Search PubMed⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search PubMed

Results for “Pollution”

Search indexed PubMed citations on genomics, clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health. Explore titles, authors and supplied subject terms, then open the PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 775 records · Page 43Linked to original sources
PubMed2001

[Air pollution and myocardial infarction. Strasbourg France, 1984-89].

BACKGROUND: Many studies have shown positive associations between urban air pollution, mortality and hospitalizations for cardiovascular diseases. This study tried to estimate short term effects of ambient air pollution on myocardial infarction on the basis of data collected in a morbidity registry. METHODS: The daily number of myocardial infarctions between 1984 and 1989 was supplied by the Monica registry (Bas-Rhin). The pollution variables were daily mean and maximum of hourly measures of carbon monoxyde (CO), sulfur dioxide (SO(2)), particles (PM13), nitrogen monoxyde (NO) and nitrogen dioxide (NO(2)), mean and maximum of hourly measures of ozone (O(3)) between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. Other data were influenza epidemics, daily temperature and humidity. The analysis was a Poisson regression controlling for trend, season, meteorological factors and pollutant, using non parametric smoothing. Influence of day of week and influenza were controlled through dummy variables. RESULTS: For the hourly maximum of NO with a 5 day lag the association was statistically significant (square root relation): for an increase from percentile 25 (63 microg/m(3)) to percentile 75 (189 microg/m(3)), the RR was 1.087 (95% CI: 1.014-1.166). The association was significant during winter with a RR of 1.129 (95% CI: 1.028-1.241) for a percentile 25 (101 microg/m(3)) to percentile 75 (265 microg/m(3)) increase. A positive linear association was found with daily maximum of NO(2) during winter with a 5 day lag: the RR, for an increase from percentile 25 (59 microg/m(3)) to percentile 75 (107 microg/m(3)) was 1.095 (95% CI: 1.015-1.181). For the daily mean and maximum of O(3), a positive association was found but it was not robust. For other pollutants, no association was found. CONCLUSIONS: The association between NO(2) and coronary events, hospitalizations and mortality, has been shown in several studies but not in all. This secondary pollutant could be a proxy for small particles.

Air Pollutants↗
PubMed2000

[Current situation of pollution eco-chemistry and its prospects].

As a new discipline, pollution eco-chemistry comes into being with the development and intersection of ecology and environmental chemistry. Main contents of the subject were summarized: 1) movement and transformation of chemical pollutants and their microcosmically eco-chemical processes; 2) ecological effects, eco-toxicology and ecological risk assessment of chemical pollutants; 3) ecological chemistry of global changes; 4) analyses and monitoring of chemical pollutants in ecosystems; 5) eco-chemistry for pollution control. Under the guidance of knowledge innovation as its scientific goal, the research on pollution eco-chemistry will be devoted to a theoretical breakthrough. While doing a through basic research, we should pay attention to related applied research, in order to implement the technological and practical goal of the discipline.

Chemical Phenomena↗
PubMed2002

Pollutant runoff from non-point sources and its estimation by runoff models.

In order to attain a sound and sustainable water environment, it is important to carry out the environmental management of the watershed. For this purpose, knowledge on the pollutant runoff mechanism from non-point sources becomes very important especially under rainy conditions. At Isahaya, Nagasaki, Japan, a big project of construction of sea-dyke and reclamation is now going on, so reducing the pollutant runoff, especially from non-point sources, becomes more important. Some runoff models of rainwater are developed to predict the rate of pollutant loads from the non-point sources, and their results are compared with each other to investigate the accuracy of prediction. In this paper, runoff analysis of both rainwater and pollutants has been carried out using three models: the tank model, the kinematic wave (K-W) model, and a model using the digital elevation model (DEM). For precise estimation, it becomes necessary to identify the parameters included in these models. Here, total nitrogen has been considered as pollutants, and detachment rates are evaluated, correlated with a class of land use, soil type, and moisture content. Finally, it has been shown that pollutant runoff from non-point sources can be predicted fairly well, identifying the model parameter appropriately.

Conservation of Natural Resources↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Respiratory allergic diseases induced by outdoor air pollution in urban areas.

A wealth of evidence suggests that allergic respiratory diseases such as rhinosinusitis and bronchial asthma have become more common worldwide in recent years and a great deal of etiologic and pathogenic research has been carried out to evaluate the possible causes of this increasing trend. There is also some evidence that increased atmospheric concentrations of pollutants such as ozone (O3), oxides of nitrogen (NOX), respirable particulate (PM10) and volatile organic chemicals (VOC5), which result from increased use of liquid petroleum gas or kerosene, may be linked to the increased prevalence of allergic diseases which develop more frequently in urban areas of developed countries. Since bronchial asthma is a disease which can be aggravated by inhaled compounds, health effects of air pollutants have received attention. In fact various studies have demonstrated that inhalation of air pollutants such as O3, nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and sulphur dioxide (SO2), either individually or in combination, can enhance the airway response to inhaled allergens in atopic subjects inducing asthma exacerbations. Moreover, experimental studies have shown that diesel exhaust particulate (DEP) causes respiratory symptoms and is able also to modulate the immune response by increasing immunoglobulin (Ig)E synthesis in predisposed animals and humans. There is also some evidence that air pollutants can interact with aeroallergens in the atmosphere and/or on human airways, potentiating their effects. In fact, by inducing airway inflammation which increases epithelial permeability, some pollutants overcome the mucosal barrier and so prime allergen-induced responses. However, air pollution and climatic changes may also have an indirect effect on the allergic response by influencing quantitatively and qualitatively the pollen production of allergenic plants.

Air Pollutants↗
PubMed1992

[Effect of air pollutants on the health of the Annaberg district population with special reference to acute respiratory tract diseases].

From 1978 to 1988 in the district of Annaberg (Saxony, state frontier to Czechoslovakia) investigations were accomplished to assess the state of health in people living there. The southern part of the district rises to a crest (Saxon Ore Mountain). It is influenced by air pollution from Northern Bohemia. The incidence of acute infections of the upper airways showed a remarkable dependence on the degree of air pollution in the age groups up to 18 years, especially in the group of infants. In the polluted area (high overload) the morbidity of infants was 7-fold in relation to the unpolluted area of the district. In the polluted area when temperature was lower than -5 degrees C the incidence of acute respiratory infections in infants closely correlated (r = 0.90) with the concentration of SO2 in ambient air. In the town Annaberg (urban air pollution) the frequency of absence of children from school caused by acute respiratory infections was elvated in relation to the rural parts of the district, but there were no differences among these rural parts. In the polluted area the severe stages of cardiorespiratory diseases were passed through with evident acceleration. In healthy adults living there the mean values for immunoglobulins of class A and class M tended to be elevated, and in school children the antibody titers against influenza A and B were increased.

Absenteeism↗
PubMed2005

Regional air pollution at a turning point.

The control of transboundary air pollution in Europe has been successful. Emissions of many key pollutants are decreasing and there are signs of improvements in damaged ecosystems. The strategies under development within the CAFE programme under the European Commission and the Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution (CLRTAP), aim to take regional air pollution control a large step further, in particular with respect to small particles. In this paper we highlight the new strategies but look primarily at socioeconomic trends and climate change feedbacks that may have a significant influence on the outcome of the strategies and which so far have not been considered. In particular, we point out the influence on air quality of increased summer temperatures in Europe and of increasing emissions including international shipping, outside of Europe. Taken together the further emissions reductions in Europe and the increasing background pollution, slowly cause a greying of the Northern Hemisphere troposphere rather than the traditional picture of dominant emissions in Europe and North America ('black') with much lower emission intensities elsewhere ('white'). A hemispheric approach to further combat air pollution will become necessary in Europe and elsewhere.

Air Pollutants↗
PubMed1992

Preliminary results of exposure measurements and health effects of the Vaal Triangle Air Pollution Health Study.

The aim of the Vaal Triangle Air Pollution Health Study is to assess the adequacy of South Africa's air pollution control programme to protect human health. It is a longitudinal study of children aged 8-12 years which will evaluate exposure and effects of outdoor and indoor air pollution levels on the health of more than 10,000 white and black children living in Vanderbijlpark, Sasolburg, Vereeniging, Meyerton, Randvaal, and the Sebokeng/Sharpeville areas (Lekoa), Transvaal, RSA. Extensive data on outdoor and indoor levels of air pollution as well as personal exposures to total suspended particulate matter were collected. Preliminary results indicate that the levels of particulate matter exceed the USA health standards. A health questionnaire administered to 10,187 white children indicated that during the past year 65.9% had suffered from upper respiratory tract illnesses (URI) such as sinusitis, rhinitis and hay fever and 28.9% from lower respiratory tract illnesses (LRI) such as bronchitis, chronic cough and chronic chest illnesses. Parents who perceived that the air pollution in the region is serious had a higher reporting rate of URI/LRI for their children than parents who considered the air pollution not to be serious (77.4% v. 56.8% respectively for URI and 24.1% v. 16.3% respectively for LRI). The effect of this recall bias will be evaluated in later analyses. A statistically significant higher prevalence of LRI was reported in children exposed to parental smoking (25.7% for households where both parents smoked v. 20.8% in households without parental smoking) (odds ratio (OR) 1.32 (1.2-1.5)).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Air Pollution↗
PubMed2005

Influence of air pollution on pulmonary function in healthy young men from different regions of Poland.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of air pollution on pulmonary function parameters in healthy non-smoking young men. The study comprised 1,278 healthy, non-smoking young men (aged 18-23) living in Poland in regions with different levels of air pollution. The examined population was divided into three groups A, B, and C, based on low, moderate and high air pollution levels, respectively. Spirometry and bodyphletysmography at rest were performed by using of mobile lab PNEUMOBIL. Lung function parameters were analyzed and compared with respect to the level of air pollution. The mean values of the pulmonary function parameters were within the limits in all groups, but we observed statistically significant differences between the groups (lowest mean values in group C and the highest in group A). In all groups we found persons with significant airflow limitation in the central and peripheral bronchi, defined as the decrease of FEV(1) %FVC ratio <70 and FEV(1)<80 % of predicted value (central bronchi), and FEV(1) %FVC ratio >70, FEF(50)<70 % predicted (peripheral bronchi). The percentage of persons with airflow limitation in the central bronchi was in group A (0.3 %), B (0.4 %) and C (1.4 %). The incidence of flow limitation in small bronchi was as follows: in group A (1.2 %), B (0.5 %) and C (6.7 %). The majority of factors defining the capacity of lungs as well as the intensity of the airflow showed a negative correlation with the concentrations of the basic air pollution (SO(2), NO(2), PM(10)). Our study showed, for the first time, the influence of air pollution on pulmonary function parameters in healthy non-smoking young men in the Polish population.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

The effects of environmental pollution on the respiratory system of children in western Macedonia, Greece.

The indoor and outdoor environmental pollution effects on the respiratory system of 3,559 children aged 9-12 were studied. It was a cross-sectional and interlocal (geographical differentiation) study. The research was conducted during the period between 2000-2001 in five cities of Western Macedonia and more particularly: 1046 children from Ptolemaida, 1249 children from Kozani, 466 from Florina, 419 from Kastoria and 379 from Grevena. The study was performed by means of a questionnaire for the detection of respiratory diseases during childhood, plus spirometry and rhinomanometry measurements. The diachronic quantitative analysis of environmental pollutants was conducted by The Laboratory of Physics of the Atmosphere of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. The environmental pollution was found to have a detrimental effect on the respiratory system of children, mainly attributable to the occurrence of rhinitis and infectious bronchitis. The highest prevalence of rhinitis (40.3%) and infectious bronchitis (12.1%) was observed in Ptolemaida, which is a highly polluted region, whereas the lowest (21.2% and 6.7%, respectively) was seen in Grevena, a non-polluted area. As for the indoor pollution, maternal smoking was found to increase the prevalence of respiratory problems in children. Finally, the father's educational level and a past history of nursery school attendance increase the prevalence of respiratory diseases during childhood.

Child↗
PubMed2005

[Uptake, transformation and degradation of organic pollutants in transgenic plants].

Organic pollutants are major contaminants of soil, water and air whereas phytoremediation is an efficient way to clean up the polluted environment. In recent years, a number of exogenous genes encoding the proteins with remediation activities have been introduced into plants, and transgenic plants with enhanced ability of bioremediation obtained. In this paper, recent achievements in the research on phytoremediation of environments polluted by organic pollutants, especially the persistent organic pollutants (POPs), is briefly described, and recent achievements and potential uses of transgenic plants in pollution remediation are discussed.

Biodegradation, Environmental↗
PubMed2004

Assessment of air pollution indices in opencast coal mining complex--an Indian case study.

India is world's third largest coal-producing country and to meet the future energy demand it will have to produce coal at a faster rate. The coal by opencast mining has been about 80% of the total production. This paper focuses on some of the key air pollution problems arising from increased use of opencast mining. It examines the utility of an Air Pollution Index (API) for tackling air pollution problems. A fact-finding survey was conducted to evaluate the status of air pollution due to opencast coal mining in Jharia Coalfield of Bharat Coking Coal Ltd. The approach for the selection of air monitoring stations, its monitoring programme, data analysis and results are discussed. The Oak Ridge Air Quality Index (ORAQI) was used to evaluate the relative ranking of overall air quality different locations within the mining complex. The paper recommends the use of API data rather than individual air pollution level data when attempting to develop effective air pollution control strategies for mining areas.

Air Pollutants↗
PubMed1979

Community air pollution in Canada: a review and predictions for the 1980s.

The main trends in Canadian air pollution since the national program of surveillance began are reviewed in this paper. In common with the United States, significant improvements in sulfur dioxide and particulate pollution have been recorded in a number of cities after the institution of control measures. However, some areas with a concentration of certain industries still have considerable particulate pollution. Since emission of nitrogen dioxide is increasing in the United States, the consequent photochemical pollution in southern Ontario will probably continue to increase. Nitrogen dioxide concentrations in the air are elevated in some western Canadian cities, presumably because of the presence of plants that burn natural gas to generate electricity and increasing pollution from automobiles. There is increasing concern about community air pollution in cities with large metal-fabricating plants, and community exposure to asbestos fibres is likely to be an important concern in the 1980s.

Air Pollutants↗
PubMed1983

Air pollution and family health.

Air pollution is classified according to chemical characteristics of the pollutants and sources: reducing air pollution, photochemical air pollution, point-source emission and indoor air pollution. The primary pollutants are particulates, oxides of sulfur and nitrogen, ozone, hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide and lead. A knowledge of the effects of these on healthy people and impaired patients can provide the physician with specific measures to apply in individual cases.

Air Pollutants↗
PubMed1995

Children at risk from ozone air pollution--United States, 1991-1993.

A national health objective for the year 2000 is to reduce exposure to air pollutants so that at least 85% of persons reside in counties that meet Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) standards (objective 11.5) (1). Ozone, the principle component of summer smog, is the most pervasive air pollutant in the United States. The risks associated with ozone and other air pollutants are especially increased for children and adults with asthma (2); however, children with no underlying pulmonary diseases also are at risk for adverse health effects associated with these pollutants (3). In addition, because children of racial/ethnic minorities are more likely to reside in areas with higher air pollution levels, they may be exposed to higher levels of ozone (4). This report presents the findings of an analysis by the American Lung Association (ALA) to characterize pediatric populations potentially at risk for adverse health effects from exposure to ozone air pollution in the United States during 1991-1993.

Air Pollutants↗
PubMed1993

Air pollution levels, meteorological conditions and asthma symptoms.

We wanted to assess relations between the daily occurrence of asthma symptoms and fluctuations of air pollution concentrations and meteorological conditions. In a panel of 31 asthmatic patients residing in the town of Piteå in northern Sweden, severe symptoms of shortness of breath, wheeze, cough and phlegm were recorded in an asthma diary together with suspected causes. Sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, black smoke, relative humidity and temperature were used to evaluate the relationship to the environment. By using multivariate analyses, we found that daily variations in the particulate pollution levels, indicated by black smoke levels below the criteria limits, had significant effects on the risk of developing severe symptoms of shortness of breath. This association was stronger among 10 subjects, who had at least five incident days with severe shortness of breath. Meteorological conditions were not significant in the multivariate models. Cough and phlegm did not show significant relationships to any environmental condition that was evaluated. Only one-third of the subjects reported, at least once during the study, symptoms believed to be related to air pollutants, although we found significant correlations between the pollution levels and the frequency of pollution-related symptoms. We conclude that an association has been established for black smoke as pollutant and shortness of breath as respiratory symptom, and that in certain asthmatics, effects were occurring at lower particulate levels than suggested previously.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1993

[Investigation of chronic arsenic poisoning caused by high arsenic coal pollution].

This article reports the results of an investigation on environmental arsenic pollution and chronic arsenic poisoning in a rural area. Exploitation of high arsenic coal caused drinking and irrigating water to be polluted by arsenic and burning of this coal caused severe environmental arsenic pollution including air, food, soil and drinking well water. 1548 villagers in 47 villages suffered from chronic arsenic poisoning who used this coal in daily life. The polluted air and food were mainly responsible, while the polluted drinking water and skin absorption played some part in poisoning. When arsenic level in coal is as high as 100mg/kg, we should consider the possibility of environmental arsenic pollution and chronic arsenic poisoning in exposed population. The high arsenic coal's distribution is very uneven. When controlling the disease, it is important to remember monitoring the quantity of arsenic coal outside the arsenic coal mining area.

Arsenic Poisoning↗
PubMed1998

[Analysis of air pollution and prevalence rate of allergic diseases among elementary school children in Kawaguchi and Hatogaya city].

Kawaguchi and Hatogaya City are located on the northern edge of Tokyo. We analysed between air pollution and prevalence rate of allergic diseases among elementary school children in this area. A prevalence rate of allergic diseases in 1996 May and June was as follows; bronchial asthma 13.5%, atopic dermatitis 24.5%, allergic rhinitis and/or conjunctivitis 22.8%, urticaria 12.4%, food allergy 7.8% and drug allergy 2.2%, respectively. Air pollution of this area was analysed to check the levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO2), sulfur dioxide (SO2) and suspended particulate matters (SPM). NO2 pollution was relatively high in urban area, and SPM pollution was especially high around the highways. SO2 pollution was lower than the environmental standard. No relationship was found between the prevalence rate of bronchial asthma, atopic dermatitis, allergic rhinitis and/or conjunctivitis and air pollution, but it was found that these diseases are slightly related to population density (p < 0.1, p < 0.01, p < 0.1, respectively).

Air Pollutants↗
PubMed2006

Perceived and measured levels of environmental pollution: interdisciplinary research in the subarctic lowlands of northeast European Russia.

Using interdisciplinary field research in the Usa Basin, northeast European Russia, we compared local inhabitants' perception of environmental problems with chemical and remote-sensing signatures of environmental pollution and their local impacts. Extensive coal mining since the 1930s around Inta and Vorkuta has left a legacy of pollution, detected by measuring snowpack, topsoil, and lichen chemistry, together with remote-sensing techniques and analysis of lake water and sediments. Vorkuta and its environs suffered the worst impacts, with significant metal loading and alkalization in lakes and topsoils, elevated metals and cations in terricolous (reindeer) lichens, and changes in vegetation communities. Although the coal industry has declined recently, the area boasts a booming oil and gas industry, based around Usinsk. Local perceptions and concerns of environmental pollution and protection were higher in Usinsk, as a result of increased awareness after a major oil spill in 1994, compared with Vorkuta's inhabitants, who perceived air pollution as the primary environmental threat. Our studies indicate that the principal sources of atmospheric emissions and local deposition within 25 to 40 km of Vorkuta were coal combustion from power and heating plants, coal mines, and a cement factory. Local people evaluated air pollution from direct observations and personal experiences, such as discoloration of snow and respiratory problems, whereas scientific knowledge played a minor role in shaping these perceptions.

Air Pollutants↗