When Things Go South, It Does Affect You: Perceptions of Vibrio- Related Occupational Risk and Harm Among Chesapeake Bay, USA,-Based Watermen.

Abstract: Commercial fishing is a dangerous profession with known hazards for musculoskeletal injuries, yet minimal examination of microbiological or attendant psychosocial hazards from water- and food-borne pathogens like Vibrio vulnificus and V. parahaemolyticus exists. Improving knowledge of Vibrio -related hazards addresses Total Worker Health® concerns for commercial fisheries workers.

An Outbreak Investigation of Infections in the United States Linked to Crabmeat Imported from Venezuela: 2018.

is the leading cause of seafood-related foodborne illness globally. In 2018, the U.S.

Factors That Might Affect SARS-CoV-2 Transmission Among Foreign-Born and U.S.-Born Poultry Facility Workers - Maryland, May 2020.

Numerous recent assessments indicate that meat and poultry processing facility workers are at increased risk for infection with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) (1-4). Physical proximity to other workers and shared equipment can facilitate disease transmission in these settings (2-4). The disproportionate number of foreign-born workers employed in meat and poultry processing reflects structural, social, and economic inequities that likely contribute to an increased COVID-19 incidence in this population* (5).

Association of traffic air pollution and rhinitis quality of life in Peruvian children with asthma.

Background: Air pollution exposure may contribute to rhinoconjunctivitis morbidity in children with underlying airways disease. Prior studies have not assessed rhinoconjunctivitis-related quality of life (QOL) in children with asthma chronically exposed to air pollution.

Methods: Children ages 9-19 years with asthma from peri-urban Peru, self-reporting rhinoconjunctivitis symptoms (n = 484), were administered the Rhinoconjunctivitis QOL Questionnaire (RQLQ) at repeated intervals over one year, with scores dichotomized into bothered (>0) and not bothered (= 0).

24-h Nitrogen dioxide concentration is associated with cooking behaviors and an increase in rescue medication use in children with asthma.

Exposure to nitrogen dioxide (NO), a byproduct of combustion, is associated with poor asthma control in children. We sought to determine whether gas-fueled kitchen appliance use is associated with 24-h indoor NO concentrations and whether these concentrations are associated with asthma morbidity in children. Children aged 5-12 years old with asthma were eligible.

Whole Blood Cytokine Response to Local Traffic-Related Particulate Matter in Peruvian Children With and Without Asthma.

This study sought to investigate if acute phase immune responses of whole blood from Peruvian children with controlled and uncontrolled asthma differed from children without asthma, following exposure to traffic-related particulate matter (TRPM). TRPM, including particulate matter from diesel combustion, has been shown to stimulate acute airway inflammation in individuals with and without asthma. For this study, a whole blood assay (WBA) was used to test peripheral whole blood samples from 27 children with asthma, and 12 without asthma.

Predictors of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon exposure and internal dose in inner city Baltimore children.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), the by-products of incomplete combustion of organic materials, are commonly found on particulate matter (PM) and have been associated with the development of asthma and asthma exacerbation in urban populations. We examined time spent in the home and outdoors as predictors of exposures to airborne PAHs and measured urinary 1-hydroxypyrene-glucuronide (1-OHPG) as internal dose of PAHs in 118 children aged 5-12 years from Baltimore, MD. During weeklong periods (Saturday-Saturday) in each of four seasons: daily activities were assessed using questionnaires, indoor air nicotine and PM concentrations were monitored, and urine specimens were collected on Tuesday (day 3) and Saturday (day 7) for measurement of 1-OHPG.

Respiratory Effects of Indoor Heat and the Interaction with Air Pollution in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.

Rationale: There is limited evidence of the effect of exposure to heat on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) morbidity, and the interactive effect between indoor heat and air pollution has not been established.

Objectives: To determine the effect of indoor and outdoor heat exposure on COPD morbidity and to determine whether air pollution concentrations modify the effect of temperature.

Methods: Sixty-nine participants with COPD were enrolled in a longitudinal cohort study, and data from the 601 participant days that occurred during the warm weather season were included in the analysis.

Exposure to PM2.5 and Blood Lead Level in Two Populations in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.

Approximately 60% of the households in Ulaanbaatar live in gers (a traditional Mongolian dwelling) in districts outside the legal limits of the city, without access to basic infrastructure, such as water, sewage systems, central heating, and paved roads, in contrast to apartment residents. This stark difference in living conditions creates different public health challenges for Ulaanbaatar residents. Through this research study we aim to test our hypothesis that women living in gers burning coal in traditional stoves for cooking and heating during the winter are exposed to higher concentrations of airborne PM2.

Association of Roadway Proximity with Indoor Air Pollution in a Peri-Urban Community in Lima, Peru.

The influence of traffic-related air pollution on indoor residential exposure is not well characterized in homes with high natural ventilation in low-income countries. Additionally, domestic allergen exposure is unknown in such populations. We conducted a pilot study of 25 homes in peri-urban Lima, Peru to estimate the effects of roadway proximity and season on residential concentrations.

Association Between Adherence to the Mediterranean Diet and Asthma in Peruvian Children.

Purpose: Adherence to a Mediterranean diet pattern may be associated with lower asthma prevalence in children. We sought to corroborate these findings in Peruvian children.

Methods: This case-control study included children of ages 9-19 years living in Lima, Peru.

Field testing of alternative cookstove performance in a rural setting of western India.

Nearly three billion people use solid fuels for cooking and heating, which leads to extremely high levels of household air pollution and is a major cause of morbidity and mortality. Many stove manufacturers have developed alternative cookstoves (ACSs) that are aimed at reducing emissions and fuel consumption. Here, we tested a traditional clay chulha cookstove (TCS) and five commercially available ACSs, including both natural draft (Greenway Smart Stove, Envirofit PCS-1) and forced draft stoves (BioLite HomeStove, Philips Woodstove HD4012, and Eco-Chulha XXL), in a test kitchen in a rural village of western India.

Estimating the health benefit of reducing indoor air pollution in a randomized environmental intervention.

Recent intervention studies targeted at reducing indoor air pollution have demonstrated both the ability to improve respiratory health outcomes and to reduce particulate matter (PM) levels in the home. However, these studies generally do not address whether it is the reduction of PM levels specifically that improves respiratory health. In this paper we apply the method of principal stratification to data from a randomized air cleaner intervention designed to reduce indoor PM in homes of children with asthma.

Obesity as a susceptibility factor to indoor particulate matter health effects in COPD.

Our goal was to investigate whether obesity increases susceptibility to the adverse effects of indoor particulate matter on respiratory morbidity among individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Participants with COPD were studied at baseline, 3 and 6 months. Obesity was defined as a body mass index ≥30 kg·m(-2).

Indoor pollutant exposure is associated with heightened respiratory symptoms in atopic compared to non-atopic individuals with COPD.

Background: Indoor particulate matter (PM) has been linked to respiratory symptoms in former smokers with COPD. While subjects with COPD and atopy have also been shown to have more frequent respiratory symptoms, whether they exhibit increased susceptibility to PM as compared to their non-atopic counterparts remains unclear. The aim of this study was to determine whether atopic individuals with COPD have greater susceptibility to PM compared to non-atopic individuals with COPD.

Inference for environmental intervention studies using principal stratification.

Previous research has found evidence of an association between indoor air pollution and asthma morbidity in children. Environmental intervention studies have been performed to examine the role of household environmental interventions in altering indoor air pollution concentrations and improving health. Previous environmental intervention studies have found only modest effects on health outcomes and it is unclear if the health benefits provided by environmental modification are comparable with those provided by medication.

Cow allergen (Bos d2) and endotoxin concentrations are higher in the settled dust of homes proximate to industrial-scale dairy operations.

Airborne contaminants produced by industrial agricultural facilities contain chemical and biological compounds that can impact the health of residents living in close proximity. Settled dust can be a reservoir for these contaminants and can influence long-term exposures. In this study, we sampled the indoor- and outdoor-settled dust from 40 homes that varied in proximity to industrial-scale dairies (ISD; industrial-scale dairy, a term used in this paper to describe a large dairy farm and adjacent waste sprayfields, concentrated animal feeding operation or animal feeding operation, that uses industrial processes) in the Yakima Valley, Washington.

Waterpipe cafes in Baltimore, Maryland: Carbon monoxide, particulate matter, and nicotine exposure.

Waterpipe smoking has been growing in popularity in the United States and worldwide. Most tobacco control regulations remain limited to cigarettes. Few studies have investigated waterpipe tobacco smoke exposures in a real world setting.

A cross-sectional study of determinants of indoor environmental exposures in households with and without chronic exposure to biomass fuel smoke.

Background: Burning biomass fuels indoors for cooking is associated with high concentrations of particulate matter (PM) and carbon monoxide (CO). More efficient biomass-burning stoves and chimneys for ventilation have been proposed as solutions to reduce indoor pollution. We sought to quantify indoor PM and CO exposures in urban and rural households and determine factors associated with higher exposures.

Indoor pollutant exposures modify the effect of airborne endotoxin on asthma in urban children.

Rationale: The effect of endotoxin on asthma morbidity in urban populations is unclear.

Objectives: To determine if indoor pollutant exposure modifies the relationships between indoor airborne endotoxin and asthma health and morbidity.

Methods: One hundred forty-six children and adolescents with persistent asthma underwent repeated clinical assessments at 0, 3, 6, 9, and 12 months.

In-home air pollution is linked to respiratory morbidity in former smokers with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Rationale: The effect of indoor air pollutants on respiratory morbidity among patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in developed countries is uncertain.

Objectives: The first longitudinal study to investigate the independent effects of indoor particulate matter (PM) and nitrogen dioxide (NO(2)) concentrations on COPD morbidity in a periurban community.

Methods: Former smokers with COPD were recruited and indoor air was monitored over a 1-week period in the participant's bedroom and main living area at baseline, 3 months, and 6 months.

Being overweight increases susceptibility to indoor pollutants among urban children with asthma.

Background: Both being overweight and exposure to indoor pollutants, which have been associated with worse health of asthmatic patients, are common in urban minority populations. Whether being overweight is a risk factor for the effects of indoor pollutant exposure on asthma health is unknown.

Objectives: We sought to examine the effect of weight on the relationship between indoor pollutant exposure and asthma health in urban minority children.

Dry collection and culture methods for recovery of methicillin-susceptible and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains from indoor home environments.

Staphylococcus aureus in home environments may serve as a reservoir for human colonization, making sampling of indoor surfaces relevant to exposure assessment. Using laboratory experiments and application to homes of asthmatic children in Barbados, we characterize microbiological methods adapted for settings with transportation delays between sampling and initiation of culture.

Airborne cow allergen, ammonia and particulate matter at homes vary with distance to industrial scale dairy operations: an exposure assessment.

Background: Community exposures to environmental contaminants from industrial scale dairy operations are poorly understood. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of dairy operations on nearby communities by assessing airborne contaminants (particulate matter, ammonia, and cow allergen, Bos d 2) associated with dairy operations inside and outside homes.

Methods: The study was conducted in 40 homes in the Yakima Valley, Washington State where over 61 dairies operate.

Indoor particulate matter increases asthma morbidity in children with non-atopic and atopic asthma.

Background: Compared with atopic asthma, fewer environmental modifications are recommended for non-atopic asthma in children.

Objective: To better understand the role of indoor pollutants in provoking non-atopic asthma, we investigated the effect of in-home particulate matter on asthma symptoms among non-atopic and atopic children living in inner-city Baltimore.

Methods: A cohort of 150 children ages 2 to 6 years with asthma underwent home environmental monitoring for 3-day intervals at baseline, 3, and 6 months.