Hygiene and environmental health advances最新文献

Pyrethroid insecticides are used, for example, in agriculture, indoor environments, and mosquito control programs, resulting in human exposure. Urinary 3-phenoxybenzoic acid (3-PBA) is a nonspecific biomarker for exposure to many pyrethroids. This systematic review identified human biomonitoring studies with 3-PBA that characterize environmental pyrethroid exposures in children and adolescents, pregnant women, and adults or occupational pyrethroid exposures relative to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) populations in the United States (US). PubMed, Embase, and SciFinder were searched for "3-phenoxybenzoic acid”, CAS No. 3739–38–6, and urine or urinary or urine level. Duplicate studies and studies meeting the exclusion criteria were removed from the search results based on predetermined exclusion criteria. This screening process identified 57 papers. Twenty-one, thirteen, twenty-two, and eleven manuscripts reported urinary 3-PBA levels in children, pregnant women, environmentally exposed adults, and occupationally exposed adults, respectively. Median 3-PBA levels ranged from 0.2 to 4.7 µg/g creatinine in children (1999–2016), 0.23–1.55 µg/g creatinine in pregnant women (1997–2014), and 0.11–3.34 µg/g creatinine in environmentally exposed adults (1999–2017). 3-PBA levels in occupationally exposed adults were significantly higher than in environmentally exposed populations, ranging from 0.43 to 14 µg/g creatinine (2004–2017). 3-PBA levels in children and adults from the general North American population increased significantly with the sampling year. A decrease in 3-PBA levels was noted in the adult cohorts from PR China and Japan. 3-PBA levels in most studies appeared to be comparable to levels in the NHANES populations; however, some smaller studies had high pyrethroid exposures. Factors contributing to higher 3-PBA levels in the general population included primarily dietary exposures and residential and agricultural pyrethroid applications. These findings demonstrate that pyrethroid exposures are near-ubiquitous worldwide and, in some regions, appear to increase over time. Thus, exposures to pyrethroid insecticides represent a continuing public health concern.

Background

Little is known regarding whether environmental programs affect student academic performance. We examined if the association between EPA Tools for School (TfS) policies or other environmental programs and student test scores were mediated by student attendance.

Methods

The 2015 School Building Condition Survey (BCS) was linked with School Report data provided by the New York State Education Department (NYSED). BCS includes school building information from 2,956 public schools while School Report data provides school attendance and test scores for different subjects in NYS. We conducted causal mediation analysis to investigate direct and indirect effects of TfS or other programs, via improving attendance, on test scores for each course while controlling for school-level socio-demographics.

Results

EPA TfS policies were significantly associated with a lower percent of “low total score” for overall math, overall science, and multiple specific subjects (all P < 0.05). Furthermore, the associations between TfS and test scores in algebra II, trigonometry, and chemistry were significantly mediated by student attendance rate (-1.376 and -0.563 respectively). Other IAQ programs were also associated with a smaller percent of low-score students in multiple subject tests (all P <0.05). We found a mediated proportion of 6 to 43% by attendance in the association between other IAQ programs and high score academic performance. Implementing TfS and other programs can reduce the proportion of students receiving overall low scores by 2.66% and 1.37%, respectively.

Conclusion

EPA TfS and other IAQ programs improved student test scores in multiple subjects in NYS public schools and was partially mediated by improving attendance rate.

Background: Thermal comfort is essential for human well-being. Consistent exposure to uncomfortable thermal conditions indoors leads to reduced academic performance and adverse health outcomes in schoolchildren. In addition, children are more sensitive to thermal conditions due to physiological differences, yet their exposure to thermal conditions has not been adequately measured.

Methods: This cross-sectional study evaluated students' exposure to temperature and relative humidity (RH) using personal air monitors. In this study, we recruited 90 students from 13 classrooms – 60 from 11 NYS primary school classrooms and 30 from two State University of New York at Albany classrooms. Each participant wore an AirBeam air monitor for 48 hours, and their data was transmitted to a cell phone provided by the researchers.

Results: Primary school students were routinely exposed to temperatures exceeding ASHRAE standards (winter: 75⁰F, summer: 80.5⁰F), particularly in school in the spring (max=102⁰F, median=82⁰F). At home, temperatures exceeded standards in the evening around dinnertime. However, primary students were routinely exposed to RH below recommended standards in classrooms during all seasons (median=29%). However, the RH was significantly lower in the winter than in any other season (median=17%). Finally, university students were exposed to slightly higher temperatures and significantly lower RH than primary schoolchildren in the spring.

Conclusion: These results suggest that students are exposed to uncomfortable thermal conditions, particularly in classrooms when attending class. Teachers should therefore be given more control over classroom ventilation and thermal conditions, while indoor temperature standards should be adjusted for school children.

In this study, we observe the health effects experienced by the people living in that respective study area by analyzing the hospital admission data. A limited study on the association between air pollutants and the number of hospital admissions is available. The proposed research is an extended version of a previously published article, performed in the year 2019 during the color festival - "Holi”, the colors used are widespread throughout the festival. Fine particles were monitored and their ion concentrations were analyzed by ion chromatograph. The significant anions (sulphate, nitrate, and chloride) and cations (sodium, potassium, and magnesium) were obtained in fine particles which were higher than the permissible limits. The collected data shows a 0.7% of the increase in hospital admissions after Holi. Dispersion modeling and trajectory analysis have been introduced to understand the dispersion of air pollutants during pre-holi, holi and post-holi. Thus, it is evident that the Holi festival potentially contributes to air pollution, which leads to serious health hazards.

Background

During industrial scale binder jetting utilising poly methyl methacrylate (PMMA) hazardous chemical substances (HCSs) such as PMMA powder particles, methyl methacrylate (MMA) and acetone may be emitted and potentially inhaled by Additive Manufacturing (AM) operators.

Methods

Physical and chemical characterisation of virgin and used PMMA powder samples were characterised in terms of their size, shape and chemical composition. Direct reading particle counting instruments were used to determine particle emissions and emission rates (ER). Internationally recognised methods were used to monitor HCSs in the ambient workplace environment and personal respiratory exposure of the AM operators.

Results

There were no differences between the median powder size distributions of virgin and used PMMA powders. Scanning Electron Microscopy images indicated the presence of <10 µm and <4 µm sized particles in virgin and used powders. Particle ERs as high as 3.33 × 10⁶ particles/min for 0.01 - ∼1.00 µm sized particles were measured during the post-processing phase. Inhalable and respirable particles, acetone, pentane and toluene were detected in ambient air and AM operators were exposed to quantifiable concentrations of these HCSs.

Conclusions

Particles sized 0.01 - ∼1.00 µm were the most prevalent particles emitted, with a maximum ER of 3.33×10⁶ particles/min. Eight-hour Time Weighted Average personal exposures were below their respective Occupational Exposure Limit (OELs), with the exception of inhalable particles (mean >50% of the South African OEL). Recommendations were made to reduce exposure to inhalable particles, which could be applied to other AM facilities.

Background

There is increasing interest in the health effects of source-specific air pollution. However, the relationship between industrial air pollutants and Alzheimer's disease has received limited investigation.

Objectives

To assess associations of industrial fine particulate matter (PM_2.5), nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), and sulfur dioxide (SO₂) exposures with mortality from Alzheimer's disease.

Methods

Approximately 3.2 million adults involved in the 2006 Canadian Census Health and Environment Cohort (CanCHEC) were followed from Census day (May 16, 2006) until death or December 31, 2016. Three-year moving-average industrial emissions with a one-year lag were assigned to the participants based on their residential postal codes. The neighborhood emission of each of the three industrial air pollutants for a postal code was estimated by considering weights of the air pollutant emissions from all industries within a 15 km buffer area, distances between the postal code area and the emitters, and percentages of time per year that the postal code area was downwind of the industrial emitters. Cox proportional hazards models were used to compute hazard ratios (HRs) for deaths from Alzheimer's, adjusting for 15 socio-demographic and contextual covariates. Sensitivity analyses were conducted by adjusting for other industrial emissions, greenness, and comorbidity index, individually.

Results

We identified 4500 deaths due to Alzheimer's disease from 2006 to 2016 for a total of 32,909,200 person-years across the follow-up period. The adjusted HR for mortality from Alzheimer's related to one interquartile range increase in industrial PM_2.5, NO₂, and SO₂ tonnes/meter per year are 1.006 (95% confidence intervals: 1.000-1.011), 0.994 (0.978-1.011), and 0.998 (0.996-1.001), respectively. Similar positive associations between industrial PM_2.5 and mortality from Alzheimer's disease were observed, but there were no clear associations for NO₂ and SO₂ in sensitivity analyses.

Conclusions

Exposure to industrial PM_2.5 increases the risk of mortality from Alzheimer's disease.

The deadly transmission of the coronavirus forced all countries to implement lockdowns to restrict the transmission of this highly infectious disease. As a result of these lockdowns and restrictions, many urban centers have seen a positive impact on air quality with a significant reduction in air pollution. Therefore, in this study, the impact of COVID-19 lockdown vis-a-vis meteorological parameters on the ambient air quality of Srinagar city was examined. In this regard, we have evaluated the temporal variation of six different key air pollutants (PM₁₀, PM_2.5, SO_2, NO₂, O₃, and NH₃) along with meteorological parameters (relative humidity, rainfall, temperature, wind speed, and wind direction). The duration of the study was divided into three periods: Before Lockdown(BLD), Lockdown (LD), and Partial Lockdown(PLD). Daily average data for all the parameters was accessed from one of the real-time continuous monitoring stations of the central pollution control board (CPCB) at Rajbagh Srinagar. Some air pollutants have decreased, according to the results, while others have increased. The air quality index (AQI) decreases overall by 6.15 percent compared to before lockdown, and it never exceeds the "moderate" category. The AQI was in the following order for both lockdown and pre-lockdown periods: satisfactory > moderate > good. However, for partial lockdown, it was moderate > satisfactory > good. It was observed that the maximum decrease was seen in the concentration of NO_2, NH₃ with 75.11% and 69.18%. A modest decrease was observed in PM₁₀ at 3.8%. While SO₂ and O₃ had an upward trend of 85.82% and 48.74%, The NO₂ to SO₂ ratio reveals that the emissions of NO₂ have substantially decreased due to the complete restriction of transport systems. From principal component analysis for all three study periods, PM₁₀ and PM_2.5 were combined into a single component, inferring their shared behavior and source of origin. SO₂ and O₃ demonstrated identical behavior during the lockdown and partial lockdown periods of study. According to the findings of the study, it is beneficial for the government, environmentalists, and policymakers to impose rigorous lockdown measures, particularly during extreme air pollution events, in order to reduce the damage caused by automotive and industrial emissions.

Background

Although power outage (PO) is one of the most important consequences of increasing weather extremes and the health impact of POs has been reported previously, studies on the neighborhood environment underlying the population vulnerability in such situations are limited. This study aimed to identify dominant neighborhood environmental predictors which modified the impact of POs on multiple health outcomes in New York State.

Methods

We applied a two-stage approach. In the first stage, we used time series analysis to determine the impact of POs (versus non-PO periods) on multiple health outcomes in each power operating division in New York State, 2001-2013. In the second stage, we classified divisions as risk-elevated and non-elevated, then developed predictive models for the elevation status based on 36 neighborhood environmental factors using random forest and gradient boosted trees.

Results

Consistent across different outcomes, we found predictors representing greater urbanization, particularly, the proportion of residents having access to public transportation (importance ranging from 4.9–15.6%), population density (3.3–16.1%), per capita income (2.3–10.7%), and the density of public infrastructure (0.8–8.5%), were associated with a higher possibility of risk elevation following power outages. Additionally, the percent of minority (-6.3–27.9%) and those with limited English (2.2–8.1%), the percent of sandy soil (6.5–11.8%), and average soil temperature (3.0–15.7%) were also dominant predictors for multiple outcomes. Spatial hotspots of vulnerability generally were located surrounding New York City and in the northwest, the pattern of which was consistent with socioeconomic status.

Conclusion

Population vulnerability during power outages was dominated by neighborhood environmental factors representing greater urbanization.

Waste and sanitation workers provide essential services to society. In most low-and middle-income countries, they are often mistreated and lack access to necessary personal protective equipment (PPE) and hygiene facilities that ensure occupational safety in workplaces. COVID-19 has also imposed serious health risks upon these worker groups. This study explores factors associated with poor occupational health and safety based on a conceptual framework. We conducted 499 surveys with five categories of waste and sanitation workers across ten cities in Bangladesh. We performed descriptive analysis and used Firth's logistic regression model following the conceptual framework. The analysis revealed consistent distinctions between workers considered to be in “safe” versus “unsafe” working conditions. The result showed that workers had not been adequately trained, not provided with proper equipment, and many had an informal status that prevented access to hygiene facilities. The workers who received occupational training, knew how to prevent COVID-19 by wearing a face mask, hand washing, and maintaining social distance, maintained protective measures, and practiced proper disposing of PPEs were more likely to be in safe condition. Initiatives to improve the situation of the waste workers who work in unsafe work conditions are still inadequate. Therefore, we recommend supplying proper protective equipment, ensuring a regular supply of gender-specific PPEs, and providing functional facilities necessary to practice personal hygiene and occupational safety, such as handwashing stations, changing rooms, and disposal facilities of used PPEs at the workplace. We also urge increased institutional management procedures, infrastructure that facilitates hygiene practices, and social policies to reduce occupational hazards for the waste workers in Bangladesh during and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background

Previous studies on the risk of pertussis exposure to atmospheric pollutants are still inconclusive.

Methods

Air pollutant, meteorological data and epidemiological distribution of pertussis cases in China during 2004–2018 were concluded in this study. A distributed lag nonlinear model (DLNM) for a maximum lag of 15 months was developed to evaluate the lag effects of monthly air pollutants and meteorological factors on pertussis incidence. Then a generalized additive model (GAM) was constructed to explore the interaction effect among air pollutants, meteorological factors and pertussis incidence and the stratified effect of selected variables.

Results

A total of 74,249 cases of pertussis were included during 2004–2018 in China. Long-term exposure to NO₂ was positively associated with the risk of pertussis at 32–94 µg/m³. Interaction and stratified analyses showed that there were certain correlations between 4 air pollutants (PM_2.5, SO₂, NO₂, and O₃) and 3 meteorological factors (temperature, sunlight and wind speed). In the high PM_2.5 environment, a unit increment in NO₂ contributed to a 2.52% (95% CI: 2.13%-2.92%) increase in pertussis incidence risk, while in a low PM_2.5 environment, a unit increment of NO₂ contributed to a 2.16% (95% CI: 1.64%-2.69%) increase in pertussis incidence risk.

Conclusions

Our study indicated that air pollutants and meteorological factors have delayed effects on the occurrence of pertussis in China, and the effect of NO₂ can be modified by PM_2.5, SO₂, and O₃. In the prevention and control of pertussis, the additive effect of different factors on pertussis and the variability of weather should be considered.