Harvard Six Cities Study Update on Mortality from Exposure to Fine Particles

Chronic Exposure to Fine Particles and Mortality: An Extended Follow-Up of the Harvard Six Cities Study from 1974 to 2009 (31 page pdf, Johanna Lepeule, Francine Laden, Douglas Dockery, Joel Schwartz, Environ Health Perspect,  Mar. 28, 2012) The research article of interest today is an update of the famous 1993 Six Cities Study (in the [...]

Characteristics and Components of Particulate Matter

Characterization of Fine Particulate Matter and Associations between Particulate Chemical Constituents and Mortality in Seoul, Korea (34 page pdf, Ji-Young Son, Jong-Tae Lee, Ki-Hyun Kim, Kweon Jung, Michelle L. Bell, Environ Health Perspect ,  Mar.22, 2012) Today we review some leading edge research into the make-up of particulate pollution from the aspect of what associated [...]

Slight Decreases in Air Quality and Higher Risk of Strokes

Ambient Air Pollution and the Risk of Acute Ischemic Stroke (Abstract, Gregory A. Wellenius, Mary R. Burger, Brent A. Coull, Joel Schwartz, Helen H. Suh, ScD; Petros Koutrakis, Gottfried Schlaug, Diane R. Gold, Murray A. Mittleman,  Arch Intern Med., Feb. 13, 2012) Also discussed here: Even Moderate Air Pollution Can Raise Stroke Risks (Science Daily,Feb. [...]

Canadian Health Impacts to Long-Term Exposure to Fine Particulate Matter

Risk of Non-accidental and Cardiovascular Mortality in Relation to Long-term Exposure to Low Concentrations of Fine Particulate Matter: A Canadian National-level Cohort Study (29 page pdf, Dan L. Crouse, Paul A. Peters, Aaron van Donkelaar,Mark S. Goldberg, Paul J.Villeneuve, Orly Brion, Saeeda Khan, Dominic Odwa Atari, Michael Jerrett, C. Arden Pope III, Michael Brauer, Jeffrey [...]

Monitoring Air Pollution in Beijing, China

Beijing to put clean-air plan into action (He Dan, China Daily, Jan. 13, 2012) Also discussed  here: Beijing releases key air pollution data (USA Today, Jan. 21, 2012) And here: Beijing Municipal Environmental Monitoring Center (in Chinese) And here: Beijing Municipal Environmental Monitoring Center (in English) Today, the focus is on efforts by the municipal [...]

Hamilton’s Air Pollution Hot Spots

Mobile Air Quality Monitoring to Determine Local Impacts  (39 page pdf, Denis Corr, Rotek Environmental Inc. July 2011) Also discussed here: Unique study maps neighbourhood air pollution  (Hamilton Spectator, Jan. 20, 2012) And here: A Public Health Assessment of Mortality and Hospital Admissions Attributable to Air Pollution in Hamilton  (3 page pdf, School of Geography [...]

Reducing Emissions from Wood Burning Stoves

Wood-burning stoves – harmful or safe? (Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Jan. 16, 2012) Also discussed here: Wood-Burning Stoves: Harmful or Safe? (Science Daily, Jan. 16, 2012) And here: Guidebook Effective and environmentally friendly firing of firewood  ( 8 page pdf, Edvard Karlsvik, SINTEF Energy Research, Norway and Heikki Oravainen, VTT, Finland, EU-project Quality Wood,  [...]

The Better Air Quality at Beijing Olympics- government controls or lucky weather conditions?

    Emission controls versus meteorological conditions in determining aerosol concentrations in Beijing during the 2008 Olympic Games (15 page pdf, Y. Gao, X. Liu, C. Zhao, and M. Zhang, Atmos. Chem. Phys.,  Dec. 28, 2011)   Also discussed here: Weather Deserves Medal for Clean Air During 2008 Olympics (Science Daily, Dec. 28, 2011)   And here: Impact of [...]

Health Impact of Exposure to Particulate Matter in Beijing, China

Effects of Particulate Air Pollution on Blood Pressure in a Highly Exposed Population in Beijing, China: A repeated-measure study (32 page pdf, Andrea Baccarelli, Francesco Barretta, Chang Dou, Xiao Zhang, John P McCracken, Anaite Diaz, Pier Alberto Bertazzi, Joel Schwartz, Sheng Wang, Lifang Hou, Environmental Health, Dec. 21, 2011) Today’s review article looks at the [...]

Health Impacts from Road Dust and Coarse Particulates

Estimated Short-Term Effects of Coarse Particles on Daily Mortality in Stockholm, Sweden (27 page pdf, Kadri Meister, Christer Johansson, Bertil Forsberg, Environ Health Perspect, Dec. 19. 2011) The focus today is on the short term health impacts from coarser particles that come from traffic and roads other than through emissions- an aspect not as well [...]

Estimating Health Impacts on Major Streets Using Oxidative Potential of Particulates

Contrasts in Oxidative Potential and Other PM Characteristics Collected Near Major Streets and Background Locations (32 page pdf, Hanna Boogaard, Nicole A.H. Janssen, Paul H. Fischer, Gerard P.A. Kos, Ernie P. Weijers, Flemming R. Cassee, Saskia C. van der Zee, Jeroen J. de Hartog, Bert Brunekreef, Gerard Hoek, Environ Health Perspect, Oct. 20, 2011) Today’s [...]

Particulate Hot-Spot Analyses

Transportation Conformity Guidance for Quantitative Hot-spot Analyses in PM2.5 and PM10 Nonattainment and Maintenance Areas (143 page pdf, Transportation and Regional Programs Division, Office of Transportation and Air Quality, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Dec. 2010) Today’s focus is on a guide to analyse PM hotspots in order to assess non-compliance with federal air quality standards [...]

Scrubbing the Air with Trees- London’s BRIDGE Program

Estimating the removal of atmospheric particulate pollution by the urban tree canopy of London, under current and future environments (Abstract, Matthew Tallis,  Gail Taylor, Danielle Sinnett, Peter Freer-Smith, Landscape and Urban Planning, Sep. 1, 2011) From London comes research on the capability of trees in an urban setting to remove PM10 from the air through [...]

Cities of World Ranked by Exposure to Particulates

Database: outdoor air pollution in cities (World Health Organization – Public Health and Environment) The focus today is on a list of cities in the world with the most and least pollution. Not surprisingly, those with the least pollution are small cities located some distance from industry in western Canada and USA and in southeast [...]

Which Sources of Fine Particulates Have the Most Health Impacts?

The Effects of Particulate Matter Sources on Daily Mortality: A Case-Crossover Study of Barcelona, Spain (28 page pdf, Bart Ostro, Aurelio Tobias, Xavier Querol, Andrés Alastuey, Fulvio Amato, Jorge Pey, Noemí Pérez, Jordi Sunyer, Environ Health Perspect, Aug. 16, 2011) The focus today is on the results of an investigation into eight sources of particulate [...]

Traffic Air and Sound Pollution Impacts on Blood Pressure and Hypertension

Long-Term Urban Particulate Air Pollution, Traffic Noise and Arterial Blood Pressure (30 page pdf, Kateryna Fuks, Susanne Moebus, Sabine Hertel, Anja Viehmann, Michael Nonnemacher, Nico Dragano, Stefan Möhlenkamp, Hermann Jakobs, Christoph Kessler, Raimund Erbel, Barbara Hoffmann, |Environmental Health Perspectives, Aug. 9, 2011) The focus today is on research into the impacts of long term exposure [...]

What is the Better Indicator of Health Impacts from Particles- Black Carbon or PM?

Black carbon as an Additional Indicator of the Adverse Health Effects of Airborne Particles Compared to PM10 and PM2.5 (44 page pdf, Nicole AH Janssen, Gerard Hoek, Milena Simic-Lawson, Paul Fischer, Leendert van Bree, Harry ten Brink, Menno Keuken, Richard W Atkinson, H Ross Anderson, Bert Brunekreef, Flemming R Cassee, Environmental Health Perspectives, Aug. 2, [...]

Diesel Exhaust Particulates and Heart Disease

Combustion-derived nanoparticulate induces the adverse vascular effects of diesel exhaust inhalation (12 page pdf, Nicholas L. Mills, Mark R. Miller, Andrew J. Lucking, Jon Beveridge, Laura Flint, A. John F. Boere, Paul H. Fokkens, Nicholas A. Boon, Thomas Sandstrom, Anders Blomberg, Rodger Duffin, Ken Donaldson, PatrickW.F. Hadoke, Flemming R. Cassee, and David E. Newby. European [...]

Comparing the Health Risks of Smoking and Air Pollution

Lung Cancer and Cardiovascular Disease Mortality Associated with Ambient Air Pollution and Cigarette Smoke: Shape of the Exposure-Response Relationships (31 page pdf, Pope CA III, Burnett RT, Turner MC, Cohen AJ, Krewski D, Jerrett M, et al, Environ Health Perspect, Jul. 19, 2011) Today’s review article looks at how the health response of exposure to [...]

Traffic Air Pollution and Health Impacts in Urban Italy

Urban air pollution and emergency room admissions for respiratory symptoms: a case–crossover study in Palermo, Italy (39 page pdf, Fabio Tramuto, Rosanna Cusimano, Giuseppe Cerame, Marcello Vultaggio, Giuseppe Calamusa , Carmelo M Maida and Francesco Vitale, Environmental Health 2011, 10:31, Apr.13, 2011)   Today’s review article takes us to Palermo, Italy which happens to have [...]

Triggering of Inflammation Response by Fine Particulate Matter

Dysfunction via NADPH Oxidase and TLR4 Pathways – Chronic Fine Particulate Matter Exposure Induces Systemic Vascular (29 page pdf, Qinghua Sun, Henning Morawietz and Sanjay Rajagopalan, Nitin P. Padture, Sampath Parthasarathy, Lung Chi Chen, Susan Moffatt-Bruce, Deiuliis, Xiaohua Xu, Nisharahmed Kherada, Robert D. Brook, Kongara M. Reddy, Thomas Kampfrath, Andrei Maiseyeu, Zhekang Ying, Zubair Shah, [...]

Impacts of Nano Particulates from Urban Traffic on the Brain

Glutamatergic Neurons in Rodent Models Respond to Nanoscale Particulate Urban Air Pollutants In Vivo and In Vitro (31 page pdf, Todd E Morgan, David A Davis, Nahoko Iwata, Jeremy A Tanner, David Snyder, Zhi Ning, Winnie Kam, Yu-Tien Hsu, Jeremy W Winkler, Jiu-Chiuan Chen, Nicos A Petasis, Michel Baudry, Constantinos Sioutas, Caleb E Finch, Environmental [...]

Proximity to Traffic Air Pollution and Birth Outcomes

Increased traffic exposure and negative birth outcomes: a prospective cohort in Australia (24 page pdf, Adrian G Barnett, Kathryn Plonka, W. Kim Seow, Lee-Ann Wilson and Craig Hansen, Environmental Health, Apr. 1, 2011)   Today’s focus is on a paper that assessed the impact of the proximity of pregnant women to traffic with the birth [...]

Measuring Ultrafine Particle Emissions

Challenges and Approaches for Developing Ultrafine Particle Emission Inventories for Motor Vehicle and Bus Fleets (21 page pdf, Diane U. Keogh and Darrell Sonntag, Atmosphere 2011, 2(2), 36-56, Mar. 24, 2011)   The research reviewed today looks at the factors that need to be considered when developing a system to collect and archive ultrafine particle [...]

Hockey, Indoor Rinks and Health Risks

Hidden Dangers at Indoor Ice Rinks (NBC 7 minute video)   Today’s review post comes thanks to the blog on “Effects of Air Pollution on Health” which highlighted the health risks faced by skaters in indoor rinks from fuel-powered resurfacing machines- known in Canada as Zambonis-  which emit CO2 and PM (as opposed to electric [...]

Diesel Emissions and Lung Damage

Road RAGE? The Role of Diesel Particulate Matter in Lung Inflammation (Betts KS, Environ Health Perspect 119, March 1, 2011)   The research reviewed today examines the components of diesel particulates found in environments close to truck and bus traffic that are particularly harmful to health through biological interactions in the lungs. To read more [...]

Health Threats from Wood Smoke Particles

Oxidative Stress, DNA Damage, and Inflammation Induced by Ambient Air and Wood Smoke Particulate Matter in Human A549 and THP-1 Cell Lines (Abstract, Chemical Research in Toxicology, Feb. 5, 2011) Also discussed here:  Air Pollutants from Fireplaces and Wood-Burning Stoves Raise Health Concerns (Science Daily,  Feb. 5, 2011) And here: Where there’s fire, there’s smoke [...]

Traffic Pollution Impacts on Older Men

Image by SEDACMaps via Flickr Traffic-Related Air Pollution and Cognitive Function in a Cohort of Older Men (31 page pdf, Environ Health Perspect, Dec.20, 2010) Also discussed here: Car Emissions Cloud the Mind (MedPage Today, Dec. 28, 2010) And at podcast(MP3 file): HERE The aging of society in many countries has also resulted in an [...]

Mortality Impact from Particulates in the UK

Image via Wikipedia The Mortality Effects of Long-Term Exposure to Particulate Air Pollution in the United Kingdom (108 page pdf, Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants (COMEAP), Dec. 21, 2010) Also discussed here: EPUK calls for action to prevent air pollution deaths (Environmental Expert, Dec.21, 2010) Key Quotes: Questions addressed: 1) “What are [...]

Counting Particles from Wood Stoves

Image via Wikipedia Tracking Down Particulates (Science Daily, Dec. 14, 2010) For northern countries in winter and tropical countries year round, particulates released from the burning of wood as a fuel is a major pollution problem and contributes to the health impacts from particulate matter. The new probe described in the article under review today [...]

Traffic Impacts on Health in Italian Cities

Image via Wikipedia Health Impact Assessment of Air Pollution in the Eight Major Italian Cities (65 page pdf, WHO European Centre for Environment and Health, 2002) Key Quotes: “these results confirm the findings from several investigations worldwide: in large cities of industrialized countries, a sizeable proportion of several adverse health effects, including mortality, is due [...]

London’s Air Quality Strategy

Image via Wikipedia Clearing the air – The Mayor’s draft air quality strategy for public consultation (131 page pdf, Greater London Authority, March 2010) Also discussed here: Air Quality (City of London) And here: The Mayor’s backwards steps have left me with no confidence (MayorWatch, Nov. 26, 2010) And here: London’s Cycle Superhighways (Pollution Free [...]

Traffic, Air Pollution and Heart Disease in Vancouver

Image via Wikipedia Long-Term Exposure to Traffic-Related Air Pollution and the Risk of Coronary Heart Disease Hospitalization and Mortality (39 page pdf, Environ Health Perspect., Nov. 16, 2010) Key Quotes: “To identify specific traffic-related air pollutants that are associated with the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) morbidity and mortality to support evidence-based environmental policy [...]

Micro-Environmental Monitoring

Image via Wikipedia Monitoring of long-term personal exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) (9 page pdf, Air Quality, Atmosphere & Health, Apr. 23, 2010) Advances in air quality monitors:  accuracy, portability and allied technologies to locate the observations (GIS and GPS) have progressed to the point where it is possible to continuously monitor personal exposure [...]

Who has the Greatest Health Impacts from Particulate Matter?

Image via Wikipedia Particulate Matter Induced Health Effects: Who’s Susceptible? (43 page pdf, Environmental Health Perspectives, 20 Oct 2010) Key Quotes: “To identify populations potentially at greatest risk for particulate matter (PM)- related health effects by evaluating epidemiologic studies that examined various characteristics that may influence susceptibility” “definition for the term ‘susceptible population’ as it [...]

Hazardous air pollutants- Highlights from EPA Workshop

Image via Wikipedia Estimating the Benefits of Reducing Hazardous Air Pollutants: Summary of 2009 Workshop and Future Considerations (26 page pdf, Environ Health Perspect., Oct. 4, 2010) Key Quotes: “Challenges related specifically to benefits analysis for air toxics include uncertainties in emissions information, air quality and exposure modeling, effects estimation, and economic valuation, as well [...]

Health Risks of Living near Traffic

Urban planning could cut air-pollution woes (Environmental Research Web –news, July 22, 2010) Also discussed here: Healthy Neighborhoods: Walkability and Air Pollution (8 page pdf, Environ Health Perpect 117(11), Nov. 2009) And here: Traffic-related air pollution as a risk factor for the development of childhood asthma (14 powerpoint slides, AllerGen, Dec 16-18, 2009) And here: [...]

Wireless Roadside Air Quality Monitors

Newcastle University develops wireless air quality monitor (the Engineer, Sept. 23, 2010) Also discussed here: New Pollution Hotspot Sensor (Sky News video 2 min 20 sec, Jun. 30, 2009) And here: Mobile Environmental Sensing System Across Grid Environments (MESSAGE web site) And here: Field deployments of the MESSAGE system for environmental Monitoring (9 page pdf, [...]

Monitoring Local Air Pollution in Ontario

Image via Wikipedia Brief Review: Using Air Monitoring as a Tool to Assess & Address Local Airsheds & Micro-Environments in Ontario (66 pages, March 9, 2010, Kim Perrotta for the Environmental Commissioner of Ontario) Also discussed here: 2009/2010 Annual Report of the Environmental Commissioner of Ontario (232 pages pdf, Sept. 22, 2010) The report reviewed [...]

Wood-Burning Health Impacts

Image via Wikipedia Critical Review of the Health Effects of Woodsmoke (75 page pdf, University of California at Berkeley, 2005) Also discussed here:  Wood-burning blamed for poor air in Fairbanks (USA Today, Jan. 14, 2010) And here: Health Impacts from Particle Pollution (Clean Air Fairbanks, Sept. 21, 2010) As today’s article under review reports, wood [...]

Global Satellite Mapping of Particulates Over Long Term

Global Estimates of Ambient Fine Particulate Matter Concentrations from Satellite-Based Aerosol Optical Depth: Development and Application (9 page pdf, Environ Health Perspect 118:847–855, 16 March 2010) Also discussed here: New Map Offers a Global View of Health-Sapping Air Pollution (Science Daily, Sept. 23, 2010) The first estimates of long term air quality, based on satellite [...]

Fine Particles and Cardiac Arrests in New York City

Image via Wikipedia Association of Ambient Fine Particles With Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrests in New York City (Abstract, Am. J. Epidemiol., August 20, 2010) Also discussed here: Particulate pollution linked to deadly cardiac arrests, current health standards are too weak (Greenchange, Sept. 17, 2010) And here:  Pollution Takes Its Toll on the Heart(Science Daily, Sept. 21, [...]

Optimal Benefits of Air Pollution Dose Reductions

Image via Wikipedia Mind the Gap (21 page pdf, Environ Health Perspect., 20 August 2010) Today’s article review looks at the non-linear increase in health impact of a person exposed to increased doses of air pollution. It concludes that this increase is greatest at low pollution levels so that elimination of the exposure rather than [...]

How Freeways Make Asthma Worse

Ambient Ultrafine Particles Provide a Strong Adjuvant Effect in the Secondary Immune Response: Implication for Traffic-related Asthma Flares (Abstract, Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol, June 18, 2010) Also discussed here: Ultrafine Particles in Air Pollution May Heighten Allergic Inflammation in Asthma (Science Daily, July 1, 2010) The article under review is one of [...]

Health Impacts of Traffic Air Pollution on Asthmatic Children

Image via Wikipedia Short-Term Effects of Air Pollution on Wheeze in Asthmatic Children in Fresno, California (34 page pdf, Environ Health Perspect, 22 June 2010) The assessed health risks posed by short term exposure to air pollutants is increasingly important for such pollution events that occur daily such as vehicle emissions for the morning and [...]

Short Term Exposure to Fine Particles

Image via Wikipedia Individual-level PM2.5 exposure and the time course of impaired heart rate variability: the APACR Study (Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology , 7 April 2010) Also discussed here: Particulate Air Pollution Affects Heart Health, Research Finds (Science Daily, May 19, 2010) This article points to the health impact within hours of being exposed [...]

Particulate Emissions from Traffic near High Schools

Image via Wikipedia Traffic-Related Particulate Matter and Acute Respiratory Symptoms among New York City Area Adolescents (33 page pdf, Environ Health Perspect, 07 May 2010) Key Quotes: “long-term exposure to traffic-related air pollution, particularly diesel exhaust particles (DEP), is associated with higher prevalence of asthma and chronic respiratory symptoms” “exposure to fine particulate components emitted [...]

Traffic-Related Air Pollution Literature Review

Image via Wikipedia Traffic-Related Air Pollution: A Critical Review of the Literature on Emissions, Exposure, and Health Effects (386 pdf, Health Effects Institute,  Jan. 12, 2010) Key Quotes: “Motor vehicles emit large quantities of carbon dioxide (CO2), carbon monoxide (CO), hydrocarbons (HC), nitrogen oxides (NOx), particulate matter (PM), and substances known as mobilesource air toxics [...]

Defining the Health Effects of Particle Sources

EPA Centre for Ambient Particle Health Effects- Harvard School of Public Health This leading edge research center has produced over 70 scientific publications on the health impacts from exposure to PM from 5 years of funded research (2005-2010) Key Quotes: “The fundamental objective of the proposed Center is to understand how specific PM characteristics and [...]

Secondary Organic Aerosols

OnAir: Research Underdogs Fill Atmospheric Blind Spot (EPA Greenversation, Apr. 6, 2010) Also discussed here: Carnegie Mellon Researchers Urge Regulators To Rethink Strategies for Controlling Soot Emissions (Carnegie Mellon News, Mar 1, 2007) And here: The Missing Source of Secondary Organic Aerosols (SOAs) (Science Quick Picks, Mar. 7, 2007) Key Quotes: “What we actually observe in the [...]