Adverse effects of meteorological factors and air pollutants on dry eye disease: a hospital-based retrospective cohort study.

Although previous studies have suggested that meteorological factors and air pollutants can cause dry eye disease (DED), few clinical cohort studies have determined the individual and combined effects of these factors on DED. We investigated the effects of meteorological factors (humidity and temperature) and air pollutants [particles with a diameter ≤ 2.5 µ m (PM2.5), ozone (O3), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and carbon monoxide (CO)] on DED. A retrospective cohort study was conducted on 53 DED patients. DED was evaluated by Symptom Assessment in Dry Eye (SANDE), tear secretion, tear film break-up time (TBUT), ocular staining score (OSS), and tear osmolarity. To explore the individual, non-linear, and joint associations between meteorological factors, air pollutants, and DED parameters, we used generalized linear mixed model (GLMM) and Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR). After adjusting for all covariates, lower relative humidity or temperature was associated with a higher SANDE (p < 0.05). Higher PM2.5, O3, and NO2 levels were associated with higher SANDE and tear osmolarity (p < 0.05). Higher O3 levels were associated with lower tear secretion and TBUT, whereas higher NO2 levels were associated with higher OSS (p < 0.05). BKMR analyses indicated that a mixture of meteorological factors and air pollutants was significantly associated with increased SANDE, OSS, tear osmolarity, and decreased tear secretion.

Age and sex differences in the effects of short- and long-term exposure to air pollution on endothelial dysfunction.

BACKGROUND: The effects of air pollution on endothelial function remain unclear across populations. We aimed to use brachial artery flow-mediated dilatation (FMD) to identify demographic differences in the effects of air pollution exposure on endothelial dysfunction. METHODS: We measured FMD in 850 participants from October 2016 to January 2020. Location-specific concentrations of fine particulate matter < 2.5 µm aerodynamic diameter (PM2.5), inhalable particulate matter < 10 µm aerodynamic diameter (PM10), sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), carbon monoxide (CO), and ozone (O3) measured by fixed ambient air monitoring stations were collected for short- and long-term exposure assessment. Multiple linear regression models and restricted cubic splines were used to assess the associations before and after stratification by age and sex. RESULTS: This study eventually included 828 participants [551 (66.5%) younger than 65 years and 553 (66.8%) men]. Each 10 µg/m3 increase in 7-day exposure to PM2.5 and PM10 was significantly linearly associated with a 0.07% (ß = -0.07, 95% CI: -0.13 to -0.004) and 0.05% (ß = -0.05, 95% CI: -0.10 to -0.004) decrease in FMD in the fully adjusted model. After full adjustment, long-term exposure to all air pollutants was significantly associated with impaired FMD. Each 10 µg/m3 increase in long-term exposure to PM2.5 and PM10 was significantly associated with a -0.18% (95% CI: -0.34 to -0.03) and - 0.23% (95% CI: -0.40 to -0.06) change in FMD, respectively. After stratification, the associations of lower FMD with long-term exposure to PM2.5, PM10, SO2, NO2, and CO significantly persisted in men and participants younger than 65 years instead of women or older participants. For short-term exposure, we observed differences consistent with long-term exposure and a stronger effect of 7-day exposure to SO2 in men due to a significant interaction effect. CONCLUSION: Short- and long-term exposure to different air pollutants are strongly associated with decreased endothelial function, and susceptibility to air pollution varies significantly with age and sex.

Air pollution disproportionately impairs beneficial invertebrates: a meta-analysis.

Air pollution has the potential to disrupt ecologically- and economically-beneficial services provided by invertebrates, including pollination and natural pest regulation. To effectively predict and mitigate this disruption requires an understanding of how the impacts of air pollution vary between invertebrate groups. Here we conduct a global meta-analysis of 120 publications comparing the performance of different invertebrate functional groups in unpolluted and polluted atmospheres. We focus on the pollutants ozone, nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide and particulate matter. We show that beneficial invertebrate performance is reduced by air pollution, whereas the performance of plant pest invertebrates is not significantly affected. Ozone pollution has the most detrimental impacts, and these occur at concentrations below national and international air quality standards. Changes in invertebrate performance are not dependent on air pollutant concentrations, indicating that even low levels of pollution are damaging. Predicted increases in tropospheric ozone could result in unintended consequences to global invertebrate populations and their valuable ecological services.

All-cause, cardiovascular, and respiratory mortality and wildfire-related ozone: a multicountry two-stage time series analysis.

BACKGROUND: Wildfire activity is an important source of tropospheric ozone (O3) pollution. However, no study to date has systematically examined the associations of wildfire-related O3 exposure with mortality globally. METHODS: We did a multicountry two-stage time series analysis. From the Multi-City Multi-Country (MCC) Collaborative Research Network, data on daily all-cause, cardiovascular, and respiratory deaths were obtained from 749 locations in 43 countries or areas, representing overlapping periods from Jan 1, 2000, to Dec 31, 2016. We estimated the daily concentration of wildfire-related O3 in study locations using a chemical transport model, and then calibrated and downscaled O3 estimates to a resolution of 0·25°â€ˆ× 0·25° (approximately 28 km2 at the equator). Using a random-effects meta-analysis, we examined the associations of short-term wildfire-related O3 exposure (lag period of 0-2 days) with daily mortality, first at the location level and then pooled at the country, regional, and global levels. Annual excess mortality fraction in each location attributable to wildfire-related O3 was calculated with pooled effect estimates and used to obtain excess mortality fractions at country, regional, and global levels. FINDINGS: Between 2000 and 2016, the highest maximum daily wildfire-related O3 concentrations (≥30 µg/m3) were observed in locations in South America, central America, and southeastern Asia, and the country of South Africa. Across all locations, an increase of 1 µg/m3 in the mean daily concentration of wildfire-related O3 during lag 0-2 days was associated with increases of 0·55% (95% CI 0·29 to 0·80) in daily all-cause mortality, 0·44% (-0·10 to 0·99) in daily cardiovascular mortality, and 0·82% (0·18 to 1·47) in daily respiratory mortality. The associations of daily mortality rates with wildfire-related O3 exposure showed substantial geographical heterogeneity at the country and regional levels. Across all locations, estimated annual excess mortality fractions of 0·58% (95% CI 0·31 to 0·85; 31 606 deaths [95% CI 17 038 to 46 027]) for all-cause mortality, 0·41% (-0·10 to 0·91; 5249 [-1244 to 11 620]) for cardiovascular mortality, and 0·86% (0·18 to 1·51; 4657 [999 to 8206]) for respiratory mortality were attributable to short-term exposure to wildfire-related O3. INTERPRETATION: In this study, we observed an increase in all-cause and respiratory mortality associated with short-term wildfire-related O3 exposure. Effective risk and smoke management strategies should be implemented to protect the public from the impacts of wildfires. FUNDING: Australian Research Council and the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council.

Assessing long-term effects of gaseous air pollution exposure on mortality in the United States using a variant of difference-in-differences analysis.

Long-term mortality effects of particulate air pollution have been investigated in a causal analytic frame, while causal evidence for associations with gaseous air pollutants remains extensively lacking, especially for carbon monoxide (CO) and sulfur dioxide (SO2). In this study, we estimated the causal relationship of long-term exposure to nitrogen dioxide (NO2), CO, SO2, and ozone (O3) with mortality. Utilizing the data from National Morbidity, Mortality, and Air Pollution Study, we applied a variant of difference-in-differences (DID) method with conditional Poisson regression and generalized weighted quantile sum regression (gWQS) to investigate the independent and joint effects. Independent exposures to NO2, CO, and SO2 were causally associated with increased risks of total, nonaccidental, and cardiovascular mortality, while no evident associations with O3 were identified in the entire population. In gWQS analyses, an interquartile range-equivalent increase in mixture exposure was associated with a relative risk of 1.067 (95% confidence interval: 1.010-1.126) for total mortality, 1.067 (1.009-1.128) for nonaccidental mortality, and 1.125 (1.060-1.193) for cardiovascular mortality, where NO2 was identified as the most significant contributor to the overall effect. This nationwide DID analysis provided causal evidence for independent and combined effects of NO2, CO, SO2, and O3 on increased mortality risks among the US general population.

Toward cleaner air and better health: Current state, challenges, and priorities.

The most up-to-date estimate of the global burden of disease indicates that ambient air pollution, including fine particulate matter and ozone, contributes to an estimated 5.2 million deaths each year. In this review, we highlight the challenges in estimating population exposure to air pollution and attributable health risks, particularly in low- and middle-income countries and among vulnerable populations. To protect public health, the evidence so far confirms urgent needs to prioritize interdisciplinary research on air pollution exposure and risk assessment and to develop evidence-based intervention policies and risk communication strategies. Here, we synthesize the emerging evidence supporting the monitoring and evaluation of the progress in implementation of the Global Air Quality Guidelines prepared by the World Health Organization.

Outdoor Air Pollution and Pediatric Respiratory Disease.

Outdoor air pollution is ubiquitous, and no safe level of exposure has been identified for the most common air pollutants such as ozone and particle pollution. Children are uniquely more susceptible to the harms of outdoor air pollution, which can cause and exacerbate respiratory disease. Although challenging to identify the effects of outdoor air pollution on individual patients, understanding the basics of outdoor air pollution is essential for pediatric respiratory health care providers. This review covers basic information regarding outdoor air pollution, unique considerations for children, mechanisms for increased susceptibility, and association with incident and exacerbation of respiratory disease in children.

Geographic sources of ozone air pollution and mortality burden in Europe.

Ground-level ozone (O3) is a harmful air pollutant formed in the atmosphere by the interaction between sunlight and precursor gases. Exposure to current O3 levels in Europe is a major source of premature mortality from air pollution. However, mitigation actions have been mainly designed and implemented at the national and regional scales, lacking a comprehensive assessment of the geographic sources of O3 pollution and its associated health impacts. Here we quantify both national and imported contributions to O3 and their related mortality burden across 813 contiguous regions in 35 European countries, representing about 530 million people. Imported O3 contributed to 88.3% of all O3-attributable deaths (intercountry range 83-100%). The greatest share of imported O3 had its origins outside the study domain (that is, hemispheric sources), which was responsible for 56.7% of total O3-attributable mortality (range 42.5-87.2%). It was concluded that achieving the air-quality guidelines set out by the World Health Organization and avoiding the health impacts of O3 require not only the implementation of national or coordinated pan-European actions but also global strategies.

Investigation of the relationship between air pollution and gestational diabetes.

BACKGROUND: Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) can have negative effects on both the pregnancy and perinatal outcomes, as well as the long-term health of the mother and the child. It has been suggested that exposure to air pollution may increase the risk of developing GDM. This study investigated the relationship between exposure to air pollutants with gestational diabetes. METHODS: The present study is a retrospective cohort study. We used data from a randomised community trial conducted between September 2016 and January 2019 in Iran. During this period, data on air pollutant levels of five cities investigated in the original study, including 6090 pregnant women, were available. Concentrations of ozone (O3), nitric oxide (NO), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), nitrogen oxides (NOx), sulphur dioxide (SO2), carbon monoxide (CO), particulate matter < 2.5 (PM2.5) or <10 µm (PM10) were obtained from air pollution monitoring stations. Exposure to air pollutants during the three months preceding pregnancy and the first, second and third trimesters of pregnancy for each participant was estimated. The odds ratio was calculated based on logistic regression in three adjusted models considering different confounders. Only results that had a p < .05 were considered statistically significant. RESULTS: None of the logistic regression models showed any statistically significant relationship between the exposure to any of the pollutants and GDM at different time points (before pregnancy, in the first, second and third trimesters of pregnancy and 12 months in total) (p > .05). Also, none of the adjusted logistic regression models showed any significant association between PM10 exposure and GDM risk at all different time points after adjusting for various confounders (p > .05). CONCLUSIONS: This study found no association between GDM risk and exposure to various air pollutants before and during the different trimesters of pregnancy. This result should be interpreted cautiously due to the lack of considering all of the potential confounders.

The health of pregnant women and their children can be impacted by gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), one of the prevalent pregnancy complications. Some of studies showed that the incidence of gestational diabetes can be influenced by genetic or environmental factors. Air pollution is an environmental stimulus that may predispose pregnant women to GDM. This research explored whether air pollution could increase the risk of developing gestational diabetes. Over 6000 pregnant women in five cities of Iran participated in the study and were screened for gestational diabetes. Their exposure to the various air pollutants during the three months preceding pregnancy and total pregnancy period was measured. In this study, we found no clear association between air pollution and gestational diabetes. However, this finding needs to be interpreted cautiously since all the influential factors were not assessed.

Health effects of air pollution on respiratory symptoms: A longitudinal study using digital health sensors.

Previous studies of air pollution and respiratory disease often relied on aggregated or lagged acute respiratory disease outcome measures, such as emergency department (ED) visits or hospitalizations, which may lack temporal and spatial resolution. This study investigated the association between daily air pollution exposure and respiratory symptoms among participants with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), using a unique dataset passively collected by digital sensors monitoring inhaled medication use. The aggregated dataset comprised 456,779 short-acting beta-agonist (SABA) puffs across 3,386 people with asthma or COPD, between 2012 and 2019, across the state of California. Each rescue use was assigned space-time air pollution values of nitrogen dioxide (NO2), fine particulate matter with diameter ≤ 2.5 µm (PM2.5) and ozone (O3), derived from highly spatially resolved air pollution surfaces generated for the state of California. Statistical analyses were conducted using linear mixed models and random forest machine learning. Results indicate that daily air pollution exposure is positively associated with an increase in daily SABA use, for individual pollutants and simultaneous exposure to multiple pollutants. The advanced linear mixed model found that a 10-ppb increase in NO2, a 10 µg m-3 increase in PM2.5, and a 30-ppb increase in O3 were respectively associated with incidence rate ratios of SABA use of 1.025 (95 % CI: 1.013-1.038), 1.054 (95 % CI: 1.041-1.068), and 1.161 (95 % CI: 1.127-1.233), equivalent to a respective 2.5 %, 5.4 % and 16 % increase in SABA puffs over the mean. The random forest machine learning approach showed similar results. This study highlights the potential of digital health sensors to provide valuable insights into the daily health impacts of environmental exposures, offering a novel approach to epidemiological research that goes beyond residential address. Further investigation is warranted to explore potential causal relationships and to inform public health strategies for respiratory disease management.

Association of short-term exposure to ambient fine particulate matter and ozone with outpatient visits for anxiety disorders: A hospital-based case-crossover study in South China.

BACKGROUND: The short-term adverse effects of ambient fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and ozone (O3) on anxiety disorders (ADs) remained inconclusive. METHODS: We applied an individual-level time-stratified case-crossover study, which including 126,112 outpatient visits for ADs during 2019-2021 in Guangdong province, China, to investigate the association of short-term exposure to PM2.5 and O3 with outpatient visits for ADs, and estimate excess outpatient visits in South China. Daily residential air pollutant exposure assessments were performed by extracting grid data (spatial resolution: 1 km × 1 km) from validated datasets. We employed the conditional logistic regression model to quantify the associations and excess outpatient visits. RESULTS: The results of the single-pollutant models showed that each 10 µg/m3 increase of PM2.5 and O3 exposures was significantly associated with a 3.14 % (95 % confidence interval: 2.47 %, 3.81 %) and 0.88 % (0.49 %, 1.26 %) increase in odds of outpatient visits for ADs, respectively. These associations remained robust in 2-pollutant models. The proportion of outpatient visits attributable to PM2.5 and O3 exposures was up to 7.20 % and 8.93 %, respectively. Older adults appeared to be more susceptible to PM2.5 exposure, especially in cool season, and subjects with recurrent outpatient visits were more susceptible to O3 exposure. LIMITATION: As our study subjects were from one single hospital in China, it should be cautious when generalizing our findings to other regions. CONCLUSION: Short-term exposure to ambient PM2.5 and O3 was significantly associated with a higher odds of outpatient visits for ADs, which can contribute to considerable excess outpatient visits.

Assessing the impact of short-term ozone exposure on excess deaths from cardiovascular disease: a multi-pollutant model in Nanjing, China's Yangtze River Delta.

Background: Ozone pollution is associated with cardiovascular disease mortality, and there is a high correlation between different pollutants. This study aimed to assess the association between ozone and cardiovascular disease deaths and the resulting disease burden in Nanjing, China. Methods: A total of 151,609 deaths from cardiovascular disease were included in Nanjing, China from 2013 to 2021. Daily data on meteorological and air pollution were collected to apply a generalized additional model with multiple pollutants to perform exposure-response analyses, stratification analysis, and evaluation of excess deaths using various standards. Results: In the multi-pollutant model, an increase of 10 µg/m3 in O3 was significantly associated with a 0.81% (95%CI: 0.49, 1.12%) increase in cardiovascular disease deaths in lag05. The correlation weakened in both the single-pollutant model and two-pollutant models, but remained more pronounced in females, the older group, and during warm seasons. From 2013 to 2021, the number of excess deaths attributed to ozone exposure in cardiovascular disease continued to rise with an increase in ozone concentration in Nanjing. If the ozone concentration were to be reduced to the WHO standard and the minimum level, the number of deaths would decrease by 1,736 and 10,882, respectively. Conclusion: The risk of death and excess deaths from cardiovascular disease due to ozone exposure increases with higher ozone concentration. Reducing ozone concentration to meet WHO standards or lower can provide greater cardiovascular disease health benefits.

Source-Specific Air Pollution and Loss of Independence in Older Adults Across the US.

Importance: Air pollution is a recognized risk factor associated with chronic diseases, including respiratory and cardiovascular conditions, which can lead to physical and cognitive impairments in later life. Although these losses of function, individually or in combination, reduce individuals' likelihood of living independently, little is known about the association of air pollution with this critical outcome. Objective: To investigate associations between air pollution and loss of independence in later life. Design, Setting, and Participants: This cohort study was conducted as part of the Environmental Predictors Of Cognitive Health and Aging study and used 1998 to 2016 data from the Health and Retirement Study. Participants included respondents from this nationally representative, population-based cohort who were older than 50 years and had not previously reported a loss of independence. Analyses were performed from August 31 to October 15, 2023. Exposures: Mean 10-year pollutant concentrations (particulate matter less than 2.5 µm in diameter [PM2.5] or ranging from 2.5 µm to 10 µm in diameter [PM10-2.5], nitrogen dioxide [NO2], and ozone [O3]) were estimated at respondent addresses using spatiotemporal models along with PM2.5 levels from 9 emission sources. Main Outcomes and Measures: Loss of independence was defined as newly receiving care for at least 1 activity of daily living or instrumental activity of daily living due to health and memory problems or moving to a nursing home. Associations were estimated with generalized estimating equation regression adjusting for potential confounders. Results: Among 25 314 respondents older than 50 years (mean [SD] baseline age, 61.1 [9.4] years; 11 208 male [44.3%]), 9985 individuals (39.4%) experienced lost independence during a mean (SD) follow-up of 10.2 (5.5) years. Higher exposure levels of mean concentration were associated with increased risks of lost independence for total PM2.5 levels (risk ratio [RR] per 1-IQR of 10-year mean, 1.05; 95% CI, 1.01-1.10), PM2.5 levels from road traffic (RR per 1-IQR of 10-year mean, 1.09; 95% CI, 1.03-1.16) and nonroad traffic (RR per 1-IQR of 10-year mean, 1.13; 95% CI, 1.03-1.24), and NO2 levels (RR per 1-IQR of 10-year mean, 1.05; 95% CI, 1.01-1.08). Compared with other sources, traffic-generated pollutants were most consistently and robustly associated with loss of independence; only road traffic-related PM2.5 levels remained associated with increased risk after adjustment for PM2.5 from other sources (RR per 1-IQR increase in 10-year mean concentration, 1.10; 95% CI, 1.00-1.21). Other pollutant-outcome associations were null, except for O3 levels, which were associated with lower risks of lost independence (RR per 1-IQR increase in 10-year mean concentration, 0.94; 95% CI, 0.92-0.97). Conclusions and Relevance: This study found that long-term exposure to air pollution was associated with the need for help for lost independence in later life, with especially large and consistent increases in risk for pollution generated by traffic-related sources. These findings suggest that controlling air pollution could be associated with diversion or delay of the need for care and prolonged ability to live independently.

Long-term trends (compared to the pre-war period) and public health impact of surface ozone in Ukraine.

OBJECTIVE: Aim: To analyze the dynamics of ambient air pollution by surface O3 (in pre-war and wartime periods) and assess its impact on public health in order to provide proposals aimed at developing preventive programs. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Materials and Methods: Physical and chemical methods of analysis (О3 - gas analyzers APDA-370 HORIBA, meteorological sensor WS-600); health risk assessment (AirQ+); statistical data processing methods (StatSoft STATISTICA 10.0 portable, MicrosoftR Excel). RESULTS: Results: Air quality monitoring in peak season 2021 and 2022 detected exceedances of the daily maximum 8-hour ozone (O3) concentration. This resulted in a health risk for the exposed population during 70 % (174 days) and 84 % (181 days) of observations, respectively. The maximum exceedance levels were 1.7 and 2.1 times higher than the recommended limit. Estimated number of excess cases of natural and respiratory mortality in the population over 30 years due to long-term O3 exposure: 227 (95 % CI: 0; 450) and 22 (95 % CI: 0; 54), respectively. Predictive assessments of ozone (O3) air pollution's impact during wartime activities suggest an average increase of 40 % in additional deaths from non-communicable diseases. CONCLUSION: Conclusions: Obtained results can serve as a basis for development of medical and environmental measures aimed at implementing adaptation proposals for public health in conditions of global climate change and wartime.

Ambient Air Pollution, Housing Context, and Birth Outcomes Among Wisconsin Mothers.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the association between air pollution exposure and housing context during pregnancy and adverse birth outcomes. METHODS: We linked air pollution data from the Environmental Protection Agency and housing data from the American Community Survey with birth records from Wisconsin counties over a 9-year period. We calculated average daily pregnancy exposure to fine particulate matter and ozone and modeled its relationship to preterm birth, low birthweight and NICU admission, adjusting for individual characteristics and housing context. RESULTS: Ozone exposure and housing cost-burden had substantive and statistically significant negative associations with birthweight and gestational age, and positive associations with NICU admission, while a poor-quality housing environment had a significant negative effect on weeks of gestation. Fine particulate matter exposure had a negligible correlation with these outcomes. CONCLUSIONS FOR PRACTICE: An additional tenth of one part-per-million daily average exposure to ozone is associated with a 33 g decrease in birthweight. This decrease in birthweight is about the same size as the association of gestational diabetes (32 g), larger than the association of chronic hypertension (22 g), and about 40% the size of the effect of smoking during pregnancy on birthweight (84 g). Given the magnitudes of the associations with atmospheric ozone and adverse birth outcomes, reducing atmospheric ozone should be a public health priority. Inclusion of controls for housing cost-burden and poor-quality housing reduces the magnitude of the association with mothers who identify as Black, suggesting the importance of these structural factors in understanding adverse birth outcomes by race.

Impact of environmental pollutants on pediatric brain tumor incidence in New Jersey.

OBJECTIVE: The relationship between environmental contaminants and brain tumor incidence in adults has been thoroughly explored but research into how these contaminants affect pediatric brain tumor (PBT) incidence has not been explored. Children, typically having more limited geographical movement and thus more consistent environmental contaminant exposure, might offer more reliable insights into which environmental contaminants affect the incidence of brain tumors. The present study is the first to focus on exploring whether a possible association exists between the incidence of PBTs and exposure to environmental pollutants in New Jersey (NJ). METHODS: Linear regressions were run between PBT incidence and the concentration of air quality pollutants such as Ozone (O3), Particulate Matter 2.5 (PM2.5), Particulate Matter 10 (PM10), and Carbon Monoxide (CO). Similarly, linear regressions were run between PBT incidence and Elevated Blood Lead Levels (BLL). RESULTS: The study observed a significant positive relationship between O3 and PBT incidence (ß = 0.34, p = 0.028). However, the relationship between PBT incidence, and environmental pollutants such as CO (ß = 0.0047, p = 0.098), PM2.5 (ß = -0.2624, p = 0.74), and PM10 (ß = -0.7353, p = 0.073) were found to be nonsignificant. For elevated BLL, nonsignificant relationships with PBT incidence were observed at 10-14 µg/dL (ß = -39.38, p = 0.30), 15-19 µg/dL (ß = -67.00, p = 0.21), and 20-44 µg/dL (ß = -201.98, p = 0.12). CONCLUSIONS: The results indicate a possible impact of O3 on the incidence of PBTs in NJ. In contrast to the significant links found in prior studies of adult brain tumors, the associations between PBT occurrence and particulate matter were not significant. These findings highlight the importance of further investigating how environmental factors, especially O3, relate to PBTs.

Accumulation of Alpha-Synuclein and Increase in the Inflammatory Response in the substantia nigra, Jejunum, and Colon in a Model of O3 Pollution in Rats.

This work aimed to study the effect of repeated exposure to low doses of ozone on alpha-synuclein and the inflammatory response in the substantia nigra, jejunum, and colon. Seventy-two male Wistar rats were divided into six groups. Each group received one of the following treatments: The control group was exposed to air. The ozone groups were exposed for 7, 15, 30, 60, and 90 days for 0.25 ppm for four hours daily. Afterward, they were anesthetized, and their tissues were extracted and processed using Western blotting, immunohistochemistry, and qPCR. The results indicated a significant increase in alpha-synuclein in the substantia nigra and jejunum from 7 to 60 days of exposure and an increase in NFκB from 7 to 90 days in the substantia nigra, while in the jejunum, a significant increase was observed at 7 and 15 days and a decrease at 60 and 90 days for the colon. Interleukin IL-17 showed an increase at 90 days in the substantia nigra in the jejunum and increases at 30 days and in the colon at 15 and 90 days. Exposure to ozone increases the presence of alpha-synuclein and induces the loss of regulation of the inflammatory response, which contributes significantly to degenerative processes.

Associations of long-term exposure to air pollution and greenness with incidence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in Northern Europe: The Life-GAP project.

BACKGROUND: Prolonged exposure to air pollution has been linked to adverse respiratory health, yet the evidence concerning its association with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is inconsistent. The evidence of a greenness effect on chronic respiratory diseases is limited. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the association between long-term exposure to particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10), black carbon (BC), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), ozone (O3) and greenness (as measured by the normalized difference vegetation index - NDVI) and incidence of self-reported chronic bronchitis or COPD (CB/COPD). METHODS: We analyzed data from 5355 adults from 7 centers participating in the Respiratory Health in Northern Europe (RHINE) study. Mean exposures to air pollution and greenness were assessed at available residential addresses in 1990, 2000 and 2010 using air dispersion models and satellite data, respectively. Poisson regression with log person-time as an offset was employed to analyze the association between air pollution, greenness, and CB/COPD incidence, adjusting for confounders. RESULTS: Overall, there were 328 incident cases of CB/COPD during 2010-2023. Despite wide statistical uncertainty, we found a trend for a positive association between NO2 exposure and CB/COPD incidence, with incidence rate ratios (IRRs) per 10 µg/m³ difference ranging between 1.13 (95% CI: 0.90-1.41) in 1990 and 1.18 (95% CI: 0.96-1.45) in 2000. O3 showed a tendency for inverse association with CB/COPD incidence (IRR from 0.84 (95% CI: 0.66-1.07) in 2000 to 0.88 (95% CI: 0.69-1.14) in 2010. No consistent association was found between PM, BC and greenness with CB/COPD incidence across different exposure time windows. CONCLUSION: Consistent with prior research, our study suggests that individuals exposed to higher concentrations of NO2 may face an elevated risk of developing COPD, although evidence remains inconclusive. Greenness was not associated with CB/COPD incidence, while O3 showed a tendency for an inverse association with the outcome.

Research on the spatial and temporal patterns of ozone concentration and population health effects in the Central Plains Urban Agglomeration from 2017 to 2020.

Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and near-surface ozone (O3) are the main atmospheric pollutants in China. Long-term exposure to high ozone concentrations adversely affects human health. It is of great significance to systematically analyze the spatiotemporal evolution mechanism and health effects of ozone pollution. Based on the ozone data of 91 monitoring stations in the Central Plains Urban Agglomeration from 2017 to 2020, the research used Kriging method and spatial autocorrelation analysis to investigate the spatiotemporal variations of ozone concentration. Additionally, the study assessed the health effects of ozone on the population using the population exposure risk model and exposure-response relationship model. The results indicated that: (1) The number of premature deaths caused by ozone pollution in the warm season were 37,053 at 95% confidence interval (95% CI: 28,190-45,930) in 2017, 37,685 (95% CI: 28,669-46,713) in 2018, and 37,655 (95% CI: 28,647-46,676) in 2019. (2) The ozone concentration of the Central Plains urban agglomeration showed a decreasing trend throughout the year and during the warm season from 2017 to 2020, there are two peaks monthly, one is June, and the other is September. (3) In the warm season, the high-risk areas of population exposure to ozone in the Central Plains Urban Agglomeration were mainly concentrated in urban areas. In general, the population exposure risk of the south is lower than that of the north. The number of premature deaths attributed to ozone concentration during the warm season has decreased, but some southern cities such as Xinyang and Zhumadian have also seen an increase in premature deaths. China has achieved significant results in air pollution control, but in areas with high ozone concentrations and high population density, the health burden caused by air pollution remains heavy, and stricter air pollution control policies need to be implemented.