline value of 50 µg/m3 was calculated for each of the 46 air quality zones established in Poland. We found that the reduction of the attributable hospital admissions by 75% or 50% of that expected for the “best case scenario”, with no days with PM10 concentration exceeding 50 µg/m3 would require avoidance of exceedance by the daily mean PM10 concentration of 64 µg/m3 and 83 µg/m3, respectively. These concentrations were proposed as the information and alert thresholds, respectively. The alert thresholds were exceeded on 2 and 38 days per year in the least and the most polluted zones, respectively. Exceedances of the information thresholds occurred on 6 and 66 days in these zones.

scholarly journals Estimating Health Impacts Due to the Reduction of Particulate Air Pollution from the Household Sector Expected under Various Scenarios

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 272
Author(s):  
Łukasz Adamkiewicz ◽  
Maciej Kryza ◽  
Dominika Mucha ◽  
Małgorzata Werner ◽  
Anna Gayer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Health Impact ◽  
Poor Quality ◽  
Health Impacts ◽  
Particulate Air Pollution ◽  
Household Sector ◽  
Premature Deaths ◽  
Low Emission ◽  
Lower Silesia ◽  
The Eu

Emissions from the household sector are the most significant source of air pollution in Poland, one of the most polluted countries in the EU. Estimated health impacts of the reduction of these emissions under three scenarios are presented. The EMEP4PL model and base year emission inventory were used to estimate average annual PM10 and PM2.5 concentrations with spatial resolution of 4 km × 4 km. The change in emissions under each of the scenarios was based on data from a survey on household boilers and insulation. Scenario 1 included replacement of all poor-quality coal-fired boilers with gas boilers; Scenario 2 included replacement of all poor-quality coal-fired boilers with low-emission boilers but still using solid fuels; and Scenario 3 included the thermal refurbishment of houses with the worst insulation. Impacts on the following health parameters were estimated: premature deaths (PD), Chronic Bronchitis (CB), Bronchitis in Children (BiC) and Work Days Lost (WDL). The concentration–response functions recommended by the WHO HRAPIE project were used. The analysis was conducted for two regions: Lower Silesia and Lodzkie province. The largest reduction of health impact was observed for Scenario 1. For Lower Silesia, the annual PD decreased by 1122 (34.3%), CB by 1516 (26.6%), BiC by 9602 (27.7%) and WDL by 481k (34.7%). For Lodzkie province, the largest impacts were estimated as decreases in PD by 1438 (29.9%), CB by 1502 (25.3%), BiC by 9880 (26.8%) and WDL by 669k (30.4%).

scholarly journals Covid-19 Lockdown in Spring 2020 in France Provided Unexpected Opportunity to Assess Health Impacts of Falls in Air Pollution

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lucie Adélaïde ◽  
Sylvia Medina ◽  
Vérène Wagner ◽  
Perrine de Crouy-Chanel ◽  
Elsa Real ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Significant Risk ◽  
Significant Risk Factor ◽  
Ambient Air ◽  
Health Impact ◽  
Ambient Air Pollution ◽  
Health Impacts ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Pollution Levels

Lockdown measures to limit the spread of Covid-19 in France in spring 2020 sharply reduced activities and lowered air-pollution concentrations. This study sought to determine the short- and long-term impacts on mortality in metropolitan France resulting from the temporary decrease in the population's exposure to air pollution. The reduction in exposure to air pollution was estimated by calculating the difference between modeled exposure of the population during the strict lockdown and the gradual lifting, and the simulated exposure that would have been observed in the absence of lockdown. A quantitative health impact assessment was used to estimate both the short-term impact of PM10 and NO2 reductions, and the long-term impact of PM2.5 and NO2 reductions on mortality. Reduced activities during the lockdown lowered NO2 and PM concentrations, resulting in about 2,300 deaths postponed for PM2.5 and nearly 1,200 for NO2, mainly due to avoided long-term effects. This study shows that, even in an unprecedented context that is certainly neither realistic nor desirable to improve air quality in the long run, public interventions appear to have a significant impact on health through reductions in air-pollution levels. In a long-term perspective, the study also reminds us that the total burden of air pollution on health remains a significant risk factor in France. Efforts to reduce ambient air pollution must thus be pursued sustainably for all sources of air pollution with suitably adapted but ambitious policies. Finally, the lockdown restrictions had other consequences, both positive and negative, on the population's health. These consequences highlight the need to conduct more integrated assessments of health impacts that include the multisectoral consequences of interventions, particularly in terms of population compliance with mitigating restrictions, behavior and mental health and, more broadly, climate change.

scholarly journals Relationship between oral health impacts and personality profiles among orthodontic patients treated with Invisalign clear aligners

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdullah A. Al Nazeh ◽  
Ibrahim Alshahrani ◽  
Serene A. Badran ◽  
Salem Almoammar ◽  
Abdulaziz Alshahrani ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Oral Health ◽  
Orthodontic Treatment ◽  
Clinical Success ◽  
Health Impact ◽  
Health Impacts ◽  
Personality Profiles ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Neo Five Factor Inventory ◽  
Negative Impacts ◽  
Personality Features

AbstractThis within subject clinical experiment assessed oral health impacts before and after Invisalign orthodontic treatment and their relationships with personality characteristics. 50 patients (26 females and 24 males; mean age = 27.62 ± 8.25 years, SE = 1.17, 95% CI = 24.71–29.89 years) were assessed before and after treatment with Invisalign orthodontic treatment. Treatment clinical success was evaluated according defined clinical guidelines. Oral health impacts before and after Invisalign orthodontic treatment were measured via the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP). Personality features were measured via the NEO Five-Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI). Probability of α = .05 was utilized to identify significant findings. Females scored less OHIP scores after treatment (had less negative impacts) in comparison to baseline OHIP scores (t = 3.782, df = 25, P = .001, 95% CI of mean difference = 2.750–9.327). Among males, openness scores (R2 = .911, B = 5.235, 95% CI for B = 0.062–10.407, t = 2.601, P = .048) were able to predict OHIP scores before treatment; meanwhile, extraversion (R2 = .959, B = − 8.224, 95% CI for B = − 14.605–1.843, t = − 3.313, P = .021), openness (R2 = .959, B = 21.795, 95% CI for B = 10.737–32.853, t = 5.067, P = .004), and conscientiousness (R2 = .959, B = 10.293, 95% CI for B = 4.796–15.790, t = 4.813, P = .005) scores were useful to predict OHIP scores after treatment (R2 = .959, P < .05). NEO-FFI scores were not useful to predict OHIP scores before or after treatment among females (P > .05). These findings demonstrate that oral health impacts of Invisalign orthodontic treatment and personality profiles contribution to oral health impacts were different between genders.

scholarly journals Assessing the Impact of Ozone and Particulate Matter on Mortality Rate from Respiratory Disease in Seoul, Korea

Atmosphere ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 685 ◽  
Author(s):  
Park
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Particulate Matter ◽  
Mortality Rate ◽  
Respiratory Disease ◽  
Warning System ◽  
Error Rates ◽  
Health Impacts ◽  
Tree Model ◽  
Method Error ◽  
The Impact

The evidence linking ozone and particulate matter with adverse health impacts is increasing. The goal of this study was to assess the impact of air pollution on the mortality rate from respiratory disease in Seoul, Korea, between 2008 and 2017. The analysis was conducted using a decision tree model in two ways: using 24-hour average concentrations and using 1-hour maximum values to compare any health impacts from the different times of exposure to pollution. Results show that in spring an elevated level of ozone is one of the most important factors, but in summer temperature has a greater impact than air pollution. Nitrogen dioxide is one of the most important factors in fall, while high levels of particles less than 2.5 μm (PM2.5) and 10 μm in size (PM10) and cooler temperatures are key factors in winter. We checked the accuracy of our results through a 10-fold cross validation method. Error rates using 24-hour average and 1-hour maximum concentrations were in the ranges of 24.9%–42% and 27.6%–42%, respectively, indicating that 24-hour average concentrations are slightly more directly related with mortality rate. These results could be useful for policy makers in determining the temporal scale of predicted pollutant concentrations for an air quality warning system to help minimize the adverse impacts of air pollution.

scholarly journals Environmental assessment and health impact assessment

2018 ◽  
pp. 304-311
Author(s):  
Salim Vohra ◽  
Marla Orenstein ◽  
Francesca Viliani ◽  
Ben Cave ◽  
Ben Harris-Roxas ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Impact Assessment ◽  
Community Health ◽  
Environmental Assessment ◽  
Precautionary Principle ◽  
Health Impact Assessment ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Health Impact ◽  
Health Impacts ◽  
Negative Impacts ◽  
New Policies

Systematically and holistically considering the community health impacts of new policies and projects is critical. Impact assessment (IA) is a key component of national, international, and many commercial policy and project development and decision-making processes. Health impact assessment (HIA) and the health component of environmental assessment (health in EA) analyses both the potential positive and negative health impacts of policies and projects. HIA and health in EA by engaging stakeholders and incorporating a range of sources and types of evidence can maximize the positive and minimize the negative impacts. This means that precautionary principle is implicitly or explicitly a part of the IA process. There are a range of significant challenges in applying IAs and in applying the precautionary principle, particularly in the IA process. Public health professionals need to engage in the IA process, in HIAs and in Health in EAs, to protect and promote community health and well-being.

scholarly journals The Italian National Air Pollution Control Programme: Air Quality, Health Impact and Cost Assessment

Atmosphere ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 196
Author(s):  
Antonio Piersanti ◽  
Ilaria D’Elia ◽  
Maurizio Gualtieri ◽  
Gino Briganti ◽  
Andrea Cappelletti ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Pollution Control ◽  
Emission Reduction ◽  
Integrated Approach ◽  
Health Impact ◽  
Control Programme ◽  
Health Impacts ◽  
Air Pollution Control ◽  
The European Union

Air pollution is the primary environmental cause of death globally. To improve air quality and reduce health impacts, the National Emission Ceilings Directive requires Member States of the European Union to provide National Air Pollution Control Programmes, including emission reduction measures aimed to achieve binding commitments for the years 2020 and 2030. Integrated assessment models are pivotal to assess the reduction of pollutants concentrations determined by measures implemented or foreseen for emission reduction. Here we discuss scenarios elaborated for year 2030 in the Italian National Air Pollution Control Programme, considering 2010 as reference year. The two scenarios, “With Measures” and “With Additional Measures”, show a significant reduction of the pollutants concentration, namely PM2.5, NO2 and O3. The scenarios are here also used to provide an integrated approach for calculating the effect of the program on health impacts (mortality) and related costs. Avoidable attributable cases and associated costs are here reported at both the national and regional level and provide a significant framework to assess air-pollution reduction measures with an integrated approach. The procedure proposed may be therefore further developed and applied to assess the overall positive benefits (environmental, health and economic) determined by air-pollution control plans or other integrated policies targeting air quality, energy and climate goals.

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