Bioaerosols in an industrial park and the adjacent houses: Dispersal between indoor/outdoor, the impact of air purifier, and health risk reduction.

Inhaling airborne pathogens may cause severe epidemics showing huge threats to indoor dwellings residents. The ventilation, environmental parameters, and human activities would affect the abundance and pathogenicity of bioaerosols in indoor. However, people know little about the indoor airborne microbes especially pathogens near the industrial park polluted with organics and heavy metals. Herein, the indoor bioaerosols' community composition, source and influencing factors near an electronic waste (e-waste) industrial park were investigated. Results showed that the average bioaerosol level in the morning was lower than evening. Bioaerosol concentration and activity in indoor (1936 CFU/m3 and 7.62 × 105 ng/m3 sodium fluorescein in average) were lower than the industrial park (4043 CFU/m3 and 7.77 × 105 ng/m3 sodium fluorescein), and higher microbial viability may be caused by other pollutants generated during e-waste dismantling process. Fluorescent biological aerosol particles occupied 17.6%-23.7% of total particles, indicating that most particles were non-biological. Bacterial communities were richer and more diverse than fungi. Furthermore, Bacillus and Cladosporium were the dominant indoor pathogens, and pathogenic fungi were more influenced by environmental factors than bacteria. SourceTracker analysis indicates that outdoor was the main source of indoor bioaerosols. The hazard quotient (<1) of airborne microbes through inhalation was negligible, but long-term exposure to pathogens could be harmful. Air purifiers could effectively remove the airborne fungi and spheroid bacteria than cylindrical bacteria, but open doors and windows would reduce the purification efficiency. This study is great important for risk assessments and control of indoor bioaerosols near industrial park.

Cutting down on the ozone and SOA formation as well as health risks of VOCs emitted from e-waste dismantlement by integration technique.

Elimination of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the e-waste dismantling industry by an integration technique of spray tower-electrostatic precipitation-photocatalysis was conducted to investigate its application possibility for reducing formation of O3 and secondary organic aerosols (SOAs) as well as exposure risk. Results revealed the average 5.4 × 102 µg m-3 of VOCs with the top two groups being aromatic hydrocarbons (AHs, 55.93%) and halogenated hydrocarbons (HHs, 33.33%), contributing to 1.3 × 103 and 3.0 × 104 µg m-3 of the O3 and SOA (OFP and SOAFP) formation potential, respectively. Furthermore, 86.47% of OFP and 99.87% of SOAFP were ascribed to AHs, in which toluene ranked first (35.30% and 48.07%). The highest removal efficiency (76.92%) for VOCs by the integrated technique resulted in excellent prevention efficiencies of OFP (71.54%) and SOAFP (80.62%). Occupational cancer risk assessment found that HHs (62.63%) and AHs (36.93%) were the top two contributors. After the treatment by the integrated technique, 55.44% of the total risk index was reduced with the accumulation of few low-concentrated and more toxic AHs (e.g. 6.6 µg m-3 benzene on average). All results suggest that controlling AH and HH emissions from the e-waste dismantling source could efficiently prevent atmospheric secondary pollution and human exposure risk to industrial emission.

Intent to quit, quit attempts, and perceived health risk reduction among African American, Latino, and White nondaily and daily smokers in the United States.

Objective: Ethnic and racial differences in smoking patterns and behaviors have been well documented and most African American and Latino smokers are nondaily or light smokers. However, differences within smoking levels are understudied. Our primary aim was to determine whether there are racial and ethnic differences among African American, Latino, and White nondaily, light daily, and moderate to heavy daily smokers on (1) perceived health risk reduction, (2) intentions to quit, and (3) past year quit attempts. Design: Smokers were recruited through an online research panel for a cross-sectional survey (n = 2376). Sampling quotas were used to obtain equal numbers of African American, Latino, and White nondaily and daily smokers. Results: African American (59.6%) and Latino (54%) nondaily smokers were more likely than White nondaily smokers (45%) to currently limit their cigarettes per day (cpd) as a perceived health risk reduction strategy (p < 0.05). African American nondaily smokers were more likely than Latino and White nondaily smokers (p < 0.05) to limit their smoking in the past year as a perceived health risk reduction strategy (range: 0 'never' to 5 'always'; Means = 3.2, 2.9, 3.0, standard deviations [SD] = 1.1, 1.1, 1.2, respectively). African American nondaily smokers (15%) were more likely than either Latinos (7.8%) or Whites (8.5%) to intend to quit in the next 30 days (p < 0.01). African American (61.6%) and Latino (60.3%) nondaily smokers were more likely than Whites (49%) to have made a quit attempt in the past year (p < 0.01). Fewer racial and ethnic differences were found among daily smokers. Conclusions: Racial and ethnic group differences were more pronounced among nondaily smokers compared to light daily smoker and moderate to heavy daily smokers. Smoking level is an important consideration in understanding racial and ethnic variation in perceived health risk reduction and cessation-related behaviors.

Conquistas, limites e obstáculos à redução de riscos ambientais à saúde nos 30 anos do Sistema Único de Saúde / Environmental health risk reduction in Brazil: conquests, limits and obstacles

Resumo A Constituição de 1988 representou importantes conquistas de direitos em torno de um projeto de país com um modelo de desenvolvimento socioeconômico orientado para a redução de risco de doenças e agravos e um meio ambiente ecologicamente equilibrado. Estas conquistas se manifestaram nas políticas, na institucionalização e na criação de espaços institucionais de participação da sociedade. O objetivo deste artigo é situar as conquistas e também os limites e obstáculos na agenda de saúde e ambiente expressos nestes 30 anos do Sistema Único de Saúde. As conquistas são situadas a partir da ampliação dos espaços institucionais de participação da sociedade e institucionalização no Sistema Único de Saúde dos temas relacionados aos riscos ambientais. Os limites são situados a partir da relação entre desenvolvimento e padrões de riscos ambientais presentes nos níveis global, regional, local e comunitário. Por fim são apontados os obstáculos que, a partir do golpe parlamentar de 2016, não só acentuaram os limites já existentes, como vem produzindo retrocessos em diversas áreas relacionadas à saúde ambiental.

Abstract The 1988 Constitution represents an important achievement in terms of rights and an important pact sealed around a long-term strategy for the nation's future based on a social development model oriented towards reducing the risk of disease and injuries and an ecologically balanced environment. These achievements manifested themselves in policies, institutionalization and the creation of spaces for public participation. The article outlines the main achievements, limits and obstacles that have affected the environmental and health agendas in the last 30 years since the creation of the Unified Health System . The achievements are framed within the broadening of political space for public participation and the institutionalization of the theme of environmental risks within the SUS, while the limits are framed in the relationship between development and trends of environmental risk at global/regional, local and community scale. Finally, obstacles are outlined showing that the parliamentary coup of 2016 not only accentuated existing limits, but also represents a giant represent a giant step backward in various areas related to environmental health.

Change of water sources reduces health risks from heavy metals via ingestion of water, soil, and rice in a riverine area, South China.

This study evaluates the effect of water source change on heavy metal concentrations in water, paddy soil, and rice, as well as the health risks to residents of three riverine communities in South China. The results show that after substituting the sources of drinking water, heavy metal levels (except for Pb at Tangjun) in drinking water were below WHO guideline values and the potential risk from drinking water may be negligible. The As (46.2-66.8%), Pb (65.7-82.6%), Cd (50.8-55.0%), and Hg (28.3-32.6%) concentrations in paddy soils in Sanhe and Lasha significantly (p<0.05) decreased with a change of irrigation water sources compared to Tangjun, without change of irrigation water source. Similarly, the Cd (39.1-81.3%) and Hg (60.0-75.0%) concentrations in rice grown at Sanhe and Lasha significantly (p<0.05) decreased compared to those at Tangjun. Consequently, replacing irrigation water source significantly (p<0.05) reduced the hazard quotient (HQ) and cancer risk for the corresponding single metal via soil ingestion and rice consumption. Despite that total non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic risks at Sanhe and Lasha were significantly decreased, they still exceeded the maximum acceptable limits recommended by US EPA, indicating that residents of these two communities remain at high risks of both non-cancer and cancer effects.

Health risk reduction behaviors model for scavengers exposed to solid waste in municipal dump sites in Nakhon Ratchasima Province, Thailand.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of comprehensive health risk protection behaviors, knowledge, attitudes, and practices among scavengers in open dump sites. A control group of 44 scavengers and an intervention group of 44 scavengers participated in this study. Interventions included the use of personal protective equipment, health protection training, and other measures. The analysis showed significant differences before and after the intervention program and also between the control and intervention groups. These observations suggest that further action should be taken to reduce adverse exposure during waste collection. To reduce health hazards to workers, dump site scavenging should be incorporated into the formal sector program. Solid waste and the management of municipal solid waste has become a human and environmental health issue and future research should look at constructing a sustainable model to help protect the health of scavengers and drive authorities to adopt safer management techniques.