Hygiene and environmental health advances最新文献

The advent of acute respiratory coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is convoyed by the shedding of the virus in stool. Although inhalation from person-to-person and aerosol/droplet transmission are the main modes of SARS-Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) transmission, currently available evidence indicates the presence of viral RNA in the sewerage wastewater, which highlights the need for more effective corona virus treatment options. In the existing COVID-19 pandemic, a substantial percentage of cases shed SARS-CoV-2 viral RNA in their faeces. Hence the treating this sewerage wastewater with proper surveillance is essential to contain this deadly pathogen from further transmission. Since, the viral disinfectants will not be very effective on sewerage waste as organic matter, and suspended solids in water can protect viruses that adsorb to these particles. More effective methods and measures are needed to prevent this virus from spreading. This review will explore some potential methods to treat the SARS-CoV-2 infected sewerage wastewater, current research and future directions.

Background

Abnormal lipid profiles in adolescents predict metabolic and cardiovascular diseases in adulthood. While seafood consumption is the primary source of mercury exposure, it also provides beneficial nutrients such as omega-3 fatty acids (O3FA). Prior studies indicate that blood total mercury (TBHg) has endocrine disrupting effects and may be associated with abnormal lipid profiles in adolescents. However, the impact of beneficial nutrients on this relationship has not been examined. Our study investigated the relationship of TBHg with dyslipidemia and lipid profiles and potential confounding and modification of these relationships by sex, body mass index (BMI), selenium and O3FA from seafood consumption.

Methods

We examined 1,390 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey participants 12-19 years of age from the 2011-2018 cycles. Using logistic and linear regression adjusted for survey design variables and stratified by sex a priori, we estimated the associations of TBHg and methylmercury with dyslipidemia, and with total cholesterol (TC), high (HDL-C) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and triglycerides.

Results

The geometric mean of TBHg in this adolescent population was 0.44 µg/L. After controlling for sociodemographic covariates, BMI, serum selenium, age at menarche (females only) and average daily intake of O3FA; TBHg was significantly associated with higher TC levels (β=3.34, 95% CI: 0.19, 6.50; p<0.05) in females but not males. Methyl Hg was also associated with increased TC, as well as decreased HDL-C in females but not males. We did not find significant associations of Hg exposure with dyslipidemia, LDL-C or triglycerides levels in either male or female adolescents. However, we observed evidence of effect modification by BMI and serum selenium for associations of TBHg with TC levels in male and female adolescents, respectively.

Conclusion

Our findings of elevated TC levels in females but not males necessitates further research to better understand the underlying mechanisms driving these sex-specific associations.

Some studies suggest that exposure to cement dust can cause oxidative stress, and have adverse effects on liver function, and hematological and psychological parameters. This study aimed to assess the effect of antioxidant vitamin supplementation on indices of oxidative stress, biochemical indicators, and psychological factors among cement plant workers. A total of 80 subjects (workers and non-exposed office employees) were divided into two groups. The intervention group that took vitamin E (400 IU)+ C (500 mg) and the control group that took placebo, for 60 days. The levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), total antioxidant capacity (TAC), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) were measured in plasma, and hematological parameters were also recorded before and after the intervention. A significant decrease in the mean level of MDA, SOD and CAT, alkaline phosphatase (ALP), alanine transaminase (ALT) and aspartate transaminase (AST) were detected. On the other hand, a significant increase in the level of TAC was observed in the workers, after the intervention. Depression and anxiety also decreased significantly after the intervention. Vitamin E and C were probably effective in reducing oxidative stress and improving mental health and liver function especially among the workers.

Different fecal sludge (FS) emptying practices have been documented worldwide, but little is known about how the type of on-site sanitation system (OSS) and other factors associated with emptying and transport influence how OSSs are emptied, nor about how FS is released to the environment during emptying. This systematic literature review assessed our current knowledge on OSS fecal sludge management practices and their impacts on pathogen releases into the environment including (i) the prevalence and frequency of emptying, (ii) the types of OSS emptying practices, (iii) other factors influencing these practices, and (iv) the return pathways into the environment during emptying and transport. The analysis included 58 peer-reviewed studies examining emptying in low- and middle-income countries in Asia published between 2001 and May 2021. Mechanical emptying was the most discussed emptying method (n=39), followed by manual emptying (n=22). The most discussed emptying factor was cost (n=19), followed by OSS accessibility (n=17). Discussion on FS releases was focused on deliberate disposal into the environment, with little on unintentional spills and leaks. Remaining gaps in the literature include the quantity, pathogenicity, and fate of FS spills during emptying, the effect of OSS type on emptying, and the effectiveness of emptying interventions. More research is needed on emptying to fully understand its impact on public health and how best to facilitate safe fecal sludge management.

Background

Exposure to the heavy metal lead (Pb) has serious adverse health effects, particularly in children. Refugee children resettled in the United States are disparately impacted by lead. Research indicates that both pre-migration and post-migration factors play a role in this disparity. A review of case studies of lead poisoning in refugee children was performed to identify specific and unique factors influencing these outcomes.

Methods

Following PRISMA-P guidelines, a search was performed in collaboration with a reference librarian, incorporating keywords and subject headings related to the topic, in 7 databases: Academic Search Premier, APA PsychINFO, CINAHL, Cochrane Library, Ovid MEDLINE, Scopus, and Web of Science Core Collection.

Results

321 non-duplicate articles resulted from the search. After two reviewers screened the titles for eligibility against PICOS criteria, 50 studies remained. 40 studies were eliminated after an abstract review, and 7 remained after a full-text review. One additional article that did not appear in the results was identified and included. Articles discussed single case studies or case series; overall 11 cases covering 13 children with elevated blood lead level were discussed. The studies identified sources of lead poisoning in refugee children including deteriorating lead paint, imported cosmetics or medications, tobacco, traditional herbs/spices, jewelry, and traditional or religious objects.

Conclusions

Refugee families in the US face common environmental sources of lead exposure (e.g., lead paint) and also culturally specific exposures related to the use of imported or traditional herbs, medications, and cosmetics. Prevention efforts in refugee communities should include information related to these hazards, presented with appropriate consideration for language and culture.

Background

HCB, β-HCH, DDE are the organochlorinated pesticides most frequently detected for their extreme persistence and their effects on the reproductive system.

Objectives

The aim of the present study was to acquire information on the exposure of young Italian women to the most widespread organochlorinated pesticides.

Methods

549 women (20–40 years) were enrolled in six Italian regions from 2011-2013. Areas at different (presumed) exposure to persistent organic pollutants were included in all regions, such as rural, urban and industrial areas at possible incremental exposure.

Results

Median concentration values were 18.2 ng/g lipid base (lb) for HCB, 6.6 ng/g lb for β-HCH and 112.9 ng/g lb for DDE. Results showed higher HCB, β-HCH and DDE levels in older women compared to the 20–29 age group. Higher levels of all the three pollutants were observed in the rural areas with respect to the urban and the industrial areas. For all of the compounds, we observed a different distribution between the Italian regions. This variability is difficult to fully understand, differences in diet and lifestyle may play a role, as well as a local use of these chemicals in the past.

Conclusions

This study produces a large dataset of pesticide concentrations in Italian women.

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) exposure has been found to be associated with neurological dysfunction, with depression often being one of the classic symptoms of the disease, and indoor environments are more likely to be enriched with concentrations of VOCs. This cross-sectional study measured VOCs levels in whole blood, and estimated level of depression with the Patient Health Questionnaire in adults from NHANES 2013–2018. We found benzene (β = 0.40, 95%CI: 0.19, 0.61) and ethylbenzene (β = 0.22, 95%CI: 0.05, 0.39) were associated with depression adjusted for covariates in general linear regression models (GLM), and remained the consistent trend in quantile regression models. In indoor subgroup with higher VOCs level, benzene (β = 0.71, 95%CI: 0.21, 1.22), ethylbenzene (β = 0.47, 95%CI: 0.15, 0.78), and m-/p-xylene (β = 0.41, 95%CI: 0.15, 0.68) showed significant association with depression adjusted for covariates including cotinine in GLMs. Weighted quantile sum (WQS) model was used to assess the contribution of each VOC in mixed exposure. Results from WQS analyses revealed significantly positive associations between the mixed exposure and depression (β = 1.70, 95%CI: 1.18, 2.47), in which, benzene and ethylbenzene contributed 56% and 26%. We found statistically association between mixed exposure and depression before cotinine adjustment (β = 3.53, 95%CI: 2.78, 4.47). Our founding indicated a positive association between benzene and ethylbenzene exposure and depression, also with the most important effect in the mixture. Additionally, indoor VOCs sources of environmental pollution still cannot be ignored given the higher exposure level and health risk.

The whole world has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and oxygen demand is greater than ever, but the supply is expectedly short. People in need of this oxygen are not able to receive it, especially those who cannot afford it. In addition to these issues, the oxygen from production plants is not getting delivered to hospitals on a timely basis due to insufficient availability of tankers and cylinders. It is therefore crucial to enable access of oxygen beds and cylinders to the public by developing economical methods for medical oxygen generation. Conventional methods like oxygen concentrators, the Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA) Technique and Air Separation Units (ASUs) are either too expensive, energy intensive or feasible only on a small scale. This indicates the need to exploit methods that have not been utilized fully yet, such as Integrated Energy Systems (IES). However, reducing the cost of a process is not enough. It needs to be scaled up to have a real impact on the situation at hand. Ion Transport Membranes (ITM) are promising in this aspect as they can produce large volumes of extremely high-purity oxygen at low costs. All these methods along with their economic aspects have been discussed and then compared to identify the most feasible one.

Background

Air pollution exposure is associated with hospital admissions for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). Few studies have investigated whether daily personal exposure to air pollutants affects respiratory symptoms and oxygenation among COPD patients.

Methodology

We followed 30 former smokers with COPD for up to 4 non-consecutive 30-day periods in different seasons. Participants recorded worsening of respiratory symptoms (sub-categorized as breathing or bronchitis symptoms) by daily questionnaire, and oxygen saturation by pulse oximeter. Personal and community-level exposure to fine particulate matter (PM_2.5), nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), and ozone (O₃) were measured by portable air quality monitors and stationary monitors in the Boston area. We used generalized and multi-level linear mixed-effects models to estimate associations of the 24-hour average of each pollutant in the previous day with changes in respiratory symptoms and oxygen saturation.

Results

Higher community-level exposure to air pollutants was associated with worsening respiratory symptoms. An interquartile range (IQR) higher community-level O₃ was associated with a 1.35 (95%CI: 1.07–1.70) higher odds of worsening respiratory symptoms. The corresponding ORs for community-level PM_2.5 and NO₂ were 1.18 (95%CI: 1.02–1.37) and 1.06 (95%CI: 0.90–1.25), respectively. Community-level NO₂ was associated with worsening bronchitis symptoms (OR=1.25, 95%CI: 1.00–1.56), but not breathing symptoms. Personal PM_2.5 exposure was associated with lower odds of worsening respiratory symptoms (OR=0.91; 95%CI: 0.81–1.01). Personal exposure to NO₂ was associated with 0.11% lower oxygen saturation (95%CI: -0.22, 0.00) per IQR.

Conclusions

In this COPD population, there was a pattern of worsening respiratory symptoms associated with community-level exposure to O₃ and PM_2.5, and worsening oxygenation associated with personal exposure to NO₂.