The incidence of upper respiratory infections in children is related to the concentration of vanadium in indoor dust aggregates.

Background: It has been reported that the disease-initiated and disease-mediated effects of aerosol pollutants can be related to concentration, site of deposition, duration of exposure, as well as the specific chemical composition of pollutants.

Objectives: To investigate the microelemental composition of dust aggregates in primary schools of Vilnius and determine trace elements related to acute upper respiratory infections among 6-to 11-year-old children.

Methods: Microelemental analysis of aerosol pollution was performed using dust samples collected in the classrooms of 11 primary schools in Vilnius from 2016 to 2020.

Assessment of Heavy Metal Contamination in Dust in Vilnius Schools: Source Identification, Pollution Levels, and Potential Health Risks for Children.

The main objective of this study is to thoroughly evaluate the diversity and sources of heavy metals in the school environment. Specifically, this study examines the presence of heavy metals in the dust found and collected from 24 schools in Vilnius. Employing hierarchical cluster analysis, principal component analysis, and positive matrix factorization, we identified combustion-related activities as primary contributors to elevated metal concentrations, notably zinc, scandium, and copper, with PM2.

On the additional risk for human health in the use of sandblasting of building walls.

In 2021, concentrations of heavy metals (Ba, Cr, Fe, Mn, Pb, Ru, Sr, Zn, Zr) and radiocesium (Cs) were measured in 13 locations in Vilnius in surface samples of walls and facades of buildings built of yellow bricks in order to evaluate possible aerosol air pollution due to sandblasting. The activity concentrations of Cs appeared there as a result of global fallout and precipitation of the products of the accident at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, and the concentration of Pb, as a component of road transport emissions. Other trace elements turned out to be impurities in the material of yellow bricks.

Airborne pollen and fungi indoors: Evidence from primary schools in Lithuania.

The number of children suffering from respiratory allergies and asthma has been increasing worldwide and, hence, it is crucial to understand the burden of inhalant biological particles present in school facilities, where children spend one third of their life. From the perspective of indoor air quality, while there are numerous studies on outdoor bioaerosol exposure, there are still uncertainties regarding the diversity and deposition of airborne pollen and fungi indoors. When it comes to schools, there is limited research as to the potential bioaerosol exposure.

Indoor air pollution effects on pediatric asthma are submicron aerosol particle-dependent.

The school environment is crucial for the child's health and well-being. On the other hand, the data about the role of school's aerosol pollution on the etiology of chronic non-communicable diseases remain scarce. This study aims to evaluate the level of indoor aerosol pollution in primary schools and its relation to the incidence of doctor's diagnosed asthma among younger school-age children.

Unfriendly Fire: How the Tobacco Industry is Destroying the Future of Our Children.

Tobacco has long been known to be one of the greatest causes of morbidity and mortality in the adults, but the effects on the foetus and young children, which are lifelong, have been less well appreciated. Developing from this are electronic nicotine delivery systems or vapes, promulgated as being less harmful than tobacco. Nicotine itself is toxic to the foetus, with permanent effects on lung structure and function.

Global Alliance against Chronic Respiratory Diseases demonstration project: aerosol pollution and its seasonal peculiarities in primary schools of Vilnius.

Background: The growing public health concern caused by non-communicable diseases in urban surroundings cannot be solved by health care alone; therefore a multidisciplinary approach is mandatory. This study aimed to evaluate the airborne aerosol pollution level in primary schools as possible factor influencing origin and course of the diseases in children.

Methods: Seasonal aerosol particle number concentration (PNC) and mass concentration (PMC) were studied in the randomly selected eleven primary schools in the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius, as model of a middle-size Eastern European city.

On the seasonal aerosol pollution levels and its sources in some primary schools in Vilnius, Lithuania.

Aerosol particle number (PNC) and mass concentrations (PMC) were studied in 11 primary schools during the 2017-2018 school years (from September to May) in Vilnius, Lithuania, with the aim to evaluate the main aerosol pollution sources and its levels. Expeditious information on the total aerosol particle concentration over the full range of sizes (from 0.01 to > 1 μm) was estimated using a condensation particle counter (CPC).