Article
Construction & Building Technology
Mukesh Budaniya, Aakash C. Rai
Summary: Particulate air pollution is a global health concern, and this study finds that indoor plants are not effective in removing airborne particulate matter. The study quantified the deposition velocities and clean air delivery rates of different plant species and compared them with filter-based air purifiers. The results show that plant systems cannot compete with traditional air purifiers, and a large quantity of plants is required to achieve modest reductions in indoor PM concentrations.
BUILDING AND ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Construction & Building Technology
William W. Nazaroff
Summary: Ultrafine particles are small condensed-phase materials in air that are abundant both indoors and outdoors. They pose health risks when inhaled and can migrate within the respiratory tract. Buildings provide partial protection against outdoor ultrafine particles, but their effectiveness is influenced by various factors.
BUILDING AND ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Su-Gwang Jeong, Lance Wallace, Donghyun Rim
Summary: Indoor ultrafine particles mainly come from occupant activities and can cause health problems. This study investigates the dynamics of ultrafine particles released from different indoor sources and the impact of aerosol loss mechanisms on their size distribution dynamics.
ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION
(2023)
Review
Environmental Sciences
Sabyne Audignon-Durand, Olivier Ramalho, Corinne Mandin, Audrey Roudil, Olivier Le Bihan, Fleur Delva, Aude Lacourt
Summary: Ultrafine particles pose a growing concern due to their potential toxicity. This study provides a comprehensive summary of indoor exposure to these particles in highly industrialized countries. It identifies activities such as cooking, smoking, and cleaning as major contributors to indoor ultrafine particle exposure.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Andrea Carlo D'Alicandro, Alessandro Mauro
Summary: The study aims to analyze the effectiveness of three different ventilation systems in controlling UFP transport and deposition in operating rooms. The results show that both laminar airflow and turbulent mixing airflow systems can effectively remove UFPs and ensure a low particle deposition rate compared to the evacuation rate. In addition, the choice of instrument table position also affects the deposition of UFPs, CFUs, and contaminants, and the UFP concentration at the height of the surgical staff's head cannot be neglected for health-related risks.
ATMOSPHERIC ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Luis Felipe Sanchez P, Carlos A. Manzano, Manuel A. Leiva-Guzman, Mauricio Canales A, Richard Toro Araya
Summary: The monitoring campaign analyzed the size distribution of atmospheric particulate matter in an urban area with high air pollution levels, showing accumulation and coarse modes. The higher concentrations of smaller particles during autumn and winter can be attributed to residential wood burning emissions, while larger particle concentrations in spring and summer may be due to dust resuspension from vehicular traffic. The results emphasize the importance of PM1 fraction in urban source apportionment studies and understanding the health impacts of high PM concentrations.
ATMOSPHERIC POLLUTION RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
M. Omar Nawaz, Daven K. Henze, Nicolas J. Huneeus, Mauricio Osses, Nicolas Alamos, Mariel A. Opazo, Laura Gallardo
Summary: The population of Santiago, Chile, is facing air pollution issues primarily due to anthropogenic emissions and geographic and meteorological factors. Despite improvements in air quality in recent years, the future of air pollution in Santiago remains uncertain due to population growth and increased vehicle use. Mitigation efforts can be supported by studying the sources and impacts of air pollution. This study uses a chemical transport model and adjoint calculations to characterize the relationship between pollution exposure and health impacts, identifying anthropogenic emissions as the main contributors.
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-ATMOSPHERES
(2023)
Article
Construction & Building Technology
Inga Garbariene, Julija Pauraite, Daria Pashneva, Agne Minderyte, Karolis Sarka, Vadimas Dudoitis, Lina Davulien, Mindaugas Gaspariunas, Vitalij Kovalevskij, Danielis Lingis, Laurynas Bucinskas, Justina Sapolaite, Z. ilvinas Ezerinskis, Gedi Mainelis, Jurgita Ovadnevaite, Simonas Kecorius, Kristina Plauskaite-Sukiene, Steigvile Bycenkiene
Summary: This study evaluated the impact of outdoor particulate pollution on indoor air quality by investigating the chemical composition and sources of submicron aerosol particles (PM1) indoors and outdoors. The results showed differences in the chemical composition and sources of PM1 between indoor and outdoor environments, with biomass burning and road dust resuspension being the primary sources. The three-stage building filter system was found to provide effective protection against indoor particle pollution.
BUILDING AND ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Denis Vinnikov, Venerando Rapisarda, Sergey Babanov, Ermanno Vitale, Leonid Strizhakov, Zhanna Romanova, Irina Mukatova
Summary: This study aims to quantify indoor fine PM levels and verify the contribution of ambient pollution to indoor pollution. The research found that during the cold season, residents in Almaty are exposed to very high levels of fine PM, even indoors.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Fabio Boccuni, Riccardo Ferrante, Francesca Tombolini, Sergio Iavicoli, Armando Pelliccioni
Summary: This study focused on real-time high-frequency UFPs particle size distribution in an indoor site, revealing that accumulation mode (AM) of UFPs during working days contributes significantly to the total particle number concentration, showing a high correlation with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) contribution. Additionally, high indoor TPNC values were recorded during rush hours, potentially due to outdoor influences from anthropogenic activities.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Camilo Menares, Patricio Perez, Santiago Parraguez, Zoe L. Fleming
Summary: This study utilized air pollution and meteorological data from Santiago, Chile to accurately predict PM2.5 maximum concentrations using LSTM and DFFNN models. Deep learning techniques, particularly the LSTM model, provided significant improvements compared to traditional neural networks, outperforming deterministic models currently used in Santiago.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Kyungmo Kang, Taeyeon Kim, Hyungkeun Kim
Summary: The study revealed that indoor air pollution from particles, mainly caused by indoor activities like cooking, leads to prolonged indoor particle concentrations. Outdoor sources were found to be the predominant sources of particle exposure, suggesting that reducing outdoor penetration is crucial in lowering indoor PN concentration by improving building airtightness through the addition of air filtration.
JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Dong Kim, Jeongju Kim, Sang Joon Lee
Summary: The study showed that submicron water droplets are effective in removing indoor ultrafine particulate matter, with a removal efficiency approximately twice as high as micron-sized water droplets. The results also indicated that as the size of water droplets decreases, the efficiency of particulate matter collection increases significantly.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2021)
Article
Construction & Building Technology
Zhiwei Zhang, Xinba Lv, Zhiyi Wei, Jun Guan, Yinghui Zhang, Shuqin Chen, Hongyang He
Summary: The study found that outdoor air temperature is a key factor influencing occupants' window-opening behaviors in residences, with most preferring to use range hood accompanied by opening kitchen window for ventilation. Indoor UFP concentrations were significantly higher in winter compared to summer and transition season, correlating with cooking activities.
BUILDING AND ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Sheng Chen, Mingkai Cheng, Jingying Xu, Xiaowei Liu, Dunxi Yu, Minghou Xu
Summary: This study developed a numerical framework to predict the effect of additives on reducing particulate matter during coal combustion and validated the reduction effect when burning high-sodium Zhundong coal in a lab-scale furnace. The experimental results showed that adding kaolin can significantly reduce the mass yield of smaller particulate matter (PM0.3), with chemical adsorption being the dominant mechanism for PM reduction.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Lilian Calderon-Garciduenas, Andrea Herrera-Soto, Nur Jury, Barbara A. Maher, Angelica Gonzalez-Maciel, Rafael Reynoso-Robles, Pablo Ruiz-Rudolph, Brigitte van Zundert, Lorena Varela-Nallar
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH
(2020)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Emma M. Stapleton, Abhilash Kizhakke Puliyakote, Nervana Metwali, Matthew Jeronimo, Ian M. Thornell, Robert B. Manges, Monalisa Bilas, Mohamed Ali Kamal Batcha, Mangaleswari Seeniappan Kumaravel, Kumar Durairaj, Kesavan Karuppusamy, Geetha Kathiresan, Sirajunnisa Abdul Rahim, Kumaran Shanmugam, Peter S. Thorne, Thomas M. Peters, Eric A. Hoffman, Alejandro P. Comellas
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH
(2020)
Article
Critical Care Medicine
Robert J. Blount, Ha Phan, Trang Trinh, Hai Dang, Cindy Merrifield, Michael Zavala, Joseph Zabner, Alejandro P. Comellas, Emma M. Stapleton, Mark R. Segal, John Balmes, Nguyen Viet Nhung, Payam Nahid
Summary: The study found that common urban indoor air pollution sources are associated with an increased risk of latent tuberculosis infection in child household contacts of patients with active tuberculosis in Southeast Asia. Specifically, having more household members who smoke is linked to higher odds of latent tuberculosis in children.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF RESPIRATORY AND CRITICAL CARE MEDICINE
(2021)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Maria Elisa Quinteros, Carola Blazquez, Felipe Rosas, Salvador Ayala, Ximena Marcela Ossa Garcia, Juana Maria Delgado-Saborit, Roy M. Harrison, Pablo Ruiz-Rudolph, Karla Yohannessen
Summary: This study compares the quality of three automatic online geocoding tools with a reference method. It found that Google Maps and Google Earth had higher match rates, while Bing had better accuracy in address positioning. Overall, the performance of these methods varied, highlighting the importance of careful assessment when using automatic methods.
CADERNOS DE SAUDE PUBLICA
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Emma M. Stapleton, Jennifer L. Welch, Erika A. Ubeda, Jinhua Xiang, Joseph Zabner, Ian M. Thornell, Matthew W. Nonnenmann, Jack T. Stapleton, Alejandro P. Comellas
Summary: The study found that airway surface liquid can inactivate SARS-CoV-2 and human alphacoronavirus 229E. Urban PM and indoor air pollution have an impact on the infection of these two viruses, but PM may weaken the antiviral activity of airway surface liquid.
JOURNAL OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Felicia Hung, Jonathan N. Hofmann, Pabitra R. Josse, Sarah J. Locke, Emma M. Stapleton, Gabriella Andreotti, Nicole C. Deziel, Laura E. Beane Freeman, Melissa C. Friesen
Summary: This study evaluated the validity of farmers' self-report of work activities by comparing their recall to activities observed by field staff during air monitoring. The results showed generally good agreement between the two sources, with discrepancies primarily due to activities not being observed or timing issues.
JOURNAL OF OCCUPATIONAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL HYGIENE
(2022)
Article
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
J. Simmering, E. M. Stapleton, P. M. Polgreen, J. Kuntz, A. K. Gerke
Summary: This study analyzed the natural history of sarcoidosis in a large cohort and found that a significant proportion of patients required long-term corticosteroid therapy. Chest imaging was associated with medication dose changes, while PFTs or demographics were not. Prospective cohorts with objective clinical assessments and repeated measures are needed for a more comprehensive understanding of the disease.
RESPIRATORY MEDICINE
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Abas Shkembi, Kowit Nambunmee, Siripond Jindaphong, Denisse Parra-Giordano, Karla Yohannessen, Pablo Ruiz-Rudolph, Richard L. Neitzel, Aubrey Arain
Summary: The study identified ten job characteristics that strongly influence lead levels in e-waste recycling workers' urine and blood. Factors such as wearing closed-toed shoes, using blunt striking tools, bending the back, dismantling random parts, lifting objects < 20 lbs., using screwdrivers, using pliers/scissors, repetitive arm motion, and lifting objects > 20 pounds were among the most important predictors of lead concentrations.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH
(2021)
Review
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Estela Blanco, Marcela Marin, Loreto Nunez, Erika Retamal, Ximena Ossa, Katherine E. Woolley, Tosin Oludotun, Suzanne E. Bartington, Juana Maria Delgado-Saborit, Roy M. Harrison, Pablo Ruiz-Rudolph, Maria Elisa Quinteros
Summary: This study provides updated estimates of some of the most prevalent adverse pregnancy and perinatal outcomes in Latin America and the Caribbean. There is important heterogeneity in prevalence estimates, which may reflect the diversity of populations in the region.
REVISTA PANAMERICANA DE SALUD PUBLICA-PAN AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Emma M. Stapleton, Kathy Keck, Robert Windisch, Mallory R. Stroik, Andrew L. Thurman, Joseph Zabner, Ian M. Thornell, Alejandro A. Pezzulo, Julia Klesney-Tait, Alejandro P. Comellas
Summary: The effect of active vitamin D supplementation on airway innate immune mechanisms was tested in vitro. The results showed that vitamin D supplementation did not have effects on many airway innate immune mechanisms, but it may be useful in resolving respiratory bacterial infections.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Estela Blanco, Francisco Rubilar, Maria Elisa Quinteros, Karen Cayupi, Salvador Ayala, Siyao Lu, Raquel B. Jimenez, Carola A. Blazquez, Juana Maria Delgado-Saborit, Roy M. Harrison, Pablo Ruiz-Rudolph, Juan Pablo Cardenas
Summary: In Temuco, a medium-sized city in Chile, residential wood-burning in winter causes severe air pollution. Through mobile measurements, the distribution of particulate matter during winter nights was spatially characterized. Variations in PM concentrations among neighborhoods suggest the importance of targeted interventions for air pollution mitigation.
ATMOSPHERIC ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Maria Elisa Quinteros, Estela Blanco, Janeet Sanabria, Felipe Rosas-Diaz, Carola A. Blazquez, Salvador Ayala, Juan Pablo Cardenas-R, Elizabeth A. Stone, Keely Sybesma, Juana Maria Delgado-Saborit, Roy M. Harrison, Pablo Ruiz-Rudolph
Summary: This study investigates the air pollution problem caused by residential wood heating in Temuco, a city in Southern Chile. The concentrations of PM2.5, levoglucosan, and K-sol were found to be particularly high in winter. The ratios of levoglucosan and K-sol to PM2.5 were lower in summer. Spatial clustering analysis revealed that some neighborhoods with higher ratios were associated with lower socioeconomic status and possibly lower quality stoves.
ATMOSPHERIC ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Rodrigo A. Cornejo, Daniel H. Arellano, Pablo Ruiz-Rudolph, Dannette Guinez, Caio C. A. Morais, Abraham I. J. Gajardo, Marioli T. Lazo, Roberto E. Brito, Maria A. Cerda, Sedric J. Gonzalez, Veronica A. Rojas, Gonzalo A. Diaz, Lorena D. M. Lopez, Juan N. Medel, Dagoberto Soto, Alejandro R. Bruhn, Marcelo B. P. Amato, Nivia R. Estuardo
Summary: The transition from controlled to partial support ventilation in ARDS patients is challenging due to the risk of patient-self-inflicted lung injury. This study found a potential association between the frequency of high magnitude pendelluft and inflammatory response. Further research is needed to confirm these findings.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Physiology
Abhilash S. Kizhakke Puliyakote, Emma M. Stapleton, Kumar Durairaj, Kesavan Karuppusamy, Geetha B. Kathiresan, Kumaran Shanmugam, Sirajunnisa Abdul Rahim, Suresh Navaneethakrishnan, Monalisa Bilas, Rui Huang, Nervana Metwali, Matthew Jeronimo, Kung-Sik Chan, Junfeng Guo, Prashant Nagpal, Thomas M. Peters, Peter S. Thorne, Alejandro P. Comellas, Eric A. Hoffman
Summary: This study used quantitative computed tomography (qCT) to compare the lung function of women cooking with wood and liquified petroleum gas (LPG). The qCT results showed that women cooking with wood had more small airways disease, which may be related to inhaling biomass smoke. These findings are important for understanding the phenotypes of chronic lung disease and associated environmental lung pathologies in non-smoking women in the developing world.
JOURNAL OF APPLIED PHYSIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Estela Blanco, Pablo Ruiz-Rudolph, Karla Yohannessen, Salvador Ayala, Maria Elisa Quinteros, Juana Maria Delgado-Saborit, Carola A. Blazquez, Veronica Iglesias, Diana Alcantara Zapata, Suzanne E. Bartington, Roy M. Harrison, Ximena Ossa
Summary: Understanding the temporal and spatial trends in pregnancy and birth outcomes is essential for monitoring the health indicators of a population. A retrospective cohort study was conducted on all births in a public hospital in the city of Temuco, Chile between 2009 and 2016. The study examined changes in adverse pregnancy and birth outcomes over time, identified spatial clusters of birth events, and explored the correlation between neighborhood deprivation and outcomes. The results showed both decreases and increases in adverse outcomes, with some clusters and correlations observed.
JOURNAL OF URBAN HEALTH-BULLETIN OF THE NEW YORK ACADEMY OF MEDICINE
(2023)