Indoor particle counts during Asian dust events under everyday conditions at an apartment in Japan.

[Objective]Asian dust storms originating from arid regions of Mongolia and China are a well-known springtime phenomenon throughout East Asia. Evidence is increasing for the adverse health effects caused by airborne desert dust inhalation. Given that people spend approximately 90 % of their time indoors, indoor air quality is a significant concern. The present study aimed to examine the influence of outdoor particulate matter (PM) levels on indoor PM levels during Asian dust events under everyday conditions. [Methods]We simultaneously monitored counts of particles larger than 0.3, 0.5, 1, 2, and 5 μm using two direct-reading instruments (KC-01D1 airborne particle counter; Rion), one placed in an apartment room and another on the veranda, under everyday conditions before and during an Asian dust event. We also examined how indoor particle counts were affected by opening a window, crawling, and air purifier use. [Results]An Asian dust event on 24 April 2012 caused 50- and 20-fold increases in PM counts in outdoor and indoor air, respectively. A window open for 10 min resulted in a rapid increase of indoor PM counts up to 70 % of outside levels that did not return to baseline levels after 3 h. An air purifier rapidly reduced PM counts for all particle sizes measured. [Conclusions]It is important to account for occupant behavior, such as window-opening and air purifier use, when estimating residential exposure to particulate matter

Integrated Study of AD-Net Mie-Lidar Network and Data Assimilated CTM for Asian Dust Epidemiology in Japan

The 27th International Laser Radar Conference (ILRC 27)Mie-scattering lidar data are going to be incorporated into data assimilation in chemical transport model to represent more reliableuseful horizontal distribution of Asian dust over Japan. The result is utilized in an epidemiology which surveys effect of Asian dust to human health. Wider application of AD-Net is expected in the field of environmental researches

Association between Vitamin D deficiency and allergic symptom in pregnant women

Background: Vitamin D has been reported to affect both innate, and acquired immunity with immune cells such as dendritic cells having the vitamin D receptors. The co-occurrence of the high prevalence of allergic diseases and vitamin D deficiency globally documented in recent decades, has prompted a hypothesis on whether there is a reasonable association between them. Objective: To investigate the association between serum vitamin D deficiency and allergic symptoms. Methods: Historical cohort. On a cohort study for the association between desert dust exposure and allergic symptoms in 3, 327 pregnant women during spring and fall in 2011–2013 in Japan conducted as an adjunct study to the Japan Environment and Children’s Study, we promptly acquired subjects’ daily allergic symptom scores by sending a web-based questionnaire to each participant on some days. Of the 29, 434 answers provided by 3, 327 participating pregnant women, we extracted 13, 356 answers from 1, 475 pregnant women that were answered within a 3-month period after blood samplings. And we measured 25(OH)D levels on those samples to investigate the association between their vitamin D deficiency (serum 25(OH)D 0) within 3 months. Results: Serum 25(OH)D was less than 20ng/mL in 1, 233 of 1, 745 samples (70.7%). The adjusted odds ratio (aOR) for occurrence of any allergic symptom in deficient cases compared with non-deficient cases was 1.33 (95% CI: 1.07–1.64, p = 0.01). Further, vitamin D deficiency significantly enhanced the risk increase at desert dust events and at pollen exposure (p-values for interaction <0.1). Conclusion: We confirmed the association between serum vitamin D deficiency and allergic symptoms in Japanese pregnant women

Desert Dust Exposure Is Associated with Increased Risk of Asthma Hospitalization in Children

Rationale: Desert dust particles, including quartz, which causes inflammatory responses in the airway in animal studies, are transported to widespread regions around the globe. Epidemiologically, areas impacted by desert dust storms, such as communities in the Middle East and the Caribbean, seem to have higher incidences of asthma than might be expected

Indoor particle counts during Asian dust events under everyday conditions at an apartment in Japan

[Objective]Asian dust storms originating from arid regions of Mongolia and China are a well-known springtime phenomenon throughout East Asia. Evidence is increasing for the adverse health effects caused by airborne desert dust inhalation. Given that people spend approximately 90 % of their time indoors, indoor air quality is a significant concern. The present study aimed to examine the influence of outdoor particulate matter (PM) levels on indoor PM levels during Asian dust events under everyday conditions. [Methods]We simultaneously monitored counts of particles larger than 0.3, 0.5, 1, 2, and 5 μm using two direct-reading instruments (KC-01D1 airborne particle counter; Rion), one placed in an apartment room and another on the veranda, under everyday conditions before and during an Asian dust event. We also examined how indoor particle counts were affected by opening a window, crawling, and air purifier use. [Results]An Asian dust event on 24 April 2012 caused 50- and 20-fold increases in PM counts in outdoor and indoor air, respectively. A window open for 10 min resulted in a rapid increase of indoor PM counts up to 70 % of outside levels that did not return to baseline levels after 3 h. An air purifier rapidly reduced PM counts for all particle sizes measured. [Conclusions]It is important to account for occupant behavior, such as window-opening and air purifier use, when estimating residential exposure to particulate matter

High frequency of vitamin D deficiency in current pregnant Japanese women associated with UV avoidance and hypo-vitamin D diet

Background: As a consequence of indoor occupations and reduced exposure to sunlight, concerns have been raised that vitamin D deficiency is widespread in developed countries. Vitamin D is known to be associated with increased risks of morbidity and mortality in various diseases. Objective: To investigate the serum vitamin D status and its relation with life-style factors in pregnant Japanese women. Methods: Among a cohort for 3, 327 pregnant women who participated in an the adjunct study of the Japan Environment and Children's Study during 2011–2013, in which data were obtained on various life-style factors, including both dietary intake of vitamin D and frequency of UV exposure, this study consisted of 1, 592 pregnant women, from whom 2, 030 serum samples were drawn in Jan, Apr, Jul, and Oct, and the association between serum 25(OH)D level and life-style factors were analyzed using linear mixed models. Results: Serum 25(OH)D levels were less than 20ng/mL in 1, 486 of 2, 030 samples (73.2%). There was an obvious seasonal change, with serum 25(OH)D levels of less than 20 ng/mL in 89.8% and 47.8% of samples in spring (April) and autumn (October), respectively. Both the frequency spent under sunlight and dietary intake of vitamin D were significantly associated with serum 25(OH)D level. An increase in sunlight exposure of more than 15 min for 1 to 2 days per week in non-winter, or dietary intake of 2 μg/day of vitamin D resulted in an elevation of 1 ng/mL in serum 25(OH)D levels. Conclusion: These findings indicate that vitamin D deficiency is very severe in Japanese pregnant women, especially those rarely exposed to sunlight. The benefits of UV rays should also be informed of when its risk is alerted, and clinicians should propose the adequate UV exposure level