Using high-resolution residential greenspace measures in an urban environment to assess risks of allergy outcomes in children.

Despite reported health benefits of urban greenspace (gs), the epidemiological evidence is less clear for allergic disease. To address a limitation of previous research, we examined the associations of medium- and high-resolution residential gs measures and tree and/or grass canopies with allergic outcomes for children enrolled in the longitudinal cincinnati childhood allergy and air pollution study (ccaaps). We estimated residential gs based on 400 m radial buffers around participant addresses (n = 478) using the normalized differential vegetation index (ndvi) and land cover-derived urban greenspace (ugs) (tree and grass coverage, combined and separate) at 30 m and 1.5-2.5 m resolution, respectively. Associations between outdoor aeroallergen sensitization and allergic rhinitis at age 7 and residential gs measures at different exposure windows were examined using multivariable logistic regression models. A 10% increase in ugs-derived grass coverage was associated with an increased risk of sensitization to grass pollens (adjusted odds ratio [aor]: 1.27; 95% confidence interval = 1.02-1.58). For each 10% increase in ugs-derived tree canopy coverage, nonstatistically significant decreased odds were found for grass pollen sensitization, tree pollen sensitization, and sensitization to either (aor range = 0.87-0.94). Results similar in magnitude to ugs-tree canopy coverage were detected for ndvi and allergic sensitizations. High-resolution (down to 1.5 m) gs measures of grass- and tree-covered areas showed associations in opposite directions for different allergy outcomes. These data suggest that measures strongly correlated with tree canopy (e.g., ndvi) may be insufficient to detect health effects associated with proximity to different types of vegetation or help elucidate mechanisms related to specific gs exposure pathways.

Mortality of workers occupationally exposed to refractory ceramic fibers.

This study was prompted by refractory ceramic fibers (RCF) inhalation studies at high dose levels in animals that demonstrated positive effects for lung fibrosis, mesothelioma, and lung cancer. Current and former male workers employed between 1952 and 2000 at two RCF manufacturing facilities were followed to investigate a possible excess in mortality. The mortality analytic methods included: (1) standardized mortality ratios comparing this cohort to the general and state populations, and (2) a proportional hazards model that relates risk of death to the lifetime cumulative fiber-months/cc exposure among the RCF cohort, adjusted for age at hire and for race. There was no excess mortality related to all deaths, all cancers, or malignancies or diseases of the respiratory system including mesothelioma, but there was a statistically significant association with cancers of the urinary organs SMR = 344.8 (95% CL of 111.6, 805.4). The quality of the data for job history, exposure, and smoking history were very high. Although the cohort was relatively small and young with an average age of 51, the mean latency period was over 21 years. Because of these limitations, the preliminary findings warrant the continuation of this mortality registry for future analyses.