Association between preconception and early pregnancy exposure to fine particulate matter and nervous system anomalies: a nested case-control study.

Although several environmental factors may increase the risk of nervous system anomalies, the association between exposure to particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter of ≤ 2.5 μm (PM) and nervous system anomalies is not completely understood. This study aimed to examine the association between expoure to PM and nervous system anomalies, including specific phenotypes during preconception and early pregnancy and determine the crucial time windows.

Prenatal Exposure to Heavy Metals and Adverse Birth Outcomes: Evidence From an E-Waste Area in China.

Electronic waste that has not been properly treated can lead to environmental contamination including of heavy metals, which can pose risks to human health. Infants, a sensitive group, are highly susceptible to heavy metals exposure. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between prenatal heavy metal exposure and infant birth outcomes in an e-waste recycling area in China.

A hybrid model for estimating the number concentration of ultrafine particles based on machine learning algorithms in central Taiwan.

Modeling is a cost-effective measure to estimate ultrafine particle (UFP) levels. Previous UFP estimates generally relied on land-use regression with insufficient temporal resolution. We carried out in-situ measurements for UFP in central Taiwan and developed a model incorporating satellite-based measurements, meteorological variables, and land-use data to estimate daily UFP levels at a 1-km resolution.

Short-term association of air pollution with lung cancer mortality in Osaka, Japan.

Long-term air pollution exposure has been linked to increased lung cancer mortality. However, little is known about whether day-to-day fluctuations in air pollution levels are in relation to lung cancer mortality, particularly in low-exposure settings. This study aimed to evaluate the short-term associations between air pollution and lung cancer mortality.

Sources, transport, and visibility impact of ambient submicrometer particle number size distributions in an urban area of central Taiwan.

This study applied positive matrix factorization (PMF) to identify the sources of size-resolved submicrometer (10-1000 nm) particles and quantify their contributions to impaired visibility based on the particle number size distributions (PNSDs), aerosol light extinction (b), air pollutants (PM, PM, SO, O, and NO), and meteorological parameters (temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, wind direction, and ultraviolet index) measured hourly over an urban basin in central Taiwan between 2017 and 2021. The transport of source-specific PNSDs was evaluated with wind and back trajectory analyses. The PMF revealed six sources to the total particle number (TPN), surface (TPS), volume (TPV), and b.

Evaluating postnatal exposure to six heavy metals in a Chinese e-waste recycling area.

This study is the first to assess postnatal exposure to heavy metals using breast milk in an electronic waste (e-waste) recycling area. From January to April 2021, 102 and 97 breastfeeding women were recruited from an e-waste recycling area and a control area, respectively. Four weeks after delivery, medical staff collected 20 mL of breast milk from each participant.

Fine particulate matter measured by satellites predicts the risk of age-related macular degeneration in a longitudinal cohort study.

Although studies have revealed that ambient particulate matter (PM) has detrimental effects on the ocular surface, there have been limited reports detailing the effect of ambient PM on the posterior segment of the eye. A large-scale longitudinal cohort study evaluating the association between fine PM, especially PM2.5, and the retina could elucidate the risk of ambient pollutants for retinal diseases.

Early life exposure to indoor air pollutants and the risk of neurodevelopmental delays: The Japan Environment and Children's Study.

Air pollution has been associated with childhood neurodevelopment. However, the role of indoor air pollution, especially volatile organic compounds (VOCs), on childhood neurodevelopment has been poorly explored to date. We investigated the association between indoor air pollutants and childhood neurodevelopment in 5,017 randomly selected children from the Japan Environment and Children's Study.

Cold Spells and Cause-Specific Mortality in 47 Japanese Prefectures: A Systematic Evaluation.

Background: Many studies have investigated the devastating health effects of heat waves, but less is known about health risks related to cold spells, despite evidence that extreme cold may contribute to a larger proportion of deaths.

Objectives: We aimed to systematically investigate the association between cold spells and mortality in Japan.

Methods: Daily data for weather conditions and 12 common causes of death during the 1972-2015 cold seasons (November-March) were obtained from 47 Japanese prefectures.

Urinary Metabolites of Organophosphate Pesticides among Pregnant Women Participating in the Japan Environment and Children's Study (JECS).

Organophosphate pesticides (OPPs) exhibit neurodevelopmental toxicity. To evaluate the effect of prenatal exposure to OPPs in the Japan Environment and Children's Study, a nationally representative birth cohort study, 4575 maternal urine samples were analysed for six OPP metabolites, i.e.

Indoor air quality of 5,000 households and its determinants. Part A: Particulate matter (PM and PM) concentrations in the Japan Environment and Children's Study.

Exposure to particulate matter (PM) is one of the important risk factors for morbidity and mortality. Although PM concentrations have been assessed using air quality monitoring stations or modelling, few studies have measured indoor PM in large-scale birth cohorts. The Japan Environment and Children's Study (JECS) measured indoor and outdoor air quality in approximately 5000 households when the participating children were aged 1.

Long-term exposure to fine particulate matter and osteoporotic fracture: A case-control study in Taiwan.

Few studies have explored the relationship between long-term exposure to particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter of ≤2.5 μm (PM) and osteoporotic fracture, particularly in high PM level areas. The aim of this study was to assess the association between long-term exposure to PM and osteoporotic fracture.

Combined exposure to heavy metals in PM and pediatric asthma.

Background: Asthma is the most common chronic allergic disease in children; it affects more than 300 million people worldwide. Information on the association between exposure to ambient heavy metals and incidence of pediatric asthma is limited.

Objective: We sought to evaluate the effects of heavy metals during pregnancy and infancy periods with asthma and identify a sensitive time window, clarifying the effect of ambient heavy metals on lung development.

Exposure to heavy metals modifies optimal gestational weight gain: A large nationally representative cohort of the Japan Environment and Children's Study.

Clinical guidelines including those set by the US Institute of Medicine, have based optimal gestational weight gain (GWG) on maternal pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI), but have not considered the role of environmental toxicants such as heavy metals that can disrupt these processes. This study designed to determine optimal GWG ranges in women grouped according to BMI, and to assess whether blood concentrations of heavy metals alter the relationships between GWG and outcomes. A total of 103,060 participants in the Japan Environment and Children's Study recruited between 2011 and 2014 were followed until their children reached 3 years of age.

Dioxins in breast milk of Chinese mothers: A survey 40 years after the e-waste recycling activities.

In the past two decades, numerous studies on dioxin concentrations in breast milk have been conducted in China. However, information concerning dioxin concentrations in breast milk from women living in e-waste recycling sites remains limited. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate health risk owing dioxin intake in e-waste recycling areas in China.

The relationship between perinatal exposure to dioxins and serum steroid hormone levels in preschool-aged children at an e-waste region in China.

Perinatal exposure to dioxins affects steroid hormone synthesis. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the associations between perinatal exposure to dioxins and serum steroid hormone levels in preschool-aged children from an e-waste recycling region in China. In the present study, we enrolled 50 pairs of mothers and infants from the Taizhou, Luqiao region in 2015.