Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease exacerbations and progression in relation to ambient air pollutants exposure.
Conclusions: The study confirms that air pollution leads to increased number of exacerbations and hospital stay. The patients with mild level of COPD have 0.86 exacerbations and 2.61 days in hospital per year, while in case of very severe COPD these values increase 4 times. Outside pollutions lead to worsening of the disease severity and hospitalizations due to a higher rate of COPD exacerbations.
PMID: 31372286 [PubMed] (Source: Journal of Thoracic Disease)
Source: Journal of Thoracic Disease - August 4, 2019 Category: Respiratory Medicine Tags: J Thorac Dis Source Type: research
Annual, seasonal, and morning rush hour Land Use Regression models for black carbon in a school catchment area of Milan, Italy.
This study aims to investigate the spatial distribution of BC in the catchment area of an elementary school of Milan, the biggest city in Northern Italy, using Land Use Regression (LUR) models and focusing especially on Morning Rush Hour (MRH).
METHODS: Two recruitment campaigns were performed asking schoolchildren's parents and residents of the study area to host a monitoring site in their own dwellings. Finally, 34 monitoring sites and 1 reference site were sampled. BC was measured in two seasonal campaigns using eight micro-aethalometers. Six seasonal and annual LUR models were developed, 3 focused on MRH.
...
Source: Environmental Research - June 2, 2019 Category: Environmental Health Authors: Boniardi L, Dons E, Campo L, Van Poppel M, Int Panis L, Fustinoni S Tags: Environ Res Source Type: research
US environment agency cuts funding for kids’ health studies
Nature, Published online: 13 May 2019; doi:10.1038/d41586-019-01491-1The Environmental Protection Agency's decision leaves fate of more than a dozen decades-long projects in doubt. (Source: Nature AOP)
Source: Nature AOP - May 12, 2019 Category: Research Authors: Sara Reardon Source Type: research
Sensors, Vol. 19, Pages 1813: A First Implementation of Underwater Communications in Raw Water Using the 433 MHz Frequency Combined with a Bowtie Antenna
Laura Conway
In 2016, there were 317 serious water pollution incidents in the UK, with 78,000 locations where businesses discharge controlled quantities of pollutants into rivers; therefore, continuous monitoring is vital. Since 1998, the environment agency has taken over 50 million water samples for water quality monitoring. The Internet of Things has grown phenomenally in recent years, reaching all aspects of our lives, many of these connected devices use wireless sensor networks to relay data to internet-connected nodes, where data can be processed, analyzed and consumed. However, Underwater wireless communications...
Source: Sensors - April 15, 2019 Category: Biotechnology Authors: Samuel Ryecroft Andrew Shaw Paul Fergus Patryk Kot Khalid Hashim Adam Moody Laura Conway Tags: Article Source Type: research
Interactive Impacts of Silver and Phosphorus on Autotrophic Biofilm Elemental and Biochemical Quality for a Macroinvertebrate Consumer
Conclusion
To conclude, our results showed that both P and Ag impacted several biofilm quality parameters, but never interactively. The use of G. fossarum growth experiment permitted to verify the consequences of microbial resources potential quality. In this study, resources C:P was the most important parameter. Similar studies would be required to understand in more details the indirect effects multiple stressors might play on microorganisms consumers and, in turn, on ecosystem functioning.
Author Contributions
MD, AB, VF, LT-H, and JL designed the experiments. CC, JL, JF, and KS-T carried out the experiments. CC, AG,...
Source: Frontiers in Microbiology - April 15, 2019 Category: Microbiology Source Type: research
Temporal and spatial variation of greenhouse gas emissions from a limited-controlled landfill site.
In this study, the GHG emissions from a typical limited-controlled landfill site were investigated under a regular period for one year. The number and positions of static chambers were arranged according to the guidance on Monitoring Landfill Gas Surface Emissions by the UK Environment Agency to obtain representative data from the heterogeneous surface of the landfill. Inverse distance weighting (IDW) was applied to evaluate and visualise the GHG emissions from the whole landfill surface based on the measurements of distributed static chambers. As an important GHG source of the landfill site, the emissions from the landfil...
Source: Environment International - April 3, 2019 Category: Environmental Health Authors: Zhang C, Guo Y, Wang X, Chen S Tags: Environ Int Source Type: research
Modelling migration of substances from polymers into drinking water. Part 2 – Partition coefficient estimations
Publication date: Available online 28 March 2019Source: Polymer TestingAuthor(s): P.V. Mercea, A. Kalisch, M. Ulrich, H. Benz, O.G. Piringer, V. Toşa, R. Schuster, P. SejersenAbstractThe permeation through and diffusion/migration of a series of additives, their degradation products and other organic substances from high density polyethylene, polybutylene, polypropylene and cross linked polyethylene films into water was investigated experimentally with two different methods in the 20–60 °C temperature range. Vapour absorption experiments were also conducted in the same temperature range to determine the equilibrium co...
Source: Polymer Testing - March 30, 2019 Category: Chemistry Source Type: research
Air pollution science under siege at US environment agency
Air pollution science under siege at US environment agency, Published online: 28 March 2019; doi:10.1038/d41586-019-00937-wTop EPA advisor attacks agency decision-making ahead of major review of air pollution standards. (Source: Nature AOP)
Source: Nature AOP - March 27, 2019 Category: Research Authors: Jeff Tollefson Source Type: research
US environment agency proposes loosening limits on carbon emissions from new power plants
US environment agency proposes loosening limits on carbon emissions from new power plants, Published online: 06 December 2018; doi:10.1038/d41586-018-07697-zThe regulations would make it easier to build coal-fired energy facilities. (Source: Nature AOP)
Source: Nature AOP - December 6, 2018 Category: Research Authors: Jeff Tollefson Source Type: research
In-utero and childhood chemical exposome in six European mother-child cohorts.
DISCUSSION: Although not based on a representative sample, our study suggests that children across Europe are exposed to a wide range of environmental contaminants in fetal life and childhood including many with potential adverse effects. For values exceeding the HBM I value identification of specific sources of exposure and reducing exposure in an adequate way is recommended. Considerable variability in this "chemical exposome" was seen between cohorts, showing that place of residence is a strong determinant of one's personal exposome. This extensive dataset comprising >100,000 concentrations of environmental contamina...
Source: Environment International - October 13, 2018 Category: Environmental Health Authors: Haug LS, Sakhi AK, Cequier E, Casas M, Maitre L, Basagana X, Andrusaityte S, Chalkiadaki G, Chatzi L, Coen M, de Bont J, Dedele A, Ferrand J, Grazuleviciene R, Gonzalez JR, Gutzkow KB, Keun H, McEachan R, Meltzer HM, Petraviciene I, Robinson O, Saulnier P Tags: Environ Int Source Type: research
Impact of modelled PM2.5, NO2 and O3 annual air concentrations on some causes of mortality in Tuscany municipalities
ConclusionThis methodological approach allowed detecting associations between mortality and specific air pollutants even at levels below the Italian normative limits and could be employed to evaluate the potential health impact of air pollution in areas where direct measures of concentration are unavailable. (Source: The European Journal of Public Health)
Source: The European Journal of Public Health - October 10, 2018 Category: General Medicine Source Type: research
IJERPH, Vol. 15, Pages 2085: Development of Policy Relevant Human Biomonitoring Indicators for Chemical Exposure in the European Population
hoeters
Xenia Trier
The European Union’s 7th Environmental Action Programme (EAP) aims to assess and minimize environmental health risks from the use of hazardous chemicals by 2020. From this angle, policy questions like whether an implemented policy to reduce chemical exposure has had an effect over time, whether the health of people in specific regions or subpopulations is at risk, or whether the body burden of chemical substances (the internal exposure) varies with, for example, time, country, sex, age, or socio-economic status, need to be answered. Indicators can help to synthesize complex scientifi...
Source: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health - September 21, 2018 Category: Environmental Health Authors: Jurgen Buekers Madlen David Gudrun Koppen Jos Bessems Martin Scheringer Erik Lebret Denis Sarigiannis Marike Kolossa-Gehring Marika Berglund Greet Schoeters Xenia Trier Tags: Article Source Type: research
Industry trumps peer-reviewed science at US environment agency
Industry trumps peer-reviewed science at US environment agency, Published online: 14 August 2018; doi:10.1038/d41586-018-05946-9Critics outraged over changes to chemical-safety review guidelines. (Source: Nature AOP)
Source: Nature AOP - August 14, 2018 Category: Research Authors: Jeff Tollefson Source Type: research
Knowing What We Know – Reflections on the Development of Technical Guidance for Loss Data for the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction
Conclusion
Transparent monitoring is essential to ensure that political and financial efforts to implement the 2030 agenda align with accepted goals and foster an effective evidence base. It is critical to offer support to the institutions tasked with doing so. Technical guidance literature is an essential part of this, which the February 2017 loss data workshop and recent publication of UNISDR technical guidance have revealed. Across Sendai Framework Global Targets A-D, there remain specific issues that the academic community can support with innovating methods for improving estimation and accurate record of the impacts o...
Source: PLOS Currents Disasters - August 2, 2018 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Authors: Lorcan Clarke Source Type: research
Science under siege: behind the scenes at Trump’s troubled environment agency
Science under siege: behind the scenes at Trump’s troubled environment agency, Published online: 12 July 2018; doi:10.1038/d41586-018-05706-9Uncertainty, hostility and irrelevance are now part of daily life for scientists at the US Environmental Protection Agency. (Source: Nature AOP)
Source: Nature AOP - July 12, 2018 Category: Research Authors: Jeff Tollefson Source Type: research
