Reducing burden of disease from residential indoor air exposures in Europe (HEALTHVENT project)

Background: The annual burden of disease caused indoor air pollution, including polluted outdoor air used to ventilate indoor spaces, is estimated to correspond to a loss of over 2 million healthy life years in the European Union (EU). Based on measurements of the European Environment Agency (EEA), approximately 90 % of EU citizens live in areas where the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines for air quality of particulate matter sized < 2.5 mm (PM2.5) are not met. Since sources of pollution reside in both indoor and outdoor air, selecting the most appropriate ventilation strategy is not a simple and straightforward task. Methods: A framework for developing European health-based ventilation guidelines was created in 2010–2013 in the EU-funded HEALTHVENT project. As a part of the project, the potential efficiency of control policies to health effects caused by residential indoor exposures of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), outdoor bioaerosols, volatile organic compounds (VOC), carbon oxide (CO) radon and dampness was estimated. The analysis was based on scenario comparison, using an outdoor-indoor mass-balance model and varying the ventilation rates. Health effects were estimated with burden of diseases (BoD) calculations taking into account asthma, cardiovascular (CV) diseases, acute toxication, respiratory infections, lung cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Results: The quantitative comparison of three main policy approaches, (i) optimising ventilation rates only; (ii) filtration of outdoor air; and (iii) indoor source control, showed that all three approaches are able to provide substantial reductions in the health risks, varying from approximately 20 % to 44 %, corresponding to 400 000 and 900 000 saved healthy life years in EU-26. PM2.5 caused majority of the health effects in all included countries, but the importance of the other pollutants varied by country. Conclusions: The present modelling shows, that combination of controlling the indoor air sources and selecting appropriate ventilation rate was the most effective to reduce health risks. If indoor sources cannot be removed or their emissions cannot be limited to an accepted level, ventilation needs to be increased to remove remaining pollutants. In these cases filtration of outdoor air may be needed to prevent increase of health risks.JRC.I.1-Chemical Assessment and Testin

Reducing burden of disease from residential indoor air exposures in Europe (HEALTHVENT project)

Background: The annual burden of disease caused indoor air pollution, including polluted outdoor air used to ventilate indoor spaces, is estimated to correspond to a loss of over 2 million healthy life years in the European Union (EU). Based on measurements of the European Environment Agency (EEA), approximately 90 % of EU citizens live in areas where the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines for air quality of particulate matter sized &lt; 2.5 mm (PM2.5) are not met. Since sources of pollution reside in both indoor and outdoor air, selecting the most appropriate ventilation strategy is not a simple and straightforward task. Methods: A framework for developing European health-based ventilation guidelines was created in 2010-2013 in the EU-funded HEALTHVENT project. As a part of the project, the potential efficiency of control policies to health effects caused by residential indoor exposures of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), outdoor bioaerosols, volatile organic compounds (VOC), carbon oxide (CO) radon and dampness was estimated. The analysis was based on scenario comparison, using an outdoor-indoor mass-balance model and varying the ventilation rates. Health effects were estimated with burden of diseases (BoD) calculations taking into account asthma, cardiovascular (CV) diseases, acute toxication, respiratory infections, lung cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Results: The quantitative comparison of three main policy approaches, (i) optimising ventilation rates only; (ii) filtration of outdoor air; and (iii) indoor source control, showed that all three approaches are able to provide substantial reductions in the health risks, varying from approximately 20 % to 44 %, corresponding to 400 000 and 900 000 saved healthy life years in EU-26. PM2.5 caused majority of the health effects in all included countries, but the importance of the other pollutants varied by country. Conclusions: The present modelling shows, that combination of controlling the indoor air sources and selecting appropriate ventilation rate was the most effective to reduce health risks. If indoor sources cannot be removed or their emissions cannot be limited to an accepted level, ventilation needs to be increased to remove remaining pollutants. In these cases filtration of outdoor air may be needed to prevent increase of health risks

The INDEX Project - Critical Appraisal of the Setting and Implementation of Indoor Exposure Limits in the EU

The INDEX project (Critical Appraisal of the Setting and Implementation of Indoor Exposure Limits in the EU), coordinated by the EU/JRC and funded by DG SANCO, has been finished in December 2004. The project was carried out in collaboration with a Steering Committee of leading European experts in the area of indoor air pollution. Scope of INDEX was to identify priorities and to assess the needs for a Community strategy and action plan in the area of indoor air pollution. The key issues that have been addressed within the project are: - the setting up of a list of compounds to be measured and regulated in indoor environments with priority, on the basis of health impact criteria - to provide suggestions and recommendations on potential exposure limits for these compounds and - to provide information on links with existing knowledge, ongoing studies, legislation etc. at world scale. Suggestions and recommendations on potential exposure limits or other exposure control actions were defined for five prioritised compounds; formaldehyde, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, benzene, and naphthalene.JRC.I.5-Physical and chemical exposure

Contrasting effects of environmental change factors on the radial growth of co-occurring European beech and fir trees across Europe

Under predicted climate change, silver fir (Abies alba) and European beech (Fagus sylvatica) are the most likely replacement species for the more heat- and drought-sensitive monocultures of Norway spruce (Picea abies) planted across large parts of continental Europe. Our current understanding of the climate-related adaptation potential of fir and beech mixtures is, however, limited. Here we compile and analyse 2855 tree-ring width (TRW) series from 17 mixed beech-fir forest sites in five European countries. Dendroecological techniques that combine various detrending methods with an application of documented environmental change trends reveal wide variation of radial growth between fir and beech across space and time. Coincidental with peak SO2 emissions, the growth of silver fir declined between 1950 and 1980 at most sites, whereas beech growth increased during this period. Correspondent to a significant warming trend from 1990–2010, average beech growth declined, but silver fir growth increased. Our observations of long-term growth trends support the replacement of spruce monocultures with multi-species mixtures that have demonstrated a higher tolerance of environmental changes

Impact of Ozone-initiated Terpene Chemistry on Indoor Air Quality and Human Health

The ECA Report no. 26 on ¿Ozone-Initiated Chemistry and Its impact on Indoor Air Quality and Human Health¿ summarises the current state-of-the-art concerning indoor air pollution and health due to chemical reactions occurring indoors makes recommendation for research priorities for the future. More sepcifically, a state-of-the-art review on the scientific evidence concerning ozone-initiated terpene chemistry and related human health effects is given along with measurements methods so far developed to monitor the concentration of the key reactants ozone and terpene and finally a risk assessment methodology for indoor ozone-initiated terpene chemistry is described.JRC.I.5-Physical and chemical exposure

Purified F-ATP synthase forms a Ca2+-dependent high-conductance channel matching the mitochondrial permeability transition pore

The molecular identity of the mitochondrial megachannel (MMC)/permeability transition pore (PTP), a key effector of cell death, remains controversial. By combining highly purified, fully active bovine F-ATP synthase with preformed liposomes we show that Ca2+ dissipates the H+ gradient generated by ATP hydrolysis. After incorporation of the same preparation into planar lipid bilayers Ca2+ elicits currents matching those of the MMC/PTP. Currents were fully reversible, were stabilized by benzodiazepine 423, a ligand of the OSCP subunit of F-ATP synthase that activates the MMC/PTP, and were inhibited by Mg2+ and adenine nucleotides, which also inhibit the PTP. Channel activity was insensitive to inhibitors of the adenine nucleotide translocase (ANT) and of the voltage-dependent anion channel (VDAC). Native gel-purified oligomers and dimers, but not monomers, gave rise to channel activity. These findings resolve the long-standing mystery of the MMC/PTP and demonstrate that Ca2+ can transform the energy-conserving F-ATP synthase into an energy-dissipating device