Distribution of microplastics in the soils of a petrochemical industrial region in China: Ecological and Human Health Risks.

Although microplastic pollution is a global concern, information on the distribution of microplastics in petroleum and petrochemical urban soils is limited. In this study, we investigated the occurrence, ecological risk, and human exposure risk of microplastics in different land-use types of soil in Daqing Administrative region, a prominent petroleum and petrochemical industrial base in China. Stereoscopic microscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (μ-FTIR) were used to study the chemical composition and distribution characteristics of microplastics.

Phthalate esters in dusts from different indoor and outdoor microenvironment and potential human health risk: A case study in Beijing.

Phthalate esters (PAEs) are widely used plasticizers that can easily migrate from plastic products, thereby presenting potential health risks through exposure. While PAE concentrations in dust have received increasing attention, there is still a lack of comprehensive understanding regarding their environmental distribution, composition profiles, and associated human exposure risks in Beijing. This study investigated the presence of seven PAEs in 124 dust samples collected from eight indoor and four outdoor microenvironment types across the Beijing metropolitan area.

Global occurrence, distribution, and ecological risk assessment of psychopharmaceuticals and illicit drugs in surface water environment: A meta-analysis.

Psychopharmaceuticals and illicit drugs (PIDs) in aquatic environments can negatively impact ecosystem and human health. However, data on the sources, distribution, drivers, and risks of PIDs in global surface waters are limited. We compiled a dataset of 331 records spanning 23 PIDs in surface waters and sediments across 100 countries by conducting a systematic review and meta-analysis of 108 studies published between 2005 and 2022.

Association between short-term air pollution exposure and perturbation in thyrotropin levels in 1.38 million Chinese women: A national longitudinal analysis, 2014-2019.

Prevalence of subclinical hypothyroidism substantially increased during the last decade in China, which has been commonly/clinically diagnosed as elevation in thyrotropin (thyroid-stimulating hormone [TSH]). Tobacco smoke containing toxic substances has been linked to thyroid dysfunction; however, data on perturbation of TSH following air pollution exposure in human has not been assessed at nationwide population level. We investigated the longitudinal impact of daily ambient air pollution estimated at residential level on serum TSH in 1.

Occurrence, sources and risk of heavy metals in soil from a typical antimony mining area in Guizhou Province, China.

Antimony mining activities can result in serious contamination of soil by heavy metals, which represents a risk to human health. In this study, the contamination and sources of 14 heavy metals, and their risks to both ecosystem and public health from these metals at an antimony mining site in Guizhou Province in China were explored. The results showed that the mean concentrations of Hg, Cu, As, Se, Cd, Sn, Sb and Pb were 3.

Associations of climate variability driven by El Niño-southern oscillation with excess mortality and related medical costs in Chinese elderly.

Climate variability driven by El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is a significant public health concern in parallel with global population aging; however, its role in healthy aging is less studied. We examined the longitudinal impacts of ENSO exposure on excess mortality and related medical costs in the elderly from 23 provinces of China. A total of 27,533 non-accidental all-cause deaths were recorded in 30,763 participants during 1998-2018.

Combustion-Derived Particulate PAHs Associated with Small Airway Dysfunction in Elderly Patients with COPD.

Evidence of the respiratory effects of ambient organic aerosols (e.g., polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, PAHs) among patients with chronic diseases is limited.

Maternal exposure to traffic-related ambient particles and risk of gestational diabetes mellitus with isolated fasting hyperglycaemia: A retrospective cohort study in Beijing, China.

Background: Ambient particles have been associated with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), however, no study has evaluated the effects of traffic-related ambient particles on the risks of GDM subgroups classified by oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) values.

Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted among 24,001 pregnant women who underwent regular prenatal care and received OGTT at Haidian Maternal and Child Health Hospital in Beijing, China, 2014-2017. A total of 3,168 (13.

Association between air pollution and outpatient visits for allergic rhinitis: Effect modification by ambient temperature and relative humidity.

Mounting evidence indicated the associations between air pollution and outpatient visits for allergic rhinitis (AR), while few studies assessed the effect modification of these associations by ambient temperature and relative humidity (RH). In this study, dataset of AR outpatients was obtained from Chinese People's Liberation Army Strategic Support Force Characteristic Medical Center in Beijing during 2014 to 2019, and the average concentrations of air pollutants including particulate matter ≤2.5 μm in diameter (PM) and ≤10 μm (PM), nitrogen dioxide (NO), sulfur dioxide (SO), and meteorological factors (temperature and RH) at the same period were collected from one nearby air monitoring station.

The effect of using personal-level indoor air cleaners and respirators on biomarkers of cardiorespiratory health: a systematic review.

Background: Emerging studies have investigated potential cardiovascular and respiratory health impacts from the use of personal-level intervention equipment against air pollution exposure. The objective of this systematic review is to assess the efficacy of personal-level air pollution intervention on mitigating adverse health effects from air pollution exposure by using portable air cleaner or wearing respirator.

Methods: In this systematic review, we searched PubMed and Web of Science for published literatures up to May 31, 2020, focusing on personal-level air pollution intervention studies.

The mediating role of vascular inflammation in traffic-related air pollution associated changes in insulin resistance in healthy adults.

Aim: The precise pathophysiologic pathway linking traffic-related air pollution (TRAP) to diabetes mellitus is not well elucidated. We aimed to investigate whether activation of vascular inflammation can be a mechanistic linkage between ambient TRAP and insulin resistance.

Methods: Study outcomes were determined by assessing a series of circulating biomarkers indicative of insulin resistance and vascular inflammation among 73 healthy adults who underwent repeated clinical visits in Beijing, China, 2014-2016.

Maternal exposures to fine and ultrafine particles and the risk of preterm birth from a retrospective study in Beijing, China.

Maternal exposure to fine particulate matter (PM) has been associated with increased risk of preterm birth (PTB), but evidence on particles in smaller sizes and PTB risk remains limited. In this retrospective analysis, we included birth records of 24,001 singleton live births from Haidian Maternal and Child Health Hospital in Beijing, China, 2014-2017. Concurrently, number concentrations of size-fractioned particles in size ranges of 5-560 nm (PNC) and mass concentrations of PM, black carbon (BC) and gaseous pollutants were measured from a fixed-location monitoring station in central Haidian District.

Traffic-related air pollution associated pulmonary pathophysiologic changes and cardiac injury in elderly patients with COPD.

Traffic-related air pollution (TRAP) has shown enormous environmental toxicity, but its cardiorespiratory health impact on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) has been less studied. We followed a panel of 45 COPD patients with 4 repeated clinical visits across 14 months in a traffic-predominated urban area of Beijing, China, with concurrent measurements of TRAP metrics (fine particulate matter, black carbon, oxides of nitrogen and carbon monoxide). Linear mixed-effect models were performed to evaluate the associations and potential pathways linking traffic pollution to indicators of spirometry, cardiac injury, inflammation and oxidative stress.

A review on reducing indoor particulate matter concentrations from personal-level air filtration intervention under real-world exposure situations.

Improving air quality in indoor environments where people live is of importance to protect human health. In this systematic review, we assessed the effectiveness of personal-level use of air filtration units in reducing indoor particulate matters (PM) concentrations under real-world situations following systematic review guidelines. A total of 54 articles were included in the review, in which 20 randomized controlled/crossover trials that reported the changes in indoor fine PM (PM ) concentrations were quantitatively assessed in meta-analysis.

Associations of ultrafine and fine particles with childhood emergency room visits for respiratory diseases in a megacity.

Background: Ambient fine particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter less than 2.5 µm (PM) has been associated with deteriorated respiratory health, but evidence on particles in smaller sizes and childhood respiratory health has been limited.

Methods: We collected time-series data on daily respiratory emergency room visits (ERVs) among children under 14 years old in Beijing, China, during 2015-2017.

Combustion-derived particulate organic matter associated with hemodynamic abnormality and metabolic dysfunction in healthy adults.

Epidemiological evidence on cardiometabolic health of particulate organic matter (POM) and its sources is sparse. In a panel of 73 healthy adults in Beijing, China, daily concentrations of ambient fine particulate matter-bound polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and n-alkanes were measured throughout the study period, and Positive Matrix Factorization approach was used to identity PAHs sources. Linear mixed-effect models and mediation analyses were applied to examine the associations and potential interlink pathways between POM and biomarkers indicative of hemodynamics, insulin resistance, vascular calcification and immune inflammation.

Association between ambient temperature and childhood respiratory hospital visits in Beijing, China: a time-series study (2013-2017).

Little is known on the potential impact of temperature on respiratory morbidity, especially for children whose respiratory system can be more vulnerable to climate changes. In this time-series study, Poisson generalized additive models combined with distributed lag nonlinear models were used to assess the associations between ambient temperature and childhood respiratory morbidity. The impacts of extreme cold and hot temperatures were calculated as cumulative relative risks (cum.

Short-term effects of ambient air pollution and outdoor temperature on biomarkers of myocardial damage, inflammation and oxidative stress in healthy adults.

The mechanisms whereby ambient air pollution and temperature changes promote cardiac events remain incompletely described. Seventy-three nonsmoking healthy adults (mean age 23.3, SD 5.

Exercise training prevented endothelium dysfunction from particulate matter instillation in Wistar rats.

Exposure to fine particulate matter (PM) can result in adverse cardiovascular responses including vascular endothelial dysfunction, whereas exercise training can promote cardiovascular health. However, whether exercise training can mitigate adverse vascular response to PM has been less studied. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the preventive effect of exercise training on vascular endothelial dysfunction induced by PM instillation.

Health benefit of air quality improvement in Guangzhou, China: Results from a long time-series analysis (2006-2016).

Numerous epidemiologic studies on adverse health effects of air pollution have been well documented; however, assessment on health benefits of air quality improvement from air pollution control measures has been limited in developing countries. We assessed the mortality benefits associated with air pollution improvement over 11 years in Guangzhou, China (2006-2016). A time series analysis with Generalized additive Poisson models was used to estimate mortality effects of ozone (O) and nitrogen dioxide (NO), adjusting for time trend, day of week, public holiday, temperature and relative humidity.

Characterization of particulate-bound polycyclic aromatic compounds (PACs) and their oxidations in heavy polluted atmosphere: A case study in urban Beijing, China during haze events.

Characterizations on polycyclic aromatic compounds (PACs) during frequent haze periods have been conducted in an urban site of Beijing, China. Particulate polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and oxygenated-PAHs (OPAHs) and other carbonaceous matters were quantified. The average PM during haze events (256.

Ambient Air Pollution Is Associated With HDL (High-Density Lipoprotein) Dysfunction in Healthy Adults.

Objective- We aimed to assess whether exposure to higher levels of ambient air pollution impairs HDL (high-density lipoprotein) function and to elucidate the underlying biological mechanisms potentially involved. Approach and Results- In the Beijing AIRCHD study (Air Pollution and Cardiovascular Dysfunction in Healthy Adults), 73 healthy adults (23.3±5.

Ambient air pollution is associated with cardiac repolarization abnormalities in healthy adults.

Background: Ambient air pollution has been associated with acute cardiovascular events; however, the underlying mechanisms remain incompletely understood. We aimed to examine the impacts of ambient air pollutants on cardiac ventricular repolarization in a highly polluted urban region.

Methods: Seventy-three healthy non-smoking young adults (66% female, mean age of 23.

High level of source-specific particulate matter air pollution associated with cardiac arrhythmias.

Epidemiological evidence linking source-specific ambient particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter <2.5 μm (PM) and cardiac arrhythmias is limited. In this study, we investigated the impact of source-specific PM on cardiac arrhythmias in a panel of forty-five healthy adults living in Beijing, China, between 2015 and 2016.