Download or read book Measuring the Effects of Air Pollution Among Persons with Severe Emphysema written by Mbabazi M. Kariisa and published by . This book was released on 2013 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Abstract: Background: Emphysema is a chronic obstructive pulmonary disease that affects approximately 5 million people in the US. For subjects with severe emphysema, few effective treatment options exist; however, the recent adoption of lung volume reduction surgery (LVRS) is considered as a promising alternative to traditional therapy. The National Emphysema Treatment Trial (NETT) was a randomized controlled trial designed to assess the efficacy of LVRS and medical therapy versus standard medical management among participants with severe emphysema. Results from the trial demonstrated less morbidity and mortality among participants receiving LVRS. We evaluated the effects of air pollution on the health of NETT participants. Methods: Data from the NETT study (1998-2003) included 1218 subjects, men and women ages 39-84. We also obtained data from the US Environmental Protection Agency Air Quality Systems database, which included daily values of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and ozone. ZIP code specific exposures were spatially interpolated with the use of log-normal kriged models. This methodology was employed in order to assign exposures in areas with few nearby air pollution monitors. We investigated whether there was evidence of differential air pollution exposure by individual and area-level measures of socioeconomic status (SES). We assessed both the short- and long-term health effects of air pollution on the respiratory morbidity of NETT participants using mixed linear and Poisson models, which accounted for the daily (repeated) measures of air pollution data. In addition, we constructed survival models to investigate the impact of air pollutant exposures on post-LVRS mortality. Results: NETT participants experienced varying levels of exposure to ozone and PM2.5 and increasing cumulative pollutant exposures were associated with decreasing values of area-level SES. We found that PM2.5 and ozone significantly worsened respiratory function in these subjects. There also appeared to be evidence of a differential effect of ambient air pollutants on pulmonary function and respiratory symptoms according to their randomization arm. Mean ozone concentrations were significantly associated with increased post-LVRS mortality risk. The benefits reported for participants who received LVRS surgery did not persist in the presence of ambient air pollutants, suggesting that the surgery may not have conferred a protective survival effect for those participants who underwent the procedure. Conclusion: There were significant adverse impacts of ambient ozone and PM2.5 on the respiratory health and survival of NETT participants. LVRS subjects were more likely to experience worsened air pollution-related lung function outcomes. Implications from our analyses could lead to the recommendation of lowered acceptable PM2.5 and ozone limits for individuals with existing respiratory disease.
Download or read book Traffic Related Air Pollution written by Haneen Khreis and published by Elsevier. This book was released on 2020-08-20 with total page 650 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Traffic-Related Air Pollution synthesizes and maps TRAP and its impact on human health at the individual and population level. The book analyzes mitigating standards and regulations with a focus on cities. It provides the methods and tools for assessing and quantifying the associated road traffic emissions, air pollution, exposure and population-based health impacts, while also illuminating the mechanisms underlying health impacts through clinical and toxicological research. Real-world implications are set alongside policy options, emerging technologies and best practices. Finally, the book recommends ways to influence discourse and policy to better account for the health impacts of TRAP and its societal costs. Overviews existing and emerging tools to assess TRAP’s public health impacts Examines TRAP’s health effects at the population level Explores the latest technologies and policies--alongside their potential effectiveness and adverse consequences--for mitigating TRAP Guides on how methods and tools can leverage teaching, practice and policymaking to ameliorate TRAP and its effects
Download or read book WHO Guidelines for Indoor Air Quality written by and published by World Health Organization. This book was released on 2010 with total page 488 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book presents WHO guidelines for the protection of public health from risks due to a number of chemicals commonly present in indoor air. The substances considered in this review, i.e. benzene, carbon monoxide, formaldehyde, naphthalene, nitrogen dioxide, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (especially benzo[a]pyrene), radon, trichloroethylene and tetrachloroethylene, have indoor sources, are known in respect of their hazardousness to health and are often found indoors in concentrations of health concern. The guidelines are targeted at public health professionals involved in preventing health risks of environmental exposures, as well as specialists and authorities involved in the design and use of buildings, indoor materials and products. They provide a scientific basis for legally enforceable standards.
Download or read book Measuring the Short Term Effect of Ambient Air Pollution on Acute Health Service Use in Ontarians Living with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease written by Richard George Foty and published by . This book was released on 2017 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Short-term air pollution exposure has been associated with increased morbidity, especially amongst vulnerable populations like those with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). The Air Quality Health Index (AQHI) is an aggregate measure of overall ambient air pollution. It was designed to communicate to the public in an understandable way air quality levels, associated health risks, and strategies to reduce exposure. Its formulation was based on relative mortality and little is known about the association between the AQHI and morbidity amongst individuals with COPD. The objective of my dissertation is to determine the association between ambient air pollution and acute health service use (HSU - hospitalization and emergency department [ED] visits) amongst individuals with COPD. My first original research study determined the perception and knowledge of individuals with COPD, regarding air pollution health risks, assessment, and exposure reduction strategies. The second quantified the association between the AQHI and acute HSU, and the final study examined whether temperature modifies this association. While Canadians with COPD believed that air pollution affects health, their level of knowledge regarding air quality assessment, health risks, and strategies to reduce exposure was lacking. The AQHI was associated with increased risk of acute HSU for non-accidental, COPD and cardiovascular (CVD) causes. A statistically significant association between the AQHI and CVD hospitalization was observed at all temperatures, whereas the association with COPD hospitalization was only significant at higher temperatures. Results also suggested individuals with prior history of hospitalization for COPD, lower respiratory tract infection, or acute myocardial infarction may be more vulnerable. These findings provide important insights for policy and public health strategy. Reducing the negative health effects of air pollution amongst individuals with COPD requires patient and health care provider education, real-time dissemination of air quality levels regardless of temperature, and specific recommendations on how to reduce exposure.
Download or read book How Tobacco Smoke Causes Disease written by United States. Public Health Service. Office of the Surgeon General and published by . This book was released on 2010 with total page 728 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This report considers the biological and behavioral mechanisms that may underlie the pathogenicity of tobacco smoke. Many Surgeon General's reports have considered research findings on mechanisms in assessing the biological plausibility of associations observed in epidemiologic studies. Mechanisms of disease are important because they may provide plausibility, which is one of the guideline criteria for assessing evidence on causation. This report specifically reviews the evidence on the potential mechanisms by which smoking causes diseases and considers whether a mechanism is likely to be operative in the production of human disease by tobacco smoke. This evidence is relevant to understanding how smoking causes disease, to identifying those who may be particularly susceptible, and to assessing the potential risks of tobacco products.
Download or read book Air Pollution the Automobile and Public Health written by Sponsored by The Health Effects Institute and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 1988-01-01 with total page 703 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "The combination of scientific and institutional integrity represented by this book is unusual. It should be a model for future endeavors to help quantify environmental risk as a basis for good decisionmaking." â€"William D. Ruckelshaus, from the foreword. This volume, prepared under the auspices of the Health Effects Institute, an independent research organization created and funded jointly by the Environmental Protection Agency and the automobile industry, brings together experts on atmospheric exposure and on the biological effects of toxic substances to examine what is knownâ€"and not knownâ€"about the human health risks of automotive emissions.
Download or read book Waste Incineration and Public Health written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2000-10-21 with total page 336 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Incineration has been used widely for waste disposal, including household, hazardous, and medical wasteâ€"but there is increasing public concern over the benefits of combusting the waste versus the health risk from pollutants emitted during combustion. Waste Incineration and Public Health informs the emerging debate with the most up-to-date information available on incineration, pollution, and human healthâ€"along with expert conclusions and recommendations for further research and improvement of such areas as risk communication. The committee provides details on: Processes involved in incineration and how contaminants are released. Environmental dynamics of contaminants and routes of human exposure. Tools and approaches for assessing possible human health effects. Scientific concerns pertinent to future regulatory actions. The book also examines some of the social, psychological, and economic factors that affect the communities where incineration takes place and addresses the problem of uncertainty and variation in predicting the health effects of incineration processes.
Download or read book Respiratory Epidemiology written by Isabella Annesi-Maesano and published by European Respiratory Society. This book was released on 2014-09-01 with total page 308 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Over the last decade, the volume of research into the pathophysiology and genetics of pulmonary diseases has increased greatly. This has led to the development of new treatments and therapies for many diseases, including lung cancer, asthma and cystic fibrosis. This issue of the ERS Monograph comprehensively demonstrates the developments in respiratory medicine in recent years. It outlines the importance of epidemiology in respiratory medicine, and will prove a methodological tool that will help disease management. It should also be used as an advocacy tool for the sake of public health.
Download or read book A Nationwide Framework for Surveillance of Cardiovascular and Chronic Lung Diseases written by Institute of Medicine and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2011-08-26 with total page 200 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Chronic diseases are common and costly, yet they are also among the most preventable health problems. Comprehensive and accurate disease surveillance systems are needed to implement successful efforts which will reduce the burden of chronic diseases on the U.S. population. A number of sources of surveillance data-including population surveys, cohort studies, disease registries, administrative health data, and vital statistics-contribute critical information about chronic disease. But no central surveillance system provides the information needed to analyze how chronic disease impacts the U.S. population, to identify public health priorities, or to track the progress of preventive efforts. A Nationwide Framework for Surveillance of Cardiovascular and Chronic Lung Diseases outlines a conceptual framework for building a national chronic disease surveillance system focused primarily on cardiovascular and chronic lung diseases. This system should be capable of providing data on disparities in incidence and prevalence of the diseases by race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and geographic region, along with data on disease risk factors, clinical care delivery, and functional health outcomes. This coordinated surveillance system is needed to integrate and expand existing information across the multiple levels of decision making in order to generate actionable, timely knowledge for a range of stakeholders at the local, state or regional, and national levels. The recommendations presented in A Nationwide Framework for Surveillance of Cardiovascular and Chronic Lung Diseases focus on data collection, resource allocation, monitoring activities, and implementation. The report also recommends that systems evolve along with new knowledge about emerging risk factors, advancing technologies, and new understanding of the basis for disease. This report will inform decision-making among federal health agencies, especially the Department of Health and Human Services; public health and clinical practitioners; non-governmental organizations; and policy makers, among others.
Download or read book Air Pollution Exposure Studies in Smokers and People with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease written by WS. Linn and published by . This book was released on 1985 with total page 8 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: People with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are often thought to be especially at risk from air pollution and thus are prime candidates for clinical exposure studies. However, scientific, ethical, legal, and practical problems must be faced in studying individuals with COPD. To deal with these problems, the following priorities of concern are suggested: (1) the safety and welfare of subjects, (2) scientific rigor of the experiment, (3) relevance of the experimental results to "real-world" health concerns, that is, to air quality regulatory decisions, and (4) improved general understanding of physiology or toxicology. Smoking often complicates interpretation of the results of clinical exposure studies; in many cases, smokers should be excluded to maximize scientific rigor. However, smokers may be viewed as a group with early or mild COPD: most have at least slight chronic bronchitis. Thus, in some investigations, smokers might be appropriate surrogates for diseased population groups. Care should be taken to distinguish between the effects of the experimental pollutant and the effects of recent smoking on smokers' experimental responses. Only a few of many potential ambient-air hazards have been investigated in people with COPD; no clear differences in responses from healthy people have been found. Only a few studies have attempted rigorous comparisons between smoking and nonsmoking subjects, either healthy or with lung disease. Their results have been inconclusive.
Download or read book WHO global air quality guidelines written by Weltgesundheitsorganisation and published by World Health Organization. This book was released on 2021-09-07 with total page 300 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The main objective of these updated global guidelines is to offer health-based air quality guideline levels, expressed as long-term or short-term concentrations for six key air pollutants: PM2.5, PM10, ozone, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide and carbon monoxide. In addition, the guidelines provide interim targets to guide reduction efforts of these pollutants, as well as good practice statements for the management of certain types of PM (i.e., black carbon/elemental carbon, ultrafine particles, particles originating from sand and duststorms). These guidelines are not legally binding standards; however, they provide WHO Member States with an evidence-informed tool, which they can use to inform legislation and policy. Ultimately, the goal of these guidelines is to help reduce levels of air pollutants in order to decrease the enormous health burden resulting from the exposure to air pollution worldwide.
Download or read book Health of People Health of Planet and Our Responsibility written by Wael Al-Delaimy and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2020-05-13 with total page 417 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This open access book not only describes the challenges of climate disruption, but also presents solutions. The challenges described include air pollution, climate change, extreme weather, and related health impacts that range from heat stress, vector-borne diseases, food and water insecurity and chronic diseases to malnutrition and mental well-being. The influence of humans on climate change has been established through extensive published evidence and reports. However, the connections between climate change, the health of the planet and the impact on human health have not received the same level of attention. Therefore, the global focus on the public health impacts of climate change is a relatively recent area of interest. This focus is timely since scientists have concluded that changes in climate have led to new weather extremes such as floods, storms, heat waves, droughts and fires, in turn leading to more than 600,000 deaths and the displacement of nearly 4 billion people in the last 20 years. Previous work on the health impacts of climate change was limited mostly to epidemiologic approaches and outcomes and focused less on multidisciplinary, multi-faceted collaborations between physical scientists, public health researchers and policy makers. Further, there was little attention paid to faith-based and ethical approaches to the problem. The solutions and actions we explore in this book engage diverse sectors of civil society, faith leadership, and political leadership, all oriented by ethics, advocacy, and policy with a special focus on poor and vulnerable populations. The book highlights areas we think will resonate broadly with the public, faith leaders, researchers and students across disciplines including the humanities, and policy makers.
Download or read book The Inside Story written by and published by . This book was released on 1993 with total page 40 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Damp Indoor Spaces and Health written by Institute of Medicine and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2004-10-01 with total page 369 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Almost all homes, apartments, and commercial buildings will experience leaks, flooding, or other forms of excessive indoor dampness at some point. Not only is excessive dampness a health problem by itself, it also contributes to several other potentially problematic types of situations. Molds and other microbial agents favor damp indoor environments, and excess moisture may initiate the release of chemical emissions from damaged building materials and furnishings. This new book from the Institute of Medicine examines the health impact of exposures resulting from damp indoor environments and offers recommendations for public health interventions. Damp Indoor Spaces and Health covers a broad range of topics. The book not only examines the relationship between damp or moldy indoor environments and adverse health outcomes but also discusses how and where buildings get wet, how dampness influences microbial growth and chemical emissions, ways to prevent and remediate dampness, and elements of a public health response to the issues. A comprehensive literature review finds sufficient evidence of an association between damp indoor environments and some upper respiratory tract symptoms, coughing, wheezing, and asthma symptoms in sensitized persons. This important book will be of interest to a wide-ranging audience of science, health, engineering, and building professionals, government officials, and members of the public.
Download or read book The Impact of Air Pollution on Health Economy Environment and Agricultural Sources written by Mohamed Khallaf and published by BoD – Books on Demand. This book was released on 2011-09-26 with total page 459 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book aims to strengthen the knowledge base dealing with Air Pollution. The book consists of 21 chapters dealing with Air Pollution and its effects in the fields of Health, Environment, Economy and Agricultural Sources. It is divided into four sections. The first one deals with effect of air pollution on health and human body organs. The second section includes the Impact of air pollution on plants and agricultural sources and methods of resistance. The third section includes environmental changes, geographic and climatic conditions due to air pollution. The fourth section includes case studies concerning of the impact of air pollution in the economy and development goals, such as, indoor air pollution in México, indoor air pollution and millennium development goals in Bangladesh, epidemiologic and economic impact of natural gas on indoor air pollution in Colombia and economic growth and air pollution in Iran during development programs. In this book the authors explain the definition of air pollution, the most important pollutants and their different sources and effects on humans and various fields of life. The authors offer different solutions to the problems resulting from air pollution.
Download or read book Global Surveillance Prevention and Control of Chronic Respiratory Diseases written by World Health Organization and published by World Health Organization. This book was released on 2007 with total page 156 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Chronic respiratory diseases, such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, kill more than 4 million people every year, and affect hundreds of millions more. These diseases erode the health and well-being of the patients and have a negative impact on families and societies. This report raises awareness of the huge impact of chronic respiratory diseases worldwide, and highlights the risk factors as well as ways to prevent and treat these diseases.
Download or read book Dyspnea written by Donald A. Mahler and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2014-01-20 with total page 256 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: With the high prevalence of chronic pulmonary diseases, including asthma, COPD, and interstitial lung disease, physicians need to recognize the cause of dyspnea and know how to treat it so that patients can cope effectively with this distressing symptom. Detailing recent developments and treatment methods, this revised and updated third edition of
