Airborne ultrafine particle concentrations and brain cancer incidence in Canada's two largest cities.

Background: Malignant brain tumours are rare, but are important to study because survival rates are low and few modifiable risk factors have been identified. Existing evidence suggests that outdoor ultrafine particles (UFPs; particulate matter < 100 nm; sometimes referred to as nanoparticles) can deposit in the brain and could encourage initiation and progression of cancerous tumours, but epidemiological data are limited.

Methods: High-resolution estimates of outdoor UFP concentrations and size were linked to residential locations of approximately 1.

Epidemiological studies likely need to consider PM composition even if total outdoor PM mass concentration is the exposure of interest.

Background: Outdoor fine particulate air pollution, <2.5 µm (PM) mass concentrations can be constructed through many different combinations of chemical components that have varying levels of toxicity. This poses a challenge for studies interested in estimating the health effects of total outdoor PM (i.

The Association Between Urinary Concentrations of Organophosphate Metabolites and Asthma-Related Outcomes Among Schoolchildren From Informal Settlements.

There is inconsistent evidence on the relationship between pesticide exposure and childhood respiratory outcomes in non-agricultural settings. This study investigated the association between organophosphate (OP) pesticide exposure and asthma-related outcomes in children residing in four informal settlements. The study was a longitudinal study of 590 schoolchildren, with a 12 months follow-up period.

Mortality inequalities of Black adults in Canada.

Background: Mortality rates in Canada have been shown to vary by population group (e.g., Indigenous peoples, immigrants) and social economic status (e.

Long-term Exposure to Oxidant Gases and Mortality: Effect Modification by PM 2.5 Transition Metals and Oxidative Potential.

Background: Populations are simultaneously exposed to outdoor concentrations of oxidant gases (i.e., O 3 and NO 2 ) and fine particulate air pollution (PM 2.

Ambient Air Pollution and Cardiorespiratory Outcomes amongst Adults Residing in Four Informal Settlements in the Western Province of South Africa.

Few studies have investigated the relationship between ambient air pollution and cardiorespiratory outcomes in Africa. A cross-sectional study comprising of 572 adults from four informal settlements in the Western Cape, South Africa was conducted. Participants completed a questionnaire adapted from the European Community Respiratory Health Survey, and the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey questionnaire.

Changes in exposure to ambient fine particulate matter after relocating and long term survival in Canada: quasi-experimental study.

Objective: To investigate the association between changes in long term residential exposure to ambient fine particulate matter (PM) and premature mortality in Canada.

Design: Population based quasi-experimental study.

Setting: Canada.

Ambient air pollution and the risk of acute myocardial infarction and stroke: A national cohort study.

We used a large national cohort in Canada to assess the incidence of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and stroke hospitalizations in association with long-term exposure to fine particulate matter (PM), nitrogen dioxide (NO), and ozone (O). The study population comprised 2.7 million respondents from the 2006 Canadian Census Health and Environment Cohort (CanCHEC), followed for incident hospitalizations of AMI or stroke between 2006 and 2016.

Long-term ozone exposure and mortality from neurological diseases in Canada.

Background: There is increasing interest in the health effects of air pollution. However, the relationships between ozone exposure and mortality attributable to neurological diseases remain unclear.

Objectives: To assess associations of long-term exposure to ozone with death from Parkinson's disease, dementia, stroke, and multiple sclerosis.

Ethnocultural and socioeconomic disparities in exposure to residential greenness within urban Canada.

Background: Residential greenness has been associated with health benefits, such as lower risk of mortality, cardiovascular disease, obesity, adverse birth outcomes and asthma and better psychological health. However, the variation in greenness across socioeconomic and demographic characteristics in urban areas of Canada has not been well documented.

Data And Methods: Respondents to the 2016 Census long-form questionnaire were assigned estimates of exposure to residential greenness based on the mean Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) (from 2012 or the most recent year available) within a 500 m buffer around their home, based on postal code.

The association between ambient NO and PM with the respiratory health of school children residing in informal settlements: A prospective cohort study.

Background: No previous epidemiological study has investigated the combined association of long-term ambient nitrogen dioxide (NO) and particulate matter of diameter size-2.5 (PM) exposure with asthma outcomes among schoolchildren in Africa.

Objectives: This study investigated the independent and co-pollutant association of long-term exposures to ambient air pollutants on asthma-associated outcomes in a cohort of schoolchildren in the Western Cape Province of South Africa.

Short term seasonal effects of airborne fungal spores on lung function in a panel study of schoolchildren residing in informal settlements of the Western Cape of South Africa.

Background: The individual effects of biological constituents of particulate matter (PM) such as fungal spores, on lung function in children are not well known. This study investigated the seasonal short-term effect of daily variation in Alternaria and Cladosporium fungal spores on lung function in schoolchildren.

Methods: This panel study evaluated 313 schoolchildren in informal settlements of the Western Cape of South Africa, exposed to spores of two commonly encountered fungi, Alternaria and Cladosporium species.

Within-city Spatial Variations in Ambient Ultrafine Particle Concentrations and Incident Brain Tumors in Adults.

Background: Ambient ultrafine particles (UFPs, <0.1 µm) can reach the human brain, but to our knowledge, epidemiologic studies have yet to evaluate the relation between UFPs and incident brain tumors.

Methods: We conducted a cohort study of within-city spatial variations in ambient UFPs across Montreal and Toronto, Canada, among 1.

Environmental health research challenges in Africa: Insights from symposia organized by the ISEE Africa Chapter at ISES-ISEE 2018.

Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text.

Asthma-related outcomes associated with indoor air pollutants among schoolchildren from four informal settlements in two municipalities in the Western Cape Province of South Africa.

The health impact of indoor air pollution in informal settlement households has not been extensively studied in South Africa. This cross-sectional study investigated the association between asthma and common indoor exposures among schoolchildren from four informal settlements located in two municipalities in the Western Cape Province. A total of 590 children, aged 9-11 years, were recruited.

Land Use Regression Modelling of Outdoor NO₂ and PM Concentrations in Three Low Income Areas in the Western Cape Province, South Africa.

Air pollution can cause many adverse health outcomes, including cardiovascular and respiratory disorders. Land use regression (LUR) models are frequently used to describe small-scale spatial variation in air pollution levels based on measurements and geographical predictors. They are particularly suitable in resource limited settings and can help to inform communities, industries, and policy makers.

Land Use Regression Modeling of Outdoor Noise Exposure in Informal Settlements in Western Cape, South Africa.

In low- and middle-income countries, noise exposure and its negative health effects have been little explored. The present study aimed to assess the noise exposure situation in adults living in informal settings in the Western Cape Province, South Africa. We conducted continuous one-week outdoor noise measurements at 134 homes in four different areas.

A prospective cohort study on ambient air pollution and respiratory morbidities including childhood asthma in adolescents from the western Cape Province: study protocol.

Background: There is evidence from existing literature that ambient air pollutant exposure in early childhood likely plays an important role in asthma exacerbation and other respiratory symptoms, with greater effect among asthmatic children. However, there is inconclusive evidence on the role of ambient air pollutant exposures in relation to increasing asthma prevalence as well as asthma induction in children. At the population level, little is known about the potential synergistic effects between pollen allergens and air pollutants since this type of association poses challenges in uncontrolled real life settings.

Elevated Myocardial Oxygen Consumption During Cutaneous Cold Stress in Young Adult Overweight and Obese Africans.

Exaggerated sympathetic-mediated cardiovascular responses to stressful stimuli (such as cold exposure) has been linked to the development of hypertension and cardiovascular disease, which in turn has been demonstrated to predict the development of future hypertension. The aim of the present study was to test the hypothesis that enhanced change in myocardial oxygen consumption (MVO) to cutaneous cold stress may be one potential mechanism that predisposes overweight/obese individuals in Africa to developing hypertension. The Rate-Pressure-Product (a non-invasive determinant of MVO) was measured in normotensive young individuals aged between 18 and 25 years at baseline and during sympathetic activation elicited by cutaneous cold stimulation (CCS).