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International Journal of Environmental... Jul 2022Air pollution affects health, but much of the focus to this point has been on outdoor air. Higher indoor pollution is anticipated due to increasingly energy-efficient... (Review)
Review
Indoor Air Pollution and the Health of Vulnerable Groups: A Systematic Review Focused on Particulate Matter (PM), Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) and Their Effects on Children and People with Pre-Existing Lung Disease.
Air pollution affects health, but much of the focus to this point has been on outdoor air. Higher indoor pollution is anticipated due to increasingly energy-efficient and less leaky buildings together with more indoor activities. Studies of indoor air pollution focusing on children and people with respiratory disease from the database Web of Science (1991-2021) were systemically reviewed according to the PRISMA guidelines, with 69 studies included in the final selection. Emissions from building materials affected indoor air quality, and ventilation also had an influence. The main indoor air pollutants are Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) and Particulate Matter (PM). PM sources included smoking, cooking, heating, candles, and insecticides, whereas sources of coarse particles were pets, housework and human movements. VOC sources included household products, cleaning agents, glue, personal care products, building materials and vehicle emissions. Formaldehyde levels were particularly high in new houses. Personal exposure related to both indoor and outdoor pollutant levels, highlighting home characteristics and air exchange rates as important factors. Temperature, humidity, educational level, air purifiers and time near sources were also related to personal exposure. There was an association between PM and Fractional exhaled Nitric Oxide (FeNO), lung function, oxygen saturation, childhood asthma and symptoms of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients. High VOCs were associated with upper airways and asthma symptoms and cancer. Effective interventional studies for PM in the future might focus on human behavior together with air purifiers and increased ventilation, whereas VOC interventions might center more on building materials and household products, alongside purification and ventilation.
Topics: Air Pollutants; Air Pollution, Indoor; Asthma; Child; Environmental Monitoring; Humans; Lung; Lung Diseases; Particulate Matter; Volatile Organic Compounds
PubMed: 35886604
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19148752 -
Neurotoxicology Sep 2022Investigation of the toxicity triggered by chemicals on the human brain has traditionally relied on approaches using rodent in vivo models and in vitro cell models... (Review)
Review
Investigation of the toxicity triggered by chemicals on the human brain has traditionally relied on approaches using rodent in vivo models and in vitro cell models including primary neuronal cultures and cell lines from rodents. The issues of species differences between humans and rodents, the animal ethical concerns and the time and cost required for neurotoxicity studies on in vivo animal models, do limit the use of animal-based models in neurotoxicology. In this context, human cell models appear relevant in elucidating cellular and molecular impacts of neurotoxicants and facilitating prioritization of in vivo testing. The SH-SY5Y human neuroblastoma cell line (ATCC® CRL-2266™) is one of the most used cell lines in neurosciences, either undifferentiated or differentiated into neuron-like cells. This review presents the characteristics of the SH-SY5Y cell line and proposes the results of a systematic review of literature on the use of this in vitro cell model for neurotoxicity research by focusing on organic environmental pollutants including pesticides, 2, 3, 7, 8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD), flame retardants, PFASs, parabens, bisphenols, phthalates, and PAHs. Organic environmental pollutants are widely present in the environment and increasingly known to cause clinical neurotoxic effects during fetal & child development and adulthood. Their effects on cultured SH-SY5Y cells include autophagy, cell death (apoptosis, pyroptosis, necroptosis, or necrosis), increased oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, disruption of neurotransmitter homeostasis, and alteration of neuritic length. Finally, the inherent advantages and limitations of the SH-SY5Y cell model are discussed in the context of chemical testing.
Topics: Adult; Animals; Cell Line, Tumor; Cell Survival; Child; Environmental Pollutants; Flame Retardants; Fluorocarbons; Humans; Neuroblastoma; Neurotoxicity Syndromes; Parabens; Pesticides; Polychlorinated Dibenzodioxins
PubMed: 35914637
DOI: 10.1016/j.neuro.2022.07.008 -
Human Reproduction Update Jan 2023Air pollution is both a sensory blight and a threat to human health. Inhaled environmental pollutants can be naturally occurring or human-made, and include...
BACKGROUND
Air pollution is both a sensory blight and a threat to human health. Inhaled environmental pollutants can be naturally occurring or human-made, and include traffic-related air pollution (TRAP), ozone, particulate matter (PM) and volatile organic compounds, among other substances, including those from secondhand smoking. Studies of air pollution on reproductive and endocrine systems have reported associations of TRAP, secondhand smoke (SHS), organic solvents and biomass fueled-cooking with adverse birth outcomes. While some evidence suggests that air pollution contributes to infertility, the extant literature is mixed, and varying effects of pollutants have been reported.
OBJECTIVE AND RATIONALE
Although some reviews have studied the association between common outdoor air pollutants and time to pregnancy (TTP), there are no comprehensive reviews that also include exposure to indoor inhaled pollutants, such as airborne occupational toxicants and SHS. The current systematic review summarizes the strength of evidence for associations of outdoor air pollution, SHS and indoor inhaled air pollution with couple fecundability and identifies gaps and limitations in the literature to inform policy decisions and future research.
SEARCH METHODS
We performed an electronic search of six databases for original research articles in English published since 1990 on TTP or fecundability and a number of chemicals in the context of air pollution, inhalation and aerosolization. Standardized forms for screening, data extraction and study quality were developed using DistillerSR software and completed in duplicate. We used the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale to assess risk of bias and devised additional quality metrics based on specific methodological features of both air pollution and fecundability studies.
OUTCOMES
The search returned 5200 articles, 4994 of which were excluded at the level of title and abstract screening. After full-text screening, 35 papers remained for data extraction and synthesis. An additional 3 papers were identified independently that fit criteria, and 5 papers involving multiple routes of exposure were removed, yielding 33 articles from 28 studies for analysis. There were 8 papers that examined outdoor air quality, while 6 papers examined SHS exposure and 19 papers examined indoor air quality. The results indicated an association between outdoor air pollution and reduced fecundability, including TRAP and specifically nitrogen oxides and PM with a diameter of ≤2.5 µm, as well as exposure to SHS and formaldehyde. However, exposure windows differed greatly between studies as did the method of exposure assessment. There was little evidence that exposure to volatile solvents is associated with reduced fecundability.
WIDER IMPLICATIONS
The evidence suggests that exposure to outdoor air pollutants, SHS and some occupational inhaled pollutants may reduce fecundability. Future studies of SHS should use indoor air monitors and biomarkers to improve exposure assessment. Air monitors that capture real-time exposure can provide valuable insight about the role of indoor air pollution and are helpful in assessing the short-term acute effects of pollutants on TTP.
Topics: Pregnancy; Female; Humans; Air Pollution; Air Pollutants; Tobacco Smoke Pollution; Particulate Matter; Fertility; Environmental Pollutants
PubMed: 35894871
DOI: 10.1093/humupd/dmac029 -
Current Drug Metabolism 2017The urge for the development and manufacture of new and effective antimicrobial agents is particularly demanding especially in the present scenario of emerging multiple... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
The urge for the development and manufacture of new and effective antimicrobial agents is particularly demanding especially in the present scenario of emerging multiple drug resistant microorganisms. A promising initiative would be to converge nanotechnology to develop novel strategies for antimicrobial treatment. These distinct nano scale properties confer impressive antimicrobial capabilities to nanomaterials that could be exploited. Nanotechnology particularly modulates the physicochemical properties of organic and inorganic nanoparticles, rendering them suitable for various applications related to antimicrobial therapy compared to their bulk counterparts. However, a major issue associated with such usage of nanomaterials is the safety concern on heath care system. Hence, a thorough put knowledge on biocompatible nanostructures intended for antimicrobial therapy is needed.
METHODS
A systematic review of the existing scientific literature is being attempted here which includes the properties and applications of a few nano structured materials for antimicrobial therapy and also the mechanism of action of nanomaterials as antimicrobial agents. Silver (Ag), Graphene, Quantum dots (QDs), Zinc oxide (ZnO) and chitosan nanoparticles are taken as representatives of metals, semiconductors, metal oxides and organic nanoparticles that have found several applications in antimicrobial therapy are reviewed in detail.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION
An ideal anti microbial should selectively kill or inhibit the growth of microbes but cause little or no adverse effect to the host. Each of the engineered nanomaterials reviewed here has its own advantages and disadvantages. Nanomaterials in general directly disrupt the microbial cell membrane, interact with DNA and proteins or they could indirectly initiate the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) that damage microbial cell components and viruses. Some like silver nanoparticles have broad spectrum antibacterial activity while others like cadmium containing QDs shows both antibacterial as well as antiprotozoal activity. Nano material formulations can be used directly or as surface coatings or as effective carriers for delivering antibiotics. Polycationic nature of Chitosan NPs helps in conjugation and stabilization of metallic nanoparticles which will enhance their effective usage in antimicrobial therapy.
Topics: Animals; Anti-Infective Agents; Humans; Nanoparticles; Zinc Oxide
PubMed: 28952436
DOI: 10.2174/1389200218666170925122201 -
The Science of the Total Environment Mar 2024Metals are rarely found as free ions in natural and anthropogenic environments, but they are often associated with organic matter and minerals. Under the context of... (Review)
Review
Metals are rarely found as free ions in natural and anthropogenic environments, but they are often associated with organic matter and minerals. Under the context of circular economy, metals should be recycled, yet they are difficult to extract for their complex forms in real situations. Based on the protocols of review methodology and the analysis of VOS viewer, there are few reviews on the properties of metal-organic complexes, decomplexation methods, the effect of coexisting ions, the pH influence, and metal recovery methods for the increasingly complicated metal-organic complexes wastewater. Conventional treatment methods such as flocculation, adsorption, biological degradation, and ion exchange fail to decompose metal-organic complexes completely without causing secondary pollution in wastewater. To enhance comprehension of the behavior and morphology exhibited by metal-organic complexes within aqueous solutions, we presented the molecular structure and properties of metal-organic complexes, the decomplexation mechanisms that encompassed both radical and non-radical oxidizing species, including hydroxyl radical (OH), sulfate radical (SO˙), superoxide radical (O˙), hydrogen peroxide (HO), ozone (O), and singlet oxygen (O). More importantly, we reviewed novel aspects that have not been covered by previous reviews considering the impact of operational parameters and coexisting ions. Finally, the potential avenues and challenges were proposed for future research.
PubMed: 38154646
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.169582 -
NO emission factors for organic amendments in Japan from measurement campaign and systematic review.The Science of the Total Environment Mar 2023Organic amendments are important sources of nitrous oxide (NO) emissions from agricultural soils. In 2020, the total amount of N in organic amendments applied to...
Organic amendments are important sources of nitrous oxide (NO) emissions from agricultural soils. In 2020, the total amount of N in organic amendments applied to Japanese agricultural soils (440 ktN) was larger than that of synthetic fertilizer (374 ktN). However, NO emissions from organic amendments were estimated by using the country-specific NO emission factor (EF) for synthetic fertilizer (0.31 % for rice paddy, 2.9 % for tea, and 0.62 % for other crops) in the National Greenhouse Gas Inventory Report of Japan. Thus, we conducted a NO flux measurement campaign at 12 different experimental sites across Japan to estimate fertilizer-induced NO EFs for major organic amendments in Japan, that is, poultry manure compost, swine manure compost, cattle manure compost, and organic fertilizer pellets. In addition, we conducted systematic review of NO emissions and EFs for organic amendments, including data from our measurement campaign and published data from peer-reviewed papers in Japan. The final dataset, including the field measurement campaign and published data, resulted in 404 observations (including synthetic fertilizer and zero-N control) in 29 sites. Results showed that soil type affected EFs, that is, the mean EF of Andosols was lower than that of non-Andosols, which is similar to the case of EFs for synthetic fertilizer. Mean EFs for poultry manure compost, swine manure compost, cattle manure (compost and slurry), and non-animal manure organic fertilizers were 0.83 % (uncertainty range of 2.5th and 97.5th percentile: 0.09 % to 3.46 %), 0.70 % (0.02 % to 2.45 %), 0.39 % (0.00 % to 1.62 %), and 1.16 % (0.41 % to 3.03 %), respectively, when weighted by area of soil types. The mean EF of all organic amendments was 0.84 % (0.00 % to 2.91 %), when the area of soil type and amount of organic amendment used in Japan were considered. Our study provides country-specific EFs to estimate NO emission from organic amendments in Japan.
PubMed: 36566862
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.161088 -
Environmental Research Jan 2023Volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions have attracted wide attention due to their impacts on atmospheric quality and public health. However, most studies reviewed... (Review)
Review
Volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions have attracted wide attention due to their impacts on atmospheric quality and public health. However, most studies reviewed certain aspects of natural VOCs (NVOCs) or anthropogenic VOCs (AVOCs) rather than comprehensively quantifying the hotspots and evolution trends of AVOCs and NVOCs. We combined the bibliometric method with the evolution tree and Markov chain to identify research focus and uncover the trends in VOC emission sources. This study found that research mainly focused on VOC emission characteristics, effects on air quality and health, and VOC emissions under climate change. More studies concerned on AVOCs than on NVOCs, and AVOC emissions have shifted with a decreasing proportion of transport emissions and an increasing share of solvent utilization in countries with high emissions and publications (China and the USA). Research on AVOCs is imperative to develop efficient and economical abatement techniques specific to solvent sources or BTEX species to mitigate the detrimental effects. Research on NVOCs originating from human sources risen due to their application in medicine, while studies on sources sensitive to climate change grew slowly, including plants, biomass burning, microbes, soil and oceans. Research on the long-term responses of NVOCs derived from various sources to climate warming is warranted to explore the evolution of emissions and the feedback on global climate. It is worthwhile to establish an emission inventory with all kinds of sources, accurate estimation, high spatial and temporal resolution to capture the emission trends in the synergy of industrialization and climate change as well as to simulate the effects on air quality. We review VOC emissions from both anthropogenic and natural sources under climate change and their effects on atmospheric quality and health to point out the research directions for the comprehensive control of global VOCs and mitigation of O pollution.
Topics: Humans; Volatile Organic Compounds; Air Pollutants; Ozone; Air Pollution; Solvents; China; Environmental Monitoring
PubMed: 36162470
DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2022.114386 -
Environment International May 2014Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) have been used in a wide range of agricultural and industrial commodities, resulting in vigorous deterioration of environment and... (Review)
Review
Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) have been used in a wide range of agricultural and industrial commodities, resulting in vigorous deterioration of environment and human health. A number of studies on the occurrence of POPs confirm their presence in various environmental compartments and human body. In order to deal with this global concern, India has recently prepared the National Implementation Plan (NIP) of the Stockholm Convention. Common beliefs point at India as a hot spot of POP contamination and human exposure; however no systematic analysis was ever performed so far considering all available past data on POP occurrence. This review aims to examine the distribution pattern of POPs in multicompartment environment and human samples, meta-analysis of time trends in exposure levels to environment and humans, and cross country comparison of POP contamination with China. Based on this review, it can be concluded that the Indian environment and human population are highly contaminated by DDTs and HCHs; however scarcity of data on other POPs makes it challenging to assess their nationwide human and environmental exposure. No evidence of a general decline in DDT and HCH residues in the environment and human body come out from the meta-analysis of time trend. While comparing contamination levels between India and China, tendency towards decline in POP contamination is visible in China, unlike India.
Topics: Animals; Aquatic Organisms; Environmental Exposure; Environmental Monitoring; Environmental Pollutants; Geologic Sediments; Humans; India; Organic Chemicals; Water
PubMed: 24525153
DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2014.01.022 -
The Science of the Total Environment Nov 2021The persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are environmentally stable and highly toxic chemicals that accumulate in living adipose tissue and have a very destructive... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
The persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are environmentally stable and highly toxic chemicals that accumulate in living adipose tissue and have a very destructive effect on aquatic ecosystems. To analyze the evolution of the concentration and prevalence of POPs such as α-HCH, β-HCH, γ-HCH, ∑-HCH, Heptachlor, Aldrin, p,p'-DDE, p,p'-DDT, ∑-DDT, and ∑-OCP in water resources, a search between January 01, 1970, to February 10, 2020, was followed using a systematic review and meta-analysis prevalence. Among the 2306 explored articles in the reconnaissance step, 311 articles with 5315 exemplars, 56 countries, and 4 types of water were included in the meta-analysis study. Among all studied POPs, the concentration of p,p'-DDT in water resources was the highest, especially in drinking water resources. The overall rank order based on the concentration and prevalence of POPs were surface water > drinking water > seawater > groundwater. To identify POPs-contaminated areas, the distance from the mean relative to their distribution was considered. The most to the least polluted areas included: South Africa, India, Turkey, Pakistan, Canada, Hong Kong, and China. The highest carcinogenic risk was observed for β-HCH (Turkey and China), followed by α-HCH (Mexico). The highest non-carcinogenic risk was identified for Aldrin (all analyzed countries), followed by Dieldrin (Turkey) and γ-HCH (Mexico). The Monte Carlo analysis (under the assumption that γ-HCH has a normal distribution), the mean obtained was 8.22E-07 for children and 3.83E-07 for adults. This is in accordance with the standard risk assessment approach. In terms of percentiles, the Monte-Carlo approach indicates that 75% of child population is under the 1.07E-06 risk and 95% of adults under 7.35E-06.
Topics: Adult; Child; DDT; Ecosystem; Environmental Monitoring; Humans; Hydrocarbons, Chlorinated; Persistent Organic Pollutants; Risk Assessment; Water
PubMed: 34273825
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.149000 -
RSC Advances Sep 20212,3-Dichloro-5,6-dicyano-1,4-benzoquinone (DDQ) is the most widely used quinone with a high reduction potential, and it commonly mediates hydride transfer reactions and... (Review)
Review
2,3-Dichloro-5,6-dicyano-1,4-benzoquinone (DDQ) is the most widely used quinone with a high reduction potential, and it commonly mediates hydride transfer reactions and shows three accessible oxidation states: quinone (oxidized), semiquinone (one-electron-reduced), and hydroquinone (two-electron-reduced). DDQ has found broad utility as a stoichiometric oxidant in the functionalization of activated C-H bonds and the dehydrogenation of saturated C-C, C-O, and C-N bonds. The cost and toxicity of DDQ triggered recent efforts to develop methods that employ catalytic quantities of DDQ in combination with alternative stoichiometric oxidants. The aerobic catalytic approach was established for the selective oxidation of non-sterically hindered electron-rich benzyl methyl ethers and benzylic alcohols, and effectively extended to the oxidative deprotection of -methoxybenzyl ethers to generate the alcohols in high selectivity. A combination of DDQ and protic acid is known to oxidize several aromatic donors to the corresponding cation radicals. The excited-state DDQ converts benzyls, heteroarenes, fluoroarenes, benzene, and olefins into their radical cation forms as well as chloride and other anions into their respective radicals. These reactive intermediates have been employed for the generation of C-C and C-X (N, O, or Cl) bonds in the synthesis of valuable natural products and organic compounds. To the best of our knowledge, however, there is still no review article exclusively describing the applications of DDQ in organic synthesis. Therefore, in the present review, we provide an overview of DDQ-induced organic transformations with their scope, limitations and the proposed reaction mechanisms.
PubMed: 35479576
DOI: 10.1039/d1ra04575j