Pub Date : 2023-06-05eCollection Date: 2023-06-01DOI: 10.1097/EE9.0000000000000251
Amber M Hall, Alexander P Keil, Giehae Choi, Amanda M Ramos, David B Richardson, Andrew F Olshan, Chantel L Martin, Gro D Villanger, Ted Reichborn-Kjennerud, Pål Zeiner, Kristin R Øvergaard, Amrit K Sakhi, Cathrine Thomsen, Heidi Aase, Stephanie M Engel
Organophosphate esters (OPEs) are ubiquitous chemicals, used as flame retardants and plasticizers. OPE usage has increased over time as a substitute for other controlled compounds. This study investigates the impact of prenatal OPE exposure on executive function (EF) in preschoolers.
Methods: We selected 340 preschoolers from the Norwegian Mother, Father, and Child Cohort Study. Diphenyl-phosphate (DPhP), di-n-butyl-phosphate (DnBP), bis(2-butoxyethyl) phosphate (BBOEP), and bis(1,3-dichloro-2-propyl) phosphate (BDCIPP) were measured in maternal urine. EF was measured using the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Functioning-Preschool (BRIEF-P) and the Stanford-Binet fifth edition (SB-5). EF scores were scaled so a higher score indicated worse performance. We estimated exposure-outcome associations and evaluated modification by child sex using linear regression.
Results: Higher DnBP was associated with lower EF scores across multiple rater-based domains. Higher DPhP and BDCIPP were associated with lower SB-5 verbal working memory (β = 0.49, 95% CI = 0.12, 0.87; β = 0.53, 95% CI = 0.08, 1.02), and higher BBOEP was associated with lower teacher-rated inhibition (β = 0.34, 95% CI = 0.01, 0.63). DPhP was associated with lower parent-reported BRIEF-P measures in boys but not girls [inhibition: boys: 0.37 (95% CI = 0.03, 0.93); girls: -0.48 (95% CI = -1.27, 0.19); emotional control: boys: 0.44 (95% CI = -0.13, 1.26); girls: -0.83 (95% CI = -1.73, -0.00); working memory: boys: 0.49 (95% CI = 0.03, 1.08); girls: -0.40 (95% CI = -1.11, 0.36)]. Fewer sex interactions were observed for DnBP, BBOEP, and BDCIPP, with irregular patterns observed across EF domains.
Conclusions: We found some evidence prenatal OPE exposure may impact EF in preschoolers and variation in associations by sex.
有机磷酸酯(OPE)是一种无处不在的化学品,可用作阻燃剂和增塑剂。作为其他受控化合物的替代品,OPE 的使用量随着时间的推移而增加。本研究调查了产前接触 OPE 对学龄前儿童执行功能(EF)的影响:我们从挪威母亲、父亲和儿童队列研究(Norwegian Mother, Father, and Child Cohort Study)中选取了 340 名学龄前儿童。对母体尿液中的磷酸二苯酯(DPhP)、磷酸二正丁酯(DnBP)、磷酸二(2-丁氧基乙基)酯(BBOEP)和磷酸二(1,3-二氯-2-丙基)酯(BDCIPP)进行了测量。EF采用学前执行功能行为评定量表(BRIEF-P)和斯坦福-比奈第五版(SB-5)进行测量。EF得分按比例计算,得分越高表示表现越差。我们估算了暴露与结果之间的关联,并使用线性回归法评估了儿童性别对结果的影响:结果:在基于测评者的多个领域中,较高的 DnBP 与较低的 EF 分数相关。较高的 DPhP 和 BDCIPP 与较低的 SB-5 言语工作记忆相关(β = 0.49,95% CI = 0.12,0.87;β = 0.53,95% CI = 0.08,1.02),较高的 BBOEP 与较低的教师评分抑制相关(β = 0.34,95% CI = 0.01,0.63)。在男孩中,DPhP 与家长报告的 BRIEF-P 测量值较低有关,但与女孩无关[抑制:男孩:0.37(95% CI = 0.03,0.93);女孩:-0.48(95% CI =-1.27,0.19);情绪控制:男生:0.44(95% CI = -0.13,1.26);女生:-0.83(95% CI =-1.73,-0.00);工作记忆:男生:0.49(95% CI = 0.03,1.08);女生:-0.40(95% CI =-1.11,0.36)]。在 DnBP、BBOEP 和 BDCIPP 中观察到的性别交互作用较少,在 EF 领域观察到的模式不规则:结论:我们发现一些证据表明,产前暴露于 OPE 可能会影响学龄前儿童的 EF,而且不同性别之间的相关性存在差异。
{"title":"Prenatal organophosphate ester exposure and executive function in Norwegian preschoolers.","authors":"Amber M Hall, Alexander P Keil, Giehae Choi, Amanda M Ramos, David B Richardson, Andrew F Olshan, Chantel L Martin, Gro D Villanger, Ted Reichborn-Kjennerud, Pål Zeiner, Kristin R Øvergaard, Amrit K Sakhi, Cathrine Thomsen, Heidi Aase, Stephanie M Engel","doi":"10.1097/EE9.0000000000000251","DOIUrl":"10.1097/EE9.0000000000000251","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Organophosphate esters (OPEs) are ubiquitous chemicals, used as flame retardants and plasticizers. OPE usage has increased over time as a substitute for other controlled compounds. This study investigates the impact of prenatal OPE exposure on executive function (EF) in preschoolers.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We selected 340 preschoolers from the Norwegian Mother, Father, and Child Cohort Study. Diphenyl-phosphate (DPhP), di-n-butyl-phosphate (DnBP), bis(2-butoxyethyl) phosphate (BBOEP), and bis(1,3-dichloro-2-propyl) phosphate (BDCIPP) were measured in maternal urine. EF was measured using the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Functioning-Preschool (BRIEF-P) and the Stanford-Binet fifth edition (SB-5). EF scores were scaled so a higher score indicated worse performance. We estimated exposure-outcome associations and evaluated modification by child sex using linear regression.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Higher DnBP was associated with lower EF scores across multiple rater-based domains. Higher DPhP and BDCIPP were associated with lower SB-5 verbal working memory (β = 0.49, 95% CI = 0.12, 0.87; β = 0.53, 95% CI = 0.08, 1.02), and higher BBOEP was associated with lower teacher-rated inhibition (β = 0.34, 95% CI = 0.01, 0.63). DPhP was associated with lower parent-reported BRIEF-P measures in boys but not girls [inhibition: boys: 0.37 (95% CI = 0.03, 0.93); girls: -0.48 (95% CI = -1.27, 0.19); emotional control: boys: 0.44 (95% CI = -0.13, 1.26); girls: -0.83 (95% CI = -1.73, -0.00); working memory: boys: 0.49 (95% CI = 0.03, 1.08); girls: -0.40 (95% CI = -1.11, 0.36)]. Fewer sex interactions were observed for DnBP, BBOEP, and BDCIPP, with irregular patterns observed across EF domains.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>We found some evidence prenatal OPE exposure may impact EF in preschoolers and variation in associations by sex.</p>","PeriodicalId":11713,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Epidemiology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2023-06-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://ftp.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pub/pmc/oa_pdf/4c/d3/ee9-7-e251.PMC10256412.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9673681","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-06-01DOI: 10.1097/EE9.0000000000000252
Anais Teyton, Yi Sun, John Molitor, Jiu-Chiuan Chen, David Sacks, Chantal Avila, Vicki Chiu, Jeff Slezak, Darios Getahun, Jun Wu, Tarik Benmarhnia
Few studies have assessed extreme temperatures' impact on gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). We examined the relation between GDM risk with weekly exposure to extreme high and low temperatures during the first 24 weeks of gestation and assessed potential effect modification by microclimate indicators.
Methods: We utilized 2008-2018 data for pregnant women from Kaiser Permanente Southern California electronic health records. GDM screening occurred between 24 and 28 gestational weeks for most women using the Carpenter-Coustan criteria or the International Association of Diabetes and Pregnancy Study Groups criteria. Daily maximum, minimum, and mean temperature data were linked to participants' residential address. We utilized distributed lag models, which assessed the lag from the first to the corresponding week, with logistic regression models to examine the exposure-lag-response associations between the 12 weekly extreme temperature exposures and GDM risk. We used the relative risk due to interaction (RERI) to estimate the additive modification of microclimate indicators on the relation between extreme temperature and GDM risk.
Results: GDM risks increased with extreme low temperature during gestational weeks 20--24 and with extreme high temperature at weeks 11-16. Microclimate indicators modified the influence of extreme temperatures on GDM risk. For example, there were positive RERIs for high-temperature extremes and less greenness, and a negative RERI for low-temperature extremes and increased impervious surface percentage.
Discussion: Susceptibility windows to extreme temperatures during pregnancy were observed. Modifiable microclimate indicators were identified that may attenuate temperature exposures during these windows, which could in turn reduce the health burden from GDM.
很少有研究评估极端温度对妊娠期糖尿病(GDM)的影响。我们研究了妊娠前24周妊娠期GDM风险与每周暴露于极高温和极低温之间的关系,并通过小气候指标评估了潜在的影响修正。方法:我们利用Kaiser Permanente南加州电子健康记录中2008-2018年孕妇的数据。对于大多数使用Carpenter-Coustan标准或国际糖尿病和妊娠研究组织标准的妇女,GDM筛查发生在妊娠24 - 28周之间。每日最高、最低和平均温度数据与参与者的居住地址相关联。我们利用分布滞后模型,评估了从第一周到相应一周的滞后,并使用逻辑回归模型来检验12周极端温度暴露与GDM风险之间的暴露滞后反应关系。利用相互作用相对风险(relative risk due to interaction, RERI)估算了小气候指标对极端温度与GDM风险关系的加性修正。结果:妊娠20 ~ 24周极低温和妊娠11 ~ 16周极高温增加GDM风险。小气候指标修正了极端温度对GDM风险的影响。例如,极端高温条件下的rei为正,绿化率较低;极端低温条件下的rei为负,不透水面百分比增加。讨论:观察到怀孕期间对极端温度的敏感性窗口。确定了可修改的小气候指标,这些指标可能会减弱这些窗口期间的温度暴露,从而减少GDM的健康负担。
{"title":"Examining the Relationship Between Extreme Temperature, Microclimate Indicators, and Gestational Diabetes Mellitus in Pregnant Women Living in Southern California.","authors":"Anais Teyton, Yi Sun, John Molitor, Jiu-Chiuan Chen, David Sacks, Chantal Avila, Vicki Chiu, Jeff Slezak, Darios Getahun, Jun Wu, Tarik Benmarhnia","doi":"10.1097/EE9.0000000000000252","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1097/EE9.0000000000000252","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Few studies have assessed extreme temperatures' impact on gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). We examined the relation between GDM risk with weekly exposure to extreme high and low temperatures during the first 24 weeks of gestation and assessed potential effect modification by microclimate indicators.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We utilized 2008-2018 data for pregnant women from Kaiser Permanente Southern California electronic health records. GDM screening occurred between 24 and 28 gestational weeks for most women using the Carpenter-Coustan criteria or the International Association of Diabetes and Pregnancy Study Groups criteria. Daily maximum, minimum, and mean temperature data were linked to participants' residential address. We utilized distributed lag models, which assessed the lag from the first to the corresponding week, with logistic regression models to examine the exposure-lag-response associations between the 12 weekly extreme temperature exposures and GDM risk. We used the relative risk due to interaction (RERI) to estimate the additive modification of microclimate indicators on the relation between extreme temperature and GDM risk.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>GDM risks increased with extreme low temperature during gestational weeks 20--24 and with extreme high temperature at weeks 11-16. Microclimate indicators modified the influence of extreme temperatures on GDM risk. For example, there were positive RERIs for high-temperature extremes and less greenness, and a negative RERI for low-temperature extremes and increased impervious surface percentage.</p><p><strong>Discussion: </strong>Susceptibility windows to extreme temperatures during pregnancy were observed. Modifiable microclimate indicators were identified that may attenuate temperature exposures during these windows, which could in turn reduce the health burden from GDM.</p>","PeriodicalId":11713,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Epidemiology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2023-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10256373/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9673678","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-05-11eCollection Date: 2023-06-01DOI: 10.1097/EE9.0000000000000250
Sindana D Ilango, Cindy S Leary, Emily Ritchie, Erin O Semmens, Christina Park, Annette L Fitzpatrick, Joel D Kaufman, Anjum Hajat
Evidence suggests exposure to air pollution increases the risk of dementia. Cognitively stimulating activities and social interactions, made available through the social environment, may slow cognitive decline. We examined whether the social environment buffers the adverse effect of air pollution on dementia in a cohort of older adults.
Methods: This study draws from the Ginkgo Evaluation of Memory Study. Participants aged 75 years and older were enrolled between 2000 and 2002 and evaluated for dementia semi-annually through 2008. Long-term exposure to particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide was assigned from spatial and spatiotemporal models. Census tract-level measures of the social environment and individual measures of social activity were used as measures of the social environment. We generated Cox proportional hazard models with census tract as a random effect and adjusted for demographic and study visit characteristics. Relative excess risk due to interaction was estimated as a qualitative measure of additive interaction.
Results: This study included 2,564 individuals. We observed associations between increased risk of dementia and fine particulate matter (µg/m3), coarse particulate matter (µg/m3), and nitrogen dioxide (ppb); HRs per 5 unit increase were 1.55 (1.01, 2.18), 1.31 (1.07, 1.60), and 1.18 (1.02, 1.37), respectively. We found no evidence of additive interaction between air pollution and the neighborhood social environment.
Conclusions: We found no consistent evidence to suggest a synergistic effect between exposure to air pollution and measures of the social environment. Given the many qualities of the social environment that may reduce dementia pathology, further examination is encouraged.
{"title":"An Examination of the Joint Effect of the Social Environment and Air Pollution on Dementia Among US Older Adults.","authors":"Sindana D Ilango, Cindy S Leary, Emily Ritchie, Erin O Semmens, Christina Park, Annette L Fitzpatrick, Joel D Kaufman, Anjum Hajat","doi":"10.1097/EE9.0000000000000250","DOIUrl":"10.1097/EE9.0000000000000250","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Evidence suggests exposure to air pollution increases the risk of dementia. Cognitively stimulating activities and social interactions, made available through the social environment, may slow cognitive decline. We examined whether the social environment buffers the adverse effect of air pollution on dementia in a cohort of older adults.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This study draws from the Ginkgo Evaluation of Memory Study. Participants aged 75 years and older were enrolled between 2000 and 2002 and evaluated for dementia semi-annually through 2008. Long-term exposure to particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide was assigned from spatial and spatiotemporal models. Census tract-level measures of the social environment and individual measures of social activity were used as measures of the social environment. We generated Cox proportional hazard models with census tract as a random effect and adjusted for demographic and study visit characteristics. Relative excess risk due to interaction was estimated as a qualitative measure of additive interaction.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>This study included 2,564 individuals. We observed associations between increased risk of dementia and fine particulate matter (µg/m<sup>3</sup>), coarse particulate matter (µg/m<sup>3</sup>), and nitrogen dioxide (ppb); HRs per 5 unit increase were 1.55 (1.01, 2.18), 1.31 (1.07, 1.60), and 1.18 (1.02, 1.37), respectively. We found no evidence of additive interaction between air pollution and the neighborhood social environment.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>We found no consistent evidence to suggest a synergistic effect between exposure to air pollution and measures of the social environment. Given the many qualities of the social environment that may reduce dementia pathology, further examination is encouraged.</p>","PeriodicalId":11713,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Epidemiology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2023-05-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://ftp.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pub/pmc/oa_pdf/c3/48/ee9-7-e250.PMC10256342.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9967601","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-04-04eCollection Date: 2023-04-01DOI: 10.1097/EE9.0000000000000249
Hsiao-Hsien Leon Hsu, Ander Wilson, Joel Schwartz, Itai Kloog, Robert O Wright, Brent A Coull, Rosalind J Wright
Research linking prenatal ambient air pollution with childhood lung function has largely considered one pollutant at a time. Real-life exposure is to mixtures of pollutants and their chemical components; not considering joint effects/effect modification by co-exposures contributes to misleading results.
Methods: Analyses included 198 mother-child dyads recruited from two hospitals and affiliated community health centers in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. Daily prenatal pollutant exposures were estimated using satellite-based hybrid chemical-transport models, including nitrogen dioxide(NO2), ozone(O3), and fine particle constituents (elemental carbon [EC], organic carbon [OC], nitrate [NO3-], sulfate [SO42-], and ammonium [NH4+]). Spirometry was performed at age 6.99 ± 0.89 years; forced expiratory volume in 1s (FEV1), forced vital capacity (FVC), and forced mid-expiratory flow (FEF25-75) z-scores accounted for age, sex, height, and race/ethnicity. We examined associations between weekly-averaged prenatal pollution mixture levels and outcomes using Bayesian Kernel Machine Regression-Distributed Lag Models (BKMR-DLMs) to identify susceptibility windows for each component and estimate a potentially complex mixture exposure-response relationship including nonlinear effects and interactions among exposures. We also performed linear regression models using time-weighted-mixture component levels derived by BKMR-DLMs adjusting for maternal age, education, perinatal smoking, and temperature.
Results: Most mothers were Hispanic (63%) or Black (21%) with ≤12 years of education (67%). BKMR-DLMs identified a significant effect for O3 exposure at 18-22 weeks gestation predicting lower FEV1/FVC. Linear regression identified significant associations for O3, NH4+, and OC with decreased FEV1/FVC, FEV1, and FEF25-75, respectively. There was no evidence of interactions among pollutants.
Conclusions: In this multi-pollutant model, prenatal O3, OC, and NH4+ were most strongly associated with reduced early childhood lung function.
{"title":"Prenatal Ambient Air Pollutant Mixture Exposure and Early School-age Lung Function.","authors":"Hsiao-Hsien Leon Hsu, Ander Wilson, Joel Schwartz, Itai Kloog, Robert O Wright, Brent A Coull, Rosalind J Wright","doi":"10.1097/EE9.0000000000000249","DOIUrl":"10.1097/EE9.0000000000000249","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Research linking prenatal ambient air pollution with childhood lung function has largely considered one pollutant at a time. Real-life exposure is to mixtures of pollutants and their chemical components; not considering joint effects/effect modification by co-exposures contributes to misleading results.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Analyses included 198 mother-child dyads recruited from two hospitals and affiliated community health centers in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. Daily prenatal pollutant exposures were estimated using satellite-based hybrid chemical-transport models, including nitrogen dioxide(NO<sub>2</sub>), ozone(O<sub>3</sub>), and fine particle constituents (elemental carbon [EC], organic carbon [OC], nitrate [NO<sub>3</sub> <sup>-</sup>], sulfate [SO<sub>4</sub> <sup>2-</sup>], and ammonium [NH<sub>4</sub> <sup>+</sup>]). Spirometry was performed at age 6.99 ± 0.89 years; forced expiratory volume in 1s (FEV<sub>1</sub>), forced vital capacity (FVC), and forced mid-expiratory flow (FEF<sub>25-75</sub>) z-scores accounted for age, sex, height, and race/ethnicity. We examined associations between weekly-averaged prenatal pollution mixture levels and outcomes using Bayesian Kernel Machine Regression-Distributed Lag Models (BKMR-DLMs) to identify susceptibility windows for each component and estimate a potentially complex mixture exposure-response relationship including nonlinear effects and interactions among exposures. We also performed linear regression models using time-weighted-mixture component levels derived by BKMR-DLMs adjusting for maternal age, education, perinatal smoking, and temperature.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Most mothers were Hispanic (63%) or Black (21%) with ≤12 years of education (67%). BKMR-DLMs identified a significant effect for O<sub>3</sub> exposure at 18-22 weeks gestation predicting lower FEV<sub>1</sub>/FVC. Linear regression identified significant associations for O<sub>3,</sub> NH<sub>4</sub> <sup>+</sup>, and OC with decreased FEV<sub>1</sub>/FVC, FEV<sub>1</sub>, and FEF<sub>25-75</sub>, respectively. There was no evidence of interactions among pollutants.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>In this multi-pollutant model, prenatal O<sub>3</sub>, OC, and NH<sub>4</sub> <sup>+</sup> were most strongly associated with reduced early childhood lung function.</p>","PeriodicalId":11713,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Epidemiology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2023-04-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://ftp.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pub/pmc/oa_pdf/77/46/ee9-7-e249.PMC10097575.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9309543","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-04-03eCollection Date: 2023-04-01DOI: 10.1097/EE9.0000000000000246
Mary D Willis, Lara J Cushing, Jonathan J Buonocore, Nicole C Deziel, Joan A Casey
Energy policy decisions are driven primarily by economic and reliability considerations, with limited consideration given to public health, environmental justice, and climate change. Moreover, epidemiologic studies relevant for public policy typically focus on immediate public health implications of activities related to energy procurement and generation, considering less so health equity or the longer-term health consequences of climate change attributable to an energy source. A more integrated, collective consideration of these three domains can provide more robust guidance to policymakers, communities, and individuals. Here, we illustrate how these domains can be evaluated with respect to natural gas as an energy source. Our process began with a detailed overview of all relevant steps in the process of extracting, producing, and consuming natural gas. We synthesized existing epidemiologic and complementary evidence of how these processes impact public health, environmental justice, and climate change. We conclude that, in certain domains, natural gas looks beneficial (e.g., economically for some), but when considered more expansively, through the life cycle of natural gas and joint lenses of public health, environmental justice, and climate change, natural gas is rendered an undesirable energy source in the United States. A holistic climate health equity framework can inform how we value and deploy different energy sources in the service of public health.
{"title":"It's electric! An environmental equity perspective on the lifecycle of our energy sources.","authors":"Mary D Willis, Lara J Cushing, Jonathan J Buonocore, Nicole C Deziel, Joan A Casey","doi":"10.1097/EE9.0000000000000246","DOIUrl":"10.1097/EE9.0000000000000246","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Energy policy decisions are driven primarily by economic and reliability considerations, with limited consideration given to public health, environmental justice, and climate change. Moreover, epidemiologic studies relevant for public policy typically focus on immediate public health implications of activities related to energy procurement and generation, considering less so health equity or the longer-term health consequences of climate change attributable to an energy source. A more integrated, collective consideration of these three domains can provide more robust guidance to policymakers, communities, and individuals. Here, we illustrate how these domains can be evaluated with respect to natural gas as an energy source. Our process began with a detailed overview of all relevant steps in the process of extracting, producing, and consuming natural gas. We synthesized existing epidemiologic and complementary evidence of how these processes impact public health, environmental justice, and climate change. We conclude that, in certain domains, natural gas looks beneficial (e.g., economically for some), but when considered more expansively, through the life cycle of natural gas and joint lenses of public health, environmental justice, and climate change, natural gas is rendered an undesirable energy source in the United States. A holistic climate health equity framework can inform how we value and deploy different energy sources in the service of public health.</p>","PeriodicalId":11713,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Epidemiology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2023-04-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://ftp.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pub/pmc/oa_pdf/6c/35/ee9-7-e246.PMC10097546.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9704203","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-04-01DOI: 10.1097/EE9.0000000000000243
Rachel H Tao, Lawrence G Chillrud, Yanelli Nunez, Sebastian T Rowland, Amelia K Boehme, Jingkai Yan, Jeff Goldsmith, John Wright, Marianthi-Anna Kioumourtzoglou
The association between fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and cardiovascular outcomes is well established. To evaluate whether source-specific PM2.5 is differentially associated with cardiovascular disease in New York City (NYC), we identified PM2.5 sources and examined the association between source-specific PM2.5 exposure and risk of hospitalization for myocardial infarction (MI).
Methods: We adapted principal component pursuit (PCP), a dimensionality-reduction technique previously used in computer vision, as a novel pattern recognition method for environmental mixtures to apportion speciated PM2.5 to its sources. We used data from the NY Department of Health Statewide Planning and Research Cooperative System of daily city-wide counts of MI admissions (2007-2015). We examined associations between same-day, lag 1, and lag 2 source-specific PM2.5 exposure and MI admissions in a time-series analysis, using a quasi-Poisson regression model adjusting for potential confounders.
Results: We identified four sources of PM2.5 pollution: crustal, salt, traffic, and regional and detected three single-species factors: cadmium, chromium, and barium. In adjusted models, we observed a 0.40% (95% confidence interval [CI]: -0.21, 1.01%) increase in MI admission rates per 1 μg/m3 increase in traffic PM2.5, a 0.44% (95% CI: -0.04, 0.93%) increase per 1 μg/m3 increase in crustal PM2.5, and a 1.34% (95% CI: -0.46, 3.17%) increase per 1 μg/m3 increase in chromium-related PM2.5, on average.
Conclusions: In our NYC study, we identified traffic, crustal dust, and chromium PM2.5 as potentially relevant sources for cardiovascular disease. We also demonstrated the potential utility of PCP as a pattern recognition method for environmental mixtures.
{"title":"Applying principal component pursuit to investigate the association between source-specific fine particulate matter and myocardial infarction hospitalizations in New York City.","authors":"Rachel H Tao, Lawrence G Chillrud, Yanelli Nunez, Sebastian T Rowland, Amelia K Boehme, Jingkai Yan, Jeff Goldsmith, John Wright, Marianthi-Anna Kioumourtzoglou","doi":"10.1097/EE9.0000000000000243","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1097/EE9.0000000000000243","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The association between fine particulate matter (PM<sub>2.5</sub>) and cardiovascular outcomes is well established. To evaluate whether source-specific PM<sub>2.5</sub> is differentially associated with cardiovascular disease in New York City (NYC), we identified PM<sub>2.5</sub> sources and examined the association between source-specific PM<sub>2.5</sub> exposure and risk of hospitalization for myocardial infarction (MI).</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We adapted principal component pursuit (PCP), a dimensionality-reduction technique previously used in computer vision, as a novel pattern recognition method for environmental mixtures to apportion speciated PM<sub>2.5</sub> to its sources. We used data from the NY Department of Health Statewide Planning and Research Cooperative System of daily city-wide counts of MI admissions (2007-2015). We examined associations between same-day, lag 1, and lag 2 source-specific PM<sub>2.5</sub> exposure and MI admissions in a time-series analysis, using a quasi-Poisson regression model adjusting for potential confounders.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>We identified four sources of PM<sub>2.5</sub> pollution: crustal, salt, traffic, and regional and detected three single-species factors: cadmium, chromium, and barium. In adjusted models, we observed a 0.40% (95% confidence interval [CI]: -0.21, 1.01%) increase in MI admission rates per 1 μg/m<sup>3</sup> increase in traffic PM<sub>2.5</sub>, a 0.44% (95% CI: -0.04, 0.93%) increase per 1 μg/m<sup>3</sup> increase in crustal PM<sub>2.5</sub>, and a 1.34% (95% CI: -0.46, 3.17%) increase per 1 μg/m<sup>3</sup> increase in chromium-related PM<sub>2.5</sub>, on average.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>In our NYC study, we identified traffic, crustal dust, and chromium PM<sub>2.5</sub> as potentially relevant sources for cardiovascular disease. We also demonstrated the potential utility of PCP as a pattern recognition method for environmental mixtures.</p>","PeriodicalId":11713,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Epidemiology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2023-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://ftp.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pub/pmc/oa_pdf/17/52/ee9-7-e243.PMC10097537.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9309545","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-04-01DOI: 10.1097/EE9.0000000000000245
Hanna Boogaard, Zorana Jovanovic Andersen, Bert Brunekreef, Francesco Forastiere, Bertil Forsberg, Gerard Hoek, Michal Krzyzanowski, Ebba Malmqvist, Mark Nieuwenhuijsen, Barbara Hoffmann
Ambient air pollution is a major global public health risk factor. There is now broad consensus that exposure to air pollution causes an array of adverse health effects based on evidence from a large scientific literature that has grown exponentially since the mid-1990s.1–4 Air pollution damages most organ systems and is linked to many debilitating diseases, such as asthma, cardiovascular diseases, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, pneumonia, stroke, diabetes, lung cancer, and dementia.5 The Global Burden of Disease study estimated that in 2019 air pollution ranked as the fourth global risk factor for mortality, surpassed only by high blood pressure, tobacco use, and poor diet.6 The European Environment Agency estimated 300,000 premature deaths due to air pollution in the EU-27 in 2020—an unacceptable high air pollution burden.7 Air pollution levels have generally declined over the last several decades in Europe, due largely to successful air quality regulation and subsequent improvements in technology and industry. The current air quality legislation in Europe—the Ambient Air Quality Directive (AAQD) from 2008—set limit values for the annual mean of the air pollutants PM2.5 and NO2 to 25 and 40 μg/m3, respectively.8 These limit values are criticized for being insufficient to protect the health of EU citizens.9,10 The World Health Organization (WHO) released new Air Quality Guidelines (AQG) in September 2021, based on a comprehensive synthesis of the scientific evidence on health effects of air pollution.4 They recommended that annual mean concentrations of PM2.5 and NO2 should not exceed 5 and 10 μg/m3, respectively, demonstrating that serious health effects occur above these values. The health community supports full alignment of EU legislation with the 2021 WHO AQG, indicated by a joint statement which was endorsed by more than 140 medical, public health, and scientific societies and patient organizations.11 The European Commission (EC) published a proposal to revise the AAQD on October 26, 2022.12 The EC also published an accompanying impact assessment, quantifying the expected air pollution concentrations and resulting healthand implementation costs for various policy options.13 The European Parliament and the Council are currently considering the proposal. The proposal includes important steps to achieve cleaner air but falls short of what is ultimately needed to maximize public health benefits, for the reasons explained below.
{"title":"Clean air in Europe for all: A call for more ambitious action.","authors":"Hanna Boogaard, Zorana Jovanovic Andersen, Bert Brunekreef, Francesco Forastiere, Bertil Forsberg, Gerard Hoek, Michal Krzyzanowski, Ebba Malmqvist, Mark Nieuwenhuijsen, Barbara Hoffmann","doi":"10.1097/EE9.0000000000000245","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1097/EE9.0000000000000245","url":null,"abstract":"Ambient air pollution is a major global public health risk factor. There is now broad consensus that exposure to air pollution causes an array of adverse health effects based on evidence from a large scientific literature that has grown exponentially since the mid-1990s.1–4 Air pollution damages most organ systems and is linked to many debilitating diseases, such as asthma, cardiovascular diseases, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, pneumonia, stroke, diabetes, lung cancer, and dementia.5 The Global Burden of Disease study estimated that in 2019 air pollution ranked as the fourth global risk factor for mortality, surpassed only by high blood pressure, tobacco use, and poor diet.6 The European Environment Agency estimated 300,000 premature deaths due to air pollution in the EU-27 in 2020—an unacceptable high air pollution burden.7 Air pollution levels have generally declined over the last several decades in Europe, due largely to successful air quality regulation and subsequent improvements in technology and industry. The current air quality legislation in Europe—the Ambient Air Quality Directive (AAQD) from 2008—set limit values for the annual mean of the air pollutants PM2.5 and NO2 to 25 and 40 μg/m3, respectively.8 These limit values are criticized for being insufficient to protect the health of EU citizens.9,10 The World Health Organization (WHO) released new Air Quality Guidelines (AQG) in September 2021, based on a comprehensive synthesis of the scientific evidence on health effects of air pollution.4 They recommended that annual mean concentrations of PM2.5 and NO2 should not exceed 5 and 10 μg/m3, respectively, demonstrating that serious health effects occur above these values. The health community supports full alignment of EU legislation with the 2021 WHO AQG, indicated by a joint statement which was endorsed by more than 140 medical, public health, and scientific societies and patient organizations.11 The European Commission (EC) published a proposal to revise the AAQD on October 26, 2022.12 The EC also published an accompanying impact assessment, quantifying the expected air pollution concentrations and resulting healthand implementation costs for various policy options.13 The European Parliament and the Council are currently considering the proposal. The proposal includes important steps to achieve cleaner air but falls short of what is ultimately needed to maximize public health benefits, for the reasons explained below.","PeriodicalId":11713,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Epidemiology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2023-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10097564/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9309544","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-04-01DOI: 10.1097/EE9.0000000000000247
Adekunle Gregory Fakunle, Nkosana Jafta, Akinkunmi Paul Okekunle, Lidwien A M Smit, Rajen N Naidoo
Previous epidemiological studies demonstrated an increased risk of respiratory health effects in children and adults exposed to dampness or mold. This study investigated associations of quantitative indicators of indoor dampness and mold exposure with severe lower respiratory tract infections (LRTI) among children aged 1-59 months in Ibadan, Nigeria.
Methods: In-home visits were conducted among 178 children hospitalized with LRTI matched by age (±3 months), sex, and geographical location with 180 community-based children without LRTI. Trained study staff evaluated the indoor environment using a standardized home walkthrough checklist and measured visible dampness and mold damage. Damp-moldy Index (DMI) was also estimated to quantify the level of exposure. Exposure-response relationships of dampness and mold exposure with severe LRTI were assessed using multivariable restricted cubic spline regression models adjusting for relevant child, housing, and environmental characteristics.
Results: Severe LRTI cases were more often male than female (61.8%), and the overall mean (SD) age was 7.3 (1.35) months. Children exposed to dampness <0.3 m2 (odds ratio [OR] = 2.11; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.05, 4.36), and between 0.3 and 1.0 m2 (OR = 2.34; 95% CI = 1.01, 7.32), had a higher odds of severe LRTI compared with children not exposed to dampness. The restricted cubic spline showed a linear exposure-response association between severe LRTI and residential dampness (P < 0.001) but a nonlinear relationship with DMI (P = 0.01).
Conclusions: Residential dampness and DMI were exposure-dependently associated with higher odds of severe LRTI among under-five children. If observed relationships were causal, public health intervention strategies targeted at reducing residential dampness are critically important to mitigate the burden of severe LRTI among under-five children.
{"title":"Exposure-response relationship of residential dampness and mold damage with severe lower respiratory tract infections among under-five children in Nigeria.","authors":"Adekunle Gregory Fakunle, Nkosana Jafta, Akinkunmi Paul Okekunle, Lidwien A M Smit, Rajen N Naidoo","doi":"10.1097/EE9.0000000000000247","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1097/EE9.0000000000000247","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Previous epidemiological studies demonstrated an increased risk of respiratory health effects in children and adults exposed to dampness or mold. This study investigated associations of quantitative indicators of indoor dampness and mold exposure with severe lower respiratory tract infections (LRTI) among children aged 1-59 months in Ibadan, Nigeria.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>In-home visits were conducted among 178 children hospitalized with LRTI matched by age (±3 months), sex, and geographical location with 180 community-based children without LRTI. Trained study staff evaluated the indoor environment using a standardized home walkthrough checklist and measured visible dampness and mold damage. Damp-moldy Index (DMI) was also estimated to quantify the level of exposure. Exposure-response relationships of dampness and mold exposure with severe LRTI were assessed using multivariable restricted cubic spline regression models adjusting for relevant child, housing, and environmental characteristics.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Severe LRTI cases were more often male than female (61.8%), and the overall mean (SD) age was 7.3 (1.35) months. Children exposed to dampness <0.3 m<sup>2</sup> (odds ratio [OR] = 2.11; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.05, 4.36), and between 0.3 and 1.0 m<sup>2</sup> (OR = 2.34; 95% CI = 1.01, 7.32), had a higher odds of severe LRTI compared with children not exposed to dampness. The restricted cubic spline showed a linear exposure-response association between severe LRTI and residential dampness (<i>P</i> < 0.001) but a nonlinear relationship with DMI (<i>P</i> = 0.01).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Residential dampness and DMI were exposure-dependently associated with higher odds of severe LRTI among under-five children. If observed relationships were causal, public health intervention strategies targeted at reducing residential dampness are critically important to mitigate the burden of severe LRTI among under-five children.</p>","PeriodicalId":11713,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Epidemiology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2023-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://ftp.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pub/pmc/oa_pdf/cc/d4/ee9-7-e247.PMC10097558.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9309542","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-02-10eCollection Date: 2023-04-01DOI: 10.1097/EE9.0000000000000241
Adrien A Wilkie, David B Richardson, Thomas J Luben, Marc L Serre, Courtney G Woods, Julie L Daniels
Coal-fired power plants (CFPP) are major contributors of air pollution, including the majority of anthropogenic sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions, which have been associated with preterm birth (PTB). To address a 2002 North Carolina (NC) policy, 14 of the largest NC CFPPs either installed desulfurization equipment (scrubbers) or retired coal units, resulting in substantial reductions of SO2 air emissions. We investigated whether SO2 air emission reduction strategies at CFPPs in NC were associated with changes in prevalence of PTB in nearby communities.
Methods: We used US EPA Air Markets Program Data to track SO2 emissions and determine the implementation dates of intervention at CFPPs and geocoded 2003-2015 NC singleton live births. We conducted a difference-in-difference analysis to estimate change in PTB associated with change in SO2 reduction strategies for populations living 0-<4 and 4-<10 miles from CFPPs pre- and postintervention, with a comparison of those living 10-<15 miles from CFPPs.
Results: With the spatial-temporal exposure restrictions applied, 42,231 and 41,218 births were within 15 miles of CFPP-scrubbers and CFPP-retired groups, respectively. For residents within 4-<10 miles from a CFPP, we estimated that the absolute prevalence of PTB decreased by -1.5% [95% confidence interval (CI): -2.6, -0.4] associated with scrubber installation and -0.5% (95% CI: -1.6, 0.6) associated with the retirement of coal units at CFPPs. Our findings were imprecise and generally null-to-positive among those living within 0-<4 miles regardless of the intervention type.
Conclusions: Results suggest a reduction of PTB among residents 4-<10 miles of the CFPPs that installed scrubbers.
{"title":"Sulfur dioxide reduction at coal-fired power plants in North Carolina and associations with preterm birth among surrounding residents.","authors":"Adrien A Wilkie, David B Richardson, Thomas J Luben, Marc L Serre, Courtney G Woods, Julie L Daniels","doi":"10.1097/EE9.0000000000000241","DOIUrl":"10.1097/EE9.0000000000000241","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Coal-fired power plants (CFPP) are major contributors of air pollution, including the majority of anthropogenic sulfur dioxide (SO<sub>2</sub>) emissions, which have been associated with preterm birth (PTB). To address a 2002 North Carolina (NC) policy, 14 of the largest NC CFPPs either installed desulfurization equipment (scrubbers) or retired coal units, resulting in substantial reductions of SO<sub>2</sub> air emissions. We investigated whether SO<sub>2</sub> air emission reduction strategies at CFPPs in NC were associated with changes in prevalence of PTB in nearby communities.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We used US EPA Air Markets Program Data to track SO<sub>2</sub> emissions and determine the implementation dates of intervention at CFPPs and geocoded 2003-2015 NC singleton live births. We conducted a difference-in-difference analysis to estimate change in PTB associated with change in SO<sub>2</sub> reduction strategies for populations living 0-<4 and 4-<10 miles from CFPPs pre- and postintervention, with a comparison of those living 10-<15 miles from CFPPs.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>With the spatial-temporal exposure restrictions applied, 42,231 and 41,218 births were within 15 miles of CFPP-scrubbers and CFPP-retired groups, respectively. For residents within 4-<10 miles from a CFPP, we estimated that the absolute prevalence of PTB decreased by -1.5% [95% confidence interval (CI): -2.6, -0.4] associated with scrubber installation and -0.5% (95% CI: -1.6, 0.6) associated with the retirement of coal units at CFPPs. Our findings were imprecise and generally null-to-positive among those living within 0-<4 miles regardless of the intervention type.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Results suggest a reduction of PTB among residents 4-<10 miles of the CFPPs that installed scrubbers.</p>","PeriodicalId":11713,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Epidemiology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2023-02-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://ftp.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pub/pmc/oa_pdf/7d/b8/ee9-7-e241.PMC10097570.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9326834","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}