Urinary And Breast Milk Biomarkers To Assess Exposure Ro Naphthalene In Pregnant Women: An Investigation Of Personal And Indoor Air Sources

Naphthalene exposures for most non-occupationally exposed individuals occur primarily indoors at home. Residential indoor sources include pest control products (specifically moth balls), incomplete combustion such as cigarette smoke, woodstoves and cooking, some consumer and building products, and emissions from gasoline sources found in attached garages. The study aim was to assess naphthalene exposure in pregnant women from Canada, using air measurements and biomarkers of exposure

Response to: Premature deaths attributed to ambient air pollutants: let us interpret the Robins-Greenland theorem correctly.

We thank Morfeld and Erren for their continued interest in the WHO Health risks of air pollution in Europe (HRAPIE) report (WHO Regional Office for Europe 2013). The key point of contention seems to be the interpretation of the numbers of ‘premature deaths’ associated with air pollution (or any other) exposure. In the IJPH article that is at the basis of the two letters written by Morfeld and Erren (Heroux et al. 2015), the limitations of calculating and using numbers of ‘premature deaths’ were perhaps not sufficiently explained. We elaborated on this in our first response (Heroux et al. 2016), arguing that the criticized calculation of ‘premature deaths’ produces a reasonable albeit ambiguous estimate, for which reason calculation of years of life lost is a more preferable approach. We would like to point out that the HRAPIE report really is about identification of concentration–response functions to be further used in health impact assessments, and therefore did not pretend to provide a discussion of estimating etiologic fractions. Morfeld and Erren single out the one numerical example of an impact assessment given in our paper, and that example was not a result from the HRAPIE work itself but a quote from a report from the European Commission (2013). We never intended to give the impression that these numbers refer to individually identifiable, attributable deaths, however.Peer reviewe

Particulate matter beyond mass:recent health evidence on the role of fractions, chemical constituents and sources of emission

Particulate matter (PM) is regulated in various parts of the world based on specific size cut offs, often expressed as 10 or 2.5 µm mass median aerodynamic diameter. This pollutant is deemed one of the most dangerous to health and moreover, problems persist with high ambient concentrations. Continuing pressure to re-evaluate ambient air quality standards stems from research that not only has identified effects at low levels of PM but which also has revealed that reductions in certain components, sources and size fractions may best protect public health. Considerable amount of published information have emerged from toxicological research in recent years. Accumulating evidence has identified additional air quality metrics (e.g. black carbon, secondary organic and inorganic aerosols) that may be valuable in evaluating the health risks of, for example, primary combustion particles from traffic emissions, which are not fully taken into account with PM(2.5) mass. Most of the evidence accumulated so far is for an adverse effect on health of carbonaceous material from traffic. Traffic-generated dust, including road, brake and tire wear, also contribute to the adverse effects on health. Exposure durations from a few minutes up to a year have been linked with adverse effects. The new evidence collected supports the scientific conclusions of the World Health Organization Air Quality Guidelines and also provides scientific arguments for taking decisive actions to improve air quality and reduce the global burden of disease associated with air pollution

The daily and seasonal variability in residential concentrations of aldehydes in two Canadian cities

Summary: Indoor air concentrations of formaldehyde, acetaldehyde and acrolein were measured in Halifax, Nova Scotia and Edmonton, Alberta. Seven consecutive 24-hr measurements were made in 50 non-smoking homes in winter and summer in each city. In addition, data on relative humidity, temperature, air exchange rates, housing characteristics and occupants’ activities were collected. Determinants of indoor levels for formaldehyde and acetaldehyde were examined using linear mixed-effects regression models. The housing characteristics and occupants’ activities investigated in this study explained between 26% and 50% of the variability in pollutant concentrations, with air exchange rates, year of construction, indoor temperature and indoor relative humidity being important predictors for both formaldehyde and acetaldehyde. Implications: Aldehydes are known irritants of the eye and upper airways, especially the nasal cavity, and formaldehyde is suspected of causing allergic sensitization. Several organizations are developing residential indoor air quality guidelines for formaldehyde, and there is an interest in getting recent information on residential concentrations and their contributing sources

Characteristics of naphthalene and its sources in Edmonton, Alberta residences during winter and summer 2010

Residential living room, basement, and attached garage air concentrations of naphthalene were measured in Edmonton, Alberta. Sevenday average measurements were made in 50 nonsmoking homes in winter and summer 2010. Data on relative humidity, indoor and outdoor temperature, air exchange rate, home characteristics and occupants’ activities were collected. Median indoor levels (0.32 g/m3 in winter and 0.29 \u10021dg/m3 in summer) were at the low end of the range from studies reported in scientific literature. Higher attached garage/living room naphthalene concentration ratios observed in summer versus winter suggest that attached garages make a greater contribution to indoor naphthalene levels in summer than in winter. Smoking and use of moth repellents are known sources of indoor naphthalene; however neither were factors in the homes studied. Statistical analysis of data captured in questionnaires did not reveal other established/recognized determinants of indoor naphthalene levels

Workshops on Hemispheric Transport of Air Pollution (HTAP), Linkages between Global and Regional Scale Modeling, and Human Health and Ecosystem Impacts

The Task Force on Hemispheric Transport Air Pollution (TF HTAP) is an international cooperative scientific effort to improve the understanding of the intercontinental transport of air pollution across the Northern Hemisphere. Over the course of two weeks, TF HTAP helped organize three events designed to reach out to other expert communities to seek advice and engagement in the TF HTAP work plan. The events addressed methodologies for assessing human health and ecosystem effects of air pollution and the linkages between global and regional scale modeling. Each of the three events are described below. Materials and reports from the events are posted on the website www.htap.org.JRC.H.4-Monitoring Agricultural Resource

Survey of Ambient Air Pollution Health Risk Assessment Tools

Analysts quantify the health impacts of air pollution to estimate the total public health burden of ambient air pollution and the potential health benefits of reducing air pollution levels. Risk assessors and policy analysts now employ several tools to automate air pollution health impact assessments. This paper reviews 12 multinational air pollution health impact assessment tools that are currently available, categorizes the tools according to key technical and operational characteristics for different assessment contexts, and identifies information gaps that should be considered for future work. Key characteristics include spatial resolution, pollutants and health effect outcomes evaluated, and method for characterizing of population exposure, as well as tool format, accessibility, complexity, and degree of peer-review and application in policy contexts. The range of key characteristics among the tools demonstrates that there is an important trade-off between technical refinement and accessibility for a broad range of applications. Guidance should be developed to help analysts identify the tool most appropriate for the purpose of the assessment and to assist users in interpreting and communicating results. Future work should also strive to better account for multiple sources of uncertainty and to integrate ambient outdoor air pollution health impact assessment tools with those addressing household air pollution and other health factors, such as vehicle accidents and physical activity.JRC.H.2-Air and Climat

Quantifying the health impacts of ambient air pollutants: recommendations of a WHO/Europe project

Quantitative estimates of air pollution health impacts have become an increasingly critical input to policy decisions. The WHO project “Health risks of air pollution in Europe-HRAPIE” was implemented to provide the evidence-based concentration-response functions for quantifying air pollution health impacts to support the 2013 revision of the air quality policy for the European Union (EU). A group of experts convened by WHO Regional Office for Europe reviewed the accumulated primary research evidence together with some commissioned reviews and recommended concentration-response functions for air pollutant-health outcome pairs for which there was sufficient evidence for a causal association. The concentration-response functions link several indicators of mortality and morbidity with short- and long-term exposure to particulate matter, ozone and nitrogen dioxide. The project also provides guidance on the use of these functions and associated baseline health information in the cost-benefit analysis. The project results provide the scientific basis for formulating policy actions to improve air quality and thereby reduce the burden of disease associated with air pollution in Europe

School environment: policies and current status

This report includes a summary of existing policies on providing healthy environments in schools and kindergartens, an overview of environmental risk factors in schools, information on design, methods and results of selected recently conducted exposure assessment surveys and a summary of pupils’ exposures to major environmental factors, such as selected indoor air pollutants, mould and dampness and poor ventilation in classrooms, sanitation and hygiene problems, smoking and the use of various modes of transportation to school. While most Member States have comprehensive policies aiming at providing healthy environment for pupils, implementing and enforcing some of these policies is a common challenge. Further efforts are needed to improve school sanitation, provide adequate ventilation, prevent dampness and mould growth, reduce emission of indoor air pollutants, improve enforcement of existing smoking bans, facilitate the use of active transportation modes in some countries. Facilitating the use of harmonized monitoring method is essential for closing existing data gaps, identifying and addressing environmental risk factors in schools.JRC.I.1-Chemical Assessment and Testin