Comprehensive US database and model for ethanol blend effects on regulated tailpipe emissions.

Particulate matter (PM), oxides of nitrogen (NOx), carbon monoxide (CO), and total hydrocarbons (THC) in gasoline exhaust affect atmospheric quality, and hence human health. Ethanol produced from corn grain is a renewable resource with favorable anti-knock properties for gasoline blending. Refiners alter petroleum composition to produce a finished blend that meets specifications.

Characterization of Daily Dietary Intake and the Health Risk of Neonicotinoid Insecticides for the U.S. Population.

Although neonicotinoids have been the most commonly used insecticides globally, very limited data related to their dietary intake and health risks are available. In this study, we used the relative potency factor approach to aggregate individual neonicotinoids into a single metric (IMI) representing the intakes of total neonicotinoids in relation to imidacloprid for each food item. We then estimated the average daily intake (ADI) of neonicotinoids using residue data collected from U.

Potential Effectiveness of Point-of-Use Filtration to Address Risks to Drinking Water in the United States.

Numerous contemporary incidents demonstrate that conventional control strategies for municipal tap water have limited ability to mitigate exposures to chemicals whose sources are within distribution systems, such as lead, and chemicals that are not removed by standard treatment technologies, such as perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA)/perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS). In these situations, point-of-use (POU) controls may be effective in mitigating exposures and managing health risks of chemicals in drinking water, but their potential utility has not been extensively examined. As an initial effort to fill this information gap, we conducted a critical review and analysis of the existing literature and data on the effectiveness of POU drinking water treatment technologies for reducing chemical contaminants commonly found in tap water in the United States.

Potential Exposure and Cancer Risk from Formaldehyde Emissions from Installed Chinese Manufactured Laminate Flooring.

Lumber Liquidators (LL) Chinese-manufactured laminate flooring (CLF) has been installed in >400,000 U.S. homes over the last decade.

A case study of potential human health impacts from petroleum coke transfer facilities.

Petroleum coke or "petcoke" is a solid material created during petroleum refinement and is distributed via transfer facilities that may be located in densely populated areas. The health impacts from petcoke exposure to residents living in proximity to such facilities were evaluated for a petcoke transfer facilities located in Chicago, Illinois. Site-specific, margin of safety (MOS) and margin of exposure (MOE) analyses were conducted using estimated airborne and dermal exposures.

PCB remediation in schools: a review.

Growing awareness of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in legacy caulk and other construction materials of schools has created a need for information on best practices to control human exposures and comply with applicable regulations. A concise review of approaches and techniques for management of building-related PCBs is the focus of this paper. Engineering and administrative controls that block pathways of PCB transport, dilute concentrations of PCBs in indoor air or other exposure media, or establish uses of building space that mitigate exposure can be effective initial responses to identification of PCBs in a building.

Reducing patients' exposures to asthma and allergy triggers in their homes: an evaluation of effectiveness of grades of forced air ventilation filters.

Objective: Many interventions to reduce allergen levels in the home are recommended to asthma and allergy patients. One that is readily available and can be highly effective is the use of high performing filters in forced air ventilation systems.

Methods: We conducted a modeling analysis of the effectiveness of filter-based interventions in the home to reduce airborne asthma and allergy triggers.

Proximity of US schools to major roadways: a nationwide assessment.

Long-term exposure to traffic pollution has been associated with adverse health outcomes in children and adolescents. A significant number of schools may be located near major roadways, potentially exposing millions of children to high levels of traffic pollution, but this hypothesis has not been evaluated nationally. We obtained data on the location and characteristics of 114,644 US public and private schools, grades prekindergarten through 12, and calculated their distance to the nearest major roadway.

Assessing risk of health care-acquired Legionnaires' disease from environmental sampling: the limits of using a strict percent positivity approach.

Background: Elevated percent positivity (≥30%) of Legionella in hospital domestic water systems has been suggested as a metric for assessing the risk of health care-acquired Legionnaires' disease (LD).

Methods: We examined the validity of this metric by analyzing data from peer-reviewed studies containing reports of Legionella prevalence in hospital water (ie, percent positivity) and temporally matched reports of patients with health care-acquired LD.

Results: Our literature review identified 31 peer-reviewed publications reporting matched data.

Elevated corrosion rates and hydrogen sulfide in homes with 'Chinese Drywall'.

In December 2008, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) began receiving reports about odors, corrosion, and health concerns related to drywall originating from China.

Mitigation of building-related polychlorinated biphenyls in indoor air of a school.

Background: Sealants and other building materials sold in the U.S. from 1958 - 1971 were commonly manufactured with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) at percent quantities by weight.

Markers of inflammation in alveolar cells exposed to fine particulate matter from prescribed fires and urban air.

Objective: To assess the effect of fine particulate matter (PM(2.5)) from different particle sources on tumor necrosis factor- (TNF-) α, we measured TNF production from rat alveolar macrophages (AM) and human dendritic cells (DC) exposed to PM(2.5) from different sources.

Modeling the airborne survival of influenza virus in a residential setting: the impacts of home humidification.

Background: Laboratory research studies indicate that aerosolized influenza viruses survive for longer periods at low relative humidity (RH) conditions. Further analysis has shown that absolute humidity (AH) may be an improved predictor of virus survival in the environment. Maintaining airborne moisture levels that reduce survival of the virus in the air and on surfaces could be another tool for managing public health risks of influenza.

Assessing exposure to granite countertops--Part 2: Radon.

Radon gas ((222)Rn) is a natural constituent of the environment and a risk factor for lung cancer that we are exposed to as a result of radioactive decay of radium ((226)Ra) in stone and soil. Granite countertops, in particular, have received recent media attention regarding their potential to emit radon. Radon flux was measured on 39 full slabs of granite from 27 different varieties to evaluate the potential for exposure and examine determinants of radon flux.

Assessing exposure to granite countertops--Part 1: Radiation.

Humans are continuously exposed to low levels of ionizing radiation. Known sources include radon, soil, cosmic rays, medical treatment, food, and building products such as gypsum board and concrete. Little information exists about radiation emissions and associated doses from natural stone finish materials such as granite countertops in homes.

The benefits of whole-house in-duct air cleaning in reducing exposures to fine particulate matter of outdoor origin: a modeling analysis.

Health risks of fine particle air pollution (PM(2.5)) are an important public health concern that has the potential to be mitigated in part by interventions such as air cleaning devices that reduce personal exposure to ambient PM(2.5).

Whole house particle removal and clean air delivery rates for in-duct and portable ventilation systems.

A novel method for determining whole house particle removal and clean air delivery rates attributable to central and portable ventilation/air cleaning systems is described. The method is used to characterize total and air-cleaner-specific particle removal rates during operation of four in-duct air cleaners and two portable air-cleaning devices in a fully instrumented test home. Operation of in-duct and portable air cleaners typically increased particle removal rates over the baseline rates determined in the absence of operating a central fan or an indoor air cleaner.

Control of asthma triggers in indoor air with air cleaners: a modeling analysis.

Background: Reducing exposure to environmental agents indoors shown to increase asthma symptoms or lead to asthma exacerbations is an important component of a strategy to manage asthma for individuals. Numerous investigations have demonstrated that portable air cleaning devices can reduce concentrations of asthma triggers in indoor air; however, their benefits for breathing problems have not always been reproducible. The potential exposure benefits of whole house high efficiency in-duct air cleaners for sensitive subpopulations have yet to be evaluated.

Airborne fungal spores in a cross-sectional study of office buildings.

Airborne fungal spores were measured in 44 office buildings in the summer and winter throughout the continental United States, as part of the Building Assessment, Survey and Evaluation (BASE) program. Six indoor air and two outdoor air samples were collected on a single day from each building. The cross-sectional and repeated measure design afforded evaluation of between-building and within-building variability of fungal spore levels in buildings.

Real-time and time-integrated PM2.5 and CO from prescribed burns in chipped and non-chipped plots: firefighter and community exposure and health implications.

In this study, smoke data were collected from two plots located on the Francis Marion National Forest in South Carolina during prescribed burns on 12 February 2003. One of the plots had been subjected to mechanical chipping, the other was not. This study is part of a larger investigation of fire behavior related to mechanical chipping, parts of which are presented elsewhere.

Prevalence and implementation of IAQ programs in U.S. schools.

In this study, we determined the extent to which U.S. schools are implementing indoor air quality (IAQ) programs.