Showing papers in "Environmental Health Perspectives in 2018"
TL;DR: The findings indicate that e-cigarettes are a potential source of exposure to toxic metals (Cr, Ni, and Pb), and to metals that are toxic when inhaled (Mn and Zn).
Abstract: Background: Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) generate an aerosol by heating a solution (e-liquid) with a metallic coil. Whether metals are transferred from the coil to the aerosol is unknown. O...
229 citations
George Washington University1, University of Colorado Boulder2, Boston University3, Research Triangle Park4, Stockholm Environment Institute5, Goddard Space Flight Center6, Dalhousie University7, Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory8, Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation9, University of British Columbia10, University of Edinburgh11, Norwegian Meteorological Institute12, Nagoya University13, Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology14
TL;DR: In this article, Ambient air pollution exacerbates asthma among populations around the world and is the most prevalent chronic respiratory disease worldwide, affecting 358 million people in 2015, according to the World Health Organization.
Abstract: Background: Asthma is the most prevalent chronic respiratory disease worldwide, affecting 358 million people in 2015. Ambient air pollution exacerbates asthma among populations around the world and...
190 citations
TL;DR: All populations worldwide are exposed to some amount of mercury and that there is great variability in exposures within and across countries and regions, thus hindering evidence-based decision making.
Abstract: Background: The Minamata Convention on Mercury provided a mandate for action against global mercury pollution. However, our knowledge of mercury exposures is limited because there are many regions ...
135 citations
TL;DR: The findings strengthen the evidence that UFP exposure plays an important role in cardiovascular health and that risks of ambient air pollution may have been underestimated based on conventional air pollution metrics.
Abstract: BACKGROUND: There is growing evidence that exposure to ultrafine particles (UFP; particles smaller than [Formula: see text]) may play an underexplored role in the etiology of several illnesses, including cardiovascular disease (CVD). OBJECTIVES: We aimed o investigate the relationship between long-term exposure to ambient UFP and incident cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease (CVA). As a secondary objective, we sought to compare effect estimates for UFP with those derived for other air pollutants, including estimates from two-pollutant models. METHODS: Using a prospective cohort of 33,831 Dutch residents, we studied the association between long-term exposure to UFP (predicted via land use regression) and incident disease using Cox proportional hazard models. Hazard ratios (HR) for UFP were compared to HRs for more routinely monitored air pollutants, including particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter [Formula: see text] ([Formula: see text]), PM with aerodynamic diameter [Formula: see text] ([Formula: see text]), and [Formula: see text]. RESULTS: Long-term UFP exposure was associated with an increased risk for all incident CVD [[Formula: see text] per [Formula: see text]; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.03, 1.34], myocardial infarction (MI) ([Formula: see text]; 95% CI: 1.00, 1.79), and heart failure ([Formula: see text]; 95% CI: 1.17, 2.66). Positive associations were also estimated for [Formula: see text] ([Formula: see text]; 95% CI: 1.01, 1.48 per [Formula: see text]) and coarse PM ([Formula: see text]; HR for all [Formula: see text]; 95% CI: 1.01, 1.45 per [Formula: see text]). CVD was not positively associated with [Formula: see text] (HR for all [Formula: see text]; 95% CI: 0.75, 1.28 per [Formula: see text]). HRs for UFP and CVAs were positive, but not significant. In two-pollutant models ([Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text]), positive associations tended to remain for UFP, while HRs for [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] generally attenuated towards the null. CONCLUSIONS: These findings strengthen the evidence that UFP exposure plays an important role in cardiovascular health and that risks of ambient air pollution may have been underestimated based on conventional air pollution metrics. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP3047.
128 citations
TL;DR: PM from different fuels and combustion phases have appreciable differences in lung toxic and mutagenic potency, and on a mass basis, flaming samples are more active, whereas smoldering samples have greater effect when EFs are taken into account.
Abstract: Background: The increasing size and frequency of wildland fires are leading to greater potential for cardiopulmonary disease and cancer in exposed populations; however, little is known about how th...
126 citations
TL;DR: Exposure to outdoor ALAN in the blue light spectrum was associated with breast cancer and prostate cancer among subjects who had never worked at night in a population based multicase–control study (MCC-Spain).
Abstract: Background: Night shift work, exposure to light at night (ALAN) and circadian disruption may increase the risk of hormone-dependent cancers. Objectives: We evaluated the association of exposure to ...
120 citations
TL;DR: Higher PM2.5 exposure was positively associated with the expression (mRNA, protein, or both) of interleukin-1, IL6, tumor necrosis factor, and endothelin 1, and was negatively associated with miRNAs predicted to target mRNAs of IL1, TNF, TLR2, and EDN1.
Abstract: Background: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a key factor in epigenetic regulation of gene expression, but miRNA responses to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) air pollution and their potential contribution to...
118 citations
TL;DR: Background exposures to PFASs in the late 1990s were associated with higher T2D risk during the following years in a prospective case–control study of women from the NHSII, and these findings support a potential diabetogenic effect of PFAS exposures.
Abstract: Background: Emerging evidence suggests that perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are endocrine disruptors and may contribute to the etiology of type 2 diabetes (T2D), but this hypothesis needs to be c...
114 citations
TL;DR: Long-term exposure to PM2.5 air pollution is associated with higher blood pressure and an increased risk of hypertension, and these findings reinforce the importance of air pollution mitigation strategies to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.
Abstract: Background: Long-term exposure to particulate matter (PM) air pollution may increase blood pressure and the risk of hypertension. However, epidemiological evidence is scarce and inconsistent. Objec...
108 citations
TL;DR: This work is the first to demonstrate a sexually dimorphic obesogenic and diabetogenic effect of chronic dietary exposure to a common mixture of pesticides at TDI levels, and to provide evidence for a partial role for CAR in an in vivo mouse model, and raises questions about the relevance of TDI for individual pesticides when present in a mixture.
Abstract: Background: Epidemiological evidence suggests a link between pesticide exposure and the development of metabolic diseases. However, most experimental studies have evaluated the metabolic effects of...
101 citations
TL;DR: Long-term exposure to ambient PM2.5 was associated with an increased risk of CKD development, and the findings reinforce the urgency to develop global strategies of air pollution reduction to prevent CKD.
Abstract: Background: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a serious global public health challenge, but there is limited information on the connection between air pollution and risk of CKD. Objective: The aim of...
TL;DR: The evidence base on CLTS effectiveness available to practitioners, policy makers, and program managers to inform their actions is weak and the importance of adaptability, structured posttriggering activities, appropriate community selection, and further research on combining and sequencing CLTS with other interventions is revealed.
Abstract: Background: Community-led total sanitation (CLTS) is a widely applied rural behavior change approach for ending open defecation. However, evidence of its impact is unclear. Objectives: We conducted...
TL;DR: The findings from a study population of urban schoolchildren in Barcelona require confirmation, but they suggest that being raised in greener neighborhoods may have beneficial effects on brain development and cognitive function.
Abstract: Background: Proponents of the biophilia hypothesis believe that contact with nature, including green spaces, has a crucial role in brain development in children. Currently, however, we are not awar...
TL;DR: A significant positive association between Mercury and hypertension and between mercury and BP was identified, and the exposure dose is an important factor in determining the toxic effects of mercury on hypertension.
Abstract: Background: Body burden of mercury has been linked to hypertension in populations exposed to high mercury levels. Objectives: We summarized, extracted, and pooled the results of published studies t...
TL;DR: Investigators must consider steps to minimize possible bias amplification in the design and analysis of epidemiologic studies of multiple correlated exposures, and may be particularly important when biomarkers of exposure are used.
Abstract: Background: The analysis of health effects of exposure to mixtures is a critically important issue in human epidemiology, and increasing effort is being devoted to developing methods for this probl...
TL;DR: Consistent findings between the three models used to estimate excess relative risks of lung cancer from radon, and between the attributable fraction methodology and the life table analysis, confirm that residential radon is responsible for a substantial proportion of lungcancer mortality worldwide.
Abstract: Background: Radon is the second most important cause of lung cancer, ranked by the World Health Organization as the fifth leading cause of mortality in 2010. An updated database of national radon e...
TL;DR: In this population-based case–control study of clinical ADHD, maternal urinary concentrations of DEHP were monotonically associated with increased risk of ADHD.
Abstract: Background: There is growing concern that phthalate exposures may have an impact on child neurodevelopment. Prenatal exposure to phthalates has been linked with externalizing behaviors and executiv...
TL;DR: It is demonstrated that prenatal exposure of mice to BPAF or BPS induced precocious development of the mammary gland, and that siblings were significantly more susceptible to spontaneous preneoplastic epithelial lesions and inflammation, with an incidence greater than that observed in vehicle- and BPA-exposed animals.
Abstract: Background: Continued efforts to phase out bisphenol A (BPA) from consumer products have been met with the challenges of finding safer alternatives. Objectives: This study aimed to determine whethe...
TL;DR: Higher residential surrounding greenness was associated with slower cognitive decline over a 10-y follow-up period in the Whitehall II cohort of civil servants, and was stronger among women than among men.
Abstract: Background: Evidence on beneficial associations of green space with cognitive function in older adults is very scarce and mainly limited to cross-sectional studies. Objectives: We aimed to investig...
ETH Zurich1, Masaryk University2, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences3, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ4, Stockholm University5, East Carolina University6, University of London7, Norwegian Institute for Air Research8, Colorado School of Mines9, Tsinghua University10, United States Environmental Protection Agency11, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development12, McGill University13, National Institutes of Health14, National Institute for Environmental Studies15, Finnish Environment Institute16, Chinese Academy of Sciences17, Norwegian Institute of Public Health18, European Environment Agency19, IRSA20, Environment Agency21
TL;DR: A group of more than 50 international scientists and regulators held a two-day workshop in November, 2017 that identified both the respective needs of and common goals shared by the scientific and policy communities, made recommendations for cooperative actions, and outlined how the science–policy interface regarding PFASs can be strengthened using new approaches for assessing and managing highly persistent chemicals.
Abstract: Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are man-made chemicals that contain at least one perfluoroalkyl moiety, [Formula: see text]. To date, over 4,000 unique PFASs have been used in technical applications and consumer products, and some of them have been detected globally in human and wildlife biomonitoring studies. Because of their extraordinary persistence, human and environmental exposure to PFASs will be a long-term source of concern. Some PFASs such as perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) have been investigated extensively and thus regulated, but for many other PFASs, knowledge about their current uses and hazards is still very limited or missing entirely. To address this problem and prepare an action plan for the assessment and management of PFASs in the coming years, a group of more than 50 international scientists and regulators held a two-day workshop in November, 2017. The group identified both the respective needs of and common goals shared by the scientific and the policy communities, made recommendations for cooperative actions, and outlined how the science-policy interface regarding PFASs can be strengthened using new approaches for assessing and managing highly persistent chemicals such as PFASs. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP4158.
TL;DR: Mixed evidence is found linking OP pesticide exposures with traits related to developmental disorders like ASD among a population with ubiquitous exposure, which could result in a rise in cases of clinically diagnosed disorders like autism spectrum disorders.
Abstract: Background: Prenatal exposure to organophosphate (OP) pesticides has been linked with poorer neurodevelopment and behaviors related to autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in previous studies, including...
TL;DR: Long-term NO2 exposure was genome-wide significantly associated with DNA methylation in the identification cohort but not in the replication cohort, and future studies are needed to further elucidate the potential mechanisms underlying NO2-exposure–related respiratory disease.
Abstract: Background: Long-term air pollution exposure is negatively associated with lung function, yet the mechanisms underlying this association are not fully clear. Differential DNA methylation may explai...
TL;DR: The data suggest that the replacement of BPA with structural analogs may not lower the risk for endocrine disruption, and exposure to both BPS and BPAF might be more critical than BPA exposure, if their respective estrogenic potencies are taken into account.
Abstract: Background: The endocrine disrupting chemical bisphenol A (BPA) has been facing stricter regulations in recent years BPA analogs, such as the bisphenols S, F, and AF (BPS, BPF, and BPAF) are incre
TL;DR: Better-designed studies are needed to characterize infant exposures to environmental chemicals in breast milk and infant formula as well as to improve risk assessments of chemicals found in both foods.
Abstract: Background: Human health risk assessment methods have advanced in recent years to more accurately estimate risks associated with exposure during childhood However, predicting risks related to infa
TL;DR: Higher long-term past PM exposures were associated with smaller deep-gray volumes overall, and higher PM2.5 exposures wereassociated with smaller brain volumes in the Minnesota site, but not elsewhere; further work is needed to understand the sources of heterogeneity across sites.
Abstract: Background: Increasing evidence links higher particulate matter (PM) air pollution exposure to late-life cognitive impairment. However, few studies have considered associations between direct estim...
TL;DR: The findings indicate global actions that reduce anthropogenic Hg emissions will be beneficial for U.S. seafood consumers because open ocean ecosystems supply a large fraction of their MeHg exposure, however, estimates suggest that domestic actions can provide the greatest benefit for coastal seafood consumers.
Abstract: Background: Methylmercury (MeHg) exposure is associated with adverse effects on neurodevelopment and cardiovascular health. Previous work indicates most MeHg is from marine fish sold in the commerc...
TL;DR: It is demonstrated in vitro that neonicotinoids may stimulate a change in CYP19 promoter usage similar to that observed in patients with hormone-dependent breast cancer and suggest that thiacloprid and imidacloprid exert their effects at least partially by inducing the MAPK 1/3 and/or PLC pathways.
Abstract: Background: Aromatase (CYP19) is a key enzyme in estrogens biosynthesis. In the mammary gland, CYP19 gene is expressed at low levels under the regulation of its I.4 promoter. In hormone-dependent b...
TL;DR: Cd-associated differential DNAM and corresponding DNAM-expression associations were observed at loci involved in inflammatory signaling and cell growth, suggesting a role for inflammatory processes in Cd- associated reproductive toxicity.
Abstract: Background: Cadmium (Cd) is a ubiquitous environmental toxicant that can accumulate in the placenta during pregnancy, where it may impair placental function and affect fetal development. Objectives...
TL;DR: It is demonstrated that BPA and BPAF have agonistic activity for both ERα and ERβ, but BPS has ERα-selective specificity, and coregulators were differentially recruited in the presence of BPA, BPAf, or BPS.
Abstract: Background: Bisphenol A (BPA) is an endocrine-disrupting chemical (EDC) that might be harmful to human health. Recently, there has been widespread usage of bisphenol chemicals (BPs), such as bisphe...
TL;DR: Several high-molecular-weight phthalates and BPA were associated with later puberty in girls and earlier puberty in boys included in the CHAMACOS cohort study.
Abstract: Background: Animal studies suggest that phthalates and bisphenol A (BPA), endocrine-disrupting chemicals found in many consumer products, may impact the timing of puberty. Objectives: We aimed to d...