Impact of heat on emergency hospital admissions related to kidney diseases in Texas: Uncovering racial disparities.

Background And Objective: While impact of heat exposure on human health is well-documented, limited research exists on its effect on kidney disease hospital admissions especially in Texas, a state with diverse demographics and a high heat-related death rate. We aimed to explore the link between high temperatures and emergency kidney disease hospital admissions across 12 Texas Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) from 2004 to 2013, considering causes, age groups, and ethnic populations.

Methods: To investigate the correlation between high temperatures and emergency hospital admissions, we utilized MSA-level hospital admission and weather data.

Cytotoxicity Assessment of Nanoplastics and Plasticizers Exposure in Lung Cell Culture Systems-A Systematic Review.

Emerging contaminants such as nanoplastics (NPs), as well as manufacturing by-products such as plasticizers, have gained global attention and concern due to their limited biodegradability and their potential impact on human health, in particular the effects on respiratory tissue. In parallel, cell culture techniques are key to the assessment and characterization of toxic effects and cellular mechanisms in different types of tissues and should provide relevant information to understand the hazardous potential of these emergent contaminants. This systematic review presents the main results on the current knowledge of the effects of NPs and plasticizers on lung cells, as assessed with the use of cell culture techniques.

Impact of Particles on Pulmonary Endothelial Cells.

According to the WHO, air quality affects around 40 million people, contributing to around 21,000 premature deaths per year. Severe respiratory diseases, such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder, can be promoted by air pollution, which has already been documented; this is one of the reasons why air quality is a very relevant factor for human health and well-being. Aerosols are an aggregation of solid or liquid particles dispersed in the air and can be found in the form of dust or fumes.

Sustainable and Active Program-Development and Application of SAVING Methodology.

The SAVING project aimed to create a sustainable and active aging program to promote the transition to sustainable aging in residential structures for the elderly (RSEs), developing research activities to apply the best strategies and good practices regarding the promotion of an active, healthy, and sustainable aging regarding social, economic, environmental, and pedagogic aspects. All this innovative methodology was built on a living-lab approach applied in one RSE, that was used as a case study. The results showed that the creation of the SAVING Brigade allowed not only increased reflection and mutual learning, but also created better conditions to face uncertainties and obstacles.

A methodology to empower citizens towards a low-carbon economy. The potential of schools and sustainability indicators.

Environmental empowering to control resource consumption and environmental impacts is critical to engage citizens to adopt more sustainable habits. This study demonstrates the potential benefits of innovative approaches based on sustainability indicators towards a low-carbon economy. A methodology to measure and promote sustainability in schools has been proposed and evaluated, aiming at showing the environmental performance and informing of potential environmental savings.

Internal dose of particles in the elderly-modeling based on aerosol measurements.

The paper presents an integrated methodology that combines experimental and modeling techniques and links exposure to airborne particulate matter (PM) with internal dose in the respiratory system and burden in adjacent tissues over a period of time. The methodology is used to estimate doses in the respiratory systems of elders that reside in 10 elderly care centers (ECCs) in the metropolitan area of Lisbon. Measurements of PM were performed in the ECCs and combined with a time-budget survey for the occupants.

Spatial and temporal variations of the particulate size distribution and chemical composition over Ibadan, Nigeria.

Spatial and temporal variation of suspended particulate matter was measured in Ibadan, Nigeria during the raining and dry months of 2013 and 2014, respectively. Six different locations were considered, reflecting city-spread, population density, lifestyle, and vehicular- and industrial-related activities. Elemental characterisation of the samples were carried out using energy dispersive x-ray fluorescence (ED-XRF) spectroscopy, while the black carbon content was determined using an optical transmissometer.

Occupational exposure to particulate matter in 2 Portuguese waste-sorting units.

Objectives: This study intended to characterize work environment contamination by particles in 2 waste-sorting plants.

Material And Methods: Particles were measured by portable direct-reading equipment. Besides mass concentration in different sizes, data related with the number of particles concentration were also obtained.

Integration of biomonitoring and instrumental techniques to assess the air quality in an industrial area located in the coastal of central Asturias, Spain.

Throughout the world, epidemiological studies were established to examine the relationship between air pollution and mortality rates and adverse respiratory health effects. However, despite the years of discussion the correlation between adverse health effects and atmospheric pollution remains controversial, partly because these studies are frequently restricted to small and well-monitored areas. Monitoring air pollution is complex due to the large spatial and temporal variations of pollution phenomena, the high costs of recording instruments, and the low sampling density of a purely instrumental approach.