Showing papers in "Environmental Health Perspectives in 2016"
TL;DR: Assessment of the evidence of health effects from exposure to wildfire smoke and to identify susceptible populations indicates that wildfire smoke exposure is associated with respiratory morbidity with growing evidence supporting an association with all-cause mortality.
Abstract: Background:Wildfire activity is predicted to increase in many parts of the world due to changes in temperature and precipitation patterns from global climate change. Wildfire smoke contains numerou...
664 citations
TL;DR: Higher levels of green vegetation were associated with decreased mortality, and policies to increase vegetation may provide opportunities for physical activity, reduce harmful exposures, increase social engagement, and improve mental health.
Abstract: Background:Green, natural environments may ameliorate adverse environmental exposures (e.g., air pollution, noise, and extreme heat), increase physical activity and social engagement, and lower str...
377 citations
TL;DR: The studies conducted to date were limited in number with suggestive but methodologically weak findings related to chronic exposure, and more studies are needed to fully understand their effects on human health.
Abstract: Background:Numerous studies have identified detectable levels of neonicotinoids (neonics) in the environment, adverse effects of neonics in many species, including mammals, and pathways through whi...
314 citations
TL;DR: PM2.5 was associated with depressive and anxiety symptoms, with associations the strongest among individuals with lower SES or among those with certain health-related characteristics.
Abstract: Background:Ambient fine particulate matter (PM2.5) is among the most prevalent sources of environmentally induced inflammation and oxidative stress, both of which are implicated in the pathogenesis...
268 citations
TL;DR: This article proposes three broad questions that epidemiological studies can address: a) What are the potential health impacts of individual chemical agents? b) What is the interaction among agents? and c) what are the health effects of cumulative exposure to multiple agents
Abstract: Humans are exposed to a large number of environmental chemicals: Some of these may be toxic, and many others have unknown or poorly characterized health effects. There is intense interest in determining the impact of exposure to environmental chemical mixtures on human health. As the study of mixtures continues to evolve in the field of environmental epidemiology, it is imperative that we understand the methodologic challenges of this research and the types of questions we can address using epidemiological data. In this article, we summarize some of the unique challenges in exposure assessment, statistical methods, and methodology that epidemiologists face in addressing chemical mixtures. We propose three broad questions that epidemiological studies can address: a) What are the potential health impacts of individual chemical agents? b) What is the interaction among agents? And c) what are the health effects of cumulative exposure to multiple agents? As the field of mixtures research grows, we can use these three questions as a basis for defining our research questions and for developing methods that will help us better understand the effect of chemical exposures on human disease and well-being.
253 citations
Research Triangle Park1, Umeå University2, Mario Negri Institute for Pharmacological Research3, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill4, University of Strasbourg5, National Institutes of Health6, United States Environmental Protection Agency7, University of Bari8, Technical University of Denmark9, University of Milano-Bicocca10, Food and Drug Administration11, Lockheed Martin Corporation12, Research Institute for Fragrance Materials13, University of Milan14, United States Department of Agriculture15
TL;DR: This project demonstrated the possibility to screen large libraries of chemicals using a consensus of different in silico approaches and the efficacy of using predictive computational models trained on high-throughput screening data to evaluate thousands of chemicals for ER-related activity and prioritize them for further testing.
Abstract: BACKGROUND: Humans are exposed to thousands of man-made chemicals in the environment. Some chemicals mimic natural endocrine hormones and, thus, have the potential to be endocrine disruptors. Most ...
252 citations
TL;DR: The study showed an increased risk of mortality associated with PM2.5, which varied with seasons and species, and suggested that mass alone might not be sufficient to evaluate the health effects of particles.
Abstract: Background: Epidemiological studies have examined the association between PM2.5 and mortality, but uncertainty remains about the seasonal variations in PM2.5-related effects and the relative import...
239 citations
TL;DR: This commentary summarizes the robust scientific evidence regarding the multiple current and projected health impacts of fossil fuel combustion on the young to make the case for a holistic, child-centered energy and climate policy that addresses the full array of physical and psychosocial stressors resulting from fossil fuel pollution.
Abstract: Background:Approaches to estimating and addressing the risk to children from fossil fuel combustion have been fragmented, tending to focus either on the toxic air emissions or on climate change. Ye...
239 citations
University of Queensland1, University of London2, University of Ottawa3, University of São Paulo4, Peking University5, Seoul National University6, Nagasaki University7, University of Tsukuba8, National Taiwan University9, Harvard University10, Yale University11, University of Hong Kong12, Queensland University of Technology13
TL;DR: The results indicate that more attention should be paid to unstable weather conditions in order to protect health, and may have implications for developing public health policies to manage health risks of climate change.
Abstract: Background: The evidence and method are limited for the associations between mortality and temperature variability (TV) within or between days. Objectives: We developed a novel method to calculate TV and investigated TV-mortality associations using a large multicountry data set. Methods: We collected daily data for temperature and mortality from 372 locations in 12 countries/regions (Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Japan, Moldova, South Korea, Spain, Taiwan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, and the United States). We calculated TV from the standard deviation of the minimum and maximum temperatures during the exposure days. Two-stage analyses were used to assess the relationship between TV and mortality. In the first stage, a Poisson regression model allowing over-dispersion was used to estimate the community-specific TV-mortality relationship, after controlling for potential confounders. In the second stage, a meta-analysis was used to pool the effect estimates within each country. Results: There was a significant association between TV and mortality in all countries, even after controlling for the effects of daily mean temperature. In stratified analyses, TV was still significantly associated with mortality in cold, hot, and moderate seasons. Mortality risks related to TV were higher in hot areas than in cold areas when using short TV exposures (0–1 days), whereas TV-related mortality risks were higher in moderate areas than in cold and hot areas when using longer TV exposures (0–7 days). Conclusions: The results indicate that more attention should be paid to unstable weather conditions in order to protect health. These findings may have implications for developing public health policies to manage health risks of climate change.
200 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors quantify the impact of climate change on pollen allergy in a large-scale study and show that it is a major public health problem, but a fundamental unknown is the likely impact of such changes.
Abstract: Background:Globally, pollen allergy is a major public health problem, but a fundamental unknown is the likely impact of climate change. To our knowledge, this is the first study to quantify the con...
183 citations
TL;DR: A comprehensive approach that takes into account the complexity of the modern global food system is essential to enable better prediction of human exposure to chemicals in food, sound risk assessments, and more focused risk abatement strategies.
Abstract: Background:Food is a major pathway for human exposure to hazardous chemicals. The modern food system is becoming increasingly complex and globalized, but models for food-borne exposure typically as...
TL;DR: Quantifying the impact of exposure to environmental chemical mixtures is important for identifying risk factors for diseases and developing more targeted public health interventions and future efforts should continue to design and optimize statistical approaches to address questions aboutchemical mixtures in epidemiological studies.
Abstract: Summary:Quantifying the impact of exposure to environmental chemical mixtures is important for identifying risk factors for diseases and developing more targeted public health interventions. The Na...
Karolinska Institutet1, University Medical Center Groningen2, University of Southern California3, French Institute of Health and Medical Research4, University of Lyon5, Erasmus University Rotterdam6, National Institutes of Health7, Utrecht University8, University of Montpellier9, Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research10, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute11, Leiden University12, University of Grenoble13, Pompeu Fabra University14, University of Barcelona15, Norwegian Institute of Public Health16
TL;DR: No2 exposure during pregnancy was associated with differential offspring DNA methylation in mitochondria-related genes and exposure to NO2 was also linked to differential methylation as well as expression of genes involved in antioxidant defense pathways.
Abstract: Background: Prenatal exposure to air pollution is considered to be associated with adverse effects on child health. This may partly be mediated by mechanisms related to DNA methylation. Objectives: We investigated associations between exposure to air pollution, using nitrogen dioxide (NO2) as marker, and epigenome-wide cord blood DNA methylation. Methods: We meta-analyzed the associations between NO2 exposure at residential addresses during pregnancy and cord blood DNA methylation (Illumina 450K) in four European and North American studies (n = 1,508) with subsequent look-up analyses in children ages 4 (n = 733) and 8 (n = 786) years. Additionally, we applied a literature-based candidate approach for antioxidant and anti-inflammatory genes. To assess influence of exposure at the transcriptomics level, we related mRNA expression in blood cells to NO2 exposure in 4- (n = 111) and 16-year-olds (n = 239). Results: We found epigenome-wide significant associations [false discovery rate (FDR) p < 0.05] between maternal NO2 exposure during pregnancy and DNA methylation in newborns for 3 CpG sites in mitochondria-related genes: cg12283362 (LONP1), cg24172570 (3.8 kbp upstream of HIBADH), and cg08973675 (SLC25A28). The associations with cg08973675 methylation were alsosignificant in the older children. Further analysis of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory genes revealed differentially methylated CpGs in CAT and TPO in newborns (FDR p < 0.05). NO2 exposure at the time of biosampling in childhood had a significant impact on CAT and TPO expression. Conclusions: NO2 exposure during pregnancy was associated with differential offspring DNA methylation in mitochondria-related genes. Exposure to NO2 was also linked to differential methylation as well as expression of genes involved in antioxidant defense pathways
TL;DR: Exposure to fine particulate air pollution causes vascular insulin resistance by inducing pulmonary oxidative stress and suppression of vascular insulin signaling by PM2.5 may accelerate the progression to systemic insulin resistance, particularly in the context of diet-induced obesity.
Abstract: Background:Epidemiological evidence suggests that exposure to ambient air fine particulate matter (PM2.5) increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. However, the m...
TL;DR: The need for the reduction of motorized traffic through the promotion of active and public transport and the provision of green infrastructure is emphasized to provide opportunities for PA and for mitigation of air pollution, noise, and heat.
Abstract: Background:By 2050, nearly 70% of the global population is projected to live in urban areas. Because the environments we inhabit affect our health, urban and transport designs that promote healthy ...
TL;DR: Urinary concentrations of DEHP metabolites were inversely associated with oocyte yield, clinical pregnancy, and live birth following ART, and the association of urinary phthalate metabolites with in vitro fertilization (IVF) outcomes was evaluated.
Abstract: Background:Evidence from both animal and human studies suggests that exposure to phthalates may be associated with adverse female reproductive outcomes.Objective:We evaluated the associations betwe...
TL;DR: Why traditional and nontraditional (exposomic) biomonitoring are both critical in studies aiming to capture the exposome and how to transition exposure research toward exposomic approaches are described.
Abstract: Background:The term “exposome” was coined in 2005 to underscore the importance of the environment to human health and to bring research efforts in line with those on the human genome. The ability t...
TL;DR: Evidence of a positive, dose–response relationship between fast food intake and exposure to phthalates and urinary metabolites of di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (ΣDEHPm) and DiNPm is observed and could inform individual and regulatory exposure reduction strategies.
Abstract: Background:Phthalates and bisphenol A (BPA) are widely used industrial chemicals that may adversely impact human health. Human exposure is ubiquitous and can occur through diet, including consumpti...
TL;DR: The PM-related CpG sites found in this study suggest novel plausible systemic pathways linking ambient PM exposure to adverse health effect through variations in DNA methylation.
Abstract: Background:Epidemiological studies have reported associations between particulate matter (PM) concentrations and cancer and respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. DNA methylation has been identif...
TL;DR: The hypothesis that long-term PM2.5 exposure negatively affects renal function and increases renal function decline is supported in this longitudinal sample of older men.
Abstract: Background:It is unknown if ambient fine particulate matter (PM2.5) is associated with lower renal function, a cardiovascular risk factor.Objective:We investigated whether long-term PM2.5 exposure ...
TL;DR: Long-term exposures to air pollution and traffic noise exposures and mild cognitive impairment in older adults were positively associated with MCI, mainly with the amnestic subtype.
Abstract: Background:Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) describes the intermediate state between normal cognitive aging and dementia. Adverse effects of air pollution (AP) on cognitive functions have been propo...
TL;DR: This study demonstrates that techniques available to consumers, such as choosing personal care products that are labeled to be free of phthalates, parabens, triclosan, and BP-3, can reduce personal exposure to possible endocrine-disrupting chemicals.
Abstract: Background:Personal care products are a source of exposure to potentially endocrine-disrupting chemicals such as phthalates, parabens, triclosan, and benzophenone-3 (BP-3) for adolescent girls.Meth...
TL;DR: Although GUESS and DSA provided a marginally better balance between sensitivity and FDP, they did not outperform the other multivariate methods across all scenarios and properties examined, and computational complexity and flexibility should be considered when choosing between these methods.
Abstract: Background:The exposome constitutes a promising framework to improve understanding of the effects of environmental exposures on health by explicitly considering multiple testing and avoiding select...
TL;DR: The contributions of emissions sectors to ambient air pollution–related mortality differ among regions, suggesting region-specific air pollution control strategies.
Abstract: Background:Exposure to ozone and fine particulate matter (PM2.5) can cause adverse health effects, including premature mortality due to cardiopulmonary diseases and lung cancer. Recent studies quan...
TL;DR: Higher levels of some organochlorine compounds during pregnancy are associated with ASD and ID, whereas nonmonotonic increases in risk of ID were found with p,p´-DDE.
Abstract: Background:Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) are neurodevelopmental toxicants, but few studies have examined associations with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).Obj...
TL;DR: In this cohort, prenatal exposure to PFASs was associated with small increases in adiposity measurements in mid-childhood, but only among girls, and null associations were observed for PFOS, PFHxS, and PFNA.
Abstract: Background:Few studies have examined whether prenatal exposure to perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) is associated with childhood adiposity.Objective:We examined associations of prenatal exposure to...
TL;DR: An environmental dose of cadmium at early stages of life causes gut microbiota alterations, accelerates hepatic lipid metabolism, and leads to life-long metabolic consequences in a sex-dependent manner, which provides a better understanding of the health risk of Cadmium in the environment.
Abstract: Environmental cadmium, with a high average dietary intake, is a severe public health risk. However, the long-term health implications of environmental exposure to cadmium in different life stages remain unclear.
We investigated the effects of early exposure to cadmium, at an environmentally relevant dosage, on adult metabolism and the mechanism of action.
We established mouse models with low-dose cadmium (LDC) exposure in early life to examine the long-term metabolic consequences. Intestinal flora measurement by 16S rDNA sequencing, microbial ecological analyses, and fecal microbiota transplant was conducted to explore the potential underlying mechanisms.
Early LDC exposure (100 nM) led to fat accumulation in adult male mice. Hepatic genes profiling revealed that fatty acid and lipid metabolic processes were elevated. Gut microbiota were perturbed by LDC to cause diversity reduction and compositional alteration. Time-series studies indicated that the gut flora at early-life stages, especially at 8 weeks, were vulnerable to LDC and that an alteration during this period could contribute to the adult adiposity, even if the microbiota recovered later. The importance of intestinal bacteria in LDC-induced fat accumulation was further confirmed through microbiota transplantation and removal experiments. Moreover, the metabolic effects of LDC were observed only in male, but not female, mice.
An environmental dose of cadmium at early stages of life causes gut microbiota alterations, accelerates hepatic lipid metabolism, and leads to life-long metabolic consequences in a sex-dependent manner. These findings provide a better understanding of the health risk of cadmium in the environment.
Ba Q, Li M, Chen P, Huang C, Duan X, Lu L, Li J, Chu R, Xie D, Song H, Wu Y, Ying H, Jia X, Wang H. 2017. Sex-dependent effects of cadmium exposure in early life on gut microbiota and fat accumulation in mice. Environ Health Perspect 125:437–446; http://dx.doi.org/10.1289/EHP360
TL;DR: No2, often considered as a marker of traffic, was independently associated with insulin resistance and the observed association between higher greenness exposure and lower HOMA-IR in adolescents might thus be attributable mainly to the lower co-exposure to traffic-related air pollution.
Abstract: Background:Epidemiological studies have identified associations between air pollution and green space access with type 2 diabetes in adults. However, it remains unclear to what extent associations ...
TL;DR: To provide a more comprehensive understanding of the health risks of wastewater use in agriculture, future research should consider multiple exposure routes, long-term health implications, and increase the range of contaminants studied, particularly in regions heavily dependent on wastewater irrigation.
Abstract: Background:Wastewater is increasingly being used in the agricultural sector to cope with the depletion of freshwater resources as well as water stress linked to changing climate conditions. As wast...
TL;DR: This study provides further evidence linking PM2.5 and pregnancy outcomes with preterm birth, small for gestational age, and term birth weight, adjusting for individual covariates and neighborhood socioeconomic status (SES).
Abstract: BackgroundNumerous studies have examined associations between air pollution and pregnancy outcomes, but most have been restricted to urban populations living near monitors.ObjectivesWe examined the...