Smoke Pollution Research Articles

Impact of Smog on Wheat Productivity and Determinants of Smog Adaptation Options: A Case Study of Layyah and Lodhran

Smog is very harmful to agricultural productivity as it directly affects the growth and yield of crops. This study investigates the impact of smog on the wheat crop. For the present analysis, the study chose two agricultural districts (Layyah and Lodhran) of Pakistan. A survey was conducted from July to September 2019, by 400 farmers. Fully structured questionnaire is used for data collection while logit regression is used for empirical estimation. The results reveal that smog has a negative effect on wheat productivity as the size and weight of wheat grains decrease due to smog. The results also depict that the farmers’ perception regarding adaptations options improves productivity. The results show that education, extension services, irrigation source, and credit services significantly impact adaptation options. The study suggests that government should take serious steps to get rid of smog as it adversely affects theproductivity of crops. For this purpose, strict enforcement of National Environment Quality Standards (NEQS) for the reduction of emission of smoke and other pollutants in the air by industry and other sectors can be useful. Additionally, government policy should target improving farmers’ education (training and refresher courses), extension services, and credit facilities to increase farmers’ adaptations.

Predicting wind-driven spatial deposition through simulated color images using deep autoencoders

For centuries, scientists have observed nature to understand the laws that govern the physical world. The traditional process of turning observations into physical understanding is slow. Imperfect models are constructed and tested to explain relationships in data. Powerful new algorithms can enable computers to learn physics by observing images and videos. Inspired by this idea, instead of training machine learning models using physical quantities, we used images, that is, pixel information. For this work, and as a proof of concept, the physics of interest are wind-driven spatial patterns. These phenomena include features in Aeolian dunes and volcanic ash deposition, wildfire smoke, and air pollution plumes. We use computer model simulations of spatial deposition patterns to approximate images from a hypothetical imaging device whose outputs are red, green, and blue (RGB) color images with channel values ranging from 0 to 255. In this paper, we explore deep convolutional neural network-based autoencoders to exploit relationships in wind-driven spatial patterns, which commonly occur in geosciences, and reduce their dimensionality. Reducing the data dimension size with an encoder enables training deep, fully connected neural network models linking geographic and meteorological scalar input quantities to the encoded space. Once this is achieved, full spatial patterns are reconstructed using the decoder. We demonstrate this approach on images of spatial deposition from a pollution source, where the encoder compresses the dimensionality to 0.02% of the original size, and the full predictive model performance on test data achieves a normalized root mean squared error of 8%, a figure of merit in space of 94% and a precision-recall area under the curve of 0.93.

Imaging Recommendations for Diagnosis, Staging, and Management of Lung Cancer

AbstractGlobally and in India, lung cancer is one of the leading malignancies in terms of incidence and mortality. Smoking and environmental pollution are the common risk factors for developing lung cancer. Traditionally, lung cancer is divided into small cell and nonsmall cell types, with nonsmall cell carcinomas including squamous cell carcinoma, adenocarcinoma, and large cell carcinoma.In this review article, we describe the imaging recommendations and findings in the diagnosis, staging, and management of lung cancer, including the imaging of treatment-related complications.

Impacts of Wildfire Smoke and Air Pollution on a Pediatric Population with Asthma: A Population-Based Study.

Wildfires are increasing yearly in number and severity as a part of the evolving climate crisis. These fires are a significant source of air pollution, a common driver of flares in cardiorespiratory disease, including asthma, which is the most common chronic disease of childhood. Poorly controlled asthma leads to significant societal costs through morbidity, mortality, lost school and work time and healthcare utilization. This retrospective cohort study set in Calgary, Canada evaluates the relationship between asthma exacerbations during wildfire smoke events and equivalent low-pollution periods in a pediatric asthma population. Air pollution was based on daily average levels of PM2.5. Wildfire smoke events were determined by combining information from provincial databases and local monitors. Exposures were assumed using postal codes in the health record at the time of emergency department visits. Provincial claims data identified 27,501 asthma exacerbations in 57,375 children with asthma between 2010 to 2021. Wildfire smoke days demonstrated an increase in asthma exacerbations over the baseline (incidence rate ratio: 1.13; 95% CI: 1.02-1.24); this was not seen with air pollution in general. Increased rates of asthma exacerbations were also noted yearly in September. Asthma exacerbations were significantly decreased during periods of COVID-19 healthcare precautions.

Silicone Wristband Spray Ionization Mass Spectrometry for Combined Exposome and Metabolome Profiling

AbstractWearing a silicone wristband exposes the internal surface of the wristband to glucose, lipids, and metabolites (metabolome) found in sweat and the external surface to occupational and environmental factors that could impact health found in the air (exposome). We use silicone wristband electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (SWESI‐MS) to monitor these species. A 20‐μL drop of a (1 : 1, v/v) water:methanol solution is sufficient to extract abundant metabolites and contacting chemicals derived from ingestion of drink, smoke, diet, drug, and air pollution exposure. A wide coverage of species is successfully detected and identified from a worn wristband including caffeine, glucose, nicotine, reserpine, lactate, phosphocreatinine, oleic acid, and urea. The signal from a triangular wristband surface triggered by applying a voltage of 5 kV to form a spray remains stable for at least 2 minutes. The response is linear from 10 pM to 100 μM. The SWESI‐MS method offers the advantages of onsite sampling, no preprocessing, simple testing, and automatic high‐dimensional data searching. It can be used for simultaneously monitoring hazardous chemical contamination and abnormal expression of sweat‐secreted metabolites that are indicative of some physiological condition.

Lung Cancer and Risk Factors in Lebanon: Epidemiology, Temporal Trends, and Comparison to Countries From Different Regions in the World.

Lung cancer (Lca) is the leading cause of cancer morbidity and mortality worldwide. This study examines the Lca incidence and trends in Lebanon and compares them to regional and global ones. It also discusses Lca risk factors in Lebanon. Lung cancer data from the Lebanese National Cancer Registry for 2005 to 2016 was obtained. The age-standardized incidence rates (ASRw) and age-specific rates per 100 000 population were calculated. Lung cancer ranked second for cancer incidence in Lebanon from 2005-2016. Lung cancer ASRw ranged from 25.3 to 37.1 per 100 000 males and 9.8 to 16.7 per 100 000 females. Males 70-74 and females 75+ had the highest incidence. Lung cancer ASRw in males increased significantly at 3.94% per year from 2005 to 2014 (P > .05), then decreased non-significantly from 2014 to 2016 (P < .05). Lung cancer ASRw in females increased significantly at 11.98% per year from 2005 to 2009 (P > .05), then increased non-significantly from 2009 to 2016 (P < .05). Males' Lca ASRw in Lebanon was lower than the global average in 2008 and became similar in 2012 (34.1 vs 34.2 per 100 000); However, females' Lca ASRw was almost comparable to the global average in 2008 and exceeded it in 2012 (16.5 vs 13.6, respectively, per 100 000). Males' and Females' Lca ASRw in Lebanon were among the highest in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region but lower than those estimated for North America, China and Japan, and several European countries. The proportion of Lca cases attributed to smoking among Lebanese males and females was estimated at 75.7% and 66.3% for all age groups, respectively. The proportion of Lca cases attributed to air pollution with PM10 and PM2.5 in Lebanon was estimated at 13.5% for all age groups. Lung cancer incidence in Lebanon is among the highest in the MENA region. The leading known modifiable risk factors are tobacco smoking and air pollution.

User’s Perception of Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) in Tall Office Buildings as the Cause of Symptoms of Sick Building Syndrome

The user’s assessment or perception of indoor air quality (IAQ) refers to an individual’s subjective assessment or perception of the quality of the air they breathe inside a particular building or space. This assessment or perception is very individual and can vary from one individual to another. This study aims to determine the IAQ felt by users of the Rectorate Building, State University of Malang, and its effect on Sick Building Syndrome (SBS) symptoms. This research is included in the quantitative research with the study population being all employees at the building, which has 215 people. The data collection technique in this study used the MM040NA questionnaire and the data analysis technique used was binary logistic regression analysis with the help of the IBM SPSS Statistics with crosstabs test. The results of this study indicate that all independent variables have no significant relationship with SBS symptoms experienced by respondents and all independent variables have a very weak correlation. In addition, from 80 respondents, 27 people (33.75%) experienced SBS and 53 people (66.25%) did not experience SBS. This shows that there is a SBS phenomenon in the building. The significance value for all independent variables is greater than the significance level value (&gt;0.05). Furthermore, based on the test criteria, it is concluded that the variable airflow, high temperature, temperature change, low temperature, stale air, dry air, odor, air electrostatics, cigarette smoke, sound level, lighting, and air pollution have approximate significance values greater than 0.05 (null hypothesis was failed to be rejected). It is concluded that those variables have no significant relationship to the dependent variable (the SBS symptoms) experienced by the respondents.

Burden and Trends of Cancer in Bangladesh: Insights into Breast, Lung, Cervical, and Liver Cancers and Implications for Public Health Interventions

Burden and Trends of Cancer in Bangladesh: Insights into Breast, Lung, Cervical, and Liver Cancers and Implications for Public Health Interventions

Paradigm Shift in Protective Barrier Covering Implements for the Endemic Phase of Corona Virus and Routine Airborne Pollutants: The Game Changer Approach - Phase Three Category

This article presented a possible protective solution to the diverse health problems associated with human beings inhaling routine anthropogenic airborne particulates and micro-organisms by introducing some regular user friendly barrier covering implements i.e. narrows it down to zero pollutant inhaled for each person’s health care protection via the introduction of cosmetic-style barrier coverings, for the individual sense organs (i.e. nose-mouth-eye). Comprehensively, the atmosphere air is a mixture of several gases, consisting of three main components (78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen, and 1% argon), water vapor, trace gases such as the noble gases (neon, helium, krypton, and xenon); greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and ozone); and the other gases such as hydrogen, iodine, carbon monoxide, ammonia, nitrogen dioxide, and sulfur dioxide, etc. Furthermore, particulate matter (PM) a mixture of solid particles and liquid droplets, such as dust, dirt, soot (a.k.a. black carbon), smoke, and smog-causing pollutants such as oxides of nitrogen (NOx), oxides of sulfur (SOx), are regularly being released into the atmosphere by human activities (anthropogenic sources). Along with volatile organic compounds (VOCs) i.e. chemical gases released from solid and liquid chemical products such as detergents, pesticides, printer supplies, adhesives, furniture, electronics, paints (and many other products), gasoline vapors, power plants and automobile exhaust, re-occurring wildfires and bush burning in different parts of the world (e.g. Canada, Brazil, California, etc.). Specifically, the June 2023 Canadian wildfire, whose smoke drifted into the northeast United States, and then temporarily made New York City “the most polluted city on the planet”, plus, the occasional air borne viruses and bacteria diseases (particles and respiratory droplets), during pandemics e.g. influenza, corona virus disease 19 (COVID-19), the common respiratory syncytial virus (RSV-a seasonal virus, characterized by variable epidemiology, depending on geographic area and climate) that share many similar symptoms as corona virus, etc. Most notably, this July 22, 2023 Erika Edwards report on “tripledemic” quoted Dr Mandy Cohen (director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), as saying that the American people are expecting to have three bugs out there, “three viruses: COVID, of course, flu and RSV”. This means that many Americans will be urged to get three different vaccinations this fall: COVID, RSV and the annual flu shot. “But that will be a challenge for the health care system, (said Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious diseases expert and professor of preventive medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center), at a time when there’s already vaccine fatigue”. The pollutants and greenhouse gases (GHGs- CO2, CH4, N2O, O3, etc.) do not only contributing to climate change (e.g. global warming the emphasis in my first and second articles) but are also the major air, water, and soil pollution that already afflictsmany cities/countries globally today. Air pollutants with the strongest evidence for public health concern include particulate matter (PM), ozone (O3), nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and sulfur dioxide (SO2).

Cotton pillow samplers for assessment of thirdhand smoke in homes of smokers and nonsmokers with children

Secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure is a major cause of illnesses in children and leaves a persistent and toxic residue indoors called thirdhand smoke (THS) that adheres to various surfaces, permeates materials, accumulates in household dust, and is subsequently re-emitted into the air. THS, like SHS, has been shown to contain multiple toxic chemicals, including carcinogenic tobacco-specific nitrosamines (TSNAs). Children are highly susceptible to tobacco smoke pollutants, and simple methods for assessing children’s SHS and THS exposure are needed. Therefore, we evaluated the performance of a cotton pillow used as a passive sampler in homes of children with caregivers who smoke tobacco, with and without home smoking bans, as well as nonsmokers. We deployed a commercially available organic cotton travel pillow, which was left in the home for a median of 9.1 days. Pillow component nicotine levels were significantly higher in homes of smokers without a ban as compared to smokers and nonsmokers who had a ban (e.g., median pillowcase nicotine 337.7 ng/g per day vs. 72.5 ng/g per day and 0.1 ng/g per day, respectively) and differences were similar to those for air nicotine. Pillowcase TSNAs were detected mainly in the homes of smokers without a smoking ban. Pillow component (pillowcase, fabric, and filling) nicotine levels were highly correlated with air nicotine levels (rho = 0.76-0.88, all P &lt; 0.001). Nicotine in the pillow components was also highly correlated with urinary cotinine in the children (rho = 0.65 to 0.81, all P &lt; 0.001) and other measures of tobacco smoke exposure. Pillow performance as a sampler is promising, given the ease and simplicity of sample deployment.

Thirdhand Smoke May Promote Lung Adenocarcinoma Development through HN1.

Thirdhand smoke (THS) refers to residual tobacco smoking pollutants that can be adsorbed to indoor surfaces and dust and persist for years after active smoking. THS-related chemicals such as N-nitrosonornicotine (NNN) and 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK) are tobacco-specific lung carcinogens that involved in lung cancer development and progression. In this study, we computed the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between THS and paired control samples. THS-related overexpressed genes (OEs) were overlapped with OEs of lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) and lung squamous cell carcinoma (LUSC). Survival analyses of these overlapped genes were performed using LUAD and LUSC data. 6 genes were selected for validation based on their expression levels and prognostic value. Hematological and neurological expressed 1 (HN1) was further selected due to its novelty in LUAD research. The potential roles of HN1 in LUAD were explored in several ways. In summary, HN1 is overexpressed in THS samples and is associated with the prognosis of patients with LUAD. It may promote cancer progression through several pathways and could serve as a potential therapeutic target especially for THS-related LUAD. In-depth mechanistic studies and clinical trials are warranted.

Prenatal tobacco smoke exposure and risk of brain abnormalities on magnetic resonance imaging at term in infants born very preterm

Prenatal tobacco smoke exposure and preterm birth are associated with abnormal brain and neurodevelopmental outcomes in infants. Studies that can disentangle indirect mediating effects from direct effects of prenatal tobacco smoke exposure on sensitive early brain magnetic resonance imaging biomarkers in very preterm infants are needed. This study aimed to determine whether prenatal tobacco smoke exposure in preterm infants posed any direct effects on magnetic resonance imaging-determined global brain abnormality score and secondary measures of brain abnormalities after removing any indirect mediating effects of preterm birth on neurostructural outcomes. We examined brain magnetic resonance imaging findings collected at 39 to 44 weeks postmenstrual age from a prospective cohort of 395 infants born very preterm (gestational age of ≤32 weeks). The primary outcome was global brain abnormality score, and the secondary outcomes were global efficiency of structural connectome, diffuse white matter abnormality volume, total brain tissue volume, total gray and white matter volumes, and cerebellar volume. Maternal reports of smoking during pregnancy were obtained. We performed multivariable linear regression analyses to examine the association between prenatal tobacco smoke exposure and our magnetic resonance imaging outcomes, controlling for prospectively collected confounders. Moreover, we performed a mediation analysis to estimate the direct effects of prenatal tobacco smoke exposure on brain abnormalities and any indirect effects through preterm birth. Overall, 12.6% of infants had prenatal tobacco smoke exposure. Infants with prenatal tobacco smoke exposure had a higher median global brain abnormality score than nonexposed infants (7 [interquartile range, 0-41] vs 5 [interquartile range, 0-34]; P≤.001); the findings remained significant (P<.001) after controlling for antenatal confounders. Global efficiency (P<.001), diffuse white matter volume (P=.037), and total brain tissue volume (P=.047) were significantly different between TSE groups in multivariable analyses. On mediation analysis, preterm birth mediated between 0% and 29% of the indirect effect of prenatal tobacco smoke exposure on several measures of brain abnormality outcomes. Thus, prenatal tobacco smoke exposure had a direct adverse effect between 71% and 100% on brain injury or abnormal development. Our study has identified multiple adverse effects of prenatal tobacco smoke exposure on sensitive and objective measures of neonatal brain injury and abnormal development; most cases seemed to be a direct effect of prenatal tobacco smoke exposure on fetal brain development. The results underscored the significant adverse neurostructural effects of prenatal tobacco smoke exposure to tobacco smoke pollutants.

Environment Pollution Analysis on Smart Cities Using Wireless Sensor Networks

One of the numerous independent sensing devices in this sector, WSNs can monitor physical and environmental parameters and thousands of applications in other disciplines. A large environmental change has numerous harmful repercussions on human beings, such as air pollution. Using a cloud that communicates through wireless sensor networks (WSNs), environmental factors such as pollution can be monitored with greater precision. If cities are considered smart, they will have to address air pollution, a significant environmental problem in cities. It negatively impacts human health, discouraging individuals from relocating to cities, resulting in a lack of economic development. This means that WSN nodes could monitor the pollution levels in and around the city and along major thoroughfares. In this paper, wireless sensor network-based environmental pollution analysis (WSN-EPA) has been suggested to reduce air pollution in a smart city. WSN nodes have been installed to continuously monitor the city’s air quality levels and the movement of public transit vehicles. Passenger vehicles and public transit buses return to their original locations after passing through stationary nodes across the city with data on air pollution particles, such as gases, smoke, and other pollutants, collected by sensors onboard. Nodes on public transportation, buildings, and automobiles wirelessly gather data from stationary nodes. Once the nodes returned to the pollution monitoring system, the data would be processed. The findings show that the suggested system is a visually effective environmental monitoring system.

Valuing Interventions to Reduce Indoor Air Pollution— Fuelwood, Deforestation, and Health in Rural Nepal

Household energy use, forest and poverty are entangled in developing countries with environmental and health problems. Dependence on wood for cooking fuel generally increases the dependency of poor people on forests. This fuelwood consumption is not only linked to the forest environment, but also to the health of the inhabitants due to indoor air pollution. As the women are exposed more to the smoke pollution than the men, and children are more sensitive to it than adults, the issue of fuel is also linked with the gender and child issues. Fuelwood is the main source of cooking energy in Nepal and will remain so for foreseeable future. About 66 percent of households use wood as the main fuel for cooking. Only about 13 and eight percent households, mostly in urban areas, use kerosene and LPG respectively. The households using biogas as the main fuel is less than two percent [CBS (2002)]. One study shows that over 89 percent of total energy use in Nepal comes from the traditional fuels [ADB (2003)]. Wood and other biomass fuels (crop residues as well as animal dung) can substitute for each other, though most consumers have a general preference for wood over other biomass [FAO (1997)]. With socio-economic development, the fuel used by a household changes to better ones in the fuel-ladder. Everybody likes to maximise their utility by choosing more convenient and prestigious fuel subject to the budget constraint. Climbing the fuel-ladder generally means stepping up from dung cakes or crop residues, fuelwood, kerosene, biogas, LPG and ultimately to the electricity. Moving to the higher steps in the ladder means better respiratory health of the family members due to lower emission.

DALY trend and predictive analysis of COPD in China and its provinces: Findings from the global burden of disease study.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the most common chronic respiratory disease in the world, especially in China. Few studies have explored the trend of COPD in China and its provinces. This study aimed to demonstrate and predict the trend of COPD DALY in China and its provinces based on the global burden of disease (GBD) data. The data on COPD disability-adjusted life year (DALY) were collected from GBD 2017, GBD 2019, and the National Bureau of Statistics of China. The age-standardized rate (ASR) was used to evaluate the trend of COPD DALY by gender, age, and risk factors in China and its provinces. In addition, the trend of COPD considering the aging population in the next 10 years was also predicted. In China, the COPD DALY was 20.4 million in 2017, which decreased to 24.16% from 1990 to 2017. Most provinces showed a downward trend, with the exception of Taiwan which increased by 127.78%. The ASR of DALY was 1445.53 per 100,000 people in 2017 and demonstrated a significant decrease. Among all provinces, only Taiwan (97.78%) and Hubei (2.21%) demonstrated an increased trend of ASR. In addition, Tibet ranked third with a decline of 56.95%, although its ASR was the highest in 1990. Smoking and air pollution were the main risk factors for COPD and varied with regions, gender, and age. The proportion of COPD DALY attributable to smoking was higher in the middle-aged and elderly male population and did not decrease in China. Moreover, the ASR attributable to air pollution of the elderly decreased significantly in China. Socio-demographic index (SDI) and educational level were also found to be related to ASR. By predicting the ASR trend in the next 10 years, we found that the ASR attributable to smoking might increase significantly among men. The ASR attributable to air pollution showed a significant decrease in women. Unfortunately, ASR attributable to second-hand smoke was found to increase in women. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is the leading contributor to the burden of global diseases. Although China and its provinces demonstrated a downward trend of COPD DALY, some provinces still faced challenges. Moreover, ASR attributable to risk factors was different in regions, gender, age, and years. The predicted trend of COPD was also different. Therefore, more targeted strategies should be formulated to reduce the burden of COPD in China and its provinces.

Non-Coding RNAs in Airway Diseases: A Brief Overview of Recent Data

Inflammation of the human lung is mediated in response to different stimuli (e.g., physical, radioactive, infective, pro-allergenic, or toxic) such as cigarette smoke and environmental pollutants. These stimuli often promote an increase in different inflammatory activities in the airways, manifesting themselves as chronic diseases (e.g., allergic airway diseases, asthma chronic bronchitis/chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or even lung cancer). Non-coding RNA (ncRNAs) are single-stranded RNA molecules of few nucleotides that regulate the gene expression involved in many cellular processes. ncRNA are molecules typically involved in the reduction of translation and stability of the genes of mRNAs s. They regulate many biological aspects such as cellular growth, proliferation, differentiation, regulation of cell cycle, aging, apoptosis, metabolism, and neuronal patterning, and influence a wide range of biologic processes essential for the maintenance of cellular homeostasis. The relevance of ncRNAs in the pathogenetic mechanisms of respiratory diseases has been widely established and in the last decade many papers were published. However, once their importance is established in pathogenetic mechanisms, it becomes important to further deepen the research in this direction. In this review we describe several of most recent knowledge concerning ncRNA (overall miRNAs) expression and activities in the lung.

Biological age and environmental risk factors for dementia and stroke: Molecular mechanisms.

Since the development of antibiotics and vaccination, as well as major improvements in public hygiene, the main risk factors for morbidity and mortality are age and chronic exposure to environmental factors, both of which can interact with genetic predispositions. As the average age of the population increases, the prevalence and costs of chronic diseases, especially neurological conditions, are rapidly increasing. The deleterious effects of age and environmental risk factors, develop chronically over relatively long periods of time, in contrast to the relatively rapid deleterious effects of infectious diseases or accidents. Of particular interest is the hypothesis that the deleterious effects of environmental factors may be mediated by acceleration of biological age. This hypothesis is supported by evidence that dietary restriction, which universally delays age-related diseases, also ameliorates deleterious effects of environmental factors. Conversely, both age and environmental risk factors are associated with the accumulation of somatic mutations in mitotic cells and epigenetic modifications that are a measure of "biological age", a better predictor of age-related morbidity and mortality than chronological age. Here we review evidence that environmental risk factors such as smoking and air pollution may also drive neurological conditions, including Alzheimer's Disease, by the acceleration of biological age, mediated by cumulative and persistent epigenetic effects as well as somatic mutations. Elucidation of such mechanisms could plausibly allow the development of interventions which delay deleterious effects of both aging and environmental risk factors.

Hydrogen for Cooking: A Review of Cooking Technologies, Renewable Hydrogen Systems and Techno-Economics

About 3 billion people use conventional carbon-based fuels such as wood, charcoal, and animal dung for their daily cooking needs. Cooking with biomass causes deforestation and habitat loss, emissions of greenhouse gases, and smoke pollution that affects people’s health and well-being. Hydrogen can play a role in enabling clean and safe cooking by reducing household air pollution and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. This first-of-a-kind review study on cooking with hydrogen assessed existing cooking technologies and hydrogen systems in developing country contexts. Our critical assessment also included the modelling and experimental studies on hydrogen. Renewable hydrogen systems and their adoptability in developing countries were analysed. Finally, we presented a scenario for hydrogen production pathways in developing countries. Our findings indicated that hydrogen is attractive and can be safely used as a cooking fuel. However, radical and disruptive models are necessary to transform the traditional cooking landscape. There is a need to develop global south-based hydrogen models that emphasize adoptability and capture the challenges in developing countries. In addition, the techno-economic assumptions of the models vary significantly, leading to a wide-ranging levelized cost of electricity. This finding underscored the necessity to use comprehensive techno-economic assumptions that can accurately predict hydrogen costs.

Pollutant Levels at Cooking Place and Their Association with Respiratory Symptoms in Women in a Rural Area of Delhi-NCR

Household air pollution resulting from biomass and coal stoves is implicated in more than one-third cases of annual deaths from chronic lung diseases worldwide and nearly 3% of lung cancer deaths. This burden is borne largely by poor women in the developing countries. We carried out a study to evaluate its association with respiratory symptoms in women in a rural area. The study was carried out using a standard questionnaire, in 92 households including 174 women. The data on respiratory symptoms in women, kitchen type and location in households, type of fuel used for cooking, permanent ventilation in kitchen, presence of exhaust, history of tobacco smoking and indoor pollution level were obtained. Spirometery of participants was conducted. The indoor particulate matter (PM10, PM2.5 and PM1) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were measured in each home. The households were divided into two groups according to the location of the kitchen. In 46 households (Group A) women had a separate room as kitchen for cooking with good ventilation and exhaust conditions; and in the remaining 46 households (Group B) cooking was done in the living area. Seventy (76.1%) households used biomass fuel for cooking and heating (37; 80.4%, in Group A versus 46; 100% in Group B). The proportion of women with respiratory symptoms for one year or more was significantly high in Group B compared to Group A (13.0% versus 3.1% p = 0.01). The households which did not have a separate kitchen (Group B) had higher particulate matter and VOCs concentration. This study contributes to the growing evidence of adverse impact of indoor air pollution from biomass combustion on health of females. Results of the study demonstrated significantly high particulate matter (PM2.5), in households not using a separate room for cooking with biomass fuel.

Overview of the Mechanisms of Oxidative Stress: Impact in Inflammation of the Airway Diseases.

Inflammation of the human lung is mediated in response to different stimuli (e.g., physical, radioactive, infective, pro-allergenic or toxic) such as cigarette smoke and environmental pollutants. They often promote an increase in inflammatory activities in the airways that manifest themselves as chronic diseases (e.g., allergic airway diseases, asthma, chronic bronchitis/chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or even lung cancer). Increased levels of oxidative stress (OS) reduce the antioxidant defenses, affect the autophagy/mitophagy processes, and the regulatory mechanisms of cell survival, promoting inflammation in the lung. In fact, OS potentiate the inflammatory activities in the lung, favoring the progression of chronic airway diseases. OS increases the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), including superoxide anions (O2-), hydroxyl radicals (OH) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), by the transformation of oxygen through enzymatic and non-enzymatic reactions. In this manner, OS reduces endogenous antioxidant defenses in both nucleated and non-nucleated cells. The production of ROS in the lung can derive from both exogenous insults (cigarette smoke or environmental pollution) and endogenous sources such as cell injury and/or activated inflammatory and structural cells. In this review, we describe the most relevant knowledge concerning the functional interrelation between the mechanisms of OS and inflammation in airway diseases.