Examining Unusual Patterns of Cancer and Environmental Concerns: The Importance of Community Input and Engagement.

Context: In fiscal year 2019, the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) received an appropriation from Congress specifically to update guidelines for investigating community cancer concerns. This resulted in the DHHS directing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to fulfill this responsibility.

Program: The CDC and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) provide guidance to state, tribal, local, and territorial (STLT) health departments and play important roles in supporting STLT programs in addressing community cancer concerns.

Structured expert judgement approach of the health impact of various chemicals and classes of chemicals.

Introduction: Chemical contamination and pollution are an ongoing threat to human health and the environment. The concern over the consequences of chemical exposures at the global level continues to grow. Because resources are constrained, there is a need to prioritize interventions focused on the greatest health impact.

What North American retail food environment indices miss in Guatemala: Cultural considerations for the study of place and health.

We evaluated the cross-context validity and equivalence of the US- and Canada-originated Retail Food Environment Index (RFEI) and modified RFEI (mRFEI) against a retail food environment dataset from the indigenous-majority city of Quetzaltenango (Xela), Guatemala. The RFEI/mRFEI failed to identify 77% of retailers and misclassified the healthiness of 42% of the remaining retailers in Xela, inaccurately labeling the city a food swamp. The RFEI/mRFEI are not currently suitable for mapping retail food environments in places like Quetzaltenango.

Update of the Blood Lead Reference Value - United States, 2021.

The negative impact of lead exposure on young children and those who become pregnant is well documented but is not well known by those at highest risk from this hazard. Scientific evidence suggests that there is no known safe blood lead level (BLL), because even small amounts of lead can be harmful to a child's developing brain (1). In 2012, CDC introduced the population-based blood lead reference value (BLRV) to identify children exposed to more lead than most other children in the United States.

Randomized Clinical Trial of Air Cleaners to Improve Indoor Air Quality and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Health: Results of the CLEAN AIR Study.

Indoor particulate matter is associated with worse chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) outcomes. It remains unknown whether reductions of indoor pollutants improve respiratory morbidity. To determine whether placement of active portable high-efficiency particulate air cleaners can improve respiratory morbidity in former smokers.

Cardiopulmonary Impact of Particulate Air Pollution in High-Risk Populations: JACC State-of-the-Art Review.

Fine particulate air pollution <2.5 μm in diameter (PM) is a major environmental threat to global public health. Multiple national and international medical and governmental organizations have recognized PM as a risk factor for cardiopulmonary diseases.

Association of Long-term Ambient Ozone Exposure With Respiratory Morbidity in Smokers.

Importance: Few studies have investigated the association of long-term ambient ozone exposures with respiratory morbidity among individuals with a heavy smoking history.

Objective: To investigate the association of historical ozone exposure with risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), computed tomography (CT) scan measures of respiratory disease, patient-reported outcomes, disease severity, and exacerbations in smokers with or at risk for COPD.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This multicenter cross-sectional study, conducted from November 1, 2010, to July 31, 2018, obtained data from the Air Pollution Study, an ancillary study of SPIROMICS (Subpopulations and Intermediate Outcome Measures in COPD Study).

Characterizing peak exposure of secondhand smoke using a real-time PM monitor.

Although short-duration elevated exposures (peak exposures) to pollutants may trigger adverse acute effects, epidemiological studies to understand their influence on different health effects are hampered by lack of methods for objectively identifying peaks. Secondhand smoke from cigarettes (SHS) in the residential environment can lead to peak exposures. The aim of this study was to explore whether peaks in continuous PM data can indicate SHS exposure.

Association of Obesity with Hearing Impairment in Adolescents.

Hearing loss (HL) is the third most common chronic physical condition in the United States. Obesity has become an increasingly important public health concern, as the prevalence in children, adolescents and adults has increased over the past few decades. The objectives of this study is to investigate whether obesity is associated with audiometric notches indicative of noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL), speech frequency hearing loss (SFHL), and high frequency hearing loss (HFHL) in adolescent participants of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2007-2010.

The Flint Water Crisis: A Coordinated Public Health Emergency Response and Recovery Initiative.

Context: The City of Flint was already distressed because of decades of financial decline when an estimated 140 000 individuals were exposed to lead and other contaminants in drinking water. In April 2014, Flint's drinking water source was changed from Great Lakes' Lake Huron (which was provided by the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department) to the Flint River without necessary corrosion control treatment to prevent lead release from pipes and plumbing. Lead exposure can damage children's brains and nervous systems, lead to slow growth and development, and result in learning, behavior, hearing, and speech problems.

The association of household fine particulate matter and kerosene with tuberculosis in women and children in Pune, India.

Objectives: Household air pollution (HAP) is a risk factor for respiratory disease, however has yet to be definitively associated with tuberculosis (TB). We aimed to assess the association between HAP and TB.

Methods: A matched case-control study was conducted among adult women and children patients with TB and healthy controls matched on geography, age and sex.

Age and sex differences in hearing loss association with depressive symptoms: analyses of NHANES 2011-2012.

Background: Depression is a common and significant health problem. Hearing loss is the third most common chronic physical condition in the USA and might be a factor in depression. To determine whether hearing loss is associated with depressive symptoms in US adults ages 20-69 years.

Sources of household air pollution and their association with fine particulate matter in low-income urban homes in India.

Introduction: Household air pollution (HAP) is poorly characterized in low-income urban Indian communities.

Materials And Methods: A questionnaire assessing sources of HAP and 24 h household concentrations of particulate matter less than 2.5 microns in diameter (PM) were collected in a sample of low-income homes in Pune, India.

The Acute Effects of Age and Particulate Matter Exposure on Heart Rate and Heart Rate Variability in Mice.

Exposure to ambient particulate matter (PM) is associated with increased cardiac morbidity and mortality with the elderly considered to be the most susceptible. The purpose of this study was to determine if exposure to PM would cause a greater impact on heart regulation in older DBA/2 (D2) male mice as determined by changes in heart rate (HR) and heart rate variability (HRV). D2 mice at the ages of 4, 12, and 19 months were instilled with 100 µg of PM or saline by aspiration.

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).

Vital Signs: Asthma in Children - United States, 2001-2016.

Background: Asthma is the most common chronic lung disease of childhood, affecting approximately 6 million children in the United States. Although asthma cannot be cured, most of the time, asthma symptoms can be controlled by avoiding or reducing exposure to asthma triggers (allergens and irritants) and by following recommendations for asthma education and appropriate medical care.

Methods: CDC analyzed asthma data from the 2001-2016 National Health Interview Survey for children aged 0-17 years to examine trends and demographic differences in health outcomes and health care use.

Secondhand Smoke Exposure and Validity of Self-Report in Low-Income Women and Children in India.

Background: There is limited validation of self-reported measures for secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure in low- and middle-income countries. We evaluated the validity of standard self-reported measures among women and children in urban India.

Methods: Structured questionnaires were administered, and household air and hair samples were analyzed for nicotine concentration.

Indoor air pollution from secondhand tobacco smoke, solid fuels, and kerosene in homes with active tuberculosis disease in South Africa.

Objectives: Secondhand tobacco smoke (SHS), use of solid fuels, and kerosene may play an important role in perpetuating the tuberculosis (TB) epidemic. The purpose of this study was to explore the prevalence of household air pollution (HAP) from these sources in homes of someone with TB in a high HIV-prevalence setting. A convenience sample of homes and household members participating in an ongoing active case-finding study in Matlosana district townships surrounding Klerksdorp, South Africa were included.

Characterizing Particulate Matter Exfiltration Estimates for Alternative Cookstoves in a Village-Like Household in Rural Nepal.

Alternative stoves are an intervention option to reduce household air pollution. The amount of air pollution exiting homes when alternative stoves are utilized is not known. In this paper, particulate matter exfiltration estimates are presented for four types of alternative stoves within a village-like home, which was built to reflect the use of local materials and common size, in rural Nepal.

Biomarkers of Secondhand Smoke Exposure in Waterpipe Tobacco Venue Employees in Istanbul, Moscow, and Cairo.

Background: Most smoke-free legislation to reduce secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure exempts waterpipe (hookah) smoking venues. Few studies have examined SHS exposure in waterpipe venues and their employees.

Methods: We surveyed 276 employees of 46 waterpipe tobacco venues in Istanbul, Moscow, and Cairo.

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.