Health risks of limited-contact water recreation.

Background: Wastewater-impacted waters that do not support swimming are often used for boating, canoeing, fishing, kayaking, and rowing. Little is known about the health risks of these limited-contact water recreation activities.

Objectives: We evaluated the incidence of illness, severity of illness, associations between water exposure and illness, and risk of illness attributable to limited-contact water recreation on waters dominated by wastewater effluent and on waters approved for general use recreation (such as swimming).

A comparison of rapid and conventional measures of indicator bacteria as predictors of waterborne protozoan pathogen presence and density.

E. coli and enterococci in recreational waters are monitored as indicators of fecal contamination, pathogen presence, and health risk. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) tests for fecal indicator bacteria can provide beach managers with same-day information about water quality, unlike culture methods which provide that information the following day.

Water ingestion during water recreation.

Quantitative risk assessments have estimated health risks of water recreation. One input to risk assessment models is the rate of water ingestion. One published study estimated rates of water ingestion during swimming, but estimates of water ingestion are not available for common limited contact water recreation activities such as canoeing, fishing, kayaking, motor boating, and rowing.

Two-zone model application to breathing zone and area welding fume concentration data.

This study assessed a professional pipefitter/welder performing shielded metal arc welding on carbon steel under field conditions. The resulting breathing zone (near field) and area (far field) welding fume concentration data were applied to the two-zone model for the purpose of determining field-derived personal exposure emission (generation) rates during actual welding work. The study is unique in that one welder was evaluated under high production conditions for 2 days at two different welding locations: a boiler room and a breezeway.

Nonlinear regression adjustments of multiple continuous monitoring methods produce effective characterization of short-term fine particulate matter.

This study comprehensively characterizes hourly fine particulate matter (PM(2.5)) concentrations measured via a tapered element oscillating microbalance (TEOM), beta-gauge, and nephelometer from four different monitoring sites in U.S.

The Great Lakes Center's health hazard evaluation program: promoting community environmental health through partnerships between academic and public health departments.

The Great Lakes Center of Excellence in Environmental Health (GLCEEH), an innovative capacity-building component of the University of Illinois, performs health hazard evaluations in collaboration with the Illinois Department of Public Health and local health departments. GLCEEH has provided state and local health departments with faculty, industrial-hygiene expertise, and research expertise to help them investigate a variety of environmental health issues. This article describes health hazard evaluations performed with support from the National Center for Environmental Health, lessons learned, and recommendations for successful collaboration between academic and public health departments.

Bias and confounding in longitudinal measures of exhaled monoxides.

The measurement of exhaled nitric oxide and carbon monoxide concentrations is an emerging method of monitoring airway inflammation longitudinally in community-based studies. Inhaled concentrations of these monoxides influence exhaled concentrations. Little is known about the degree to which inhaled concentrations distort temporal trends in, or estimated effects of air pollutants on, exhaled monoxides.

Environmental allergens and asthma morbidity in low-income children.

Asthma morbidity is high in inner-city children in the United States, which may be related in part to increased allergens in poorly maintained housing. This study examined asthma morbidity in relation to mold, cockroach, dust mite, and cat allergens in the homes of 61 low-income Chicago children with asthma. Children exposed to higher levels of Penicillium in the bedroom had more frequent asthma symptoms, whereas those exposed to higher levels of cockroach allergen in the bedroom had a higher number of asthma symptoms.

Demolition of high-rise public housing increases particulate matter air pollution in communities of high-risk asthmatics.

Public housing developments across the United States are being demolished, potentially increasing local concentrations of particulate matter (PM) in communities with high burdens of severe asthma. Little is known about the impact of demolition on local air quality. At three public housing developments in Chicago, IL, PM with an aerodynamic diameter < 10 microm (PM10) and < 2.

Urinary 1-hydroxypyrene as a biomarker of PAH exposure in 3-year-old Ukrainian children.

Urinary 1-hydroxypyrene (1-OHP) is a biomarker of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) exposure. We measured urinary 1-OHP in 48 children 3 years of age in Mariupol, Ukraine, who lived near a steel mill and coking facility and compared these with 1-OHP concentrations measured in 42 children of the same age living in the capital city of Kiev, Ukraine. Children living in Mariupol had significantly higher urinary 1-OHP and creatinine-adjusted urinary 1-OHP than did children living in Kiev (adjusted: 0.

Aspergillus surveillance project at a large tertiary-care hospital.

A one-year surveillance project was conducted at a large tertiary hospital, which had extensive indoor renovation and extensive demolition/building at several nearby sites. This study collected viable fungi samples in the hospital every six days and analysed 74 duct dust samples for Aspergillus fumigatus mycelial asp f1 protein. Mean total fungi were 257.

Application of EPA CMB8.2 model for source apportionment of sediment PAHs in Lake Calumet, Chicago.

A chemical mass balance model developed by the U.S. EPA, CMB8.

Adjusting tapered element oscillating microbalance data for comparison with Federal Reference Method PM2.5 measurements in region 5.

Continuous monitoring of particulate matter (PM) with a diameter less than 2.5 microm (PM2.5) is quickly gaining acceptance as an alternative means of measuring fine PM in the United States.

Effect of ozone and aeroallergens on the respiratory health of asthmatics.

The effect of ambient air pollutants, pollens, and mold spores on respiratory health was studied in an area with low concentrations of chemical pollutants and abundant aeroallergens. A panel of 40 asthmatic subjects living near East Moline, Illinois, recorded peak expiratory flow rates (PEFRs), respiratory symptoms, frequency of asthma attacks, and asthma medication use between April and October 1994. Daily outdoor concentrations of pollutants and aeroallergens were measured, and indoor levels of bioaerosols were measured on several occasions in each participant's home.

Pigeon allergens in indoor environments: a preliminary study.

Background: Few studies have measured pigeon allergens in non pigeon coop environments. This study was conducted to determine approximate pigeon dropping allergen concentrations in indoor environments.

Methods: Polyclonal antibody serum was prepared by injecting a rabbit three times with crude wild pigeon dropping extract in 50 mM Tris buffer with Freund's adjuvant.

Defining the photochemical contribution to particulate matter in urban areas using time-series analysis.

The objective of this project is to demonstrate how the ambient air measurement record can be used to define the relationship between O3 (as a surrogate for photochemistry) and secondary particulate matter (PM) in urban air. The approach used is to develop a time-series transfer-function model describing the daily PM10 (PM with less than 10 microm aerodynamic diameter) concentration as a function of lagged PM and current and lagged O3, NO or NO2, CO, and SO2. Approximately 3 years of daily average PM10, daily maximum 8-hr average O3 and CO, daily 24-hr average SO2 and NO2, and daily 6:00 a.

Bioaerosol emissions from a suburban yard waste composting facility.

The purpose of this study was to assess worker and community exposure to bioaerosols emitted from a suburban yard waste composting facility in northern Illinois, USA. Characterization of on- and off-site viable bioaerosols was undertaken through a total of 288 on- and off-site Andersen samples conducted over 10 sampling days. A total of 46 dust samples and 38 Kramer-Collins spore samples were also collected in this period.

Characterization of publication rotogravure press emission rates and compositions.

Emission compositions and rates were determined during production for a publication rotogravure press room at a large rotogravure printing company. The press room housed a single 4-color, 8-print-stand press, with an 84" paper web. Average press speed was 1800 feet per minute.

Prevalence of asthma and other allergic diseases in an adolescent population: association with gender and race.

Objectives: To estimate the prevalence and severity of asthma in an adolescent population by sex and race.

Methods: Cross-sectional, population-based survey of school children.

Setting: Midwestern city experiencing damage from the 1993 Mississippi River flood.

Volatile organic compounds, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and elements in the air of ten urban homes.

Ten homes were monitored at regular intervals from June 1994 through April 1995 as part of a Public Health Assessment in Southeast Chicago for exposure to volatile organic compounds (VOCs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and elements. Simultaneous 24-h indoor and outdoor samples were collected. VOCs were and analyzed using USEPA Method TO-14 with Selected Ion Monitoring Mass Spectrometry (GC/MS).

Indoor air quality in a middle school, Part II: Development of emission factors for particulate matter and bioaerosols.

A middle school (grades 6 to 8) in a residential section of Springfield, Illinois, with no known air quality problems, was selected for a baseline indoor air quality survey. The study was designed to measure and evaluate air quality at the middle school with the objective of providing a benchmark for comparisons with measurements in schools with potential air quality problems. The focus of this article is on the development of emission factors for particulate matter and bioaerosols.

Indoor air quality in a middle school, Part I: Use of CO2 as a tracer for effective ventilation.

The overall objective of the study was to evaluate the indoor air quality at a middle school with an emphasis on characterizing baseline conditions. The focus of this article is on the relationship between occupancy and measured concentrations of carbon dioxide, and an evaluation of the use of carbon dioxide as a tracer for ventilation in the school. The school was characterized as having no health complaints, good maintenance schedules, no carpeting within the classrooms or hallways, and no significant remodeling, and its officials had agreed to allow the sampling to take place during school hours.

Association of asthma symptoms and severity with indoor bioaerosols.

Background: In this study, repeated measurements were made of levels of mold spores, bacteria, and dust-mite allergens over a 7-month period in the homes of asthmatics, and relationships with measures of asthma severity were evaluated.

Methods: A sample of 57 asthmatic individuals, living in 44 homes in East Moline, Illinois, and nearby communities, participated in a panel study. The homes were visited up to nine times during the study to collect air and dust samples.

Chicago community-based asthma intervention trial: feasibility of delivering peer education in an inner-city population.

The most effective means of educating children with asthma and their families has not been clearly demonstrated in previous studies. Peer education is uniquely suited to the complex problems encountered in underserved populations. The purpose of this study was to show the feasibility of delivering a peer education program for children with asthma and the effect of the program on indoor allergen levels in an inner-city population in Chicago.