Two Decades of Air Pollution Health Risk Assessment: Insights From the Use of WHO's AirQ and AirQ+ Tools.

Objectives: We evaluated studies that used the World Health Organization's (WHO) AirQ and AirQ+ tools for air pollution (AP) health risk assessment (HRA) and provided best practice suggestions for future assessments.

Methods: We performed a comprehensive review of studies using WHO's AirQ and AirQ+ tools, searching several databases for relevant articles, reports, and theses from inception to Dec 31, 2022.

Results: We identified 286 studies that met our criteria.

Critical Windows of Maternal Exposure to Biothermal Stress and Birth Weight for Gestational Age in Western Australia.

Background: There is limited and inconsistent evidence on the risk of ambient temperature on small for gestational age (SGA) and there are no known related studies for large for gestational age (LGA). In addition, previous studies used temperature rather than a biothermal metric.

Objectives: Our aim was to examine the associations and critical susceptible windows of maternal exposure to a biothermal metric [Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI)] and the hazards of SGA and LGA.

The Association of Air Pollution Exposure With Glucose and Lipid Levels: The Role of an Extreme Air Pollution Event Alongside 2 Decades of Moderate Exposure.

Extreme air pollution events and moderate exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) are associated with increased cardiometabolic risk. The World Trade Center (WTC) Health Program general responder cohort includes responders to the WTC disaster.

Predicting fine-scale daily NO over Mexico City using an ensemble modeling approach.

In recent years, there has been growing interest in developing air pollution prediction models to reduce exposure measurement error in epidemiologic studies. However, efforts for localized, fine-scale prediction models have been predominantly focused in the United States and Europe. Furthermore, the availability of new satellite instruments such as the TROPOsopheric Monitoring Instrument (TROPOMI) provides novel opportunities for modeling efforts.

National Cohort Study of Long-Term Exposure to PM Components and Mortality in Medicare American Older Adults.

There is increasing evidence linking long-term fine particulate matter (PM) exposure to negative health effects. However, the relative influence of each component of PM on health risk is poorly understood. In a cohort study in the contiguous United States between 2000 and 2017, we examined the effect of long-term exposure to PM main components and all-cause mortality in older adults who had to be at least 65 years old and enrolled in Medicare.

Particulate Air Pollution Exposure and Stroke among Adults in Israel.

Stroke is the second most common cause of death and disability in the world. Many studies have found fine particulate matter (PM) exposure to be associated with an increased risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, mostly focusing on ischemic heart disease and acute myocardial infarction. In a national analysis conducted in Israel-an area with unique climate conditions and high air pollution levels, we estimated the association between short-term PM exposure and ischemic stroke, intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), or transient ischemic attacks (TIA).

Long-term air pollution exposure and diabetes risk in American older adults: A national secondary data-based cohort study.

Type 2 diabetes is a major public health concern. Several studies have found an increased diabetes risk associated with long-term air pollution exposure. However, most current studies are limited in their generalizability, exposure assessment, or the ability to differentiate incidence and prevalence cases.

Air Pollution and Maximum Temperature Are Associated with Neurodevelopmental Regressive Events in Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Neurodevelopmental regression (NDR) is an enigmatic event associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) during which a child loses previously acquired skills and develops ASD symptoms. In some, a trigger which precedes the NDR event, such as a fever, can be identified, but in many cases no trigger is obvious. We hypothesize that air pollution (PM) may trigger NDR, especially in those children without an identified trigger.

Intermediate- and long-term associations between air pollution and ambient temperature and glycated hemoglobin levels in women of child bearing age.

Background: Air pollution has been linked to obesity while higher ambient temperatures typically reduce metabolic demand in a compensatory manner. Both relationships may impact glucose metabolism, thus we examined the association between intermediate- and long-term exposure to fine particulate matter (PM) and ambient temperature and glycated hemoglobin(HbA1c), a longer-term marker of glucose control.

Methods: We assessed 3-month, 6-month, and 12-month average air pollution and ambient temperature at 1-km spatial resolution via satellite remote sensing models (2013-2019), and assessed HbA1c at four, six, and eight years postpartum in women enrolled in the Programming Research in Obesity, Growth, Environment and Social Stressors (PROGRESS) cohort based in Mexico City.

A self-controlled approach to survival analysis, with application to air pollution and mortality.

Background: Many studies have reported that long-term air pollution exposure is associated with increased mortality rates. These investigations have been criticized for failure to control for omitted, generally personal, confounders. Study designs that are robust to such confounders can address this issue.

Exposure to metals and morbidity at eight years follow-up in women of childbearing age.

This exploratory study was aimed to investigate the link between toxic metal content in women's urine and their morbidity 2 years before and 6 years after the test. Concentrations of 25 metals in urine were analyzed for 111 pregnant women collected prior to delivery. All women were of Arab-Bedouin origin.

The effect of prenatal temperature and PM exposure on birthweight: Weekly windows of exposure throughout the pregnancy.

Background: Birthweight is a strong predictor of normal growth, healthy development, and survival. Several studies have found associations between temperature, fine particulate matter (PM), and birth weight. However, the relevant timing of exposures varies between studies and is yet unclear.

Modeling the impact of exposure reductions using multi-stressor epidemiology, exposure models, and synthetic microdata: an application to birthweight in two environmental justice communities.

Background: Many vulnerable populations experience elevated exposures to environmental and social stressors, with deleterious effects on health. Multi-stressor epidemiological models can be used to assess benefits of exposure reductions. However, requisite individual-level risk factor data are often unavailable at adequate spatial resolution.

Maternal metal concentration during gestation and pediatric morbidity in children: an exploratory analysis.

Background: The majority of studies linking exposure to metals with certain health outcomes focus on known toxic metals. Alternatively, this study assesses the extent to which exposure to a wider range of metals during gestation is associated with childhood morbidity.

Methods: We analyzed the concentrations of 25 metals found in urine samples of 111 pregnant women of Arab-Bedouin origin collected prior to birth.

Differences in environmental factors contributing to preterm labor and PPROM - Population based study.

Background: Previous reports indicate an association between ambient temperature (Ta) and air pollution exposure during pregnancy and preterm birth (PTB). Nevertheless, information regarding the association between environmental factors and specific precursors of spontaneous preterm birth is lacking. We aimed to determine the association between Ta and air pollution during gestation and the precursors of spontaneous preterm parturition, i.

A national difference in differences analysis of the effect of PM on annual death rates.

Many studies have reported that PM was associated with mortality, but these were criticized for unmeasured confounding, not using causal modeling, and not focusing on changes in exposure and mortality rates. Recent studies have used propensity scores, a causal modeling approach that requires the assumption of no unmeasured confounders. We used differences in differences, a causal modeling approach that focuses on exposure changes, and controls for unmeasured confounders by design to analyze PM and mortality in the U.

Estimating the Combined Effects of Natural and Built Environmental Exposures on Birthweight among Urban Residents in Massachusetts.

Intrauterine growth has health implications both in childhood and adulthood. Birthweight is partially determined by prenatal environmental exposures. We aim to identify important predictors of birthweight out of a set of environmental, built environment exposures, and socioeconomic environment variables during pregnancy (i.

PM and hospital admissions among Medicare enrollees with chronic debilitating brain disorders.

Background: Although long-term exposure to particulate matter<2.5 μm (PM) has been linked to chronic debilitating brain disorders (CDBD), the role of short-term exposure in health care demand, and increased susceptibility for PM-related health conditions, among Medicare enrollees with CDBD has received little attention. We used a causal modeling approach to assess the effect of short-term high PM exposure on all-cause admissions, and prevalent cause-specific admissions among Medicare enrollees with CDBD (Parkinson's disease-PD, Alzheimer's disease-AD and other dementia).

The association between exposure to radiation and the incidence of cataract.

Objective: To examine the association between exposure to radiation from computed tomography (CT) studies and the incidence of cataract.

Methods: In a nested case-control study, all cataract cases and their matched controls were sampled from a retrospective cohort of Israeli residents who underwent CT scans or ultrasonic tests in Soroka Medical Center, Beer-Sheva, Israel, between the years 1996 and 2014. The risk of cataract associated with head, neck or the rest of the body CT was assessed using Poisson survival analysis.

The effect of exposure to particulate matter during pregnancy on lower respiratory tract infection hospitalizations during first year of life.

Background: Lower respiratory tract infections (LRTI) in early life, including pneumonia, bronchitis and bronchiolitis, can lead to decreased lung function, persistent lung damage and increased susceptibility to various respiratory diseases such as asthma. In-utero exposure to particulate matter (PM) during pregnancy may disrupt biological mechanisms that regulate fetal growth, maturation and development. We aimed to estimate the association between intrauterine exposure to PM of size < 2.

Race or racial segregation? Modification of the PM2.5 and cardiovascular mortality association.

Background: Many studies have identified an inequitable distribution of exposure to PM2.5 (particulate matter less than 2.5 microns) by race.

Temperature and preeclampsia: Epidemiological evidence that perturbation in maternal heat homeostasis affects pregnancy outcome.

Introduction: This study aims to determine the association between temperature and preeclampsia and whether it is affected by seasonality and rural/urban lifestyle.

Methods: This cohort study included women who delivered at our medical center from 2004 to 2013 (31,101 women, 64,566 deliveries). Temperature values were obtained from a spatiotemporally resolved estimation model performing predictions at a 1×1km spatial resolution.