Reviews on Environmental Health最新文献

Solid fuel use is increasingly linked to low birth weight (LBW), but conclusions were inconsistent. We aimed to summarize the association between solid fuel use and LBW. Twenty-one studies that met the inclusion criteria were identified through PubMed, Qvid Medline, and Web of Science databases. The final search occurred on March 20, 2024. Summary relative effect and 95 % confidence intervals were estimated with a random-effects model. Subgroup analyses and sensitivity analyses were performed to investigate possible sources of heterogeneity and to test the stability of the results. Nineteen studies evaluated the association between solid fuel use in pregnant woman and LBW (1.188 for solid fuels: 1.055 to 1.322). No significant heterogeneity was identified among the included studies (p=0.010, Tau²=0.02, I²=48.1 %). Subgroup analysis found positive correlations for Asia, data years prior to 2014, and rural studies (1.245 for Asia: 1.077 to 1.412; Tau²=0.03, I²=56.0 %; 1.243 for data years prior to 2014: 1.062 to 1.424; Tau²=0.04, I²=60.98 %; 1.514 for rural: 1.258 to 1.771; Tau²=0.00, I²=0.0 %). Our meta-analysis showed that solid fuel use in pregnant women had an impact on LBW. Measures and policies are also needed to promote energy conversion and to limit and reduce the use of solid fuels.

The fifth generation, 5G, for wireless communication is currently deployed in Sweden since 2019/2020, as well as in many other countries. We have previously published seven case reports that include a total of 16 persons aged between 4 and 83 years that developed the microwave syndrome within short time after being exposed to 5G base stations close to their dwellings. In all cases high radiofrequency (RF) radiation from 4G/5G was measured with a broadband meter. RF radiation reached >2,500,000 to >3,180,000 μW/m² in peak maximum value in three of the studies. In total 41 different health issues were assessed for each person graded 0 (no complaint) to 10 (worst symptoms). Most prevalent and severe were sleeping difficultly (insomnia, waking night time, early wake-up), headache, fatique, irritability, concentration problems, loss of immediate memory, emotional distress, depression tendency, anxiety/panic, dysesthesia (unusual touched based sensations), burning and lancinating skin, cardiovascular symptoms (transitory high or irregular pulse), dyspnea, and pain in muscles and joints. Balance disorder and tinnitus were less prevalent. All these symptoms are included in the microwave syndrome. In most cases the symptoms declined and disappeared within a short time period after the studied persons had moved to a place with no 5G. These case histories are classical examples of provocation studies. They reinforce the urgency to inhibit the deployment of 5G until more safety studies have been performed.

The impact of air pollution is a major public health concern. However, there are few studies on the correlation between PM_2.5 and respiratory infections. This study aimed to determine a link between PM_2.5 and respiratory diseases among the elderly in Thailand. The data source for this study consisted of 43 electronic files from the Khon Kaen Provincial Health Office covering years 2020 and 2021 and surveyed a total of 43,534 people. The generalized linear mixed model (GLMM) was used to determine the adjusted odds ratio (AOR), and 95 % CI. We found that exposure to PM_2.5 concentrations (in 10 μg m^-3 increments) was associated with respiratory diseases (AOR: 3.98; 95 % CI [1.53-10.31]). Respondents who are male, aged less than 80 years, single, self-employed, or working as contractors, have a body mass index (BMI) not equal to the standard, have NCDs (hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and cardiovascular disease), are smokers, live in sub-districts where more than 5 % of the land is planted to sugarcane, or live in close proximity to a biomass power plant were at significantly higher risk of developing respiratory diseases (p<0.05). Therefore, environmental factors including ambient PM_2.5 concentrations, the proportion of sugarcane plantation areas, and biomass power plants impact the occurrence of respiratory diseases among the elderly. Also, demographic factors and NCDs are serious issues. Systematic approaches to reducing PM_2.5 levels in industrial and agricultural sectors are necessary for both the general population and vulnerable groups, including the elderly and NCD patients.

Lead poisoning is a serious environmental health problem in every country in the world. Exposure to lead results in neurocognitive and behavioral changes, has adverse effects on the immune system, causes anemia, hypertension and perturbs other organ systems. The effects of lead poisoning are most critical for children because their bodies are growing and developing, and particularly because agents that reduce cognitive function and attention span as well as promote disruptive behavior will have life-long consequences. Lead exposure, especially to children, is a major health disparity issue. If the next generation starts with reduced cognitive ability, there will be significant barriers for development of skills and country-wide development. While there are many sources of exposure to lead, the commonest source is lead in soil and dust. Since lead is an element, it does not go away and past releases of lead into the environment remain as soil and dust contamination. This is an especially important route of exposure to children because children regularly play in soil and are exposed via hand-to-mouth activity. In addition to indoor sources of lead, contaminated soil is tracked on shoes or feet and blown by air currents into homes, accumulating in household dust which is a major source of exposure for both children and adults. The purpose of this review is to determine standards presumed to be health protective for lead and dust in different countries. We find that many countries have no standards for lead in soil and dust and rely on standards set by the World Health Organization or the US Environmental Protection Agency, and these standards may or may not be enforced. There is considerable variation in standards set by other countries.

Kenya's population, akin to other Sub-Saharan countries, is rapidly growing. With the increasing unreliability of surface water, groundwater resources are becoming highly relied on for domestic and industrial use. Despite several known contaminants reported in different parts of the country, no study has attempted to correlate groundwater quality in the different geological provinces. This review critically synthesizes the influence of Kenya's diverse geology on groundwater quality for human consumption. This was achieved through a review of published journal articles and other research material through research and government databases. Groundwater was categorised based on the major geological provinces including the Archaean volcanic Nyanzian Craton, the Proterozoic metamorphic Mozambique Mobile Belt (MMB) and volcanic Kisii Group, the Palaeozoic and Mesozoic sediments, and Tertiary volcanic Rift Valley. Groundwater quality in these regions showed a characteristic high concentration of fluoride (F^-) in volcanic aquifers of the Rift Valley and Nyazian Craton and metamorphic aquifers of the MMB, where mineral dissolution was the main process of F^- release. High salinity was common in metamorphic aquifers in the MMB and the Palaeozoic and Mesozoic sedimentary aquifers where mineral dissolution and seawater intrusion were the common contributors to salinity. Other contaminants such as lead and iron were reported in localised areas in the sedimentary and metamorphic aquifers, respectively. Anthropogenic contaminants such as Escherichia coli (E. coli), NO₃ ^-, and NO₂ ^- were common in shallow groundwater resources in most informal settlements in urban areas. Due to the presence of health implications, of the highlighted contaminants, such as fluorosis, high blood pressure and diarrhoea (due to high F^- and salinity) in affected regions, this review highlights the need for an active water resource management program in any country relying on groundwater resources to determine the presence of all region-specific potentially harmful chemical elements and mitigation measures in all its water resources.

The scientific community warns that our impact on planet Earth is so acute that we are crossing several of the planetary boundaries that demarcate the safe operating space for humankind. Besides, there is mounting evidence of serious effects on people's health derived from the ongoing environmental degradation. Regarding human health, the spread of antibiotic resistant bacteria is one of the most critical public health issues worldwide. Relevantly, antibiotic resistance has been claimed to be the quintessential One Health issue. The One Health concept links human, animal, and environmental health, but it is frequently only focused on the risk of zoonotic pathogens to public health or, to a lesser extent, the impact of contaminants on human health, i.e., adverse effects on human health coming from the other two One Health "compartments". It is recurrently claimed that antibiotic resistance must be approached from a One Health perspective, but such statement often only refers to the connection between the use of antibiotics in veterinary practice and the antibiotic resistance crisis, or the impact of contaminants (antibiotics, heavy metals, disinfectants, etc.) on antibiotic resistance. Nonetheless, the nine Earth-system processes considered in the planetary boundaries framework can be directly or indirectly linked to antibiotic resistance. Here, some of the main links between those processes and the dissemination of antibiotic resistance are described. The ultimate goal is to expand the focus of the One Health concept by pointing out the links between critical Earth-system processes and the One Health quintessential issue, i.e., antibiotic resistance.

Humans are ubiquitously exposed to environmental endocrine disrupting chemicals such as phthalates. Phthalates can migrate out of products and enter the human body through ingestion, inhalation, or dermal application, can have potential estrogenic/antiestrogenic and/or androgenic/antiandrogenic activity, and are involved in many diseases. As a female reproductive organ that is regulated by hormones such as estrogen, progesterone and androgen, the uterus can develop several disorders such as leiomyoma, endometriosis and abnormal bleeding. In this review, we summarize the hormone-like activities of phthalates, in vitro studies of endometrial cells exposed to phthalates, epigenetic modifications in the uterus induced by phthalate exposure, and associations between phthalate exposure and uterine disorders such as leiomyoma and endometriosis. Moreover, we also discuss the current research gaps in understanding the relationship between phthalate exposure and uterine disorders.

Introduction: Childhood exposure to lead has severe health consequences including long-term physical, behavioral, and learning problems. Lead poisoning often occurs in the home and persists as a form of environmental injustice, disparately impacting certain children based on factors such as socioeconomic status, immigration status, and race. Because abatement is costly, many prevention programs rely on educational interventions. We conducted a systematic review to assess the effectiveness of educational interventions on reducing blood lead levels (BLL) in children.

Content: Following PRISMA-P guidelines, a librarian-guided search strategy incorporated database-specific subject headings and keywords related to lead poisoning and education, and encompassed four databases: Ovid MEDLINE, Scopus, Web of Science Core Collection and CINAHL. Two reviewers screened the results for those that met inclusion criteria (original research, study population of children under 18 years, inclusion of an educational intervention, outcome of BLL).

Summary and outlook: We screened the titles of 2,062 non-duplicate studies, the abstracts of 78 studies, and full texts of 23 articles, resulting in 17 articles that met eligibility criteria. Thirteen studies used multi-pronged interventions, which precluded comprehensive assessment of the effectiveness of the educational component. Interventions that had success in lowering BLL included some notable elements: longevity of intervention, consideration of culture and ethnicity; use of a community or home-based approach; and provision of supplies or assistance with cleaning. Of the four of studies that used solely educational interventions, three were successful in reducing BLL. Among the 12 studies that used a control group, six found their interventions to be successful in reducing BLL. This review found that educational interventions, either alone or as part of a multi-pronged approach, do not consistently reduce BLL in children. However, educational interventions may decrease severity of lead poisoning in children when more robust interventions are not feasible.

Epidemiological evidence suggests that exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) is associated with lipid profile levels, but with inconsistent conclusions from different studies. The aim of this study was to conduct a meta-analysis of the relationship between PFAS exposure and lipid profile levels based on population-based epidemiological studies. Embase, PubMed, Ovid database, The Cochrane Library and Web of Science database were used to search appropriate studies (before September 6, 2022) on the correlation between PFAS exposure and lipid profile levels. β value, odd ratio (OR) and 95 % confidence intervals (CIs) were extracted from studies. In this study, we found that higher low-density lipoprotein (LDL) levels were associated with exposure to perfluoroundecanoic acid (PFUnDA) (β value=0.13, 95 % CIs: 0.02, 0.24) and perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) (β value=0.13, 95 % CIs: 0.04, 0.21). PFOA, PFOS and PFNA exposure were significantly related to the higher levels of total cholesterol (TC) with the pooled effect estimates of 0.08 (95 % CI: 0.02, 0.14), 0.13 (95 % CI: 0.05, 0.21) and 0.14 (95 % CI: 0.08, 0.20) respectively. In sum, our results identified that PFOA, PFOS, PFNA and PFUnDA were the most important risk factors for abnormal levels of lipid profile, indicating that we should prevent cerebrovascular disease by reducing and controlling PFAS exposure.

This study aimed to comprehensively and methodically evaluate the correlation between cognitive impairment and indoor air pollution from solid fuel used for cooking/heating. PubMed, Web of Science, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library databases were searched up to December January 2023. 13 studies from three countries with a total of 277,001 participants were enrolled. A negative correlation was discovered between solid fuel usage for cooking and total cognitive score (β=-0.73, 95 % CI: -0.90 to -0.55) and episodic memory score (β=-0.23, 95 % CI: -0.30 to -0.17). Household solid fuel usage for cooking was considerably associated with a raised risk of cognitive impairment (HR=1.31, 95 % CI: 1.09-1.57) and cognitive decline (HR=1.24, 95 % CI: 1.18-1.30). Compared to continuous solid fuel use for cooking, sustained use of clean fuel and switching from solid fuel to clean fuel were associated with a lower risk of cognitive decline (OR=0.55, 95 % CI: 0.42-0.73; OR=0.81, 95 % CI: 0.71-0.93). A negative association was found between solid fuel usage for heating and total cognitive score (β=-0.43, 95 % CI: -0.59 to -0.26) and episodic memory score (β=-0.22, 95 % CI: -0.34 to -0.10). Our research provided evidence that exposure to indoor air pollution from solid fuel is a potential cause of cognitive impairment and cognitive decline. Making the switch from solid fuels to cleaner fuels could be an important step in preventing cognitive impairment in the elderly.