The impact of domestic and school air quality on respiratory symptoms among primary school students with different socioeconomic backgrounds

Respiratory symptoms including wheezing, tight chest, breathing difficulty, are common childhood disorders, and are the most important reasons for (National Health and Medical Research Council 1996; Rumchev, Spickett et al. 2002; Australian Centre for Asthma Monitoring 2005a)absenteeism in school age children that may decrease the quality of life (Lam, Chung et al. 1998; Penny, Murad et al. 2001). Although genetic background and environmental exposure seem to be the key factors for the development of respiratory symptoms, socio-economic status (SES) may also contribute to the development of those illnesses in children (Rona 2000). To investigate the extent to which socio-economic factors may contribute to the increased prevalence of respiratory symptoms and asthma in Australia we studied respiratory symptoms and asthma among primary school students from low and high socioeconomic backgrounds.Objective: A cross sectional study to determine the impact of school and domestic indoor air pollution on respiratory symptoms among primary school students from different socio-economic backgrounds (low and high) was conducted within the Perth metropolitan area. The study was carried out in three stages: 1) Questionnaire survey, 2) Indoor air quality monitoring in schools, 3) Indoor air quality monitoring in houses.Methods: We studied 104 primary school students from low and high socioeconomic areas of Perth metropolitan between 2007 and 2008. The respiratory symptoms and asthma were assessed with a standardized questionnaire. Schools and domestic environmental monitoring took place 4 in winter and summer in order to determine seasonal differences in concentrations of studied air pollutants. For this purpose 11 primary schools with low and high socio-economic backgrounds were selected. Domestic air qualities were monitored in 90 houses from each area of low and high socio-economic status. SES was derived from means of more than 2 indicators including education and income. The areas of low and high socio-economic status were also determined by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Exposure levels to some primary indoor air contaminants including Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) (μg/m3), formaldehyde (HCHO) (μg/m3) and particulate matter with size 2.5 microns in diameter PM2.5 (μg/m3) and PM10 (μg/m3) were measured in domestic and schools environments. Indoor temperature (TºC) and relative humidity (RH) (%) were also monitored. Multivariate analyses were then used to quantify the effect of relevant factors on the prevalence of respiratory symptoms.Results: Socioeconomic status is a comprehensive index that refers to a broad range of factors, such as level of social communities, income, education, parental occupations and living conditions. School children from low socioeconomic groups showed more respiratory symptoms in this study. Those who had higher SES had fewer asthma and respiratory symptoms. We conclude that low socioeconomic status is itself a risk factor for respiratory symptoms and asthma among school children.Conclusion: Asthma continues to impose a heavy burden on the nation’s health care expenditures, Reduces productivity, and seriously affects the quality of life for individuals with asthma and their families. Asthma is a public health problem that does not have a .quick fix. It will require the combined efforts of individuals with asthma and their families, health care providers, health care institutions, schools, workplace, governments, voluntary organizations, industry, and the general public. Asthma and respiratory symptoms were more common in low socioeconomic status groups. There was no significant support for the hygiene hypothesis

Local air quality management and health impacts of air pollution in Thailand

Air quality in urban areas of Chiang Mai Province, Thailand has seriously deteriorated as a consequence of population growth and urbanization and due to a lack of effective air quality management (AQM). As a result, respiratory diseases among Chiang Mai residents have increased in these affected areas. The health status and experiences of air pollution of both children and adults in Chiang Mai was assessed and improvements recommended to the developing AQM scheme. Air quality modelling, using ADMS-Urban was used to identify probable air polluted and control sites for further study. The polluted sites were found to be located along major roads in the city. However, ADMS-Urban was unable to predict air pollutant concentrations accurately because it could not cope with the very low wind speeds and complex topography of Chiang Mai. As a result, the utility of other air pollution modelling programmes should be investigated. The results of a questionnaire survey conducted with adults showed that urban respondents had a higher percentage of respiratory diseases than suburban respondents. However, later investigations were unable to establish a statistical linkage between air pollution concentrations and respiratory diseases. An ISAAC study was conducted among children attending schools located in the selected sites to assess the potential impacts of air pollution on health. The results showed that the prevalence of asthma was similar in all of the schools (approximately 5%) but that the prevalence of rhinitis (24.3% vs. 15.7%) and atopic dermatitis (12.5% vs. 7.2%) was higher in the urban schools which were considered to be more polluted. Logistic regression analysis identified other factors which may be involved in addition to pollution, including some components of the diet and contact with animals. In order to investigate the adequacy of the AQM system in Thailand, a comparative study was conducted between Hong Kong and Thailand. Both countries were investigated with respect to conformance to Good Urban Governance. The comparison showed that there are significant differences between the two countries and the AQM system in Hong Kong was more highly developed. For example, in contrast to the system in Hong Kong, it was found that there was insufficient involvement of the population in the development and implementation of AQM systems in Thailand. In order to better understand the reasons why the AQM system in Thailand is poor at both the provincial and local levels in Chiang Mai, prioritisation of AQM was assessed for major national environmental policies and plans; at the provincial level, fund allocations to development projects were reviewed; and at the sub-district level; a questionnaire survey was conducted among local government officials. It was concluded that AQM was not given sufficiently high priority in national plans and was generally ineffective and that, due to the non-specific nature of guidelines and frameworks in these plans, it was difficult for government organizations at the lower levels to establish AQM action plans for effective implementation. A range of appropriate measures to improve air quality in Chiang Mai were recommended. These included a more effective management of air pollution, an identified need for training and major changes in the transport system in the city

The Largest Unethical Medical Experiment in Human History

This monograph describes the largest unethical medical experiment in human history: the implementation and operation of non-ionizing non-visible EMF radiation (hereafter called wireless radiation) infrastructure for communications, surveillance, weaponry, and other applications. It is unethical because it violates the key ethical medical experiment requirement for “informed consent” by the overwhelming majority of the participants. The monograph provides background on unethical medical research/experimentation, and frames the implementation of wireless radiation within that context. The monograph then identifies a wide spectrum of adverse effects of wireless radiation as reported in the premier biomedical literature for over seven decades. Even though many of these reported adverse effects are extremely severe, the true extent of their severity has been grossly underestimated. Most of the reported laboratory experiments that produced these effects are not reflective of the real-life environment in which wireless radiation operates. Many experiments do not include pulsing and modulation of the carrier signal, and most do not account for synergistic effects of other toxic stimuli acting in concert with the wireless radiation. These two additions greatly exacerbate the severity of the adverse effects from wireless radiation, and their neglect in current (and past) experimentation results in substantial under-estimation of the breadth and severity of adverse effects to be expected in a real-life situation. This lack of credible safety testing, combined with depriving the public of the opportunity to provide informed consent, contextualizes the wireless radiation infrastructure operation as an unethical medical experiment

CAN HEALTH VISITORS ASSIST CLIENTS TO OPTIMISE HEALTH-DETERMINING ASPECTS OF THE INDOOR ENVIRONMENT THROUGH PROVISION OF EVIDENCE-INFORMED MESSAGES?

The aim of the research was to investigate the acceptability and feasibility of health visitors working with their clients to assess health-determining aspects of their clients' home environments and to provide evidence-informed messages about the indoor environment. The research was conducted within a Soft Systems Methodology framework. Following a pilot study in 2003, a proof of concept, feasibility study was implemented (2004 to 2007) with a convenience sample of eight health visitors conducting 29 environmental assessments in clients' homes, using a dedicated, cost effective tool kit. The health visitors were trained to monitor and provide evidence-based messages on Indoor environmental quality. Their quantitative and qualitative data from the assessments were compared against a 'gold standard' assessment carried out by an indoor environmental expert. The health visitors' opinions of the concept were investigated using participant observation and face-to-face interviews. The aim and objectives of the research were met. The health visitors were able to collect accurate data. Changes to the tool kit would be needed to adapt it specifically for health visitors. The majority of the health visitors found the concept acceptable and relevant to their work. The study has added to knowledge, in that the feasibility and acceptability of health visitors helping their clients with indoor environmental problems is now more clearly understood. It confirms previous findings that home visiting health professionals are not well informed about health-determining aspects of the indoor environment. Lack of time and resources could be a barrier to health visitors participating in research

The meaning of the absence of the father in the development of infants

This thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and awarded by Brunel University.The research explores the meaning and concomitant effects of the absence of the father in the development of very young children by observing three cases of single parent families where the fathers were continuously and permanently absent. A comparison group was also used. The exploration rests upon a minimum of pre-suppositions; we are not pre-supposing at the outset that a single mother household inevitably leads to pathology. Since the research investigates meaning the focus of attention is on the internal worlds of baby and mother. The research utilises the psychoanalytic theories of fatherhood of Freud, Klein, Winnicott, Wisdom, Ogden and Gaddini. Interpretation of behaviour observed draws upon psychoanalytic theories of inference and meaning, especially the models of the mind used in the clinical work of Klein, Bion and Meltzer. The method used in the research was a modification of the Tavistock Method of Infant Observationa s initiated by E Bick, the centralp sychoanalyticc onceptsu sed being those of transferencea nd countertransference. The responseosf the differentm emberso f the families to the presenceo f a male observer was a focal point of the research and illuminated the meaning of the father's absence and the father's role in early development