International journal of hygiene and environmental health最新文献

{"title":"Urinary phthalates, serum omega-3 fatty acids and ovarian reserve among women seeking fertility treatment","authors":"Xilin Shen ,&nbsp;Maximilien Génard-Walton ,&nbsp;Paige L. Williams ,&nbsp;Jennifer B. Ford ,&nbsp;Irene Souter ,&nbsp;Yazeed Allan ,&nbsp;Antonia M. Calafat ,&nbsp;Dan Zhang ,&nbsp;Jorge E. Chavarro ,&nbsp;Russ Hauser ,&nbsp;Lidia Mínguez-Alarcón ,&nbsp;for the Earth Study Team","doi":"10.1016/j.ijheh.2025.114642","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijheh.2025.114642","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Exposure to phthalates is common and difficult to avoid. However, intake of long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n3PUFAs) may ameliorate negative effects on ovarian reserve by exposure to phthalates as both are involved in key processes of ovarian function. Among 139 women attending a fertility center in the Environment and Reproductive Health (EARTH) Study (2004–2017), we evaluated whether associations between urinary phthalate biomarkers and antral follicle count (AFC) were modified by tertiles of serum α-linolenic acid (ALA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). We used Poisson regression (for individual phthalate biomarkers) and quantile Q-computation (for mixtures) models adjusted for age, body mass index, prior smoking, number of urine samples and urinary specific gravity. We found that serum EPA + DHA levels modified the negative association of urinary phthalate biomarkers mixture with mean AFC (<em>P</em> for interaction = 0.23); sum of di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate metabolites (∑DEHP) had the strongest effect modification (<em>P</em> interaction = 0.01). Specifically, phthalate biomarkers mixture and ∑DEHP were inversely related with AFC only among women in the low (<em>P</em> trend = 0.03 and &lt; 0.001, respectively) and middle (<em>P</em> trend = 0.07 and 0.002) tertiles of serum EPA + DHA, but not among women in the high tertile (<em>P</em> trend = 0.56 and 0.93). No effect modifications were found by serum ALA. These findings suggest certain serum n3PUFAs may attenuate effects of phthalate exposure on ovarian reserve marker. Such interaction points toward select n3PUFAs as key modifiers of phthalate toxicity on ovarian health with potential implications for other women's reproductive health endpoints.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":13994,"journal":{"name":"International journal of hygiene and environmental health","volume":"269 ","pages":"Article 114642"},"PeriodicalIF":4.4,"publicationDate":"2025-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144769466","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Associations between floor material and E. coli contamination in rural Bangladeshi households","authors":"Sumaiya Tazin ,&nbsp;Mahfuza Islam ,&nbsp;Amy J. Pickering ,&nbsp;Laura H. Kwong ,&nbsp;Andrew Mertens ,&nbsp;Caitlin Niven ,&nbsp;Benjamin F. Arnold ,&nbsp;Alan E. Hubbard ,&nbsp;Mahfuja Alam ,&nbsp;Debashis Sen ,&nbsp;Sharmin Islam ,&nbsp;Mahbubur Rahman ,&nbsp;Leanne Unicomb ,&nbsp;Stephen P. Luby ,&nbsp;John M. Colford ,&nbsp;Jade Benjamin-Chung ,&nbsp;Ayse Ercumen","doi":"10.1016/j.ijheh.2025.114641","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijheh.2025.114641","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Soil floors are common in low-income countries and can harbor contamination from fecal waste. Soil/dust ingestion from floors or indirectly via hands, water and food can contribute to children's ingestion of fecal organisms. We assessed if finished (e.g., concrete) floors are associated with lower <em>E. coli</em> contamination in the domestic environment in rural Bangladesh.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>We collected samples from 1864 households over 3.5 years, including stored drinking water, child and caregiver hand rinses, courtyard soil, food, and flies (n = 24,118 samples), and enumerated <em>E. coli</em> using IDEXX Quanti-Tray/2000.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Controlling for socio-demographics, water/sanitation status, and animal ownership, households with finished floors had slightly lower log10-transformed <em>E. coli</em> counts (Δlog10 = −0.10 (−0.20, 0.00)) and prevalence (prevalence ratio [PR] = 0.90 (0.83, 0.98)) on child hands than households with soil floors; floor material was not associated with contamination levels in other sample types. In subgroup analyses, finished floors were associated with lower <em>E. coli</em> on child hands following heavy rainfall (Δlog10 = −0.23 (−0.39, −0.07)), above-median temperature (Δlog10 = −0.18 (−0.30, −0.06)), and in households with more domestic animals (Δlog10 = −0.16 (−0.32, −0.01)). Finished floors were also associated with slightly lower contamination of stored water following heavy rainfall (PR = 0.89 (0.81, 0.99)) and above-median temperature (PR = 0.91 (0.84, 0.98)), and lower contamination of stored food following higher rainfall and temperature but the associations for food were not statistically significant.</div></div><div><h3>Discussion</h3><div>Measures to control enteric infections in low-income countries should test flooring improvements to reduce exposure to fecal contamination.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":13994,"journal":{"name":"International journal of hygiene and environmental health","volume":"269 ","pages":"Article 114641"},"PeriodicalIF":4.4,"publicationDate":"2025-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144721722","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Survey of polar organic micropollutants in German tap waters","authors":"Leon Saal ,&nbsp;Vanessa Ingold ,&nbsp;Alexander Kämpfe ,&nbsp;Tobias Bader ,&nbsp;Thorsten Reemtsma ,&nbsp;Aki S. Ruhl","doi":"10.1016/j.ijheh.2025.114653","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijheh.2025.114653","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Tap waters from 91 locations across Germany were analysed for organic persistent and mobile (PM) substances, covering a range of sources and substance classes, e.g. the sweetener saccharine (SAC), antibiotic drug sulfamethoxazole (SMX), pharmaceutical transformation product valsartanic acid (VSA), industrial chemicals as cyanoguanidine (CG) or ultra-short-chain PFAS trifluoroacetic acid and trifluoromethanesulfonic acid (TFA and TFMSA). The investigated sampling sites differed by their respective raw water resources and population density (rural and urban). Enrichment by azeotropic evaporation was successful for 11 of 26 substances and decreased the limit of detection and limit of quantification by more than ten-fold. Concentrations of 19 studied substances were well below the health-related indicator value (HRIV) or health-based guideline value (HBGV) in all samples. However, the HRIV for CG, SAC, SMX and VSA were exceeded in two, one, one and five samples respectively, with exceedances ranging from 4 % for SMX to 117 % for CG. Nevertheless, it can be stated that – with a few exceptions – the precautionary values protecting human health are complied with. TFA and TFMSA were detected in every sample with 90-percentile concentrations of 5.2 μg/L and 4 ng/L, respectively. The study shows that PM substances in particular can penetrate into drinking water.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":13994,"journal":{"name":"International journal of hygiene and environmental health","volume":"269 ","pages":"Article 114653"},"PeriodicalIF":4.4,"publicationDate":"2025-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144892047","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Faecal exposure in cholera hotspots: Sanipath exposure assessment in informal settlements of Nairobi, Kenya","authors":"Cecilia Mbae ,&nbsp;Kelvin Kering ,&nbsp;Michael Mugo ,&nbsp;Habib Yakubu ,&nbsp;Yuke Wang ,&nbsp;Susan Kavai ,&nbsp;Ronald Ngetich ,&nbsp;Sheillah Mundalo ,&nbsp;Diana Imoli ,&nbsp;Christine Kioko ,&nbsp;Collins Kebenei ,&nbsp;Zillah Wakio ,&nbsp;Beatrice Ongadi ,&nbsp;Evans Kibet ,&nbsp;Darius Owegi Ideke ,&nbsp;Aniruddha Deshpande ,&nbsp;Sarah Durry ,&nbsp;Pengbo Liu ,&nbsp;Christine L. Moe ,&nbsp;Samuel Kariuki","doi":"10.1016/j.ijheh.2025.114652","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijheh.2025.114652","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Urban informal settlements are characterized by poor sanitation infrastructure, and inadequate hygiene practices, exposing residents to infectious pathogens. We conducted a study involving environmental sampling and behaviour surveys using SaniPath Exposure Assessment tool to evaluate human exposure to faecal contamination in Mukuru informal settlements, Nairobi. Environmental sampling was conducted monthly in two neighbourhoods (Mukuru Kwa Njenga and Mukuru Kwa Reuben). We analysed 9 pathways, including open drains, produce, drinking water, surface water, floodwater, public latrine surfaces, soil, shaved ice, and street food.</div><div>More than 75 % of the surveyed population reported consuming street food at least once or more per week. Of the 803 environmental samples analysed for <em>E. coli</em> contamination, 432 (53.8 %) were positive for <em>E. coli</em>. All the surface water samples (29/29) had faecal contamination, and &gt;98 % (90/91) of open drains were positive for <em>E. coli</em>. In both neighbourhoods, high <em>E. coli</em> concentrations (4.60–9.30 log10 <em>E. coli</em> CFU/100 mL) were detected in open drain water, flood water and surface water. Produce was the dominant pathway of exposure to faecal contamination for adults. However, among children, produce was the dominant pathway in Mukuru Kwa Reuben neighbourhood while four pathways, including produce, contributed substantially to the total faecal exposure in the Mukuru Kwa Njenga neighbourhood.</div><div>The presence of <em>E. coli</em> in environmental samples suggests widespread faecal contamination in the environment, which may be a major driver for diarrhoeal diseases. Our findings could be used to inform the development of effective water, hygiene, and sanitation infrastructure in urban informal settlements.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":13994,"journal":{"name":"International journal of hygiene and environmental health","volume":"269 ","pages":"Article 114652"},"PeriodicalIF":4.4,"publicationDate":"2025-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144880085","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Appraisal of the composition, structure, diversity, and functioning of bacterial and fungal communities in drinking water systems: A case study in the developing world","authors":"Siphelele Nduli ,&nbsp;Memory Tekere ,&nbsp;Kedibone Masenya ,&nbsp;Vhahangwele Masindi ,&nbsp;Spyros Foteinis","doi":"10.1016/j.ijheh.2025.114643","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijheh.2025.114643","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Bacterial and fungal communities' successions were examined in a typical drinking water system in South Africa (Global South) using metagenomic sequencing. Bacterial taxa abundance was similar in water matrices but not in biofilm samples with Bacteroidota being higher in tap water and Actinobacteriota, Firmicutes, and Chloroflexi in biofilms. Fungal taxa abundance varied less, with Rozellomycota and Basidiomycota being interchangeably abundant. Both bacterial and fungal taxa and richness decreased during chlorination, but bacterial increased and fungal decreased in the distribution system. Fungal and particularly bacterial communities' diversity in raw water was closely clustered together with biofilm samples, which could suggest that biofilms act as a sink and reservoir for microbes found in raw water, however microbes' resuspension or dispersion from biofilms was less likely. Functional profile prediction revealed the presence of mainly common metabolic pathways for pathogenesis, antibiotic or chlorine resistance, with the denitrification pathway being significantly enriched within the distribution network. Finally, changes in residual chlorine had a larger influence on the composition and structure of bacterial fractions than the fungal communities. Given that drinking water systems in the developing world are ridden with many challenges, assessing both planktonic and biofilm communities is much-needed, particularly at their distal ends where chlorine decay is more pronounced and microbial regrowth can be an issue of prime concern. Finally, metagenomics analyses can shed light on bacterial and fungal succession and dynamics across the water supply chain and identify microbial risks. This can inform evidence-based interventions to underpin improved water quality and protect public health in South Africa and further afield.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":13994,"journal":{"name":"International journal of hygiene and environmental health","volume":"269 ","pages":"Article 114643"},"PeriodicalIF":4.4,"publicationDate":"2025-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144770643","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Identifying differences in U.S. exposure to ubiquitous carcinogens","authors":"Adam Theising,&nbsp;Tina Bardot ,&nbsp;Ann Wolverton","doi":"10.1016/j.ijheh.2025.114611","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijheh.2025.114611","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Cancer is a leading cause of death in the United States, and substantial race-, ethnicity-, sex-, and income-based differences in cancer incidence and mortality persist despite declining overall trends. Underlying differences in exposure to carcinogenic chemicals are often cited as a contributing factor to persistent differences in the incidence of certain cancer types. In this exploratory analysis, we construct a novel database of actual or potential exposure to ubiquitous carcinogenic chemicals based on nationally-representative biomonitoring and environmental data to produce demographically-differentiated exposure statistics, where possible. Despite major data gaps – one or more measures of direct or indirect exposure were available for only 37% of these 622 carcinogens – our results show evidence of notable differences in exposure for at least 28 carcinogens. We also review readily-available information on associated exposure pathways and cancer types for carcinogens with differences in exposure to identify common pathways through which households may be exposed, and explore correlations between relative exposure levels and cancer incidence rates. We end the paper with a discussion of key data gaps and limitations that future data gathering and research could address.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":13994,"journal":{"name":"International journal of hygiene and environmental health","volume":"269 ","pages":"Article 114611"},"PeriodicalIF":4.5,"publicationDate":"2025-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144662534","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Additive interaction of maternal early pregnancy exposure to particulate matter and residential greenness on congenital heart disease in the Offspring: Mediation of DNA methylation in placental tissue","authors":"Honglu Zhang ,&nbsp;Lei Pan ,&nbsp;Chengjie Pan ,&nbsp;Zhao Ma ,&nbsp;Hongyue Sun ,&nbsp;Zinuo Wang ,&nbsp;Wei Gao ,&nbsp;Yiqing Wang ,&nbsp;Weiqin Li ,&nbsp;Ying Chang ,&nbsp;Wen Li ,&nbsp;Wei Zhang ,&nbsp;Zhiyu Wang ,&nbsp;Qiang Zhang ,&nbsp;Xueli Yang ,&nbsp;Jing Wei ,&nbsp;Nai-jun Tang ,&nbsp;Junhong Leng","doi":"10.1016/j.ijheh.2025.114625","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijheh.2025.114625","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>We aim to assess the interactive effect of greenness with particulate matter(PM) on congenital heart disease(CHD), and estimate the mediation of DNA methylation in PM on CHD. A case-control study of 1540 CHD mother-child pairs and one-to-one, age±2 years and gravidity-matched controls was organized in Tianjin, China during 2018–2021. And we further collected placental tissue(30 CHD mother-child pairs and 30 controls). We calculated maternal average PM and normalized difference vegetation index(NDVI) exposure at 3–8 gestation weeks. Conditional logistic regressions were performed to test associations between PM and NDVI, and CHD. Additive interactions were used to examine interactive effects of PM and NDVI on CHD. Quantile-based g-computation was performed to identify the main contributors. We further estimated the mediation of DNA methylation in PM on CHD. High PM exposure at 3–8 weeks of gestation increased CHD risk, whereas high NDVI decreased CHD risk. Low NDVI greatly enhanced the OR(95 % CI) of PM₁≥vs.&lt;25 μg/m³ exposure for CHD from 4.479(2.933,6.841) to 7.335(4.888,11.006). Similar results were found in the additive interaction of NDVI with PM_2.5 and PM₁₀. PM_2.5 mixture(OR: 2.022, 95 % CI: 1.788,2.289) increased CHD risk and sulfate(SO₄²⁻) was the main contributor(weight = 0.533). After further adjusting for methylation level of cg13438944/cg12145624 in addition to PM₁/SO₄²⁻ on CHD, the effects of PM₁(OR:1.120, 95 % CI: 0.989, 1.269) and SO₄²⁻(OR:1.530, 95 % CI: 0.992, 2.362) on CHD were no longer significant, indicating DNA methylation potentially might mediate the effect of PM on CHD. We recommend strict control of PM, especially SO₄²⁻, and increase residential greenness.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":13994,"journal":{"name":"International journal of hygiene and environmental health","volume":"269 ","pages":"Article 114625"},"PeriodicalIF":4.5,"publicationDate":"2025-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144662536","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Air pollution exposures and adverse childhood experiences in relation to sleep health in middle childhood","authors":"Jonika B. Hash ,&nbsp;Logan C. Dearborn ,&nbsp;Christine T. Loftus ,&nbsp;Catherine J. Karr ,&nbsp;Adam A. Szpiro ,&nbsp;Emily S. Barrett ,&nbsp;Kaja Z. LeWinn ,&nbsp;Ruby Nguyen ,&nbsp;Paul E. Moore ,&nbsp;Brent Collett ,&nbsp;Amanda N. Noroña-Zhou ,&nbsp;Nicole R. Bush ,&nbsp;Sheela Sathyanarayana","doi":"10.1016/j.ijheh.2025.114638","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijheh.2025.114638","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Purpose/aims</h3><div>Sleep health is an understudied but potentially important outcome of joint air pollution and psychosocial stress exposures in children. This study examined children's sleep health outcomes in relation to air pollution (PM_2.5, NO₂, O₃; aim 1), adverse childhood experiences (ACEs; aim 2), and air-pollution-by-ACEs interactions (aim 3).</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Participants were from ECHO-PATHWAYS, a three-cohort consortium. Aim 1 included 1166 participants across the three cohorts, and aims 2 and 3 included a subset of 719 participants from a single cohort. PM_2.5 (μg/m³), NO₂ (ppb), and O₃ (ppb) were estimated during early infancy (0–6 months) and early childhood (6 months–6 years) using geocoded residential histories and spatiotemporal prediction models. Children's lifetime exposures to 8 different types of ACEs were measured via parent report at child age 8–9 years. Sleep disturbance and sleep-related impairment outcomes were measured via children's self-report at age 8–9 years. Analyses included linear regressions, adjusting for <em>a priori</em>-selected confounders.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Aim 1 results showed that, for every 1 IQR increase in early infancy NO₂, children scored 0.31 (95 % CI 0.01, 0.61) points lower on sleep-related impairment. Aim 3 results showed that, for every additional ACE, the difference in sleep-related impairment per IQR increase in early infancy and early childhood NO₂ was 0.43 (95 % CI 0.08, 0.78) and 0.41 (95 % CI 0.08, 0.73), respectively (<em>p</em>s_{<em>interactions</em>} = 0.02). No other associations were observed.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>We found little evidence of associations, with the exception of suggestive evidence for associations of NO₂ and NO₂-by-ACE interactions with sleep-related impairment.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":13994,"journal":{"name":"International journal of hygiene and environmental health","volume":"269 ","pages":"Article 114638"},"PeriodicalIF":4.4,"publicationDate":"2025-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144780764","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Evaluation of bioadditive effectiveness at reducing sludge accumulation and E. coli in latrine systems in informal settlements in Lebanon","authors":"Marine Ricau ,&nbsp;Mayssam Nasser ,&nbsp;Nour Ghuneim ,&nbsp;Rida Jomaa ,&nbsp;Baptiste Lecuyot ,&nbsp;Daniele Lantagne","doi":"10.1016/j.ijheh.2025.114639","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijheh.2025.114639","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>As protracted humanitarian emergencies are increasing, effective fecal sludge management solutions are needed to prevent disease spread. One fecal sludge management solution often promoted is adding bioadditives to reduce fecal sludge volume. However, scientific evidence documenting bioadditive effectiveness is weak. In this study, we evaluated the effectiveness of Sanipit® bioadditive in latrine containment systems in Syrian informal settlements in Lebanon with and without bioadditive. Systems were connected to flush latrines, and were three watertight holding tanks and a soak pit in series. Each week for 28 weeks, we measured sludge volume, <em>E. coli</em> concentration, and odor/fly presence in systems with and without bioadditives. Monthly, we conducted household surveys. Data from 21 systems were analyzed, with no statistical differences in sludge volume and <em>E. coli</em> concentration between systems (p &gt; 0.05), and &lt;12 % difference in reporting ‘no odor’. We found Sanipit® bioadditive had no significant influence on sludge accumulation, <em>E. coli</em> concentration, or odor. Additionally, due to flooding and/or maintenance needs, only four systems remained operational throughout the 28-week study. Our work highlights the difficulties in conducting programs and research in protracted humanitarian contexts, and the need to focus on improved design, construction, and operation of sanitation infrastructure and services in protracted humanitarian settings.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":13994,"journal":{"name":"International journal of hygiene and environmental health","volume":"269 ","pages":"Article 114639"},"PeriodicalIF":4.5,"publicationDate":"2025-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144694519","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Greenness exposure mitigate PM2.5-associated congenital heart defects in China: A mediation analysis of chemical composition and seasonal-spatial vulnerability","authors":"Die Li ,&nbsp;Tiezheng Li ,&nbsp;Yunyan Wang ,&nbsp;Feixia Pan ,&nbsp;Jiajia Chen ,&nbsp;Jinghua Ruan ,&nbsp;Weize Xu","doi":"10.1016/j.ijheh.2025.114624","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijheh.2025.114624","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>While prenatal PM_2.5 exposure constitutes an established risk factor for congenital heart defects (CHDs), the modifying role of greenness exposure in this association remains underexplored. We conducted a retrospective cohort study analyzed 1,356,420 birth records (11,803 CHD cases) from Zhejiang Province, China (2018–2023). Prenatal exposure to PM₂.₅ and its major constituents was estimated using satellite-derived speciation models, and greenness was assessed via the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI). Generalized additive models (GAMs) with a quasibinomial logit link and restricted maximum likelihood were used to model non-linear associations and interactions. Mixture effects and joint exposure–response surfaces were estimated using fast Bayesian kernel machine regression (fbKMR). Causal mediation analysis under a counterfactual framework was used to assess indirect effects of PM₂.₅ in the greenness–CHD relationship. We identified predominantly J-shaped exposure–response relationships between key PM₂.₅ constituents and CHD risk, with organic matter (OM) and black carbon (BC) exhibiting the steepest risk increases. Mixture modeling via fbKMR revealed a monotonic increase in CHD risk with joint pollutant exposure. NDVI showed a robust U-shaped association with CHDs, with lowest risk at moderate greenness. Seasonal analysis highlighted strong BC and OM effects in autumn and winter, sulfate in spring and winter, and a threshold pattern for ammonium in summer. Spatial heterogeneity was evident, with eastern coastal cities (e.g., Ningbo, Jiaxing) showing pronounced risk increases above 35 μg/m³. Septal-type CHDs exhibited consistent positive associations with PM₂.₅, while complex subtypes showed weaker patterns. Mediation analysis indicated that PM₂.₅ accounted for 5.6–15.7 % of the greenness–CHD association, with BC showing the strongest mediation effect. Our findings underscore the cumulative toxicity of PM₂.₅ mixtures and the protective yet nonlinear role of greenness. Region- and season-specific strategies that integrate pollution control and green infrastructure may help mitigate CHD risk.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":13994,"journal":{"name":"International journal of hygiene and environmental health","volume":"269 ","pages":"Article 114624"},"PeriodicalIF":4.5,"publicationDate":"2025-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144665699","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}