Environmental Health最新文献

Background: Brominated Flame Retardants (BFRs) have attracted widespread concern due to their environmental persistence and potential toxicity. This study aims to examine the association between BFRs exposure and hypertension.

Methods: We used data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) spanning 2005 to 2016 for the cross-sectional analysis. To evaluate the individual and combined impacts of BFRs exposure on hypertension, we utilized multivariate models, including generalized additive models, weighted quantile sum (WQS) regression, and Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR) models.

Results: 9882 individuals (48% male) aged ≥ 20 were included in the final analysis, of whom 4114 had hypertension. After controlling for potential covariates, higher serum concentrations of PBDE100 (OR: 1.26; 95% CI: 1.01, 1.57) and PBDE153 (OR: 1.50; 95% CI: 1.18, 1.88) were significantly associated with hypertension. A nonlinear relationship between PBDE28 and hypertension was observed (P = 0.03). Moreover, BFRs mixture were positively associated with the prevalence of hypertension in both the WQS (β:1.09; 95% CI: 1.02, 1.17; P = 0.02) and BKMR models.

Conclusion: Our study suggested that BFRs exposure is positively associated with hypertension in the general population. To confirm this association and elucidate the mechanisms, further research is required.

Background: The effects of air pollution on endothelial function remain unclear across populations. We aimed to use brachial artery flow-mediated dilatation (FMD) to identify demographic differences in the effects of air pollution exposure on endothelial dysfunction.

Methods: We measured FMD in 850 participants from October 2016 to January 2020. Location-specific concentrations of fine particulate matter < 2.5 μm aerodynamic diameter (PM_2.5), inhalable particulate matter < 10 μm aerodynamic diameter (PM₁₀), sulfur dioxide (SO₂), nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), carbon monoxide (CO), and ozone (O₃) measured by fixed ambient air monitoring stations were collected for short- and long-term exposure assessment. Multiple linear regression models and restricted cubic splines were used to assess the associations before and after stratification by age and sex.

Results: This study eventually included 828 participants [551 (66.5%) younger than 65 years and 553 (66.8%) men]. Each 10 µg/m³ increase in 7-day exposure to PM_2.5 and PM₁₀ was significantly linearly associated with a 0.07% (β = -0.07, 95% CI: -0.13 to -0.004) and 0.05% (β = -0.05, 95% CI: -0.10 to -0.004) decrease in FMD in the fully adjusted model. After full adjustment, long-term exposure to all air pollutants was significantly associated with impaired FMD. Each 10 µg/m³ increase in long-term exposure to PM_2.5 and PM₁₀ was significantly associated with a -0.18% (95% CI: -0.34 to -0.03) and - 0.23% (95% CI: -0.40 to -0.06) change in FMD, respectively. After stratification, the associations of lower FMD with long-term exposure to PM_2.5, PM₁₀, SO₂, NO₂, and CO significantly persisted in men and participants younger than 65 years instead of women or older participants. For short-term exposure, we observed differences consistent with long-term exposure and a stronger effect of 7-day exposure to SO₂ in men due to a significant interaction effect.

Conclusion: Short- and long-term exposure to different air pollutants are strongly associated with decreased endothelial function, and susceptibility to air pollution varies significantly with age and sex.

Background: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a prevalent and heterogeneous neurodevelopmental disorder. Risk is attributed to genetic and prenatal environmental factors, though the environmental agents are incompletely characterized.

Methods: In Early Autism Risk Longitudinal Investigation (EARLI) and Markers of Autism Risk in Babies Learning Early Signs (MARBLES), two pregnancy cohorts of siblings of children with ASD, urinary metals concentrations during two pregnancy time periods (< 28 weeks and ≥ 28 weeks of gestation) were measured using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. At age three, clinicians assessed ASD with DSM-5 criteria. In an exposure-wide association framework, using multivariable log binomial regression, we examined each metal for association with ASD status, adjusting for gestational age at urine sampling, child sex, age at pregnancy, race/ethnicity and education. We meta-analyzed across the two cohorts.

Results: In EARLI (n = 170) 17% of children were diagnosed with ASD, and 44% were classified as having non-neurotypical development (Non-TD). In MARBLES (n = 231), 21% were diagnosed with ASD, and 14% classified as Non-TD. During the first and second trimester period (< 28 weeks), having cadmium concentration over the level of detection was associated with 1.69 (1.08, 2.64) times higher risk of ASD, and 1.29 (0.95, 1.75)times higher risk of Non-TD. A doubling of first and second trimester cesium concentration was marginally associated with 1.89 (0.94, 3.80) times higher risk of ASD, and a doubling of third trimester cesium with 1.69 (0.97, 2.95) times higher risk of ASD.

Conclusion: Exposure in utero to elevated levels of cadmium and cesium, as measured in urine collected during pregnancy, was associated with increased risk of developing ASD.

Background: Drinking water at U.S. Marine Corps Base (MCB) Camp Lejeune, North Carolina was contaminated with trichloroethylene and other industrial solvents from 1953 to 1985.

Methods: A cohort mortality study was conducted of Marines/Navy personnel who, between 1975 and 1985, began service and were stationed at Camp Lejeune (N = 159,128) or MCB Camp Pendleton, California (N = 168,406), and civilian workers employed at Camp Lejeune (N = 7,332) or Camp Pendleton (N = 6,677) between October 1972 and December 1985. Camp Pendleton's drinking water was not contaminated with industrial solvents. Mortality follow-up was between 1979 and 2018. Proportional hazards regression was used to calculate adjusted hazard ratios (aHRs) comparing mortality rates between Camp Lejeune and Camp Pendleton cohorts. The ratio of upper and lower 95% confidence interval (CI) limits, or CIR, was used to evaluate the precision of aHRs. The study focused on underlying causes of death with aHRs ≥ 1.20 and CIRs ≤ 3.

Results: Deaths among Camp Lejeune and Camp Pendleton Marines/Navy personnel totaled 19,250 and 21,134, respectively. Deaths among Camp Lejeune and Camp Pendleton civilian workers totaled 3,055 and 3,280, respectively. Compared to Camp Pendleton Marines/Navy personnel, Camp Lejeune had aHRs ≥ 1.20 with CIRs ≤ 3 for cancers of the kidney (aHR = 1.21, 95% CI: 0.95, 1.54), esophagus (aHR = 1.24, 95% CI: 1.00, 1.54) and female breast (aHR = 1.20, 95% CI: 0.73, 1.98). Causes of death with aHRs ≥ 1.20 and CIR > 3, included Parkinson disease, myelodysplastic syndrome and cancers of the testes, cervix and ovary. Compared to Camp Pendleton civilian workers, Camp Lejeune had aHRs ≥ 1.20 with CIRs ≤ 3 for chronic kidney disease (aHR = 1.88, 95% CI: 1.13, 3.11) and Parkinson disease (aHR = 1.21, 95% CI: 0.72, 2.04). Female breast cancer had an aHR of 1.19 (95% CI: 0.76, 1.88), and aHRs ≥ 1.20 with CIRs > 3 were observed for kidney and pharyngeal cancers, melanoma, Hodgkin lymphoma, and chronic myeloid leukemia. Quantitative bias analyses indicated that confounding due to smoking and alcohol consumption would not appreciably impact the findings.

Conclusion: Marines/Navy personnel and civilian workers likely exposed to contaminated drinking water at Camp Lejeune had increased hazard ratios for several causes of death compared to Camp Pendleton.

Background: Gestational exposure to toxic environmental chemicals and maternal social hardships are individually associated with impaired fetal growth, but it is unclear whether the effects of environmental chemical exposure on infant birth weight are modified by maternal hardships.

Methods: We used data from the Maternal-Infant Research on Environmental Chemicals (MIREC) Study, a pan-Canadian cohort of 1982 pregnant females enrolled between 2008 and 2011. We quantified eleven environmental chemical concentrations from two chemical classes - six organochlorine compounds (OCs) and five metals - that were detected in ≥ 70% of blood samples collected during the first trimester. We examined fetal growth using birth weight adjusted for gestational age and assessed nine maternal hardships by questionnaire. Each maternal hardship variable was dichotomized to indicate whether the females experienced the hardship. In our analysis, we used elastic net to select the environmental chemicals, maternal hardships, and 2-way interactions between maternal hardships and environmental chemicals that were most predictive of birth weight. Next, we obtained effect estimates using multiple linear regression, and plotted the relationships by hardship status for visual interpretation.

Results: Elastic net selected trans-nonachlor, lead, low educational status, racially minoritized background, and low supplemental folic acid intake. All were inversely associated with birth weight. Elastic net also selected interaction terms. Among those with increasing environmental chemical exposures and reported hardships, we observed stronger negative associations and a few positive associations. For example, every two-fold increase in lead concentrations was more strongly associated with reduced infant birth weight among participants with low educational status (β = -100 g (g); 95% confidence interval (CI): -215, 16), than those with higher educational status (β = -34 g; 95% CI: -63, -3). In contrast, every two-fold increase in mercury concentrations was associated with slightly higher birth weight among participants with low educational status (β = 23 g; 95% CI: -25, 71) compared to those with higher educational status (β = -9 g; 95% CI: -24, 6).

Conclusions: Our findings suggest that maternal hardships can modify the associations of gestational exposure to some OCs and metals with infant birth weight.

An under-recognised aspect of the current humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza is the impact of the war on the environment and the associated risks for human health. This commentary contextualises these impacts against the background of human suffering produced by the overwhelming violence associated with the use of military force against the general population of Gaza. In calling for an immediate cessation to the violence, the authors draw attention to the urgent need to rebuild the health care system and restore the physical and human infrastructure that makes a liveable environment possible and promotes human health and well-being, especially for the most vulnerable in the population. Environmental remediation should therefore form one of the most important parts of international efforts to assist reconstruction, through which we hope Palestinians and Israelis will achieve lasting peace, health, and sustainable development, all as part of accepted international human rights obligations.

Background: The prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) in American adults increased from 37.6% in the 2011-12 period to 41.8% in 2017-2018. Environmental exposure, particularly to common compounds such as glyphosate, has drawn increasing attention as a potential risk factor.

Methods: We employed three cycles of data (2013-2018) from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) in a cross-sectional study to examine potential associations between urine glyphosate measurements and MetS incidence. We first created a MetS score using exploratory factor analysis (EFA) of the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) criteria for MetS, with data drawn from the 2013-2018 NHANES cycles, and validated this score independently on an additional associated metric, the albumin-to-creatinine (ACR) ratio. The score was validated via a machine learning approach in predicting the ACR score via binary classification and then used in multivariable regression to test the association between quartile-categorized glyphosate exposure and the MetS score.

Results: In adjusted multivariable regressions, regressions between quartile-categorized glyphosate exposure and MetS score showed a significant inverted U-shaped or saturating dose‒response profile, often with the largest effect for exposures in quartile 3. Exploration of potential effect modification by sex, race, and age category revealed significant differences by race and age, with older people (aged > 65 years) and non-Hispanic African American participants showing larger effect sizes for all exposure quartiles.

Conclusions: We found that urinary glyphosate concentration is significantly associated with a statistical score designed to predict MetS status and that dose-response coefficient is nonlinear, with advanced age and non-Hispanic African American, Mexican American and other Hispanic participants exhibiting greater effect sizes.

Background: Very recently, it has been reported that exposure to different mixtures of organochlorine pesticides (OCP) is associated with the development of diabetes mellitus (DM). In Mexico, DM is a public health problem that might be related to the historical intense use of OCP. We aimed to evaluate, the association between DM and serum concentrations of OCP mixtures, and identify the main contributors within them.

Methods: We conducted a secondary cross-sectional analysis on the control group from a breast cancer population-based case-control study conducted from 2007 to 2011 in Northern Mexico. We identified 214 self-reported diabetic women and 694 non-diabetics. We obtained direct information about sociodemographic, lifestyle and reproductive characteristics. We determined 24 OCP and metabolites in serum by gas chromatography using an electron capture micro detector. We used Weighted Quantile Sum regression to assess the association of DM and exposure to multiple OCP, and the contribution of each compound within the mixture.

Results: We found a positive adjusted association between DM and an OCP mixture (OR: 2.63, 95%CI: 1.85, 3.74), whose primary contribution arose from p, p'-DDE (mean weight 23.3%), HCB (mean weight 17.3%), trans nonachlor (mean weight 15.4%), o, p'-DDE (mean weight 7.3%), heptachlor epoxide (mean weight 5.9%), oxychlordane (mean weight 4.7%), and heptachlor (mean weight 4.5%). In addition, these OCP along with p, p'-DDT and cis chlordane, were of concern and remained associated when excluding hypertensive women from the analysis (OR 2.55; 95% CI 1.56, 4.18).

Conclusions: Our results indicate, for the first time in a Latin-American population, that the concomitant exposure to multiple OCP is associated with DM. Further research is needed since the composition of OCP mixtures may vary according to regional pesticides use patterns.

Background: Mental illness is the leading cause of years lived with disability, and the global disease burden of mental ill-health has increased substantially in the last number of decades. There is now increasing evidence that environmental conditions, and in particular poor air quality, may be associated with mental health and wellbeing.

Methods: This cross-sectional analysis uses data on mental health and wellbeing from The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA), a nationally representative survey of the population aged 50+ in Ireland. Annual average PM_2.5 concentrations at respondents' residential addresses over the period 1998-2014 are used to measure long-term exposure to ambient PM_2.5.

Results: We find evidence of associations between long-term exposure to ambient PM_2.5 and depression and anxiety. The measured associations are strong, and are comparable with effect sizes for variables such as sex. Effects are also evident at relatively low concentrations by international standards. However, we find no evidence of associations between long-term ambient particulate pollution and other indicators of mental health and well-being such as stress, worry and quality of life.

Conclusions: The measured associations are strong, particularly considering the relatively low PM_2.5 concentrations prevailing in Ireland compared to many other countries. While it is estimated that over 90 per cent of the world's population lives in areas with annual mean PM_2.5 concentrations greater than 10 μg/m³, these results contribute to the increasing evidence that suggests that harmful effects can be detected at even low levels of air pollution.

Background: Despite significant advancements in treatments such as surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy, the survival rate for patients with asbestos-related cancers remains low. Numerous studies have provided evidence suggesting that air pollution induces oxidative stress and inflammation, affecting acute respiratory diseases, lung cancer, and overall mortality. However, because of the high case fatality rate, there is limited knowledge regarding the effects of air pollution exposures on survival following a diagnosis of asbestos-related cancers. This study aimed to determine the effect of air pollution on the survival of patients with malignant mesothelioma and asbestos-related lung cancer.

Methods: We followed up with 593 patients with malignant mesothelioma and 998 patients with lung cancer identified as asbestos victims between 2009 and 2022. Data on five air pollutants-sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, fine particulate matter with a diameter < 10 μm, and fine particulate matter with a diameter < 2.5 μm-were obtained from nationwide atmospheric monitoring stations. Cox proportional hazard models were used to estimate the association of cumulative air pollutant exposure with patient mortality, while adjusting for potential confounders. Quantile-based g-computation was used to assess the combined effect of the air pollutant mixture on mortality.

Results: The 1-, 3-, and 5-year survival rates for both cancer types decreased with increasing exposure to all air pollutants. The estimated hazard ratios rose significantly with a 1-standard deviation increase in each pollutant exposure level. A quartile increase in the pollutant mixture was associated with a 1.99-fold increase in the risk of malignant mesothelioma-related mortality (95% confidence interval: 1.62, 2.44). For lung cancer, a quartile increase in the pollutant mixture triggered a 1.87-fold increase in the mortality risk (95% confidence interval: 1.53, 2.30).

Conclusion: These findings support the hypothesis that air pollution exposure after an asbestos-related cancer diagnosis can negatively affect patient survival.