Reviews on Environmental Health最新文献

Air pollution continues to pose a critical global challenge, with profound implications for public health. This article examines the current state of air pollution in East Asia, analyzes the detrimental effects of air pollutants on multiple human physiological systems, and proposes actionable mitigation strategies. By synthesizing existing research, this review aims to enhance awareness among policymakers, institutions, and the public, advocating for collaborative efforts in pollution control and health protection. The outlook proposes the implementation of evidence-based interventions to address this urgent environmental and health crisis.

Introduction: There is a great deal of evidence that cadmium toxicity can have a significant impact on nutritional deficiencies, particularly iron deficiency. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to investigate the effect of cadmium toxicity on iron deficiency by meta-analysis method in order to clarify the previously obtained results.

Content: Web of Science, Scopus, and Pubmed databases were used for systematic search until December 17th, 2024. RevMan 5.4 software was used to perform meta-analysis.

Summary: Six studies were suitable for evaluating environmental/occupational cadmium exposure. In this analysis, serum cadmium levels were meaningfully higher in the cadmium-exposed groups (p=0.0005), while serum iron levels were meaningfully lower (p=0.0004). Forty-five studies were evaluated to include all diseases in which serum cadmium and serum iron levels were measured and included. According to this analysis, serum cadmium levels were meaningfully higher in case groups than in healthy controls (p<0.00001), while serum iron levels were meaningfully lower (p<0.00001). We also performed subgroup analysis exclusively for cancer patients and observed that serum cadmium levels were significantly elevated in cancer patients (p<0.00001), whereas serum iron levels were significantly decreased (p<0.00001).

Outlook: This is the first meta-analysis assessing the association between cadmium toxicity and iron deficiency. Our findings demonstrate that cadmium may be effective in triggering iron deficiency anemia and inflammation-induced anemia by impairing iron metabolism. However, it should be noted that more detailed studies are needed to clarify these effects of cadmium.

Ready-to-eat (RTE) foods are highly susceptible to microbial contamination, posing significant public health risks. This study aimed to conduct a systematic review, meta-analysis, and meta-regression to evaluate the prevalence of foodborne pathogens in RTE foods, assess trends over time, and examine the impact of the Global Food Security Index (GFSI). The search was conducted across Scopus, Web of Science, Embase, and PubMed until 2025. Studies reporting pathogen prevalence in RTE foods were included. Meta-analysis in defined subgroup and meta-regression assessed the effects of time and GFSI on prevalence trends. Sixty-five papers with 858 datasets comprising a total of 232,760 samples were included in the meta-analysis. Gram-negative pathogens (ES=18.32, 95 % CI: 15.29-21.53) were more prevalent than Gram-positive pathogens (ES=8.08, 95 % CI: 7.17-9.02). The African Region had the highest prevalence (ES=30.02, 95 % CI: 25.75-34.44), while the Americas had the lowest (ES=4.56, 95 % CI: 2.28-7.34). Contamination increased over time (C=0.018, p<0.001) but decreased with GFSI implementation (C=-0.005, p<0.001). RTE foods are highly vulnerable to contamination, particularly by Gram-negative pathogens. Regional disparities highlight the need for improved food safety infrastructure, especially in high-risk areas. Adopting global standards like GFSI and addressing emerging challenges such as antimicrobial resistance and climate change are essential for reducing foodborne illnesses.

Bisphenol-A (BPA) is a synthetic organic compound considered an endocrine disruptor. Childhood exposure to BPA has been linked to impaired memory and learning, as well as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. The aim of this study was to review the available literature on prenatal exposure to BPA and its relationship to the neurocognitive development of children aged 2-5 years. This systematic review (CRD42023494940 registration PROSPERO) was conducted between December 2023 and May 2024, following the recommendations of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyzes (PRISMA) guidelines. The Web of Science, Embase, and PubMed databases were used for the search, with no publication date limit. The following terms, with the respective Boolean operators, were searched: ((bisphenol A) OR (BPA)) AND ((pregnancy) OR (pregnant woman)). Twenty-one longitudinal studies were selected for this review. Most studies have demonstrated negative effects of prenatal BPA exposure on the neurocognitive development of children aged 2-5 years. These results differed between the sexes, with females having lower emotional control, reduced language dominance and problem solving, and males having lower psychomotor development and higher prosocial behavior, among other differences. Overall, BPA exposure during pregnancy has been associated with hyperactivity, aggression, anxiety, depression, inattention, and sleep problems. It is concluded that maternal exposure to BPA during pregnancy results in adverse health effects in children aged 2-5 years, with impairments in their neurocognitive development.

Endocrine-disrupting chemicals are commonly found in food due to their migration from plastic packaging. Despite their functional benefits, these additives can disrupt the endocrine system, leading to several adverse health outcomes. This review aims to examine the migration of phthalates, bisphenols, and per-and-polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from plastic food packaging into food substances. Six electronic databases were systematically screened for observational, case reports, or experimental studies investigating any food for human consumption exposed to food packaging. Sixty-seven studies, including 5,378 samples, were included. Phthalates and bisphenols consistently migrated from food packaging. PFAS migration was also detected but too few studies were published to draw conclusions. Migration rates were influenced by factors such as temperature, exposure time, and food composition, with high-fat or acidic foods leading to higher migration rates. Based on a standard Western Diet, 713.8 µg of di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate, 347.7 µg of di-n-butyl phthalate, 17.3 µg of butyl-benzyl phthalate, 35,250 µg of di-iso-decyl phthalate, and 65.4 µg of other plasticizers, totaling 36,349.2 µg, could be consumed from food packaging daily. However, these estimates may not be generalizable to other dietary patterns, such as Mediterranean or plant-based diets. Further research into low migration or safer alternative to current plasticizers, alongside regulatory efforts considering potential exposure via food contact materials may help reduce risks associated with endocrine-disrupting chemicals in food packaging.

Millions of people worldwide are chronically exposed to environmental arsenic through drinking water, increasing their risk of various adverse cardiometabolic outcomes. To understand the inter-individual variation in arsenic susceptibility, this systematic review explores all epidemiological evidence on interactions between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and arsenic exposure in relation to cardiometabolic health. Five electronic databases were searched until April 2023. From 42,202 retrieved publications, 18 candidate gene-environment (cGxE) studies were included, and no genome-wide association studies were found. Of 676 SNPs in 148 genes tested, 40 SNPs in 24 genes, 4 haplotypes and combined SNPs in MCP-1/APOE, were reported to statistically significantly interact with arsenic exposure. These genes were involved in arsenic metabolism, oxidative stress or defence, DNA damage repair, endothelial (dys) function, inflammation or immune function, tumour suppressor activity, or were previously implicated in cardiometabolic disease pathways. Most studies did not explore the same SNPs (or strong proxies), and none of the identified SNP-arsenic interactions were replicated for the same arsenic species and cardiometabolic outcome. Whilst some SNPs are suggestive of influencing susceptibility to arsenic for various cardiometabolic outcomes, further research is needed to understand the interplay between arsenic and genetic variants, identify at-risk populations, and improve risk assessment.

Studies examining the relationship between fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) exposure and cancer risk is inconclusive, with an evident scarcity of comprehensive data on the overall cancer risk. Given the emergence of new evidence, updated meta-analyses is essential. A search was performed on multiple databases including PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library up to Jan 2025. Hazard ratios (HRs), relative risks (RRs), or incidence rate ratios (IRRs) with their 95 % confidence intervals (CIs) were extracted and pooled. Moreover, a comprehensive and detailed quality assessment of the included studies was conducted to validate the plausibility of the findings. Overall, 57 original studies were included, covering 36 cancer categories and including overall cancer and malignancies specific to particular anatomical sites. For each increase of 10 μg per cubic meter in PM_2.5 concentration, there was an observed pooled HR of 1.07 for overall cancer (95 %CI:1.02-1.13). In the case of site-specific cancers, the pooled HRs were 1.11 (95 %CI:1.07-1.15), 1.06 (95 %CI:1.02-1.11), 1.17 (95 %CI:1.07-1.28), and 1.14 (95 %CI:1.03-1.26) for lung, breast, liver and esophageal cancers, respectively. Furthermore, PM_2.5 exposure may potentially correlate with the risk of cancers at other anatomical locations including upper aerodigestive tract, oral cavity, kidney, skin, as well as digestive organs. In light of available evidence, it is inferred that PM_2.5 exposure could potentially raise overall cancer risk with moderate certainty. As for site-specific malignancies, there is very low certainty evidence for lung cancer, low certainty evidence for breast cancer, and moderate certainty evidence for both liver and esophageal cancers.

Communities living in proximity to coal-fired power plants (CFPPs) may be at greater risk of negative health impacts from exposure to air pollution than communities living further away. The aim of this scoping review was to provide an update on the evidence of the health risks of air pollution exposure associated with living in proximity to CFPPs and to evaluate the relationship between residential proximity and the extent of the health burden. We followed the PRISMA-ScR guidelines and searched Google Scholar, PubMed, ScienceDirect, Scopus and Web of Science for relevant studies from inception up to 31 January 2024. Fifty-six studies were included with most articles published from 2016 to 2023 (n=33, 59 %) and 35 were in high income countries (63 %). Living close to CFPPs was frequently associated with increased odds or likelihood of respiratory disorders, adverse birth outcomes and child developmental issues. Interventions such as emission control systems or total shutdown of CFPPs led to improved health among communities living near CFPPs. The review highlights the health impacts from air pollution associated with living in proximity to CFPPs and the need for policy measures to reduce air pollution by installing emission control technologies or transitioning to cleaner energy sources.

Some studies have shown that maternal exposure to perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) may be related to the neonatal birth weight. The purpose of this study was to explore this relationship between maternal exposure to PFAS and neonatal birth weight. All papers published before March 2024 were retrieved from the Web of Science, PubMed, and Embase databases. A thorough meta-analysis was carried out, involving data extracted from 1,673 samples obtained from a total of 24 articles. Our study found a significantly negative association between maternal PFOS exposure and neonatal birth weight (β= -71.55; 95 %CI= -114.47, -28.62), with high heterogeneity (I ² =64.15 %, p<0.0001). Similarly, there was a significant negative correlation between maternal PFOA exposure and neonatal birth weight (β= -81.26; 95 %CI= -126.08, -36.43), with high heterogeneity (I ² =67.23 %, p<0.0001). Subunit analysis showed that there was a significantly negative correlation between PFOS exposure and neonatal birth weight in mid-to-late pregnancy and after delivery (β= -97.87; 95 %CI= -181.83, -13.92, β= -138.06; 95 %CI= -255.91, -20.20), PFOA exposure showed a negative correlation with neonatal birth weight in mid-to-late pregnancy (β= -85.89; 95 %CI= -139.31, -32.47), while PFNA exposure also showed a negative correlation with neonatal birth weight in mid-to-late pregnancy (β= -90.39; 95 %CI= -152.90, -27.88). However, no significant correlation was observed for PFNA exposure (β=3.95; 95% CI= -10.41, 18.31), with medium heterogeneity (I ² =40.56 %, p=0.0574), or for PFHxS exposure (β=4.61; 95 %CI= -10.60, 19.81), with medium heterogeneity (I ² =29.27 %, p=0.1368). Further research is needed to better understand the implications of these findings on maternal and neonatal health.

The question of whether dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) exposure is related to breast cancer (BC) remains unanswered, possibly due to methodological constraints in the studies that have been performed. We aimed to update and synthesize the available epidemiological evidence on the relationship of p,p'-DDT, o,p'-DDT and p,p'-dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (p,p'- DDE) biological concentrations with female BC, focusing in methodological characteristics not addressed in previous reviews. We conducted an overview of reviews and a systematic review and meta-analysis. We used six databases and one search engine to identify meta-analyses based on systematic reviews, pooled analyses, and individual studies published from January 2000 to December 2021. For the overview of reviews, we assessed meta-analyses' risk of bias and carried out a narrative synthesis. For the meta-analysis, we estimated summary association measures with fixed or random effects models for each compound stratifying for characteristics of interest. We estimated a positive summary association between p,p'- DDT biological concentrations and BC in prospective studies (nested case control) with >10 years of follow-up (sOR=1.41; 95 %CI: 1.06-1.88). Among retrospective studies (hospital or population-based case-control), BC was positively related with p,p'-DDE biological concentrations (sOR=1.15; 95 %CI: 1.02-1.30), and with p,p'-DDT in women with mean serum concentrations>100 ng/g (sOR=1.33; 95 %CI: 1.25-1.41). Moreover, we detected a positive association between o,p'-DDT and BC (sOR=2.24; 95 %CI: 2.15-2.34). Our results support a positive relationship between DDT exposure and BC, and are useful to reinforce its worldwide prohibition, since this pesticide is still used in some countries, has long persistence in the human body and disseminates to other geographic areas.