International journal of hygiene and environmental health最新文献

Background

In a previous study located in Northeastern British Columbia (Canada), we observed associations between density and proximity of oil and gas wells and indoor air concentrations of certain volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Whether conventional or unconventional well types and phases of unconventional development contribute to these associations remains unknown.

Objective

To investigate the associations between proximity-based metrics for conventional and unconventional wells and measured indoor air VOC concentrations in the Exposures in the Peace River Valley (EXPERIVA) study samples.

Methods

Eighty-four pregnant individuals participated in EXPERIVA. Passive indoor air samplers were analyzed for 47 VOCs. Oil and gas well legacy data were sourced from the British Columbia Energy Regulator. For each participant's home, 5 km, 10 km and no buffer distances were delineated, then density and Inverse Distance Square Weighted (ID²W) metrics were calculated to estimate exposure to conventional and unconventional wells during pregnancy and the VOC measurement period. Multiple linear regression models were used to test for associations between the well exposure metrics and indoor air VOCs. For exposure metrics with >30% participants having a value of 0, we dichotomized exposure (0 vs. >0) and performed ANOVAs to assess differences in mean VOCs concentrations.

Results

Analyses indicated that: 1) conventional well density and ID²W metrics were positively associated with indoor air acetone and decanal; 2) unconventional well density and ID²W metrics were positively associated with indoor air chloroform and decamethylcyclopentasiloxane, and negatively associated with decanal; 3) drilling specific ID²W metrics for unconventional wells were positively associated with indoor air chloroform.

Conclusion

Our analysis revealed that the association between the exposure metrics and indoor air acetone could be attributed to conventional wells and the association between exposure metrics and indoor air chloroform and decamethylcyclopentasiloxane could be attributed to unconventional wells.

Environmental pollution is of global concern. In Southeast Sweden, historical glass production has contaminated communities with toxic metals. Long-term residency in these communities and high consumption of local foods may constitute a risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD) or stroke.

The current study investigates if residency in these contaminated sites and long-term consumption of local foods is associated with self-reported CVD and stroke. In addition, the body burden of the toxic metals arsenic, cadmium, and lead, as well as inflammatory protein markers, were studied for association with CVD and stroke.

From an existing questionnaire cohort and biomonitoring sub cohort (n = 2290/882) of people living in the contaminated areas, self-reported CVD cases (n = 366/166) and stroke cases (n = 78/25) were identified. Individuals were grouped based on their residency within a 2 km radius of glassworks with historical high, moderate, or low air-borne lead emissions. Body burden of arsenic, cadmium, and lead was analyzed using ICP-MS. Inflammatory markers were investigated using electrochemiluminescence.

Long-term residency near glassworks with historically high levels of lead emissions, and high consumption of local foods, were associated with CVD. The risk was increasing for each year of residency in high emission areas. Increased body burden of arsenic in blood, and lead in urine, were associated with stroke. Five and two inflammatory markers, respectively, were elevated in CVD and stroke cases after adjusting for confounders.

An increased risk for CVD was found in areas with historically high emissions of lead but possibly also other toxic metals. Interestingly, there was an indication of a dose-response relationship with increasing risk for CVD per year of residency time. Inhalation and consumption of local food may constitute major pathways for this association. The study shows that long-term exposure to toxic metals in these contaminated areas is associated with CVD and that there is a need to limit exposure in the general population.

During the storage and distribution of water in buildings, the excessive growth of pathogens can deteriorate the quality of drinking water. This study aims to investigate the factors influencing this growth and propose technical measures for prevention. The analysis is based on an empirical data set comprising 1361 samples from 204 domestic premise plumbing systems. In 14 systems, ultrafiltration plants were installed as microbiological barriers. Legionella cultivation and flow cytometry were used to determine microbiological properties. The study identified elevated total cell counts in tapping valves and pipe end lines in numerous premise plumbing systems, indicating prolonged water stagnation prior to sampling, which facilitates microbiological growth. Higher contamination rates were observed in these systems, with peripheral taps often being contaminated in lieu of the entire system. These systems were classified as microbiologically unstable due to the relevantly higher total cell numbers at hot water taps compared to the hot water tank (>25%). Furthermore, these systems exhibited a Legionella contamination rate that was 22.3% higher than in microbiologically stable systems. In some cases, peripheral contaminations may not accurately represent the entire premise plumbing system. Increasing the discard volume during sampling from 1 L to 3–5 L could provide more precise results during standard testing. Legionella species were primarily detected in the first 1 L of water after tap activation. Additionally, statistically significant relationships were observed between direct temperature and total cell number, as well as between the presence of ultrafiltration and total cell numbers at cold water taps.

Background and aim

Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have demonstrated potential toxicity in skeletal development. However, the relationship between prenatal PFAS exposure and offspring bone health remains unclear in epidemiological studies. Therefore, we aim to investigate whether prenatal exposure to PFAS is associated with bone mineral density (BMD) in offspring.

Method

This study population included 182 mother-child pairs in the Shanghai Obesity and Allergy Cohort, enrolled during 2012–2013. 10 PFAS were measured by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) in cord plasma. The child's spinal BMD was measured using a dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scanner at the age of 8. Multivariable linear regression models were used to estimate the associations between individual PFAS concentrations (as a continuous variable or categorized into quartiles) and child BMD. Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR) was employed to explore the joint effects of PFAS mixtures on BMD.

Results

Among the 10 PFAS, 8 of them had a detection rate >90% and were included in the subsequent analysis. We observed no significant associations between individual PFAS (as a continuous variable) and spinal BMD in 8-year-old children using the multivariable linear regression model. When treated as quartile categories, the second and fourth quartiles of perfluorobutane sulfonate (PFBS) was associated with higher BMD in the first lumbar vertebra, compared with the lowest quartile. BKMR analysis revealed no association between the PFAS mixture and child BMD.

Conclusion

We observed no associations of prenatal PFAS exposure with child BMD at 8 years of age. Given the inconsistent epidemiological evidence, further research is needed to confirm these findings from other studies or elucidate the potentially toxic effects of PFAS on bone.

There is growing interest in cardiometabolic outcomes associated with nighttime noise, given that noise can disturb sleep and sleep disturbance can increase cardiometabolic risk such as hypertension. However, there is little empirical research evaluating the association between nighttime aircraft noise and hypertension risk. In this study, we expand on previous work to evaluate associations between nighttime aircraft noise exposure and self-reported hypertension incidence in the Nurses' Health Studies (NHS/NHSII), two US-wide cohorts of female nurses. Annual nighttime average aircraft sound levels (L_night) surrounding 90 airports for 1995–2015 (in 5-year intervals) were modeled using the Aviation Environmental Design Tool and assigned to participants’ geocoded addresses over time. Hypertension risk was estimated for each cohort using time-varying Cox proportional-hazards models for L_night dichotomized at 45 dB (dB), adjusting for individual-level hypertension risk factors, area-level socioeconomic status, region, and air pollution. Random effects meta-analysis was used to combine cohort results. Among 63,229 NHS and 98,880 NHSII participants free of hypertension at study baseline (1994/1995), we observed 33,190 and 28,255 new hypertension cases by 2014/2013, respectively. Although ∼1% of participants were exposed to L_night ≥45 dB, we observed an adjusted hazard ratio (HR) of 1.10 (95% CI: 0.96, 1.27) in NHS and adjusted HR of 1.12 (95% CI: 0.98, 1.28) in NHSII, comparing exposure to L_night ≥45 versus <45 dB(A). In meta-analysis, we observed an adjusted HR of 1.11 (95% CI: 1.01, 1.23). These results were attenuated with adjustment for additional variables such as body mass index. Our findings support a modest positive association between nighttime aircraft noise and hypertension risk across NHS/NHSII, which may reinforce the concept that sleep disturbance contributes to noise-related disease burden.

Water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) associated diseases remain a global public health issue and linked with Sustainable Development Goal 6. In November 2020, a war broke out in Tigray, Ethiopia, resulting in a negative health consequence. The post war status of WASH and its associated diseases are not documented. The aim of this study was to assess the status of drinking water, sanitation and hygiene practices and the prevalence of WASH-associated diseases in Tigray, Ethiopia following the war. A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted in 24 randomly selected accessible districts of Tigray, Ethiopia. A standardized questionnaire was used to collect data from households in the study. Data was collected from 2338 households. Descriptive statistics and binary logistic regression were used to analyze the data. The average age of respondents was 28.7 years (SD = 6.2). The majority of respondents 2030 (86.8%) were married and 1698 (72.6%) were rural residents. Nearly one third of the respondents were uneducated and around 40% have either radio or TV as means of communication. More than half (55.2%) of the respondents had a family size of over 5.

A quarter (25%, 95% CI: 23.3, 26.8) of study participants had access to a basic water supply. Less than a tenth (7.7%, 95% CI: 6.6, 8.8) of households had access to basic sanitation. Basic hand washing was available in 2% of households. Malaria, diarrhoea, skin infection and eye infection were the common reported disease in the community. Marital status, family size, place of residence and liquid waste management were the most important predictors of reported diseases.

Access to basic water, sanitation and hygiene services was low, and the prevalence of malaria, diarrhoea and skin infections was higher. There were differences in WASH services and reported diseases according to zone and place of residence (urban-rural). Post war, improved access to basic water, sanitation and hygiene services is recommended to prevent WASH-associated diseases in Tigray, Ethiopia. Furthermore, the prevention oriented policy of the country needs better implementation to reduce preventable diseases and ensure better health status in the community.

Background

Telomere length is a biomarker of molecular aging that may be impacted by air pollution exposure starting in utero. We aimed to examine the association between prenatal and early life exposure to fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) and leukocyte telomere length (LTL) in children and explore sex differences.

Methods

Analyses included 384 mother–child pairs enrolled in the Programming Research in Obesity, Growth, and Environmental Stressors (PROGRESS) birth cohort in Mexico City. Exposure to PM_2.5 was estimated at the residential level using a satellite based spatio-temporally resolved prediction model. Average relative LTL was measured in DNA isolated from blood collected at age 4–6 years using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Linear regression models were used to examine the association between average PM_2.5 across pregnancy, individual trimesters, first postnatal year, and LTL. Models were adjusted for maternal age and education at enrollment, prenatal environmental tobacco smoke exposure, child sex, age, and body mass index z-score at LTL measurement. Effect modification by sex was investigated with interaction terms and stratification.

Results

In trimester specific models, we found an association between 2nd trimester PM_2.5 and elongated LTL (β: 4.34, 95%CI [0.42, 8.42], per 5 μg/m³ increase). There was suggestive effect modification by sex on average 2nd trimester PM_2.5 with stronger associations seen in females compared to males (β: 7.12, [95%CI: 0.98, 13.6] and β: 1.43 [95%CI: −3.46, 6.57]) per 5 μg/m³ increase respectively.

Conclusion

Second trimester PM_2.5 levels were associated with changes in LTL in early childhood. Understanding temporal and sex differences in PM_2.5 exposure may provide insights into telomere dynamics over early life.

Background

The burden of pediatric asthma and other allergic diseases is not evenly distributed among United States populations.

Objective

To determine whether urinary biomarkers are associated with asthma morbidity, and if associations vary by child race, ethnicity and sex.

Methods

This study includes n = 152 children with physician-diagnosed asthma who participated in the School Inner-City Asthma Intervention Study (SICAS-2). Metabolites of phenol, paraben, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and phthalate analytes were analyzed from urine samples collected at baseline. Asthma symptom days over the past 2 weeks were dichotomized to no asthma symptom days or any asthma symptom days. Cross-sectional regression models were adjusted for age, sex, number of colds, household income, prescription control, race and ethnicity, body mass index (BMI) percentile, and smoke exposure. Weighted quantile sum regression was used to analyze each chemical class and a total mixture effect, controlling for the same covariates. Analyses were conducted with the assistance of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences Children's Health Exposure Analysis Resource (CHEAR).

Results

Participants were mostly Hispanic/Latino and low income with an average age of 7.83 years and the average maximum asthma symptom days over the past two weeks of 2.13 (standard deviation: 3.56). The maximum concentrations indicate extreme values for several chemicals, including bisphenol-3, 2,5-dichlorophenol, propyl and methyl parabens, triclosan, methyl paraben and cotinine. We found a significant interaction effect and differing contributions of analytes for children with allergen sensitivity versus those that did not. For stratified analyses assessing effect modification by child race and ethnicity, weighted quantile sum interaction models showed reduced odds of asthma symptoms to a greater magnitude in children of other races and ethnicities compared to Black, Non-Hispanic children.

Conclusions

Preliminary analyses of the association between environmental chemical exposure and asthma symptoms among inner-city children revealed an inverse association, which may be due to personal care and medication use and can be understood further in future analyses. Beneficial effects were detected for most of the chemicals.

Background

Air pollution exposure has been linked with increased risk of preterm birth, which is one of the leading causes of infant mortality. Limited studies have attempted to explore these associations in low-polluted areas. In this study, we aimed to assess the association between short-term exposure to ambient air pollution and preterm birth in Sweden.

Method

In this population-based study we included preterm births between 2014 and 2019 from the Swedish Pregnancy Register. We applied a spatiotemporal model to estimate daily levels of particulate matter <2.5 μm (PM_2.5), PM < 10 μm (PM₁₀), nitrogen dioxide (NO_2), and ozone (O₃) at the residential address of each participant. We applied a time-stratified case-crossover design with conditional logistic regression analysis to estimate odds ratios (OR) of preterm birth per 10 μg/m³ (PM₁₀, NO₂, O₃) and 5 μg/m³ (PM_2.5) increase in air pollution exposure at 0–6-day lag. Two-pollutant models were applied to evaluate the independent association of each exposure on preterm birth. We also stratified by maternal characteristics to identify potential effect modifiers.

Results

28,216 (4.5%) preterm births were included. An increase in O₃ exposure was associated with increased odds of preterm birth [OR = 1.06 per 10 μg/m³ (95% CI, 1.02; 1.10]. PM_2.5 and PM₁₀ were not significantly associated with preterm birth, and NO₂ displayed a negative nonlinear association with preterm birth. We did not observe any notable effect modification, but we found suggestive larger associations between O₃ and preterm birth when stratifying by male sex, spontaneous delivery, and spring season.

Conclusions

Increased O₃ exposure one week before delivery was associated with an increased risk of preterm birth in Sweden, a country with levels of air pollution below the current World Health Organization air quality guidelines. Increases in O₃ levels with climate change make these findings especially concerning.

Background

The mortality of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) can be affected by environmental factors. However, few studies have explored the effects of environmental factors across diverse regions over time. Given the vulnerability observed in the elderly group in previous research, this research applied Bayesian spatiotemporal models to assess the associations in the elderly group.

Methods

Data on T2DM death in the elderly group (aged over 60 years old) at the county level were collected from the National Death Surveillance System between 1^st January 2013 and 31^st December 2019 in Shandong Province, China. A Bayesian spatiotemporal model was employed with the integrated Nested Laplace Approach to explore the associations between socio-environmental factors (i.e., temperatures, relative humidity, the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), particulate matter with a diameter of 2.5 μm or less (PM_2.5) and gross domestic product (GDP)) and T2DM mortality.

Results

T2DM mortality in the elderly group was found to be associated with temperature and relative humidity (i.e., temperature: Relative Risk (RR) = 1.41, 95% Credible Interval (CI): 1.27–1.56; relative humidity: RR = 1.05, 95% CI:1.03–1.06), while no significant associations were found with NDVI, PM_2.5 and GDP. In winter, significant impacts from temperature (RR = 1.18, 95% CI: 1.06–1.32) and relative humidity (RR = 0.94, 95% CI: 0.89–0.99) were found. Structured and unstructured spatial effects, temporal trends and space-time interactions were considered in the model.

Conclusions

Higher mean temperatures and relative humidities increased the risk of elderly T2DM mortality in Shandong Province. However, a higher humidity level decreased the T2DM mortality risk in winter in Shandong Province. This research indicated that the spatiotemporal method could be a useful tool to assess the impact of socio-environmental factors on health by combining the spatial and temporal effects.