Impact Of Ambient Air Pollution Research Articles

Impact of Ambient Air Pollution on the Respiratory Health of Children With Sickle Cell Anemia in Atlanta, Georgia

O-29C4-4 Background/Aims: Children with sickle cell disease (SCD) comprise a potentially susceptible, yet largely unstudied, sub-group. SCD is an inherited, autosomal recessive blood disorder and is one of the most prevalent genetic disorders in the United States. The aim of the pilot study is to determine if elevated concentrations of personal exposures to air pollutants are associated with adverse respiratory health effects in children with SCD. To our knowledge, this is the first panel study in the United States, examining these potential associations in this population. Methods: We conducted a panel study of 7 homozygous children with SCD in Atlanta, GA from 2008–2009. Repeated measurements of 24-hour integrated personal exposures to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) were collected for 2 seasons, with 12 samples per season. Before and after each sampling period, children underwent an assessment of their pulmonary inflammatory response, airway resistance, and respiratory symptoms. Lung function data were also collected at the beginning and end of each week. Results: The mean age of the participants was 9 years (range: 7–12 years). Preliminary 24- hour mean personal PM2.5 and NO2 exposure concentrations were 15.0 ± 25.5 μg/m3 and 0.23 ± 0.14 ppm, respectively. Exhaled nitric oxide measurements for all participants ranged from <5 to 57.5 ppb. Overall, daily NO2 concentrations were strong (r = 0.77) and positively correlated with exhaled nitric oxide measurements made after the sampling period. Exhaled nitric oxide was negatively correlated with PM2.5. When examined by child, correlations were moderate-to-strong (r < 0.80) but varied by pollutant. Conclusion: The initial findings suggest that associations exist between children's exhaled nitric oxide levels and exposures to PM2.5 and NO2. Complete analysis, including lung function and other markers of airway inflammation and resistance will also be presented to help elucidate the variability and the strength of this association among the children.

Impact of ambient air pollution on the differential white blood cell count in patients with chronic pulmonary disease

Epidemiologic studies report associations between particulate air pollution and increased mortality from pulmonary diseases. This study was performed to examine whether the exposure to ambient gaseous and particulate air pollution leads to an alteration of the differential white blood cell count in patients with chronic pulmonary diseases like chronic bronchitis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and asthma. A prospective panel study was conducted in Erfurt, Eastern Germany, with 12 repeated differential white blood cell counts in 38 males with chronic pulmonary diseases. Hourly particulate and gaseous air pollutants and meteorological data were acquired. Mixed models with a random intercept adjusting for trend, meteorology, weekday, and other risk variables were used.In this explorative analysis, we found an immediate decrease of polymorphonuclear leukocytes in response to an increase of most gaseous and particulate pollutants. Lymphocytes increased within 24 h in association with all gaseous pollutants but showed only minor effects in regard to particulate air pollution. Monocytes showed an increase associated with ultrafine particles, and nitrogen monoxide. The effect had two peaks in time, one 0–23 h before blood withdrawal and a second one with a time lag of 48–71 h. The increase of particulate and gaseous air pollution was associated with multiple changes in the differential white blood cell count in patients with chronic pulmonary diseases.

Summary of the workshop on methodologies for environmental public health tracking of air pollution effects

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention established the Environmental Public Health Tracking (EPHT) program to support state and local projects that characterize the impact of the environment on health. The projects involve compiling, linking, analyzing, and disseminating environmental and health surveillance information, thereby engaging stakeholders and guiding actions to improve public health. One of the EPHT objectives is to track the public health impact of ambient air pollution with analyses that are timely and relevant to state and local stakeholders. To address methodological issues relevant to this objective, in January 2008, government officials and researchers from the USA, Canada, and Europe gathered in Baltimore, Maryland for a 2-day workshop. Using commissioned papers and presentations on key methodological issues as well as examples of previous air pollution impact assessments, work group discussions produced a set of consensus recommendations for the EPHT program. These recommendations noted the need for data that will encourage local stakeholders to support continued progress in air pollution control. The limitations of using only local data for analyses were also noted. To improve local estimates of air pollution health impacts, methods were recommended that “borrow strength” from other evidence. An incremental approach to implementing such methods was recommended. The importance and difficulty of communicating uncertainties in local health impact assessments was emphasized, as was the need for coordination among different agencies conducting health impact assessments.

Impact of Ambient Air Pollution on Public Health under Various Traffic Policies in Shanghai, China

To investigate the potential impact of ambient air pollution on public health under various traffic policies in Shanghai. The exposure level of Shanghai residents to air pollution under various planned traffic scenarios was estimated, and the public health impact was assessed using concentration-response functions derived from available epidemiological studies. Our results showed that ambient air pollution in relation to traffic scenarios had a significant impact on the future health status of Shanghai residents. Compared with the base case scenario, implementation of various traffic scenarios could prevent 759-1574, 1885-2420, and 2277-2650 PM10-related avoidable deaths (mean-value) in 2010, 2015, and 2020, respectively. It could also decrease the incidence of several relevant diseases. Our findings emphasize the need to consider air pollution-related health effects as an important impact of traffic policy in Shanghai.

Impact of ambient air pollution on gestational age is modified by season in Sydney, Australia

BackgroundThe effect of individual pollutants and the period(s) during pregnancy when pollutant levels are likely to have most impact on preterm birth is not clear. We evaluated the effect of prenatal exposure to six common urban air pollutants in the Sydney metropolitan area on preterm birth.MethodsWe obtained information on all births in metropolitan Sydney between January 1, 1998 and December 31, 2000. For each birth, exposure to each air pollutant was estimated for the first trimester, the three months preceding birth, the first month after the estimated date of conception and the month prior to delivery. Gestational age was analysed as a categorical variable in logistic regression models.ResultsThere were 123 840 singleton births in Sydney in 1998–2000 and 4.9% were preterm. Preterm birth was significantly associated with maternal age, maternal smoking, male infant, indigenous status and first pregnancy. Air pollutant levels in the month and three months preceding birth had no significant effect on preterm birth after adjusting for maternal and infant covariates. Ozone levels in the first trimester of pregnancy and spring months of conception and sulphur dioxide were associated with increased risks for preterm births. Nitrogen dioxide was associated with a decreased risk of preterm births.ConclusionWe found more protective than harmful associations between ambient air pollutants and preterm births with most associations non-significant. In view of these inconsistent associations, it is important to interpret the harmful effects with caution. If our results are confirmed by future studies then it will be imperative to reduce Sydney's already low air pollution levels even further.

Low-carbon energy policy and ambient air pollution in Shanghai, China: A health-based economic assessment

Energy and related health issues are of growing concern worldwide today. To investigate the potential public health and economic impact of ambient air pollution under various low-carbon energy scenarios in Shanghai, we estimated the exposure level of Shanghai residents to air pollution under various planned scenarios, and assessed the public health impact using concentration-response functions derived from available epidemiologic studies. We then estimated the corresponding economic values of the health effects based on unit values for each health outcome. Our results show that ambient air pollution in relation to low-carbon energy scenarios could have a significant impact on the future health status of Shanghai residents, both in physical and monetary terms. Compared with the base case scenario, implementation of various low-carbon energy scenarios could prevent 2804-8249 and 9870-23,100 PM10-related avoidable deaths (mid-value) in 2010 and 2020, respectively. It could also decrease incidence of several relevant diseases. The corresponding economic benefits could reach 507.31-1492.33 and 2642.45-6192.11 million U.S. dollars (mid-value) in 2010 and 2020, respectively. These findings illustrate that a low-carbon energy policy will not only decrease the emission of greenhouse gases, but also play an active role in the reduction of air pollutant emissions, improvement of air quality, and promotion of public health. Our estimates can provide useful information to local decision-makers for further cost-benefit analysis.

Evaluation Of Ambient Air Pollution Impact On Carrot Plants At A Sub Urban Site Using Open Top Chambers

The present experiment was done to evaluate the impact of ambient air pollution on carrot (Dacus carota var. Pusa Kesar) plants using open top chambers (OTCs) ventilated with ambient (NFCs) or charcoal filtered air (FCs) at a suburban site of Varanasi, India. Various morphological, physiological and biochemical characteristics of the plants were studied at different growth stages. Air monitoring data clearly showed high concentrations of SO2, NO2 and O3 in the ambient air of study site. SO2 and NO2 concentrations were higher during early growth stages of carrot, whereas O3 concentration was highest during later growth stages. Filtration of air has caused significant reductions in all the three pollutant concentrations in FCs as compared to NFCs. Plants growing in FCs showed significantly higher photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance, water use efficiency and variable fluorescence as compared to plants growing in NFCs. Protein content also showed a similar pattern, however, lipid peroxidation, ascorbic acid content and peroxidase activity were higher in plants growing in NFCs as compared to FCs. Shoot length, number of leaves per plant, leaf area and root and shoot weight increased significantly upon filtration of ambient air. Total nitrogen decreased significantly in root, but increased significantly in shoot of plants grown in NFCs. Total P, Mg, Ca and K contents decreased significantly in plants grown in NFCs as compared to FCs. The individual pollutant concentrations were below threshold for plant injury, but the combined effect of all the three seems to act synergistically in causing greater adverse impact on dry weight and physiology of carrot plants. The study clearly indicates that air pollutants are high enough in the ambient air to cause significant unfavorable impact on carrot plants. The work further supports the usefulness of OTCs for assessing air pollution damage under field conditions in developing countries.

A Case–Crossover Study of Wintertime Ambient Air Pollution and Infant Bronchiolitis

We examined the association of infant bronchiolitis with acute exposure to ambient air pollutants.DesignWe employed a time-stratified case–crossover method and based the exposure windows on a priori, biologically based hypotheses.ParticipantsWe evaluated effects in 19,901 infants in the South Coast Air Basin of California in 1995–2000 with a hospital discharge record for bronchiolitis in the first year of life (International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision, CM466.1).Evaluations/MeasurementsStudy subjects’ ZIP code was linked to ambient air pollution monitors to derive exposures. We estimated the risk of bronchiolitis hospitalization associated with increases in wintertime ambient air pollutants using conditional logistic regression.ResultsWe observed no increased risk after acute exposure to particulate matter ≤ 2.5 μm in aerodynamic diameter (PM2.5), carbon monoxide, or nitrogen dioxide. PM2.5 exposure models suggested a 26–41% increased risk in the most premature infants born at gestational ages between 25 and 29 weeks; however, these findings were based on very small numbers.ConclusionsWe found little support for a link between acute increases in ambient air pollution and infant bronchiolitis except modestly increased risk for PM2.5 exposure among infants born very prematurely. In these infants, the periods of viral acquisition and incubation concurred with the time of increased risk.Relevance to Professional PracticeWe present novel data for the infant period and the key respiratory disease of infancy, bronchiolitis. Incompletely explained trends in rising bronchiolitis hospitalization rates and increasing number of infants born prematurely underscore the importance of evaluating the impact of ambient air pollution in this age group in other populations and studies.

Impact of ambient air pollution on birth weight in Sydney, Australia

Background: Studies in Asia, Europe, and the Americas have provided evidence that ambient air pollution may have an adverse effect on birth weight, although results are not consistent. Methods: Average...

Exposure to ambient air pollution and prenatal and early childhood health effects

Over the last years, concern for the possible influence of exposure to air pollutants in children during gestation or the first years of life has grown; exposure levels which may be reached nowadays in our dwellings and in our streets. In the present study evidence over the possible impact of ambient air pollution on the foetus and the infants (i.e.: less than 1 year) published during the last decade, 1994--2003, are revised. Studies on infant mortality and exposure to particles show an outstanding consistence in the magnitude of the effects, despite the different designs used. As a whole, data show that an increase in 10 microg/m3 of particle concentration (measured as PM10) is associated with to about 5% increase in post-neonatal mortality for all causes and around 22% for post-neonatal mortality for respiratory diseases. Regarding damage in foetal health, although results are not always consistent, most studies show associations with exposure to air pollution during pregnancy. However, the precise mechanisms of action of air pollutants on adverse reproductive results are still unknown, so is the period of exposure most relevant during pregnancy and the specific pollutant which may represent a higher risk. Follow-up studies evaluating personal exposure to different air pollutants are required, allowing for the adequate evaluation of the impact of each pollutant in different periods of pregnancy, as well as providing hypotheses on their possible mechanisms of action.

An evaluation of public health impact of ambient air pollution under various energy scenarios in Shanghai, China

To investigate the potential public health impact of ambient air pollution under various energy scenarios in Shanghai, we estimated the air pollution exposure level of the general population under various planned energy scenarios, and assessed the potential public health impact using the concentration–response functions derived from available epidemiologic studies. The results show that ambient air pollution in relation to various energy scenarios could have significant impact on the health status of Shanghai residents. Compared with base case scenario, implementation of various energy scenarios could prevent 608–5144 and 1189–10,462 PM10-related avoidable deaths (mid-value) in 2010 and 2020, respectively; and it could also decrease substantial cases of relevant diseases. These findings illustrate that an effective energy and environmental policy will play an active role in reduction of air pollutant emissions, improvement of air quality, and public health.

Crop growth along a gradient of ambient air pollution

An experiment, designed to elucidate the relative importance of SO 2, NO 2, O 3, and other environmental factors in influencing the performance of four cultivars of Trifolium pratense L. and Hordeum vulgare L., was performed by growing plants in situ along a transect from central London into the surrounding countryside. A multiple regression analysis provided evidence of significant effects of SO 2, NO 2, and, to a lesser extent, O 3, on vegetative and reproductive growth parameters, although these differed according to pollutant, cultivar, species, and the parameter concerned. The significance of these findings for the impact of ambient air pollution on the growth of crops in the more polluted rural areas of western Europe is suggested by the fact that mean SO 2, NO 2, and O 3 concentrations in the experimental area are less than 0·020 (39·2 μg/m 3), 0·025 (47·75 μg/m 3), and 0·030 ppm (58·8 μg/m 3), respectively. The value of the technique is discussed with respect to other studies on the effects of low levels of air pollution on crops.