Particulate air pollution from different sources and mortality in 7.5 million adults - The Dutch Environmental Longitudinal Study (DUELS).

Background: Long-term exposure to particulate air pollution has been associated with mortality in urban cohort studies. Few studies have investigated the association between emission contributions from different particle sources and mortality in large-scale population registries, including non-urban populations.

Objectives: The aim of the study was to evaluate the associations between long-term exposure to particulate air pollution from different source categories and non-accidental mortality in the Netherlands based on existing national databases.

Air pollution in perspective: Health risks of air pollution expressed in equivalent numbers of passively smoked cigarettes.

Background: Although the health effects of long term exposure to air pollution are well established, it is difficult to effectively communicate the health risks of this (largely invisible) risk factor to the public and policy makers. The purpose of this study is to develop a method that expresses the health effects of air pollution in an equivalent number of daily passively smoked cigarettes.

Methods: Defined changes in PM2.

Air Pollution and Mortality in Seven Million Adults: The Dutch Environmental Longitudinal Study (DUELS).

Background: Long-term exposure to air pollution has been associated with mortality in urban cohort studies. Few studies have investigated this association in large-scale population registries, including non-urban populations.

Objectives: The aim of the study was to evaluate the associations between long-term exposure to air pollution and nonaccidental and cause-specific mortality in the Netherlands based on existing national databases.

Natural-cause mortality and long-term exposure to particle components: an analysis of 19 European cohorts within the multi-center ESCAPE project.

Background: Studies have shown associations between mortality and long-term exposure to particulate matter air pollution. Few cohort studies have estimated the effects of the elemental composition of particulate matter on mortality.

Objectives: Our aim was to study the association between natural-cause mortality and long-term exposure to elemental components of particulate matter.

Respiratory effects of a reduction in outdoor air pollution concentrations.

Background: Air pollution has been associated with respiratory health effects. There is little direct evidence that reductions in air pollution related to abatement policies lead to actual improvement in respiratory health. We assessed whether a reduction in (traffic policy-related) air pollution concentrations was associated with changes in respiratory health.

Traffic-related air pollution is related to interrupter resistance in 4-year-old children.

Outdoor air pollution has been associated with decrements in lung function and growth of lung function in school-age children. Lung function effects have not been examined in preschoolers, with the exception of one study on minute ventilation in newborns. Our goal was to assess the relationship between long- and short-term exposure to traffic-related air pollution and interrupter resistance in 4-year-old children.

Impact of low emission zones and local traffic policies on ambient air pollution concentrations.

Background: Evaluations of the effectiveness of air pollution policy interventions are scarce. This study investigated air pollution at street level before and after implementation of local traffic policies including low emission zones (LEZ) directed at heavy duty vehicles (trucks) in five Dutch cities.

Methods: Measurements of PM(10), PM(2.

Long-term exposure to traffic-related air pollution and type 2 diabetes prevalence in a cross-sectional screening-study in the Netherlands.

Background: Air pollution may promote type 2 diabetes by increasing adipose inflammation and insulin resistance. This study examined the relation between long-term exposure to traffic-related air pollution and type 2 diabetes prevalence among 50- to 75-year-old subjects living in Westfriesland, the Netherlands.

Methods: Participants were recruited in a cross-sectional diabetes screening-study conducted between 1998 and 2000.

Land use regression model for ultrafine particles in Amsterdam.

There are currently no epidemiological studies on health effects of long-term exposure to ultrafine particles (UFP), largely because data on spatial exposure contrasts for UFP is lacking. The objective of this study was to develop a land use regression (LUR) model for UFP in the city of Amsterdam. Total particle number concentrations (PNC), PM10, PM2.

Trends in relative risk estimates for the association between air pollution and mortality in The Netherlands, 1992-2006.

Background: Daily variations in the levels of air pollution are well known to be associated with daily variations in mortality counts. Given the large number of time-series studies, there is little need for simple replication of these results in additional locations. However, additional analyses of time-series data might be useful in elucidating remaining questions on the role of air pollution on mortality.

Radiation-induced tumour necrosis factor-alpha expression: clinical application of transcriptional and physical targeting of gene therapy.

Promising data are emerging on a new anticancer agent, Ad.EGR-TNF, an adenoviral vector, which contains radio-inducible DNA sequences from the early growth response (EGR1) gene promoter and cDNA for the gene encoding human tumour necrosis factor-alpha. Ad.

Air pollution from traffic and the development of respiratory infections and asthmatic and allergic symptoms in children.

Despite the important contribution of traffic sources to urban air quality, relatively few studies have evaluated the effects of traffic-related air pollution on health, such as its influence on the development of asthma and other childhood respiratory diseases. We examined the relationship between traffic-related air pollution and the development of asthmatic/allergic symptoms and respiratory infections in a birth cohort (n approximately 4,000) study in The Netherlands. A validated model was used to assign outdoor concentrations of traffic-related air pollutants (nitrogen dioxide, particulate matter less than 2.