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Scientific Reports Jun 2024Air pollution is a serious environmental health concern for humans and other living organisms. This study analyzes the spatial and temporal characteristics of air...
Air pollution is a serious environmental health concern for humans and other living organisms. This study analyzes the spatial and temporal characteristics of air pollutant concentrations, changes in the degree of pollution, and the wavelet coherence of the air quality index (AQI) with pollutants in various monitoring stations. The analysis is based on long-term time series data (January 2016 to December 2023) of air pollutants (PM, PM and O) from Korla, an oasis city in the northeastern part of the Tarim Basin, China. The concentrations of PM, PM and O in Korla showed a cyclical trend from 2016 to 2023; PM concentrations exhibited all-season exceedance and PM exhibited exceedance only in spring. PM and PM showed a seasonal distribution of spring > winter > fall > summer; O concentrations showed a seasonal distribution of summer > spring > fall > winter. Strong positive wavelet coherence between PM and Air Quality Index (AQI) data series suggests that the AQI data series can effectively characterize fluctuating trends in PM concentrations. Moreover, PM levels IV and VI were maintained at approximately 10%, indicating that sand and dust have a substantial influence on air quality and pose potential threats to the health of urban inhabitants. Based on the results of this study, future efforts must strengthen relative countermeasures for sand prevention and control, select urban greening species with anti-pollution capabilities, rationally expand urban green spaces, and restrict regulations for reducing particulate matter emissions within city areas.
PubMed: 38839810
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-63856-5 -
Frontiers in Microbiology 2024Nitrous oxide (NO) is a potent greenhouse gas and a major cause of ozone depletion. One-third of atmospheric NO originates in aquatic environments. Reduction of NO to...
Nitrous oxide (NO) is a potent greenhouse gas and a major cause of ozone depletion. One-third of atmospheric NO originates in aquatic environments. Reduction of NO to dinitrogen gas (N) requires the nitrous oxide reductase enzyme, which is encoded by the gene . Organisms that contain are the only known biological sinks of NO and are found in diverse genera and a wide range of environments. The two clades of (Clade I and II) contain great diversity, making it challenging to study the population structure and distribution of containing organisms in the environment. A database of over 11,000 sequences was compiled from NCBI (representing diverse aquatic environments) and unpublished sequences and metagenomes (primarily from oxygen minimum zones, OMZs, where NO levels are often elevated). Sequences were clustered into archetypes based on DNA and amino acid sequence identity and their clade, phylogeny, and environmental source were determined. Further analysis of the source and environmental distribution of the sequences showed strong habitat separation between clades and phylogeny. Although there are more Clade I genes in the compilation, Clade II is more diverse phylogenetically and has a wider distribution across environmental sources. On the other hand, Clade I genes are predominately found within marine sediment and are primarily from the phylum Pseudonomonadota. The majority of the sequences analyzed from marine OMZs represented distinct phylotypes between different OMZs showing that the gene displays regional and environmental separation. This study expands the known diversity of genes and provides a clearer picture of how the clades and phylogeny of organisms are distributed across diverse environments.
PubMed: 38835481
DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2024.1407573 -
Heliyon Jun 2024Oxide-free surfaces of polycrystalline Cu are prepared using acetic acid etching after chemical-mechanical polishing. UV ozone treatment is shown to increase the work...
Oxide-free surfaces of polycrystalline Cu are prepared using acetic acid etching after chemical-mechanical polishing. UV ozone treatment is shown to increase the work function of the cleaned Cu by up to 0.5 eV. There is also a large reduction in quantum efficiency at 265 nm. Cu sheet can be easily masked from ozone exposure by Si or glass, meaning that selected-area oxi-dation is possible. Oxygen plasma treatment has a similar effect to the UV ozone but is more difficult to mask. There is no increase in surface roughness after oxidation, meaning that the larger work function could significantly re-duce dark current in accelerator photocathodes without affecting the desired photoemission region.
PubMed: 38832278
DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e31461 -
Frontiers in Chemistry 2024IoT-based Sensors networks play a pivotal role in improving air quality monitoring in the Middle East. They provide real-time data, enabling precise tracking of... (Review)
Review
IoT-based Sensors networks play a pivotal role in improving air quality monitoring in the Middle East. They provide real-time data, enabling precise tracking of pollution trends, informed decision-making, and increased public awareness. Air quality and dust pollution in the Middle East region may leads to various health issues, particularly among vulnerable populations. IoT-based Sensors networks help mitigate health risks by offering timely and accurate air quality data. Air pollution affects not only human health but also the region's ecosystems and contributes to climate change. The economic implications of deteriorated air quality include healthcare costs and decreased productivity, underscore the need for effective monitoring and mitigation. IoT-based data can guide policymakers to align with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) related to health, clean water, and climate action. The conventional monitor based standard air quality instruments provide limited spatial coverage so there is strong need to continue research integrated with low-cost sensor technologies to make air quality monitoring more accessible, even in resource-constrained regions. IoT-based Sensors networks monitoring helps in understanding these environmental impacts. Among these IoT-based Sensors networks, sensors are of vital importance. With the evolution of sensors technologies, different types of sensors materials are available. Among this carbon based sensors are widely used for air quality monitoring. Carbon nanomaterial-based sensors (CNS) and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) as adsorbents exhibit unique capabilities in the measurement of air pollutants. These sensors are used to detect gaseous pollutants that includes oxides of nitrogen and Sulphur, and ozone, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). This study provides comprehensive review of integration of carbon nanomaterials based sensors in IoT based network for better air quality monitoring and exploring the potential of machine learning and artificial intelligence for advanced data analysis, pollution source identification, integration of satellite and ground-based networks and future forecasting to design effective mitigation strategies. By prioritizing these recommendations, the Middle East and other regions, can further leverage IoT-based systems to improve air quality monitoring, safeguard public health, protect the environment, and contribute to sustainable development in the region.
PubMed: 38831915
DOI: 10.3389/fchem.2024.1391409 -
Nature Medicine Jun 2024Ground-level ozone (O) is a harmful air pollutant formed in the atmosphere by the interaction between sunlight and precursor gases. Exposure to current O levels in...
Ground-level ozone (O) is a harmful air pollutant formed in the atmosphere by the interaction between sunlight and precursor gases. Exposure to current O levels in Europe is a major source of premature mortality from air pollution. However, mitigation actions have been mainly designed and implemented at the national and regional scales, lacking a comprehensive assessment of the geographic sources of O pollution and its associated health impacts. Here we quantify both national and imported contributions to O and their related mortality burden across 813 contiguous regions in 35 European countries, representing about 530 million people. Imported O contributed to 88.3% of all O-attributable deaths (intercountry range 83-100%). The greatest share of imported O had its origins outside the study domain (that is, hemispheric sources), which was responsible for 56.7% of total O-attributable mortality (range 42.5-87.2%). It was concluded that achieving the air-quality guidelines set out by the World Health Organization and avoiding the health impacts of O require not only the implementation of national or coordinated pan-European actions but also global strategies.
Topics: Ozone; Europe; Humans; Air Pollution; Air Pollutants; Environmental Exposure; Mortality, Premature; Mortality
PubMed: 38830993
DOI: 10.1038/s41591-024-02976-x -
Environmental Health Perspectives Jun 2024While limited studies have evaluated the health impacts of thunderstorms and power outages (POs) separately, few have assessed their joint effects. We aimed to...
BACKGROUND
While limited studies have evaluated the health impacts of thunderstorms and power outages (POs) separately, few have assessed their joint effects. We aimed to investigate the individual and joint effects of both thunderstorms and POs on respiratory diseases, to identify disparities by demographics, and to examine the modifications and mediations by meteorological factors and air pollution.
METHODS
Distributed lag nonlinear models were used to examine exposures during three periods (i.e., days with both thunderstorms and POs, thunderstorms only, and POs only) in relation to emergency department visits for respiratory diseases (2005-2018) compared to controls (no thunderstorm/no PO) in New York State (NYS) while controlling for confounders. Interactions between thunderstorms and weather factors or air pollutants on health were assessed. The disparities by demographics and seasons and the mediative effects by particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter () and relative humidity (RH) were also evaluated.
RESULTS
Thunderstorms and POs were independently associated with total and six subtypes of respiratory diseases in NYS [highest risk ratio (RR) = 1.12; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.08, 1.17], but the impact was stronger when they co-occurred (highest RR = 1.44; 95% CI: 1.22, 1.70), especially during grass weed, ragweed, and tree pollen seasons. The stronger thunderstorm/PO joint effects were observed on chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases, bronchitis, and asthma (lasted 0-10 d) and were higher among residents who lived in rural areas, were uninsured, were of Hispanic ethnicity, were 6-17 or over 65 years old, and during spring and summer. The number of comorbidities was significantly higher by 0.299-0.782/case. Extreme cold/heat, high RH, , and ozone concentrations significantly modified the thunderstorm-health effect on both multiplicative and additive scales. Over 35% of the thunderstorm effects were mediated by and RH.
CONCLUSION
Thunderstorms accompanied by POs showed the strongest respiratory effects. There were large disparities in thunderstorm-health associations by demographics. Meteorological factors and air pollution levels modified and mediated the thunderstorm-health effects. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP13237.
Topics: Humans; New York; Weather; Air Pollutants; Emergency Service, Hospital; Particulate Matter; Air Pollution; Respiratory Tract Diseases; Male; Female; Environmental Exposure; Middle Aged; Adult; Aged; Adolescent; Child; Young Adult; Seasons
PubMed: 38829734
DOI: 10.1289/EHP13237 -
Atmospheric Environment (Oxford,... Feb 2024Numerous studies have used air quality models to estimate pollutant concentrations in the Metropolitan Area of São Paulo (MASP) by using different inputs and...
Numerous studies have used air quality models to estimate pollutant concentrations in the Metropolitan Area of São Paulo (MASP) by using different inputs and assumptions. Our objectives are to summarize these studies, compare their performance, configurations, and inputs, and recommend areas of further research. We examined 29 air quality modeling studies that focused on ozone (O) and fine particulate matter (PM) performed over the MASP, published from 2001 to 2023. The California Institute of Technology airshed model (CIT) was the most used offline model, while the Weather Research and Forecasting model coupled with Chemistry (WRF-Chem) was the most used online model. Because the main source of air pollution in the MASP is the vehicular fleet, it is commonly used as the only anthropogenic input emissions. Simulation periods were typically the end of winter and during spring, seasons with higher O and PM concentrations. Model performance for hourly ozone is good with half of the studies with Pearson correlation above 0.6 and root mean square error (RMSE) ranging from 7.7 to 27.1 ppb. Fewer studies modeled PM and their performance is not as good as ozone estimates. Lack of information on emission sources, pollutant measurements, and urban meteorology parameters is the main limitation to perform air quality modeling. Nevertheless, researchers have used measurement campaign data to update emission factors, estimate temporal emission profiles, and estimate volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and aerosol speciation. They also tested different emission spatial disaggregation approaches and transitioned to global meteorological reanalysis with a higher spatial resolution. Areas of research to explore are further evaluation of models' physics and chemical configurations, the impact of climate change on air quality, the use of satellite data, data assimilation techniques, and using model results in health impact studies. This work provides an overview of advancements in air quality modeling within the MASP and offers practical approaches for modeling air quality in other South American cities with limited data, particularly those heavily impacted by vehicle emissions.
PubMed: 38827432
DOI: 10.1016/j.atmosenv.2023.120301 -
Environmental Research May 2024Prolonged exposure to air pollution has been linked to adverse respiratory health, yet the evidence concerning its association with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease...
BACKGROUND
Prolonged exposure to air pollution has been linked to adverse respiratory health, yet the evidence concerning its association with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is inconsistent. The evidence of a greenness effect on chronic respiratory diseases is limited.
OBJECTIVE
This study aimed to investigate the association between long-term exposure to particulate matter (PM and PM), black carbon (BC), nitrogen dioxide (NO), ozone (O) and greenness (as measured by the normalized difference vegetation index - NDVI) and incidence of self-reported chronic bronchitis or COPD (CB/COPD).
METHODS
We analyzed data from 5355 adults from 7 centers participating in the Respiratory Health in Northern Europe (RHINE) study. Mean exposures to air pollution and greenness were assessed at available residential addresses in 1990, 2000 and 2010 using air dispersion models and satellite data, respectively. Poisson regression with log person-time as an offset was employed to analyze the association between air pollution, greenness, and CB/COPD incidence, adjusting for confounders.
RESULTS
Overall, there were 328 incident cases of CB/COPD during 2010-2023. Despite wide statistical uncertainty, we found a trend for a positive association between NO exposure and CB/COPD incidence, with incidence rate ratios (IRRs) per 10 μg/m³ difference ranging between 1.13 (95% CI: 0.90-1.41) in 1990 and 1.18 (95% CI: 0.96-1.45) in 2000. O showed a tendency for inverse association with CB/COPD incidence (IRR from 0.84 (95% CI: 0.66-1.07) in 2000 to 0.88 (95% CI: 0.69-1.14) in 2010. No consistent association was found between PM, BC and greenness with CB/COPD incidence across different exposure time windows.
CONCLUSION
Consistent with prior research, our study suggests that individuals exposed to higher concentrations of NO may face an elevated risk of developing COPD, although evidence remains inconclusive. Greenness was not associated with CB/COPD incidence, while O showed a tendency for an inverse association with the outcome.
PubMed: 38821462
DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2024.119240 -
The Lancet. Oncology Jun 2024The health-care industry is a substantial contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions, yet the specific environmental impact of radiotherapy, a cornerstone of cancer...
BACKGROUND
The health-care industry is a substantial contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions, yet the specific environmental impact of radiotherapy, a cornerstone of cancer treatment, remains under-explored. We aimed to quantify the emissions associated with the delivery of radiotherapy in the USA and propose a framework for reducing the environmental impact of oncology care.
METHODS
In this multi-institutional retrospective analysis and simulation study, we conducted a lifecycle assessment of external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) for ten anatomical disease sites, adhering to the International Organization for Standardization's standards ISO 14040 and ISO 14044. We analysed retrospective data from Jan 1, 2017, to Oct 1, 2023, encompassing patient and staff travel, medical supplies, and equipment and building energy use associated with the use of EBRT at four academic institutions in the USA. The primary objective was to measure the environmental impacts across ten categories: greenhouse gases (expressed as kg of carbon dioxide equivalents [COe]), ozone depletion, smog formation, acidification, eutrophication, carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic potential, respiratory effects, fossil fuel depletion, and ecotoxicity. Human health effects secondary to these environmental impacts were also estimated as disability-adjusted life years. We also assessed the potential benefits of hypofractionated regimens for breast and genitourinary (ie, prostate and bladder) cancers on US greenhouse gas emissions using an analytic model based on the 2014 US National Cancer Database for fractionation patterns and patient commute distances.
FINDINGS
We estimated that the mean greenhouse gas emissions associated with a standard 25-fraction EBRT course were 4310 kg COe (SD 2910), which corresponded to 0·0035 disability-adjusted life years per treatment course. Transit and building energy usage accounted for 25·73% (1110 kg COe) and 73·95% of (3190 kg COe) of total greenhouse gas emissions, respectively, whereas supplies contributed only 0·32% (14 kg COe). Across the other environmental impact categories, most of the environmental impact also stemmed from patient transit and energy use within facilities, with little environmental impact contributed by supplies used. Hypofractionated treatment simulations suggested a substantial reduction in greenhouse gas emissions-by up to 42% for breast and 77% for genitourinary cancer-and environmental impacts more broadly.
INTERPRETATION
This comprehensive lifecycle assessment of EBRT delineates the environmental and secondary health impacts of radiotherapy, and underscores the urgent need for sustainable practices in oncology. The findings serve as a reference for future decarbonisation efforts in cancer care and show the potential environmental benefits of modifying treatment protocols (when clinical equipoise exists). They also highlight strategic opportunities to mitigate the ecological footprint in an era of escalating climate change and increasing cancer prevalence.
FUNDING
Mount Zion Health Fund.
Topics: Humans; Retrospective Studies; Neoplasms; United States; Greenhouse Gases; Radiotherapy; Environment; Computer Simulation
PubMed: 38821084
DOI: 10.1016/S1470-2045(24)00148-7 -
PloS One 2024Based on the background of urbanization in China, we used the dynamic spatial panel Durbin model to study the driving mechanism of ozone pollution empirically. We also...
Based on the background of urbanization in China, we used the dynamic spatial panel Durbin model to study the driving mechanism of ozone pollution empirically. We also analyzed the spatial distribution of ozone driving factors using the GTWR. The results show that: i) The average annual increase of ozone concentration in ambient air in China from 2015 to 2019 was 1.68μg/m3, and 8.39μg/m3 elevated the year 2019 compared with 2015. ii) The Moran's I value of ozone in ambient air was 0.027 in 2015 and 0.209 in 2019, showing the spatial distribution characteristics of "east heavy and west light" and "south low and north high". iii) Per capita GDP industrial structure, population density, land expansion, and urbanization rate have significant spillover effects on ozone concentration, and the regional spillover effect is greater than the local effect. R&D intensity and education level have a significant negative impact on ozone concentration. iv) There is a decreasing trend in the inhibitory effect of educational attainment and R&D intensity on ozone concentration, and an increasing trend in the promotional effect of population urbanization rate, land expansion, and economic development on ozone concentration. Empirical results suggest a twofold policy meaning: i) to explore the causes behind the distribution of ozone from the new perspective of urbanization, and to further the atmospheric environmental protection system and ii) to eliminate the adverse impacts of ozone pollution on nature and harmonious social development.
Topics: Ozone; Urbanization; China; Air Pollutants; Air Pollution; Humans; Spatio-Temporal Analysis; Environmental Monitoring
PubMed: 38820439
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0300185