Associations of Personal Hourly Exposures to Air Temperature and Pollution with Resting Heart Rate in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.

Previous studies linked higher daily ambient air temperature and pollution with increased cardiorespiratory morbidity, but immediate effects of personal, hourly exposures on resting heart rate remained unclear. We followed 30 older former smokers with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in Massachusetts for four nonconsecutive 30-day periods over 12 months, collecting 54,487 hourly observations of personal air temperature, fine particulate matter (PM), nitrogen dioxide (NO), ozone (O), and resting heart rate. We explored the single lag effects (0-71 h) and cumulative effects (0-5 h, the significant lag windows) of air temperature and pollution on resting heart rate using generalized additive mixed models with distributed lag nonlinear models.

Ambient PM temporal variation and source apportionment in Mbarara, Uganda.

Air pollution is the leading environmental cause of death globally, and most mortality occurs in resource-limited settings such as sub-Saharan Africa. The African continent experiences some of the worst ambient air pollution in the world, yet there are relatively little African data characterizing ambient pollutant levels and source admixtures. In Uganda, ambient PM levels exceed international health standards.

Indoor (residential) and ambient particulate matter associations with urinary oxidative stress biomarkers in a COPD cohort.

Objectives: Oxidative stress contributes to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) pathophysiology. Associations between indoor (residential) exposure to particulate matter ≤2.5 μm in diameter (PM) and one of its components, black carbon (BC), and oxidative stress are ill-defined.

Personal air pollution exposure and metals in the nasal epithelial lining fluid of COPD patients.

Sampling of the nasal epithelial lining fluid is a potential method to assess exposure to air pollution within the respiratory tract among high risk populations. We investigated associations of short- and long-term particulate matter exposure (PM) and pollution-related metals in the nasal fluid of people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This study included 20 participants with moderate-to-severe COPD from a larger study who measured long-term personal exposure to PM using portable air monitors and short-term PM and black carbon (BC) using in-home samplers for the seven days preceding nasal fluid collection.

Improved indoor air quality during desert dust storms: The impact of the MEDEA exposure-reduction strategies.

Desert dust storms (DDS) are natural events that impact not only populations close to the emission sources but also populations many kilometers away. Countries located across the main dust sources, including countries in the Eastern Mediterranean, are highly affected by DDS. In addition, climate change is expanding arid areas exacerbating DDS events.

Particle radioactivity from radon decay products and reduced pulmonary function among chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients.

Background: Radon (Rn) decay products can attach to particles in the air, be inhaled, and potentially cause airway damage.

Research Question: Is short-term exposure to particle radioactivity (PR) attributable to radon decay products emitted from particulate matter ≤2.5 μm in diameter (PM) associated with pulmonary function in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients?

Study Design And Methods: In this cohort study, 142 elderly, predominantly male patients with COPD from Eastern Massachusetts each had up to 4 one-week long seasonal assessments of indoor (home) and ambient (central site) PR and PM over the course of a year (467 assessments).

Estimation of fine particulate matter in an arid area from visibility based on machine learning.

Background: The absence of air pollution monitoring networks makes it difficult to assess historical fine particulate matter (PM) exposures for countries in the areas, such as Kuwait, which are severe impacted by desert dust and anthropogenic pollution.

Objective: We constructed an ensemble machine learning model to predict daily PM concentrations for regions lack of PM observations.

Methods: The model was constructed based on daily PM, visibility, and other meteorological data collected at two sites in Kuwait.

Factors Influencing Classroom Exposures to Fine Particles, Black Carbon, and Nitrogen Dioxide in Inner-City Schools and Their Implications for Indoor Air Quality.

Background: School classrooms, where students spend the majority of their time during the day, are the second most important indoor microenvironment for children.

Objective: We investigated factors influencing classroom exposures to fine particulate matter (), black carbon (BC), and nitrogen dioxide () in urban schools in the northeast United States.

Methods: Over the period of 10 y (2008-2013; 2015-2019) measurements were conducted in 309 classrooms of 74 inner-city schools during fall, winter, and spring of the academic period.

Determinants of indoor carbonaceous aerosols in homes in the Northeast United States.

Background: Little is known about sources of residential exposure to carbonaceous aerosols, which include black carbon (BC), the elemental carbon core of combustion particles, and organic compounds from biomass combustion (delta carbon).

Objective: Assess the impact of residential characteristics on indoor BC and delta carbon when known sources of combustion (e.g.

Air Pollution Exposure and Daily Lung Function in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: Effect Modification by Eosinophil Level.

Few studies have assessed personal exposure to pollutants and lung function among adults with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Blood eosinophil level may be a biomarker of airway inflammation and pollution susceptibility. To evaluate if daily pollutant exposures are associated with lung function and if associations are modified by eosinophil level in COPD.

Effect of School Integrated Pest Management or Classroom Air Filter Purifiers on Asthma Symptoms in Students With Active Asthma: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: School and classroom allergens and particles are associated with asthma morbidity, but the benefit of environmental remediation is not known.

Objective: To determine whether use of a school-wide integrated pest management (IPM) program or high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter purifiers in the classrooms improve asthma symptoms in students with active asthma.

Design, Setting, And Participants: Factorial randomized clinical trial of a school-wide IPM program and HEPA filter purifiers in the classrooms was conducted from 2015 to 2020 (School Inner-City Asthma Intervention Study).

Predictors of indoor radon levels in the Midwest United States.

Radon (Rn) is a natural and toxic radioactive gas that accumulates indoors, mainly in low-ventilated underground floors and basements. Several factors make prediction of indoor Rn exposure in enclosed spaces challenging. In this study, we investigated the influence of soil, geology, topography, atmospheric variables, radiation, urbanization, community economic well-being, and monthly and yearly variations on indoor Rn concentrations.

Predicting Monthly Community-Level Domestic Radon Concentrations in the Greater Boston Area with an Ensemble Learning Model.

Inhaling radon and its progeny is associated with adverse health outcomes. However, previous studies of the health effects of residential exposure to radon in the United States were commonly based on a county-level temporally invariant radon model that was developed using measurements collected in the mid- to late 1980s. We developed a machine learning model to predict monthly radon concentrations for each ZIP Code Tabulation Area (ZCTA) in the Greater Boston area based on 363,783 short-term measurements by Spruce Environmental Technologies, Inc.

A two-year assessment of particulate air pollution and sources in Kuwait.

Background: Kuwait and the Gulf region have a desert, hyper-arid and hot climate that makes outdoor air sampling challenging. The region is also affected by intense dust storms. Monitoring challenges from the harsh climate have limited data needed to inform appropriate regulatory actions to address air pollution in the region.

Sources of indoor PM gross α and β activities measured in 340 homes.

Particle radioactivity (PR) exposure has been linked to adverse health effects. PR refers to the presence of α- and β-emitting radioisotopes attached to fine particulate matter (PM). This study investigated sources contributing to indoor PM gross α- and β-radioactivity levels.

Estimating climate change-related impacts on outdoor air pollution infiltration.

Background: Rising temperatures due to climate change are expected to impact human adaptive response, including changes to home cooling and ventilation patterns. These changes may affect air pollution exposures via alteration in residential air exchange rates, affecting indoor infiltration of outdoor particles. We conducted a field study examining associations between particle infiltration and temperature to inform future studies of air pollution health effects.

Trends in particle matter and its elemental composition in Santiago de Chile, 2011 - 2018.

Daily fine (PM) and coarse (PM) particle matter (PM) samples collected at Parque O'Higgins station in downtown Santiago de Chile have been studied to find the trends in concentration from 1998 to 2018. Elemental concentration was obtained using X-ray fluorescence (XRF). Regression models from previous studies indicate that the PM and PM fractions have had a continuous decrease since 1988 mostly due to several policy control measures carried out over several decades.

Prenatal PM exposure and the risk of adverse births outcomes: Results from Project ELEFANT.

Background: Studies investigating the impact of fine particulate matter (PM) exposure during pregnancy upon adverse birth outcomes have primarily been performed in Western nations with low ambient PM levels. We examined associations between high levels of PM exposure during pregnancy and risk of adverse birth outcomes by timing and level of exposure in a Chinese population.

Methods: We analysed data from 10,738 live births within the Project ELEFANT study based in Tianjin, China.

Indoor Particle Alpha Radioactivity Origins in Occupied Homes.

Exposure to radioactivity inside homes potentially poses severe health risks which can be exacerbated by the interaction between radioactive particles and fine indoor particles; in particular, the presence of α particles are a key risk factor. Hence, in this study, particle radioactivity was concurrently measured in the family rooms and basements of 26 homes to assess its concentrations and identify its sources, both indoors and outdoors, across two seasons. The levels of radon, air ions, and particle radioactivity, which included short- and long-lived α-activity (SLA and LLA, respectively), varied greatly but were substantially higher in the basements.

Measurements of Gross α- and β-Activities of Archived PM and PM Teflon Filter Samples.

The adverse effects of ambient particulate matter (PM) on human health have been well demonstrated, but the underlying properties responsible for its toxicity are still unclear. We hypothesized that particulate radioactivity, which is due to the attachment of radioactive nuclides on particle surfaces, may be responsible for part of PM toxicity. We measured the gross α- and β-activities for daily PM and PM filters collected at the Harvard Supersite in downtown Boston from 2005 to 2006 and calculated the radioactivities at the time of air sampling retrospectively based on a previously established formula.

Photopaper as a Tool for Community-Level Monitoring of Industrially Produced Hydrogen Sulfide and Corrosion.

Scientific instrumentation driven by academic, military, and industrial applications tends to be high cost, designed for expert use, and "black boxed". Community-led citizen science (CLCS) is creating different research instruments with different measurement goals and processes. This paper identifies four design attributes for CLCS tools: affordability, accessibility, builds community efficacy and provides actionable data through validating a community method for monitoring the neurotoxic and corrosive gas Hydrogen Sulfide (HS).

Long-term impact of PM mass and sulfur reductions on ultrafine particle trends in Boston, MA from 1999 to 2018.

Unlabelled: Ultrafine particles (UFPs) pose a human health risk as they can penetrate deep into the respiratory system. The Harvard supersite in Boston, MA provides one of the longest time series of UFP concentrations. This study examined the hypothesis that long-term reductions in PM mass and sulfur have influenced UFP trends by limiting the ability of UFPs to coagulate onto the accumulation mode via polydisperse coagulation with larger particles.