High Levels Of Air Pollution Research Articles

Linking Jakarta’s Typical Indonesian Urban Context, Air Pollution, and Child Health

Introduction: Jakarta, the second largest metropolitan area in the world after Tokyo, has experienced rapid development that may not have adhered to the established urban planning regulations. These have caused multiple urban health risk issues, such as high private transportation use, coal-powered plants, lack of green spaces, and industrialization. All of regulations have contributed to the high level of air pollutants in Jakarta Metropolitan Area (JMA). Air pollution is one of the most significant health problems in the world and children are especially exposed confirmed. The fact that children’s organs are still in growth and development phase means that they are especially susceptible to the pollutants entering the body. Existing data showed that the air pollutants in JMA, specifically PM2.5, SO2, NO2, and CO are categorized as moderate to high compared to the international standards, therefore, could potentially become a contributing factor to the mortality and morbidity of children living in Jakarta. Conclusion: More aggressive approaches are required to tackle air pollution issues, especially because the United Nations News. UN General Assembly declares access to clean and healthy environment a universal human right. 2022. Available from: https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/07/1123482.

PM2.5 exposure, glycemic markers and incidence of type 2 diabetes in two large Indian cities

IntroductionExposure to fine particulate matter has been associated with several cardiovascular and cardiometabolic diseases. However, such evidence mostly originates from low-pollution settings or cross-sectional studies, thus necessitating evidence from regions...

Industrial Emission Monitoring and Assessment of Air Quality in Karachi Coastal City, Pakistan

Industrialization, anthropogenic activities, the exhaust of vehicles and exponential population growth have a significant impact on the outdoor air quality of megacities across the world. Karachi is one of the largest cities in Pakistan, South Asia. The dense population, rapid economic growth and unplanned industrial activities have improved the socioeconomic status but also deteriorated the air quality of Karachi. The severe increase in air pollution has become a threat to the local population in terms of their health issues, quality of life and environment. Therefore, it is essential to quantify and monitor the spatiotemporal variation in outdoor air quality parameters. The current study aims to monitor the air quality in four major industrial zones of Karachi for three years (2020–2022). The field data was collected during the periods of post-monsoon and pre-monsoon using the HAZ-SCANNER (HIM-6000) apparatus, which measured outdoor air pollutants such as carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen oxides (NO2), sulfur dioxide (SO2) and particulate matter (PM10, PM2.5 and TSPM). The data from 24 stations was analyzed using statistical analysis tools to estimate the parameters and Arc GIS to map the spatial variation of each parameter. The result shows that the concentration of particulate matter (TSPM, PM2.5 and PM10), SO2, NO2 and CO values at sampling sites are moderate in the post-monsoon season as compared to the pre-monsoon season due to cyclical monsoon effects and exceed the environmental quality standards. It was also noted that the North Karachi industrial area is at lower risk due to the small-scale industry. The higher levels of air pollutants have numerous health implications and may cause chronic infections. The air pollutant has a severe impact on plant growth and soil. Therefore, it is important to implement local environmental standards regarding outdoor air pollutants to mitigate the adverse impact on human health and economic activities.

The Impact of Particulate Matter on the Respiratory System

Nowadays, around 50% of the world's population lives in cities and urban areas and is exposed to increasingly higher levels of air pollutants including gaseous pollutants and particulate matter (PM). The latter is a key indicator of air pollution transported into the air by a variety of natural processes and human activities. The particles’ size has been directly related to their potential impact on health problems. Particles of concern include small particles with diameters of 2.5 to 10 μm (coarse particles) and smaller than 2.5 μm (fine particles). Exposure to air pollutants over a long period of time not only decompensates pre-existing diseases but also leads to pulmonary and respiratory health problems such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and lung cancer even in rural areas. A thorough analysis has to be provided to address the implications for policymakers. Hence, more stringent strategies can be implemented to control air pollution and prevent its health effects.

Air Quality Index Prediction in Six Major Chinese Urban Agglomerations: A Comparative Study of Single Machine Learning Model, Ensemble Model, and Hybrid Model

Air pollution is a hotspot of wide concern in Chinese cities. With the worsening of air pollution, urban agglomerations face an increasingly complex environment for air quality monitoring, hindering sustainable and high-quality development in China. More effective methods for predicting air quality are urgently needed. In this study, we employed seven single models and ensemble learning algorithms and constructed a hybrid learning algorithm, the LSTM-SVR model, totaling eight machine learning algorithms, to predict the Air Quality Index in six major urban agglomerations in China. We comprehensively compared the predictive performance of the eight algorithmic models in different urban agglomerations. The results reveal that, in areas with higher levels of air pollution, the situation for model prediction is more complicated, leading to a decline in predictive accuracy. The constructed hybrid model LSTM-SVR demonstrated the best predictive performance, followed by the ensemble model RF, both of which effectively enhanced the predictive accuracy in heavily polluted areas. Overall, the predictive performance of the hybrid and ensemble models is superior to that of the single-model prediction methods. This study provides AI technological support for air quality prediction in various regions and offers a more comprehensive discussion of the performance differences between different types of algorithms, contributing to the practical application of air pollution control.

Associations between residential greenness and air pollution and the incident metabolic syndrome in a Thai worker cohort.

Increasing air pollution and decreasing exposure to greenness may contribute to the metabolic syndrome (MetS). We examined associations between long-term exposure to residential greenness and air pollution and MetS incidence in the Bangkok Metropolitan Region, Thailand. Data from 1369 employees (aged 52-71years) from the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand cohort from 2002 to 2017 were analyzed. The greenness level within 500m of each participant's residence was measured using the satellite-derived Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI). The kriging approach was used to generate the average concentration of each air pollutant (PM10, CO, SO2, NO2, and O3) at the sub-district level. The average long-term exposure to air pollution and greenness for each participant was calculated over the same period of person-time. Cox proportional hazards models were used to analyze the greenness-air pollution-MetS associations. The adjusted hazard ratio of MetS was 1.42 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.32, 1.53), 1.22 (95% CI: 1.15, 1.30), and 2.0 (95% CI: 1.82, 2.20), per interquartile range increase in PM10 (9.5μg/m3), SO2 (0.9ppb), and CO (0.3ppm), respectively. We found no clear association between NDVI or EVI and the incidence of MetS. On the contrary, the incident MetS was positively associated with NDVI and EVI for participants exposed to PM10 at concentrations more than 50μg/m3. In summary, the incidence of MetS was positively associated with long-term exposure to air pollution. In areas with high levels of air pollution, green spaces may not benefit health outcomes.

A multimodel evaluation of the potential impact of shipping on particle species in the Mediterranean Sea

Abstract. Shipping contributes significantly to air pollutant emissions and atmospheric particulate matter (PM) concentrations. At the same time, worldwide maritime transport volumes are expected to continue to rise in the future. The Mediterranean Sea is a major short-sea shipping route within Europe and is the main shipping route between Europe and East Asia. As a result, it is a heavily trafficked shipping area, and air quality monitoring stations in numerous cities along the Mediterranean coast have detected high levels of air pollutants originating from shipping emissions. The current study is a part of the EU Horizon 2020 project SCIPPER (Shipping Contributions to Inland Pollution – Push for the Enforcement of Regulations), which intends to investigate how existing restrictions on shipping-related emissions to the atmosphere ensure compliance with legislation. To demonstrate the impact of ships on relatively large scales, the potential shipping impacts on various air pollutants can be simulated with chemical transport models. To determine the formation, transport, chemical transformation, and fate of particulate matter < 2.5 µm (PM2.5) in the Mediterranean Sea in 2015, five different regional chemical transport models (CAMx – Comprehensive Air Quality Model with Extensions, CHIMERE, CMAQ – Community Multiscale Air Quality model, EMEP – European Monitoring and Evaluation Programme model, and LOTOS-EUROS) were applied. Furthermore, PM2.5 precursors (ammonia (NH3), sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitric acid (HNO3)) and inorganic particle species (sulfate (SO42-), ammonia (NH4+), nitrate (NO3-)) were studied, as they are important for explaining differences among the models. STEAM (see “List of abbreviations” in Appendix A) version 3.3.0 was used to compute shipping emissions, and the CAMS-REG version 2.2.1 dataset was used to calculate land-based emissions for an area encompassing the Mediterranean Sea at a resolution of 12 × 12 km2 (or 0.1∘ × 0.1∘). For additional input, like meteorological fields and boundary conditions, all models utilized their regular configuration. The zero-out approach was used to quantify the potential impact of ship emissions on PM2.5 concentrations. The model results were compared with observed background data from monitoring sites. Four of the five models underestimated the actual measured PM2.5 concentrations. These underestimations are linked to model-specific mechanisms or underpredictions of particle precursors. The potential impact of ships on the PM2.5 concentration is between 15 % and 25 % at the main shipping routes. Regarding particle species, SO42- is the main contributor to the absolute ship-related PM2.5 and to total PM2.5 concentrations. In the ship-related PM2.5, a higher share of inorganic particle species can be found when compared with the total PM2.5. The seasonal variabilities in particle species show that NO3- is higher in winter and spring, while the NH4+ concentrations displayed no clear seasonal pattern in any models. In most cases with high concentrations of both NH4+ and NO3-, lower SO42- concentrations are simulated. Differences among the simulated particle species distributions might be traced back to the aerosol size distribution and how models distribute emissions between the coarse and fine modes (PM2.5 and PM10). The seasonality of wet deposition follows the seasonality of the precipitation, showing that precipitation predominates wet deposition.

Effect of Air Pollution on the Basal DNA Damage of Mother-Newborn Couples of México City.

Environmental pollution of megacities can cause early biological damage such as DNA strand breaks and micronuclei formation. Comet assay tail length (TL) reflects exposure in the uterus to high levels of air pollution, primarily ozone and air particles (PM10), including mothers' smoking habits during pregnancy, conditions which can lead to low birth weight. In this biomonitoring study, we evaluated basal DNA damage in the cord blood cells of newborn children from Mexico City. We found a correlation between DNA damage in mothers and their newborns, including various parameters of environmental exposure and complications during pregnancy, particularly respiratory difficulties, malformations, obstetric trauma, neuropathies, and nutritional deficiencies. Mothers living in the southern part of the city showed double DNA damage compared to those living in the northern part (TL 8.64 μm vs. 4.18 μm, p < 0.05). Additionally, mothers' DNA damage correlates with exposure to NOx (range 0.77-1.52 ppm) and PM10 (range 58.32-75.89 μg/m3), as well maternal age >29. These results highlight the sensitivity of the comet assay in identifying differential in utero exposure for newborns whose mothers were exposed during pregnancy. They also suggest the importance of antioxidants during pregnancy and the role of the placental barrier in protecting the newborn from the DNA-damaging effects of oxidative pollution.

Reconfiguration of last-mile supply chain for parcel delivery using machine learning and routing optimization

Last-mile delivery has several negative environmental impacts in urban areas because of its high levels of greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution, as well as traffic congestion. These issues motivate decision-makers to redesign the delivery networks and make them more sustainable and efficient. A well-planned territory design can reduce total travel times and distances in urban distribution systems, in addition to balancing the workload between drivers. In this study, a two-echelon parcel distribution network modeled as the two-echelon vehicle routing problem with territory design and satellite location decisions is considered. A three-stage decomposition algorithm is proposed to solve this problem. In the first stage, a non-supervised machine learning clustering method is applied, followed by an algorithm based on the nearest-neighbor routing procedure, to find a set of routes for the second and first echelons. An improvement heuristic was also applied to improve the results in terms of the second echelon routing, considering the computational complexity of a large-scale instance. A case study based on real data from a delivery company in the city of Paris, France is adopted to perform the experiments. The outcomes of this paper show an improvement of 22.6% in travel time and distance. This reduction is also assessed with performance indicators like land use, fixed costs, energy consumption, carbon dioxide equivalent, and fine particles emissions.

Chronic Occupational Exposure to Traffic Pollution Is Associated with Increased Carotid Intima-Media Thickness in Healthy Urban Traffic Control Police.

Urban traffic officers in many low- and middle-income countries are exposed to high levels of traffic-related air pollutants (TRAP) while working vehicle control on heavily congested streets. The impact of chronic TRAP exposure on the cardiovascular health, including the carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT), of this outdoor occupational group remains unclear. This cross-sectional study compared the average mean and maximum CIMT measurements of two groups of relatively young, healthy traffic police (32 ± 7 years; 77% male) in Quito, Ecuador, who were without clinical evidence of serious cardiovascular or other disease. Previously published background data on PM10 (a TRAP surrogate) indicated that street levels of the pollutant were several orders of magnitude higher at the street intersections worked by traffic police compared to those working only in an office. Accordingly, officers permanently assigned to daily traffic control duties requiring them to stand 0-3 m from heavily trafficked street intersections were assigned to the high exposure group (n = 61). The control group (n = 54) consisted of officers from the same organization who were permanently assigned to office duties inside an administration building. Mean and maximum CIMT were measured with ultrasound. General linear models were used to compare the CIMT measurements of the high exposure and control groups, adjusting for covariates. The adjusted average mean and maximum CIMT measures of the high exposure group were increased by 11.5% and 10.3%, respectively, compared to the control group (p = 0.0001). These findings suggest that chronic occupational exposure to TRAP is associated with increased CIMT in traffic police. This is important since even small increases in arterial thickening over time may promote earlier progression to clinical disease and increased premature mortality risk.

Environmental factors and incidence of thyroid cancer in the world (1990-2019): an ecological study.

Thyroid cancer (TC) is the most common endocrine malignancy. Environmental risk factors such as presence of pollutants in air as well as the combustion of fossil fuels or carbon as a cooking habit in closed environments inside houses affect thyroid hormonal homeostasis and diseases. This study aimed to estimate the association between environmental risk factors and the incidence of thyroid cancer worldwide from 1990 to 2019 including particulate pollutants coming from fossil fuels employed in closed environments. Data on the incidence of thyroid cancer and some environmental risk factors were extracted from the Global Cancer Observatory (GLOBOCAN) for 204 countries and territories from 1990 to 2019. Pearson's correlation coefficient was used to determine the correlation between the thyroid cancer incidence and environmental risk factors. Finally, a generalized additive model was fitted for modeling. R 3.5.0 was used for analysis of the data. The most relevant results showed that the age-standardized incidence rate (ASIR) of thyroid cancer has a positive and significant correlation with environmental air pollution by O3 (r=0.63, P value<0.001), by particulate matter pollution (r=0.23, P value<0.001), and by household PM2.5 air pollution (r=0.52, P value≤0.001). In contrast, the correlation between ASIR and high temperature (T>25.6°C) (r=-0.27, P value<0.001) is negative and significant. The modeling results showed that particulate matter pollution and O3 pollution and household PM2.5 air pollution which originated from solid fuels are risk factors for thyroid cancer. Therefore, more research in this field is necessary in areas with high levels of air pollution at the national and international levels.

Does ambient air pollution influence biochemical markers of liver injury? Findings of a cross-sectional population-based survey

BackgroundThere is limited evidence supporting an adverse effect of ambient air pollution on the liver. ObjectivesTo test the association between exposure to residential air pollution and serum biochemical indicators of liver injury. MethodsWe used a nationally representative sample of 32,989 participants aged 3–79 years old who participated in the Canadian Health Measures Survey between 2007 and 2019. Cross-sectional associations were assessed by generalized linear mixed models incorporating survey-specific sampling weights. ResultsThe joint effect of an interquartile range (IQR) increase in nitrogen dioxide (NO2), ozone (O3) and fine particulate matter (PM2.5) was positively and significantly associated with all measures of liver injury adjusting for age, sex, education, income, smoking, alcohol consumption, body mass index (BMI), total cholesterol, diabetes, hypertension, and physical activity. The ranking of effect sizes from largest to smallest percent increases were 8.72% (95% confidence interval [CI] 7.56, 9.88) for alanine aminotransferase (ALT), 5.54% (95%CI 3.31, 7.77) for gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT), 4.81% (95%CI 3.87, 5.74) for aspartate aminotransferase (AST), 2.46% (95%CI 0.26, 4.65) for total bilirubin (TBIL) and 1.18% (95%CI 0.62, 1.75) for alkaline phosphatase (ALP). Findings were not significantly different when stratified by age (≤16, >16 yr), sex, smoking (current, other), cholesterol (≤6.18, >6.18 mmol/l) and BMI (<30, ≥30 kg/m2). DiscussionThese findings suggest that ambient air pollution may have a relatively small impact on the liver, but these changes may have significant impact from a population health perspective, considering the ubiquitous nature of air pollution, or for individuals exposed to very high levels of air pollution.

Multiphase Kinetic Modeling of Air Pollutant Effects on Protein Modification and Nitrotyrosine Formation in Epithelial Lining Fluid.

Exposure to ambient air pollution is a major risk factor for human health. Inhalation of air pollutants can enhance the formation of reactive species in the epithelial lining fluid (ELF) of the respiratory tract and can lead to oxidative stress and oxidative damage. Here, we investigate the chemical modification of proteins by reactive species from air pollution and endogenous biological sources using an extended version of the multiphase chemical kinetic model KM-SUB-ELF 2.0 with a detailed mechanism of protein modification. Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and nitrogen dioxide (•NO2) act synergistically and increase the formation of nitrotyrosine (Ntyr), a common biomarker of oxidative stress. Ozone (O3) is found to be a burden on the antioxidant defense system but without substantial influence on the Ntyr concentration. In simulations with low levels of air pollution, the Ntyr concentration in the ELF is consistent with the range of literature values for bronchoalveolar lavage fluid from healthy individuals. With high levels of air pollution, however, we obtain strongly elevated Ntyr concentrations. Our model analysis shows how chemical reactions of air pollutants can modify proteins and thus their functionality in the human body, elucidating a molecular pathway that may explain air pollutant effects on human health.

Occupational exposure of vehicular emissions and cardiorespiratory risk among urban metropolitan bus drivers: A cross-sectional comparative study.

Vehicular emissions on long-term exposure predispose metropolitan bus drivers to cardiorespiratory ailments. To evaluate the cardiorespiratory risk of urban metropolitan bus drivers related to vehicular emission exposure. Bus drivers (with service >5 years, n = 254) and their administrative controls (primarily engaged in indoor white collared jobs, n = 73) were recruited. Demographic, occupational and clinical details were collected through pre-validated standardized format. Pulmonary Function Test (PFT) and lipid profile were carried out with standard protocol. Risk for cardiovascular events for preceding 10-years was estimated with WHO/ISH risk prediction chart and QRISK3 score. Exposure assessments for particulate matter (PM) were performed for both groups while duty hours. Exposure of drivers to PM2.5 six times and PM10 five times higher in comparison to administration staff (PM2.5- 970.9 v/s 145.0μg/m3 TWA and PM10- 1111.7 v/s 233.8μg/m3 TWA). Bus drivers exhibited significantly higher prevalence of respiratory symptoms (dyspnea-25% v/s 6.8% and cough-20.1% v/s 9.8%) and compromised PFT (obstructive-21% v/s 5.7% and restrictive-4.2% v/s 2.9%) in comparison to controls. Multivariate regression statistics reveal a significant decline for FEV1/FVC and FEV25-75% among bus drivers compared to controls, controlling the influence of physiological and environmental factors. The difference between predicted cardiac age and their respective chronological age was twice higher (8.3 v/s 4.3 years) among drivers compared to their administration staff. Bus drivers were exposed to high levels of outdoor air pollutants. Further, the drivers exhibited higher risk for ischemic attack and obstructive airway diseases as compared to administration staff.

Effects of Short- And Medium-Term Exposures to Lower Air Temperature on 71 Novel Biomarkers of Subclinical Inflammation: Results from the KORA F4 Study.

Increasing evidence has revealed that exposure to low temperatures is linked to a higher risk of chronic diseases and death; however, the mechanisms underlying the observed associations are still poorly understood. We performed a cross-sectional analysis with 1115 participants from the population-based KORA F4 study, which was conducted in Augsburg, Germany, from 2006 to 2008. Seventy-one inflammation-related protein biomarkers were analyzed in serum using proximity extension assay technology. We employed generalized additive models to explore short- and medium-term effects of air temperature on biomarkers of subclinical inflammation at cumulative lags of 0-1 days, 2-6 days, 0-13 days, 0-27 days, and 0-55 days. We found that short- and medium-term exposures to lower air temperature were associated with higher levels in 64 biomarkers of subclinical inflammation, such as Protein S100-A12 (EN-RAGE), Interleukin-6 (IL-6), Interleukin-10 (IL-10), C-C motif chemokine 28 (CCL28), and Neurotrophin-3 (NT-3). More pronounced associations between lower air temperature and higher biomarker of subclinical inflammation were observed among older participants, people with cardiovascular disease or prediabetes/diabetes, and people exposed to higher levels of air pollution (PM2.5, NO2, and O3). Our findings provide intriguing insight into how low air temperature may cause adverse health effects by activating inflammatory pathways.

Impact of meteorological parameters and air pollutants on airborne concentration of Betula pollen and Bet v 1 allergen

The intensity of birch pollen season is expressed by seasonal pollen integral (SPIn, the sum of the mean daily pollen concentration during the birch pollination period) and the amount of Bet v 1 allergen released per birch pollen grain expressed by pollen allergen potency (PAP). Betula pollen and Bet v 1 allergen were simultaneously measured in the air of Bratislava from 2019 to 2022 by using two Burkard traps (Hirst-type and cyclone) in order to evaluate the causes of the seasonal variation in the SPIn and PAP levels. The highest SPIn (19,975 pollen/m3) was observed in 2022 and the lowest one (1484 pollen/m3) in 2021. The average daily PAP level (4.0 pg Bet v 1/pollen) was highest in 2019 and lowest (2.5 pg Bet v 1/pollen) in 2020. We found that seasonal variation in SPIn was associated mainly with the changes in environmental conditions during the pre-season period, whereas the year-to-year variation in PAP levels was attributed to environmental conditions during both pre- and in-season periods. Our results indicate that rainy weather in June 2020 and cold overcast weather in January‒February 2021 resulted in low SPIn in 2021. On the other hand, dry weather in June 2021 and warm weather in January‒February 2022 resulted in high SPIn in 2022. The low average daily PAP level in 2020 was associated with (1) low levels of gaseous air pollutants in March, when the ripening of pollen takes place; (2) an earlier start of the birch main pollen season (MPS); and (3) dry weather during the MPS. On the other hand, high PAP level in 2019 was associated with higher levels of air pollutants in March and during the MPS.

The air pollution disadvantage of immigrants in Germany: partly a matter of urbanity

Abstract Several studies now document the disproportionate distribution of environmental pollution across different groups, but many are based on aggregated data or subjective pollution measures. In this study, we describe the air quality disadvantage of migrants in Germany using objective pollution data linked to nationally representative individual-level survey data. We intersect 1 × 1 km2 grid geo-references from the German General Social Survey (ALLBUS) 2014, 2016, and 2018 with 2 × 2 km2 estimates of annually averaged air pollution by the German Environment Agency for nitrogen dioxide, ozone, and particulate matter. Respondents with a migration background are exposed to higher levels of nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter than people of German descent. Urbanity of residence partly explains these differences, up to 81 per cent for particulate matter and about 30 per cent for other pollutants. A larger proportion of immigrants live in larger cities, which are more prone to high levels of air pollution. This is especially true for second-generation migrants. Income differences, on the other hand, do not explain the migrant disadvantage. In city fixed effects models, the patterns for migration background point unambiguously in the direction of environmental disadvantage for all pollutants except ozone. However, the within-municipality associations are weak.

Comparative assessment of the risk of health disorders of the population at two industrial centers of Kuzbass from exposure to atmospheric pollution

Introduction. The high concentration of production facilities on the territory of the Kemerovo region — Kuzbass contributes to the fact that the population living in large industrial cities is affected by a high level of atmospheric pollution.&#x0D; The aim of the study to assess the risk to public health from air pollution from stationary sources in the cities of Kemerovo and Novokuznetsk.&#x0D; Materials and methods. To assess the risk we used the average of the average annual concentrations of pollutants for 2017–2021 were used. Hazard coefficients and indices, as well as carcinogenic risk, are determined according to the Guidelines 2.1.10.1920-04. The risk of chronic intoxication was determined according to the method of A.P. Shcherbo and co-authors.&#x0D; Results. Average concentrations of benz(a)pyrene exceed the hygienic standard by 3.0 times in the atmosphere of Kemerovo and by 5.8 times in Novokuznetsk. The total risk of chronic intoxication associated with atmospheric air pollution in the city of Kemerovo exceeds the acceptable level by 10.6 times, in Novokuznetsk — by 14.4 times. Benz(a)pyrene makes the greatest contribution to the formation of the risk level of chronic intoxication, accounting for 28.8% in Kemerovo and 38.4% in Novokuznetsk. The hazard indices exceed the acceptable value by 7.2 times in Kemerovo and 11.0 times in Novokuznetsk. &#x0D; The main critical organs and systems most at risk are the respiratory organs, the immune system, and blood. The carcinogenic risk to the health of residents of Kemerovo exceeded the acceptable level by 1.43 times, Novokuznetsk — by 1.56 times. The main contribution to the formation of the level of carcinogenic risk in both cities is made by formaldehyde (83.9% — in Kemerovo and 70.5% — in Novokuznetsk).&#x0D; Limitations. The researchers have used data from official reports to calculate public health risks.&#x0D; Conclusion. Both industrial centers have a high level of atmospheric air pollution, which leads to the formation of risks to public health. The authors have identified the most unfavorable situation in Novokuznetsk.&#x0D; Ethics. This study did not require the conclusion of the Ethics Committee.

A comparative study of air pollution levels in different urban street configurations in Pangyo New Town, South Korea

Despite the expanding recognition of the impact of urban design on the well-being of citizens in planned communities, air quality concerns are frequently neglected in the development of new towns. This study aimed to address this gap in the literature by conducting comparative field assessments of different street structures in South Korea's new towns, measuring the concentrations of ultrafine particles (UFP), fine particulate matter (PM2.5), and black carbon (BC) in street canyons with varying aspect ratios (ARs) and road configurations. During a six-day period in October, measurements were taken both before and after business hours in pedestrian zones with ARs of 2.5 and 10, as well as vehicle zones with open and loop roads. The findings revealed that the concentrations of UFP, PM2.5, and BC were consistently higher in a deeper canyon (AR 10) than in a shallower canyon (AR 2.5) in the pedestrian zone throughout the day, with the difference being most pronounced during periods of heightened commercial activity. Additionally, vehicle zones with loop roads had higher levels of air pollution, particularly in terms of UFP and PM2.5 concentrations, compared to open roads, regardless of vehicle traffic volume. The study highlights the importance of evaluating the influence of street configuration on air circulation, regulating emissions from direct sources, and adopting a comprehensive approach to urban planning to improve air quality and safeguard public health in densely populated areas.

Pro-inflammation and pro-atherosclerotic responses to short-term air pollution exposure associated with alterations in sphingolipid ceramides and neutrophil extracellular traps

Air pollution has been associated with the development of atherosclerosis; however, the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying pro-atherosclerotic effects of air pollution exposure remain unclear. We conducted a prospective panel study in Beijing and recruited 152 participants with four monthly visits from September 2019 to January 2020. Linear mixed-effect models were applied to estimate the associations linking short-term air pollution exposure to biomarkers relevant to ceramide metabolism, pro-inflammation (neutrophil extracellular traps formation and systemic inflammation) and pro-atherosclerotic responses (endothelial stimulation, plaque instability, coagulation activation, and elevated blood pressure). We further explored whether ceramides and inflammatory indicators could mediate the alterations in the profiles of pro-atherosclerotic responses. We found that significant increases in levels of circulating ceramides of 9.7% (95% CIs: 0.7, 19.5) to 96.9% (95% CIs: 23.1, 214.9) were associated with interquartile range increases in moving averages of ambient air pollutant metrics, including fine particulate matter (PM2.5), black carbon, particles in size fractions of 100–560 nm, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide and sulfur dioxide at prior up to 7 days. Higher air pollution levels were also associated with activated neutrophils (increases in citrullinated histone H3, neutrophil elastase, double-stranded DNA, and myeloperoxidase) and exacerbation of pro-atherosclerotic responses (e.g., increases in vascular endothelial growth factor, lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2, matrix metalloproteinase-8, P-selectin, and blood pressure). Mediation analyses further showed that dysregulated ceramide metabolism and potentiated inflammation could mediate PM2.5-associated pro-atherosclerotic responses. Our findings extend the understanding on potential mechanisms of air pollution-associated atherosclerosis, and suggest the significance of reducing air pollution as priority in urban environments.