Air Pollution Heterogeneity in Microenvironments and Precise Exposure Assessment.

Precise exposure assessment revealed the cancer risk and disease burden caused by trihalomethanes and haloacetic acids in Shanghai indoor swimming pool water

Air pollution is an important environmental risk factor and, according to the Global Burden of Disease Study, a leading contributor to global morbidity and mortality. Hypertension, a major risk factor for cardiovascular diseases, has been increasingly associated with exposure to various air pollutants. This review aims to highlight key mechanistic and epidemiological findings underlying the relationship between air pollution and hypertension. On a mechanistic level, air pollution contributes to oxidative stress, systemic inflammation, endothelial dysfunction, and activation of the sympathetic nervous system, leading to impaired vascular function and elevated blood pressure. Epidemiological findings consistently demonstrate that both short- and long-term exposure to solid and gaseous pollutants are associated with increased blood pressure and a higher risk of hypertension. These findings are confirmed by meta-analyses across diverse populations, with evidence suggesting greater susceptibility among vulnerable groups, including the elderly and those with pre-existing cardiovascular conditions. Despite emerging evidence, important knowledge gaps remain regarding precise exposure assessment, the impact of specific air pollutants, and the synergy between air pollution and other environmental stressors. Targeting these gaps in future is necessary for effective development of public health interventions and policy measures to reduce the adverse health effects of air pollution on blood pressure regulation and hypertension risk.

BackgroundThe first 1000 days of life -including pregnancy and the first 2 years after birth- represent a critical window for health interventions.This systematic review aimed to summarize the evidence on the relationship between traffic-related air pollutants exposure in the first 1000 days of life and the development of wheezing and asthma, with a particular focus on windows of exposure.MethodsMedline and Embase were searched from January 2000 to May 2020 to retrieve population-based birth-cohort studies, including registries, providing quantitative information on the association between exposure to traffic-related air pollutants during pregnancy or early life, and the risk of developing wheezing and asthma in childhood. Screening and selection of the articles were completed independently by three reviewers. The quality of studies was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa scale.ResultsOut of 9681 records retrieved, 26 studies from 21 cohorts were included. The most common traffic-related air pollutant markers were particulate matter (PM) and nitric oxides (NOx). The variability in terms of pollutants, exposure assessment methods, and exposure levels chosen to present the results did not allow a meta-analysis. Exposure to PM and NOx in pregnancy (10 cohorts) was consistently associated with an increased risk of asthma development, while the association with wheezing development was unclear. The second trimester of pregnancy seemed to be particularly critical for asthma risk. As for exposure during early life (15 cohorts), most studies found a positive association between PM (7/10 studies) and NOx (11/13 studies) and the risk of asthma development, while the risk of wheezing development was controversial. The period of postnatal exposure, however, was less precisely defined and a partial overlap between the period of exposure measurement and that of outcome development was present in a consistent number of studies (14 out of 15) raising doubts on the associations found.ConclusionsTraffic-related air pollution during pregnancy is associated with an increased risk of asthma development among children and adolescents. The relationship between exposure in the first two years of life and the development of wheezing and asthma needs to be confirmed in studies with more precise exposure assessment.

EASE (Estimation and Assessment of Substance Exposure) is a general model that may be used to predict workplace exposure to a wide range of substances hazardous to health. First developed in the early 1990s, it is now in its second Windows version. This paper provides a critical assessment of the utility and performance of the EASE model, and on the basis of this review, recommendations for the structure of a revised model are outlined. Twenty-seven stakeholders were interviewed about their previous use of EASE, perceived advantages and limitations of the model and suggestions for improvement. A subset of stakeholders was contacted on a second occasion to determine their views on the preferred outputs for an ideal exposure assessment model. Overall, stakeholders felt that the model should be updated to provide more accurate and precise exposure assessments. However, users also expressed the view that the simplicity and usability of the software model should not be compromised. Six studies investigating the validity of the inhalation exposure assessment section of EASE were identified. These showed that the model generally either predicted close to the measured exposures or overestimated exposure; though performance was highly variable. Two studies investigated the validity of the dermal exposure assessment and found that EASE produced considerable overestimates of actual dermal exposure (the amount of a substance that actually lands on the skin). A conceptual model of exposure was developed to investigate whether the structure of the EASE model is appropriate. Although EASE has a number of characteristics that describe exposure, it is a greatly simplified model and does not include all the important exposure determinants. More importantly, EASE can produce estimates of exposure that are ambiguous or incomplete. Our conceptual model may provide a rational basis for developing an improved version of EASE but further consultation is needed to decide the purpose and intended use of any successor to EASE.

BackgroundThe Observed Individual Means (OIM) methodology, based on the non-parametric bootstrap, is usually employed to perform basic probabilistic dietary chronic exposure assessment, and assumes independence and identical distribution of occurrence data within food category. However, this assumption may not be valid if several expected distributions of occurrence can be a priori identified within food category. Moreover, OIM assumes each analysed food sample to equally contribute to mean occurrence, as information about relevance of each food item cannot be incorporated into exposure assessment.ObjectiveIn this paper we address the above-mentioned violations and develop two statistical methodologies to accommodate for them into OIM.MethodsThe stratified non-parametric bootstrap and weighted mean occurrence are employed to correct for such violations. As a case study, we compare the methodologies by estimating the exposure of the adult Italian population to the process contaminant 3-monochloropropane-1,2-diol.ResultsWe propose strategies to interpret their results and show their relevance in conducting exposure assessment.Impact statementFor the first time in the literature, we critically examine a widely used methodology for Probabilistic Dietary Exposure Assessment from a statistical perspective, focusing on the underlying assumptions and their potential violations in real-world scenarios. We then develop techniques to address these violations, providing a more accurate and robust approach to exposure assessment. This work is particularly relevant for risk assessors and managers, since it offers a refined toolset for more precise exposure assessments.

Occupational exposures to magnetic fields and neurodegenerative disease risks

Previous studies suggest that risk of stillbirth is elevated by maternal exposure to air pollution. We conducted a retrospective case-control study of 1,097 women to examine the association between stillbirth related to placental abruption or placental insufficiency and maternal exposure to traffic related air pollution. We utilized distance to nearest roadway proximity metrics as a proxy for traffic-related air pollution exposure. No meaningful increase in the overall odds of placental-associated stillbirths was observed (adjusted OR: 1.1, 95% CI: 0.5-2.8). However, mothers living within 50 meters of a roadway had a 60% increased odds of experiencing a stillbirth related to placental abruption compared to mothers living greater than 200 meters away, This suggestive finding was imprecise due to the small case number in the highest exposure category (95% CI 0.6-4.0). Future studies of placental abruption with more precise exposure assessments are warranted.

Air pollution not only poses harmful effects on human health but also causes various diseases, leading to severe issues such as increased premature mortality. To accurately assess the health impacts and exposure levels of air pollution, high-resolution spatiotemporal concentration data is essential.In previous studies, Hybrid Modeling combining CMAQ and CALPUFF was applied to estimate air pollutant concentrations at a spatial resolution of 100m. However, the Hybrid Model has limitations in that each modeling process must be conducted independently, requiring significant time and computational resources.This study aims to improve computational efficiency and simplify the modeling process by applying a Super-Resolution Convolutional Neural Network  (SRCNN) algorithm. SRCNN uses low-resolution (9km) CMAQ data as input to produce spatial distributions similar to those generated by the Hybrid Model at a high resolution of 100m. The target pollutant is PM2.5 and NO2 in Seoul, with a training period from 2015 to 2021 and a test period in 2022.  Model evaluation results show that SRCNN outperformed CMAQ in terms of PSNR, SSIM, and Spatial RMSE metrics. This demonstrates the potential of  SRCNN to efficiently generate high-resolution air pollution concentration data, contributing to more precise exposure assessments and health impact analyses.  AcknowledgementThis research was supported by the Korea National Institute of Health (KNIH) research project (Project No.2024-ER0606-00) and Particulate Matter Management Specialized Graduate Program through the Korea Environmental Industry & Technology Institute (KEITI) funded by the Ministry of Environment (MOE) 

Globally, particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter of 2.5 µm or less poses a significant threat to human health. The first step in quantifying human health impacts caused by exposure to PM2.5 pollution is exposure assessment. Population-weighted exposure level (PWEL) estimation is one of the methods that provides a more precise exposure assessment since it incorporates the spatiotemporal distribution of population with the pollution concentration estimate. In this study, PM2.5 exposure levels in the local communities around brickmaking industries were investigated, using the population census data of the study area and 1-year data from nine PM2.5 monitoring stations installed in and around the brickmaking industries. The observed PM2.5 data was spatially interpolated using inverse distance weight (IDW). Data on PM2.5 levels across the study area were classified based on the World Health Organization interim target (IT) guidelines and the South African National ambient air quality standard (NAAQS). An annual PM2.5 population weighted exposure level of 27.6 µg/m3 was estimated for the study area. However, seasonal exposure levels of 28.9, 37.6, 26.5, and 20.7 µg/m3 were estimated for the autumn, winter, spring, and summer seasons, respectively. This implies that local communities around the brick kiln in the Vhembe District are exposed to high levels of PM2.5, especially in winter. The PM2.5 levels in the brickmaking industries as well as its other sources in the Vhembe District, therefore, need to be lowered. Findings from population exposure level to pollutants can provide valuable data for formulating policies and recommendations on exposure reduction and public health protection. Implications: PM2.5 concentration in any given environment has high spatial and temporal variability due to the presence of diffused sources in the environment. Using ambient air concentrations to directly estimate population exposure without taking into consideration the disproportionate spatial and temporal distribution of the pollutant and the population may not yield accurate results on human exposure levels. It is, therefore, important to assess the aggregated PM2.5 exposure of a populace within a given area. This study therefore examines the PM2.5 population-weighted-exposure level of the host communities of the brickmaking industry in Vhembe District, South Africa.

Exposure to indoor radon and radon daughters is currently attracting great interest as a possible cause of lung cancer. This concern is supported by several studies, most of them relatively small in numbers or weak in the assessment of exposure. This study encompasses 177 persons with lung cancer and 677 noncancer referents, all deceased and with 30 years or more of residency in the same house in an area with radon-leaking alum shale deposits in the central part of southern Sweden. Exposure categories based on building material, type of house, and ground conditions were created, but measurements of the indoor radon daughter concentration were also made for 142 cases and 264 referents. Active and passive smoking was ascertained through questionnaires sent to the next-of-kin. Overall, the lung cancer risk was approximately twofold with regard to the categories of assumed radon daughter exposure for the rural sector of the population but not for the same categories of the urban sector, possibly because of less precise exposure assessment and influence from other factors. Occasional and passive smokers, as well as passive smokers alone, had a particularly increased risk of lung cancer in association with the increased exposure categories.

Pediatric Cancer in the United States: The Children's Oncology Group Epidemiology Research Program

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Recent epidemiological research focused on the effects of environmental chemicals on the female reproductive system shows mixed results, which may be partially due to differences in exposure assessment, residual confounding from diet or lifestyle factors, or co-exposures to other chemicals. These challenges highlight the need for more precise exposure assessment at the end-organ of interest to accurately understand the adverse reproductive effects of environmental exposures. Our aim was to perform untargeted metabolomic analysis of menstrual blood, a novel biospecimen, to identify environmental toxins present in the endometrium. METHODS: Whole menstrual effluent samples were collected from four women using a menstrual cup. To evaluate the effect of sample processing times, one portion of menstrual effluent was immediately frozen at -20°C for 24hrs and the second portion was kept at 4°C for 24hrs; both samples were then stored at -80°C. Samples were analyzed using untargeted liquid chromatography with high-resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS). To survey the presence of environmental exposures, LC-HRMS chemical profiles were matched to the ToxCast chemical database, which includes 4,557 commonly used commercial chemicals. Select compounds were confirmed using MS/MS and comparison to reference standards. Principal component analysis (PCA) was used to identify differences within and between individuals’ menstrual blood metabolomic profiles, and the influence of the sample processing method. RESULTS:We identified 261 high confidence matches to environmental chemicals, including suspected reproductive toxicants such as phenols, parabens, phthalates, and organochlorides. PCA showed analysis of menstrual blood samples was highly reproducible, with much higher variability between participants than between an individual’s analytical replicates. CONCLUSIONS:Our results show chemical exposures linked to reproductive toxicity and endocrine disruption are present in the endometrium. In addition, our results demonstrate that menstrual blood can be successfully collected and provides a suitable biofluid for untargeted profiling to assess environmental exposures associated with potential adverse reproductive outcomes. KEYWORDS: metabolomics, exposome, biomarkers of exposure, endocrine disrupting chemicals, reproductive outcomes

Association of pesticide exposure with human congenital abnormalities

MM4-PD-07 Introduction: The aims of this study were to investigate the exposure to volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and to perform health risk assessment on residents adjunctive with central industrial park. Methods: Four roads linked to outsides of this park were selected as 5 sites to measure the volatile organic compounds emitted from the traffic. Area with the estimated maximum concentration by ISC-ST 3 model and adjunctive communities within 3 km of this park were determined as 5 eligible places to conduct the environmental sampling. Sampling and analysis method followed TO-14 adopted by the U.S. Environmental Agency. We performed 12-hour air sampling by using 10 canisters seasonally. These samples were subject to qualitative and quantitative analyses by using the GC/MS. The chronic hazard index (HIc) and the cancer risk were used to assess the noncarcinogenic and carcinogenic risks of volatile organic compounds for residents. Results: We found the average concentration of total VOCs increased from 127 ± 68 ppb in spring to 163 ± 146 ppb in autumn but decreased with 49 ± 28 ppb in winter dramatically. VOCs related to industry emission, such as acetone, 2-butanone, ethanol, and isopropyl alcohol, had the raising concentration observably from spring to autumn but reduced in winter. In contrast, only the average concentration of toluene had the obvious increment compared with other traffic-related VOCs during the study period. We estimated that residents adjunctive with the central industrial park had the HIc between 0.004 to 0.014 from exposure to benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, m, p-xylene, o-xylene, and styrene. Cancer risks of these residents were estimated at 1.3 × 10−6 to 5.8 × 10−6 by exposing to benzene. Discussion and Conclusions: Residents adjunctive with the central industrial park have the acceptable noncancer risk (HIc <1) due to chronic exposures to VOCs but have the estimated cancer risk above the acceptable level (1 × 10−6). We suggest that more precise exposure assessment and prolonged monitor should be conducted to evaluate residents’ potential cancer risk in the future.

We conducted a retrospective case–control study of 1,097 women in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, USA, to examine the association between stillbirth related to placental abruption or placental insufficiency and maternal exposure to traffic-related air pollution. We utilized distance to nearest roadway proximity metrics as a proxy for traffic-related air pollution exposure. No meaningful increase in the overall odds of placental-associated stillbirths was observed (adjusted OR: 1.1, 95% CI: 0.5–2.8). However, mothers living within 50 m of a roadway had a 60% increased odds of experiencing a stillbirth related to placental abruption compared to mothers living greater than 200 m away. This suggestive finding was imprecise due to the small case number in the highest exposure category (95% CI: 0.6–4.0). Future studies of placental abruption with more precise exposure assessments are warranted.